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
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
