News Broadcasting
Prasar Bharati to expand employee base
NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati Corporation (PBC) wants to add more flab to its 40,000 plus employee base.
Reason: there are not enough programming and technical staff to man predominantly Doordarshans expansion which has been unleashed to cover 100 per cent of the population.
“The Corporation has made its intent known that it wants to go in for fresh recruitment in certain areas,” a senior official of the information and broadcasting ministry told indiantelevision.com.
Though Prasar Bharati, overseeing the working of pubcasters All India Radio and DD, is an autonomous body, on certain issues like fresh recruitment of personnel, it has to go back to the ministry to seek permission.
The ministry official pointed out that some presentations on opening up the avenues for more recruitment has been made by PBC and the issue “is being studied at the moment.”
“We understand that the Corporation has more than 40,000 employees on its payrolls and still it wants to recruit people. But there may be a some rationale as a major part of the employee base is dominated by engineering staff , while some other areas like programming, PBC says, dont have adequate staffers,” the I&B ministry official added.
However, the ministry official added that the general attitude pervading amongst the staffers of the Prasar Bharati has to change to meet the challenges of a changing scenario where private broadcasters are making rapid strides.
“We understand that most employees of Prasar Bharati still act and function as government employees, while an autonomous body, specially a corporation like Prasar Bharati, ought to be more vigilant and efficient professionally,” the ministry official admitted, hinting that even while retaining its pubcasters image both AIR and DD have to change to take on competition.
Critics are of the opinion that despite being an autonomous body most of the PBC employees still live in a time warp and behave as if they are government employees where `chalta hai (casual) attitude rules supreme.
It is another thing that a section in the Prasar Bharati feels that despite the Prasar Bharati Act 1990 being given effect on September 15, 1997, the Corporation has not been able to yet cut its umbilical cord from the government because of the indirect influence of the I&B ministry on the Corporation.
Doordarshan originates about 1300 hours of programmes every week on its various channels through 40 programme production centres all over India and in recent times there is a push to increase in in-house quality programming.
DD also has 800-odd transmitters and a multitude of satellite transponders and has both terrestrial as well as satellite transmission facilities with its signals reaching about 86 percent of India’s population.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Fury in the Gulf conclave on West Asia crisis
Three-hour summit to unpack geopolitical fallout and impact on India
MUMBAI: CNN-News18 is set to host a special three-hour broadcast, Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave, on April 7, aiming to decode the escalating West Asia crisis and its far-reaching implications for India.
Scheduled from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the conclave comes at a time when tensions between Iran and the United States are reshaping global geopolitics and triggering economic uncertainty. With India’s deep energy ties, trade links and large diaspora in the Gulf, the developments carry significant domestic relevance.
Built around the theme ‘Conflict, Consequences, and The Future,’ the programme will feature six curated sessions combining one-on-one interviews and panel discussions. The focus is to cut through the clutter and offer viewers a clearer understanding of the fast-evolving situation.
Key sessions include ‘Diplomacy in Times of War’ featuring Shashi Tharoor, and ‘World After the Iran Conflict’ with voices such as Ram Madhav, Reuven Azar, representatives from the European Union and the Iranian Deputy Envoy. Another session titled ‘Another Dunkirk?’ will bring together K. J. S. Dhillon and Jitin Prasada among others.
CNN-News18 editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar said, “In times of war, clarity becomes the most powerful tool. Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave brings together credible voices to address the questions and confusion that arise amid an overwhelming influx of information.”
He added that the initiative is aimed at delivering “facts, perspective, and insight” at a time when misinformation can easily cloud public understanding.
Echoing the sentiment, CNN-News18 CEO– English and business news Smriti Mehra said the conflict marks a defining global moment, with consequences that extend well beyond the region. She noted that the conclave seeks to present the crisis with “depth, nuance and responsibility” so audiences can better grasp its real-world impact.
As geopolitical tensions continue to dominate headlines, the conclave positions itself as an attempt to bring order to the noise, offering viewers a structured, insight-led look at a complex and rapidly shifting global situation.
