News Broadcasting
DD misses Prasar Bharati CEO Sarma’s ‘Olympic’ run
NEW DELHI: Some are saying it’s poetic justice, but it can only happen in Doordarshan.
The only broadcaster with the permission to cover the whole of the Olympic torch relay live in Delhi today, the Indian pubcaster did that, but missed covering the parent organisation’s chief executive, KS Sarma,
running with the torch. The live coverage was happening on Doordarshan Sports.
It was left to a sister channel, DD News, to have a brief clip of Sarma with the torch, mouthing words like it was a great honour for him and the
organisation to have covered a historic event.
Sarma is the CEO of Prasar Bharati, an autonomous organisation that looks after DD and All India Radio.
What could have added insult to injury is the fact DD had deployed more than half a dozen OB vans to cover extensively and live the Olympic torch relay, which not only generated a lot of hype, also huge amounts of criticism for having been hijacked by politicians and sundry celebrities, most of whom have very little to do with any kind of sports. Ironically, the “tamasha” could find no place for Indian sporting greats like Milka Singh or PT Usha.
Even Aaj Tak had a clipping of the parent company’s owner-promoter, Aroon Purie, running with the torch.
Though DD officials have been passing the buck for the lapse of missing Sarma, a source in the organisation admitted that the faux pas happened as “there was some confusion on Sarma’s timing of carrying the torch, which people down the order did not care to confirm.”
Thankfully, Sarma is said to have taken the development in his stride and despite being an officious organisation, no heads are expected to roll for this lapse.
But media experts observed that DD Sports’ coverage of the torch relay has exemplified that the organisation needs to be rejuvenated with people who can think quick and also know the difference between live coverage and recording an event for future broadcast.
News Broadcasting
News18 India to air Sabse Bada Dangal on 4 May counting day
Channel promises fastest results, live trends and analysis across five states.
MUMBAI: Ballots will do the talking and screens will do the shouting. As counting day approaches for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, News18 India is gearing up for an all-day broadcast of its flagship election show, Sabse Bada Dangal, on 4 May from 6 am onwards. The Hindi news channel plans to deliver continuous, real-time updates as votes are tallied, combining live counting data with on-ground reporting and studio analysis. With political fortunes set to shift through the day, the coverage will track every swing, surge and surprise as trends turn into results.
The broadcast will feature a mix of senior political leaders, analysts and experts, offering instant reactions and decoding the evolving electoral picture. Expect heated debates, quick takes and detailed breakdowns as the numbers settle across all five states.
For News18 India, counting day has long been a high-visibility moment. The network is banking on its reporting reach, editorial bandwidth and technology-driven coverage to stay ahead in what is often a fiercely competitive news cycle.
With multiple battlegrounds and shifting narratives, the day promises both drama and data in equal measure. And if all goes to plan, Sabse Bada Dangal will once again turn the counting of votes into prime-time spectacle.
