I&B Ministry
‘Risk’ in FM stations airing news, apprehends Prasar head
MUMBAI: Prasar Bharati chairman A Surya Prakash has said permitting private FM stations to air news might have security implications and that the government needed to keep that in mind if it were to give them the nod.
From the democracy perspective, the idea of permitting them looked ‘very simple’ and ‘must be done’, but, owing to the internal security concerns and diversity of India, which had thousands of kilometres of borders, the initiative had a ‘lot of implications,’ he said, PTI reported from Hyderabad.
As some months ago, the government auctioned frequency bandwidth, new FM channels were going to come. And, thus, he said that one needed to seriously ponder over whether to allow FM channels to air news.
While it was correct that private TV channels had been allowed to telecast news, radio, he said, had a ‘different audience and different kind of reach.
Also Read:
TV Today not selling 3 FM stations to ENIL; seeks MIB nod for migration
Big FM, India Today deals: Zee Media seeks shareholder nod for loans
Highlight women’s rights, broadcasters told
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati sets EPG standards for DD Free Dish platform
New specs define 7-day guide, LCN mapping, and device compatibility.
MUMBAI: Your TV guide just got a backstage pass structured, scheduled, and far more in sync. Prasar Bharati has released detailed technical specifications for Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services on DD Free Dish, laying down a standardised framework for how channels and programme information are organised and delivered. At the core of the update is a defined EPG data structure, covering genre-based categorisation, scheduling formats, and Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). The aim is simple: make navigation less guesswork and more guided experience across the platform’s over 40 million households.
The specifications also introduce a seven-day programme guide window for each channel, alongside clear rules for channel grouping and LCN mapping effectively deciding not just what you watch, but how easily you find it.
On the technical front, the document outlines requirements for Program Specific Information (PSI) and Service Information (SI), including descriptor usage across tables such as PAT, BAT and NIT. It further details service lists and network linkage parameters, giving OEMs and developers a clearer blueprint for integration.
Importantly, the framework is designed to work seamlessly with television sets equipped with in-built satellite tuners, enabling users to access DD Free Dish directly without additional hardware, an incremental but meaningful step towards simplifying access.
The platform will continue to operate on GSAT-15 transponders, using MPEG-4 compression and DVB-S2 transmission standards, ensuring continuity even as the interface evolves.
While largely technical, the move signals a broader push towards standardisation and user-friendly discovery in India’s free-to-air ecosystem because sometimes, the real upgrade isn’t what’s on screen, but how easily you get there.
