News Broadcasting
DD to begin narrowcasting tomorrow
MUMBAI: Doordarshan is commencing the broadcast of locally relevant programmes, popularly known as ‘narrowcasting’, beginning 29 October.
The programmes will be originated and telecast from 12 selected Low Power Transmitters (LPT)s spread across the country, according to the pubcaster. The narrowcasting service at Palakkad in Kerala will be inaugurated tomorrow by the Minister of State for Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, O Rajgopal. The second service from Amalapuram in Andhra Pradesh will be dedicated to the public by the Minister of State for Railways, Mr. Bandaru Dattatreya. Services in Bellary (Karnataka) and Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) will commence from 31 October and those at Hissar (Haryana) and Nainital (Uttaranchal) from 1 November, according to an official release.
Ferozepur & Patiala (Punjab), Sagar (MP), Akola (Maharashtra), Hazaribag (Jharkhand) and Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh are the other centers covered in the first of phase of narrowcasting experiment.
At present Doordarshan originates and telecasts its programmes at national, regional and local levels through the National Network, Regional Networks and Programme Generating Facilities (PGF). While the National and Regional language channels run round the clock, the PGF stations originate programmes to a limited area for a short duration of time.
Doordarshan’s network of LPTs cover a radius of an average of 15 kms of the area. The programmes produced for narrowcasting will contain segments on agriculture and rural development, education, health etc. They will be half an hour programmes telecast at time suitable to the targeted viewers, says the release.
Originally, the programmes were proposed to be produced by Agricultural Universities or State Departments of Agriculture. The regional DDKs were to provide training to ensure technical and aesthetic quality. A Memorandum of Understanding was circulated to the agricultural universities in the service areas. The project however did not materilise as the agricultural universities were neither equipped nor had funds and trained personnel to take up the production work on their own, says the release.
Subsequently, it was proposed that the production would be taken up by the DDKs using available resources and staff. The programmes would now be produced specifically keeping the targeted area in mind, in collaboration with the agricultural universities and state departments of agriculture. In the meantime, efforts are on to empower the universities to take up production on their own in the days to come.
News Broadcasting
UDF poised to return to power in Kerala, says Manorama-CVoter survey
Massive opinion poll projects shift in Kerala politics ahead of 2026 Assembly elections.
MUMBAI: The winds of change appear to be blowing through Kerala’s political landscape and this time, they seem to favour the United Democratic Front. A comprehensive mega opinion survey conducted by Manorama News in partnership with CVoter projects a potential comeback for the UDF in the upcoming Kerala Legislative Assembly Elections 2026. The survey, covering all 140 constituencies with a massive sample size of nearly 90,000 respondents, predicts the UDF could win between 69 and 81 seats.
The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is expected to secure 57 to 69 seats, a significant drop from the 99 seats it won in the 2021 elections. This would mean the LDF losing 30 to 42 of its sitting seats. Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which drew a blank in 2021, is projected to open its account with 1 to 5 seats.
Region-wise, the UDF is expected to make strong gains in Malabar, winning 25 to 34 out of 48 seats, and in Central Kerala, where it could bag 29 to 33 out of 53 seats. In South Kerala, the LDF is likely to retain an edge with 21 to 25 seats, while the UDF may improve to 12 to 16 seats. The NDA could pick up 1 to 3 seats in the southern region.
The survey was conducted between 14 and 26 March 2026, with additional tracker and snap polls carried out from December 2025 to March 2026. A total of 89,693 respondents participated, ensuring representation across all demographics and social segments.
Manorama News has a strong track record of accuracy, with its previous projections closely matching the actual results of the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as the 2021 Kerala Assembly polls.
In Kerala’s famously fierce political battles, this survey suggests the pendulum may be swinging back. Whether the final verdict matches these numbers or throws up another surprise, one thing is clear, the 2026 Assembly elections are shaping up to be one of the most keenly watched contests in the state’s history.
