The Nation can Afford a Public Broadcasting System - I Rammohan Rao (Information Consultant to MoD and Ex. PIO)

The considered decision of the nation is to have a public broadcasting system, which should be independent and professional in approach. Its basic charter is to provide information, education and entertainment to the people of India. This can never be a government channel as it could inversely affect its independence and credibility.

It is a fact that the act was conceived before the satellite invasion of the Indian skies. But their existence doesn’t merely rule out the need for a public broadcasting system, which was underlined by an act of the Parliament. Infact it underlines the need for one. The need of a public broadcasting organisation is normally not dependent on commercial revenue or advertisment or sponsorship. The Prasar Bharati, which is still finacially not viable, has to cope with the challenges thrown out by the private media channels on one side and maintain its credibility for giving authentic information on the other. The task is tedious, but I certainly feel that this nation can afford a public broad casting system.

Why Should Doordarshan be Another Private Channel? - Ajey Mandlaus (IIS Association President)

The concept of having a public broad casting system had its meaning when DD and AIR were the only media available to the people. With the mushrooming of private channels, including the 24-hr news channels, the public has the liberty of getting uncensored inormation from all quarters. These channels in their rat race to be the first in breaking the news, often compromise on authenticity, and sensationalise even trivial happenings. Also, most of these channels are linked to business, ideological or political houses and incorporate the respective slants in reporting. This necessitates the need for a non-profit oriented channel, which can provide the public with authentic as well as official information both in times of peace and crisis. DD with its overwhelming reach is the ideal candidate for the job. The image of DD has to be built on this angle and not in tune with the dynamics of private channel. If we are trying to make DD into yet another private channel, it will lose this Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and will progressively fade away into oblivion.