News Broadcasting
CCI powers worry House panel members
NEW DELHI: Some members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT and Telecom, which recently submitted its report on the Communication Convergence Bill 2001, have expressed their reservation on the formation of the Communications Commission of India (CCI) and questioned the effectiveness of the proposed super-regulator that will have jurisdiction over virtually every field of communication, including telecom, broadcasting, cable and IT.
Pointing out that due to its “vast responsibilities” the CCI can become a “monolith”, in a ‘precautionary note’ (included in the report of the parliamentary panel) two Members of Parliament have said, “Due its vast powers and establishment, the CCI can become a hindrance to rapid evolution and convergence of technologies and services.”
If Parliament takes note of the missive from the MPs, it could lead to the curtailing of the powers of the CCI. It has been further observed that the CCI can restrict freedom of information for consumers and freedom of action for service providers if its powers are “not used properly” and over-arching powers can be “misused through a tangle of rules, regulations, licences and registration requirements.”
Recently IT, telecom and parliamentary affairs minister Pramod Mahajan had told indiantelevision.com on the sidelines of a Delhi economic summit that “if need be another round of discussion can held on the Bill” considering wide ranging views which have been expressed through the Standing Committee’s report.
The note from the two MPs also caution on the control that the government of the day can have over the CCI.
“By controlling appointments, the government of the day can exercise too much remote control over the Commission. There can be a risk of excessive curbs over the independence and autonomy of the Commission as has happened, for instance, with Prasar Bharati,” the note points out with great accuracy.
If India manages to enact a piece of legislation to govern the convergence space, then it would be only the second country in the world, after Malaysia, till now to have such legislation.
Enumerating the several ways in which the government of the day and the CCI can “enhance authoritarian practices if not used prudently”, the note from the MPs state their assertions may be considered during the implementation of the provisions of the Bill.
Meanwhile, one of the recommendations of the Standing Committee pours cold water over Prasar Bharati’s ambitions to have a monopoly over telecast rights, specially those relating to sports, of national and international importance in the name of public service.
Noting that both Doordarshan and All India Radio offer valuable services to the general public through their terrestrial networks’ vast reach and that the general public should not be deprived of viewing of events in the name of free competition, the parliamentary panel has said CCI needs to be careful on such issues.
Suggesting that Clause 31 of the Bill should be rephrased, the Committee has said the Clause should read: “The Commission shall give adequate opportunity of hearing to all persons interested therein and also ensure that the principles and terms determined by it do not dissuade broadcasters from bidding for the rights to broadcasts any such event (which have been notified under the aforementioned Clause).”
Earlier this year, Prasar Bharati had petitioned the information and broadcasting ministry that because of high cost of acquiring telecast rights DD and AIR are generally left out in the cold in situations where private satellite broadcasters hold sway because of their financial muscle. In this regard it had also said that any national and/or international event which is of importance to the Indian viewing public should also necessarily come to the public service broadcaster and not be the exclusive prerogative of some private broadcasters.
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
