News Broadcasting
DD, AIR to get new director generals
NEW DELHI: Indian pubcaster Doordarshan (DD) and All India Radio (AIR) may soon get full-fledged director-generals (DG), if everything goes well with the selection process which is currently underway.
The board of Prasar Bharati, which looks after the functioning of DD and AIR, is slated to deliberate on the candidates who were interviewed on 16 and 17 December.
Though full details are not forthcoming, Prasar Bharati sources said that about 21 candidates appeared yesterday for the DG’s post before the interview panel that included some board members, Prasar Bharati CEO K.S. Sarma and additional secretary in the I&B ministry, Vijay Singh.
A similar panel met up with over 15 candidates desirous of taking over as the DG of AIR. “The full board, which also happens to be the selection panel, would discuss the likely shortlisted candidates,” a source said.
Interestingly, the post of DG of DD, arguably India’s biggest broadcaster with infrastructure in remote places, but under-utilised, is open to only serving bureaucrats of joint secretary and above levels (which means that the selected candidate would be on deputation to Prasar Bharati). Although the No. 1 post in AIR had been thrown open to people from the corporate world too.
Both DD and AIR have not had full-fledged DGs for almost a decade as the responsibilities were handed on an ad hoc basis to ministerial people. For a large part of last and this year, Sarma doubled up as the DG of AIR. The last full-fledged DG that DD got was S.Y. Quraishi, who was there for about an year before being shunted out some months back, after reportedly, falling out with the present I&B minister Ravi Shankar Prasad over the issue of re-launch of the DD News channel.
Meanwhile, the Prasar Bharati board that will meet tomorrow (18 December) would also discuss DD News, apart from other items on the agenda.
With DD News (that has managed to capture the overall eyeballs since launch on 3 November) Prasar Bharati feels that the news channel should not only keep up the tempo, but also strive for betterment.
According to TAM data, DD News has been fairing well, lying just behind Aaj Tak in market shares even in cable and satellite homes. DD News is a channel that is distributed terrestrially and via satellite and has the advantage of a government diktat to cable operators that it has to be shown on prime band.
Prasar Bharati is also contemplating unleashing a media campaign regarding DD News for print and outdoor medium. Ad agency, JWT India, has been mandated to come up with the creatives and, according to sources, some work of the agency is being reviewed by Prasar Bharati officials for a final okay.
News Broadcasting
WITT Summit 2026 concludes in New Delhi
Babar Azam’s comical diving attempt goes viral as league introduces anti-dew measures.
MUMBAI: The WITT Summit just wrapped up with enough big ideas to fill a policy playbook because when India’s leaders, thinkers and icons gather under one roof, even the conversations hit sixes. The eighth edition of TV9 Network’s flagship What India Thinks Today (WITT) Summit 2026 concluded on Saturday after two days of dynamic discussions at its New Delhi venue. India’s largest multi-domain public policy and culture summit brought together political leaders, policymakers, sports icons, artists and technology innovators to examine the forces shaping contemporary India and its global standing.
Prime minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address on the theme “India and the World” for the third consecutive year. In a wide-ranging speech, he addressed the ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling for restraint and compassion while highlighting India’s continued development trajectory despite global turmoil.
The summit featured candid conversations with state leaders. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy articulated a people-first governance model and contrasted it with other development approaches. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that Left-wing extremism had been effectively eliminated in his state and highlighted preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government’s record, citing the closure of 19 toll plazas and creation of the Sadak Suraksha Force. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed confidence in Congress prospects in Assam and addressed recent allegations against him.
On geopolitics and national security, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlined India’s ambition to become a builder of trusted digital infrastructure for the world, citing the rapid 5G rollout and village-level 4G connectivity.
Cricket received significant attention. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised player freedom and trust as hallmarks of great leadership and named MS Dhoni as the greatest captain due to his World Cup successes. India women’s team bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi credited the BCCI and Women’s Premier League for building a pipeline of world-class talent behind the team’s recent ODI World Cup triumph.
The summit also hosted the inaugural AI² Awards 2026, celebrating the convergence of human creativity and machine intelligence in storytelling and content creation. Poet and kathavachak Kumar Vishwas delivered a nuanced take on India’s concept of Dharma and criticised the recent arrest of an 80-year-old Shankaracharya. Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan and storyteller Neelesh Misra reflected on changing music trends and artistic responsibility in the wake of a recent controversy involving Nora Fatehi.
In a country where conversations often run as deep as the Ganges, the WITT Summit proved once again that when leaders, thinkers and storytellers come together, the real winner is public discourse lively, layered and refreshingly unafraid to tackle the big questions shaping India’s tomorrow.
