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Private TV channels should devote time for public service: Sushma
By Our Special Correspondent
CHENNAI, DEC. 11. The duties and responsibilities of all stake holders in the broadcasting system has to be identified and actions required to be taken by them decided upon, Ms. Sushma Swaraj, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, said today.
``Is public service broadcasting the duty of Prasar Bharati alone? What about the other channels. These channels are also using an important public property of air waves,'' she said.
Later elaborating, she said that these channels also had a responsibility. ``They should also devote some time for public service messages and developing content,'' she said after inaugurating the Erik Barnouw Public Broadcasting Trust and a round table on broadcasting responsibilities and rights here today.
Ms. Swaraj said that she had talked to the Indian Broadcasting Foundation to evolve a code which should be applicable to all private channels. The Union Government was not planning a legislation on the issue, she clarified.
Though the broadcasting sector had grown, this growth had been largely unregulated, she noted and added that this had implications for broadcasting policy.
Prasar Bharati should remain the major if not the key player of the broadcasting system, she said and added that it was playing the role of a public broadcaster effectively.
After the recent restructuring decision, Prasar Bharati had decided to dedicate a channel exclusively for children, culture and health and fitness. The three themes would be presented in the ``restructured'' DD News (DD Bharati), in three eight-hour windows. The Minister said that the new-look channel could come into force from January 26.
The morning ``window'' will feature traditional medicine systems and health concepts such as Ayurveda, Unani, Yoga and Homeopathy. The afternoon slot will be dedicated to children. ``The content will be Indian. Not dubbing of Mickey Mouse,'' she said. The evening window will showcase culture.
She declined to comment on the issue of entry of foreign media into the country as ``the issue was before a standing committee of Parliament''. Since section 3 (8) of the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) had been deleted, the media need not have any concerns on the ordinance.
Dr. S. Krishnaswamy, chairman of the trust, said that the media was more concerned with images, not facts. Instead of it functioning as instruments of human ascent, it had, by and large, been acting as instruments of human descent.
``We want to do something about it. The attempt here is to bring together like-minded people to interact so that broadcasting can become meaningful and worthwhile,'' he said.
The trust has been set up in memory of Prof. Erik Barnouw, a pioneer in media history, emeritus professor at the Columbia University and the first director of the Motion Picture and Recorded Sound Wing of the Congress Library, Washington DC.
Mr. N. Ravi, Editor, The Hindu, said that public broadcasting, which was free of the constraints of commercial broadcasting, needed to redefine its role. The old idea of Doordarshan aiming at doing everything might need readjustments in this milieu of a plethora of private channels.
``Perhaps the time has come for initiating it in terms of aiming for the highest levels of excellence and quality, creating an informed and interested community of people, in filling the gaps in quality and creativity that might exist among private channels,'' Mr. Ravi said. The round table would discuss these issues. Mr. R. Desikan, trustee, said that the discussions were being held at a time when the media scene was undergoing many far-reaching changes.
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