Electronic Journalism

Lesson 03 : Expansion of All India Radio

Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India)

The year 1997 was a 'land mark year' which saw far reaching measures to free the broadcast media from the shackles of Government control 50 years after independence It was the first instance of a government voluntarily bringing legislation to free the media from its control which may set in motion a chain of events in the country bringing in revolutionary changes in the field.

For over three decades beginning with Chanda committee report in 1966 and continuing through the reports of the Verghese Committee (Akash Bharti) in 1978 and the Joshi Committee in 1985- expert committees set up by the government made a case for organizational restructuring of broadcasting, §O as to give it greater autonomy:

As a result, the Prasar Bharati Act (J 990) was formed by the government. It was kept idle for seven years. In July 1997, it was activated after being notified and came into force on September 22, 1997. Then came the amendments to the Act which were widely seen as ushering in a regime of full autonomy to All India Radio and Doordarshan. The Prasar Bharati Board has been formed with an executive member and Six part-time members paving the way for granting autonomy to Doorclarshan and All India Radio

The amendments were expected to be incorporated during the winter session of 11th Parliament but due to the dissolution of the House it was delayed.

The objectives of the Prasar Bharati Bill are:

1. To confer autonomy on Akashvani and Doordarshan, thereby ensuring that they function in a fair, objective and creative manner.
2. Upholding of both unity and integrity of the country.
3. Upholding of the democratic and social values enshrined in the constitution.
4. To look after the safeguarding of the citizen's right to be informed freely, truthfully and objectively.

The Bill has triggered a lively debate on controversial provisions such as cross media holdings, the extent of foreign equity allowed, up linking facilities and the cosmopolitan and powers of the Broadcasting Authority of India.

Mehta points out that, the Bill has to be in harmony with the basic approach of the broadcasting policy as laid down by the Supreme Court, which stated in a recent judgment that "air ways or frequencies for transmission of electronic communication are public property and should not be the monopoly of the government or anybody else. It should offer a plurality and diversity of news and views". Also, the policy has to take cognisance of the rapid changes in electronic media technology (1989:9).

Public service broadcaster in the country. Two constituents are Akashwani (All India Radio) and Doordarshan (Television). It came into existence on 23rd November 1997, with a mandate

• to organize and conduct public broadcasting services
• to inform, educate and entertain the public and to ensure a balanced development of broadcasting on radio and television

Objectives

The major objectives as laid out in the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990 are:

• Upholding unity and integrity of the country and the values enshrined in the Constitution.
• Promoting national integration.
• Safeguarding citizens’ rights to be informed on all matters of public interest and presenting a fair and balanced flow of information.
• Paying special attention to the fields of education and spread of literacy, agriculture, rural development, environment and health & family welfare, science & technology.
• Creating awareness about women’s issues and taking special steps to protect the interests of children, aged and other vulnerable sections of the society.
• Providing adequate coverage to the diverse cultures, sports and games and youth affairs.
• Promoting social justice, safeguarding the rights of working classes, minorities and tribal communities.
• Expanding broadcasting facilities and promoting research and development in broadcast technology.

Today, AIR has a network of 215 broadcasting centres with 144 medium frequency (MW), 54 high frequency (SW) and 139 FM transmitters. It covers 91.42% of the area, serving 99.13% of the people in of India. AIR covers 24 Languages and 146 dialects in home services. In External services, it covers 27 languages, 17 national and 10 foreign languages. Unlike yester years, when radio listenership/audience was confined to the urban genteel, today there are about 132 million estimated radio sets in the country. At present, there are 215 broadcasting centers, including 77 Radio Stations with 100% coverage.