• If all-clear given, DD News may resurface 15 September

    Submitted by ITV Production on Jun 14, 2002

    Well, the news and current affairs (N&CA) genre of programming space is certainly hotting up for action.

    Forget Sahara readying itself to have N&CA programming. Don‘t even think Star News under full control of the Rupert Murdoch-controlled Star Group Ltd post March 2003 or Videocon‘s proposed news channel will be the last word in news.

    The big daddy of broadcasters in India still by way of infrastructure and potential, Doordarshan, is firming up plans to re-launch DD News channel, shut down on January 26, 2002 after about 18 months of existence on air.

    "There is certainly a move to revive the DD News channel," a senior official of Prasar Bharati Corporation (it oversees the functioning of DD and All India Radio) in Delhi revealed to indiantelevision.com, adding, "The proposal regarding this is slated to be discussed by the Prasar Bharati board on 3 July."

    The rationale behind re-launching DD News: not enough of time is available on DD National or the main channel to disseminate all the news, which is now very much back in the news. But this comes with a rider - the bulk of programming, unlike during the earlier stint, of DD News will be done in-house.

    One more indicator as to the grand plans that the national broadcaster is formulating is the infusion of fresh blood into Doordarshan. Prasar Bharati has recruited 22 young newscasters from across India with the help of AF Ferguson. Of the 22, eight will be news anchors and 14 will be trained as reporters and correspondents to be based in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

    According to the Prasar Bharati official: "If the board approves the proposal, then the plan is to work towards having DD News back on air on the birthday of DD, which falls on September 15.

    " And if viewership figures are any indication, then Prasar Bharati board has something to cheer about.

    As per a recent presentation made by TAM to Prasar Bharati officials, the majority of people in even cable and satellite homes still watch news on DD.

    According to TAM data, culled from 27 cities for the week ended 25 May, the daily evening news hour (2000-2100 hrs) on DD National had a share of 90 per cent among all news channels in all TV homes and 52 per cent share in C&S homes. Likewise, the weekday‘s morning news hour (0700-0800 hrs) on DD national commanded 89 per cent share in all homes and had 52 per cent share in C&S homes among all news channels.

    "This indicates if we can get our act together properly, we can cash in on the credibility of news on DD and have a dedicated news channel," the Corporation official added.

    Prasar Bharati is negotiating with TAM Media to invest in 2,000 additional peoplemeters (at the rate of about Rs 7,000 each) in semi-rural areas, which will help bring in focus the true reach of DD channels.

    Learning from the "mistakes of the past", this time round DD News will give "more emphasis on generating N&CA programming in-house" instead of doling out a bulk of current affairs fare to influential media people as was the case on the erstwhile DD News.

    Generating N&CA programming in-house will have a financial upside for Prasar Bharati too: the outflow of funds can be arrested. During its 18-odd-month existence, DD News had gobbled up investments to the tune of approximately Rs 1,520 million. "If the board gives its approval to DD News, this time round we can lower the outflow (of funds)," the official said.

    Meanwhile, Prasar Bharati, a la private channels, also "presented" the new recruits to the capital‘s journos at a party hosted yesterday at the India International Center. The recruits have been drawn from organisations like Sahara TV, Zee TV, ANI and the Bangalore-based TMG

  • Prasar Bharati looking at relaunching DD News

    Submitted by ITV Production on Jun 14, 2002

    Less than six months after Prasar Bharati shut down its Doordarshan News channel due to lack of viewership, the pubcaster is contemplating reviving it.
    This was confirmed to indiantelevision.com by a senior Prasar Bharati official today. It needs noting that when DD News closed down on 26 January after 18 months on air, there were simply no takers for the channel despite the increased interest in news post-11 September. The idea then was to devote more time on DD1 to news and current affairs.

    What seems to have brought around this turnaround in thinking seems to have been the communal strife that Gujarat state witnessed as well as the ongoing tensions with neighbouring Pakistan. The private news channels have gone from strength to strength following these events with blanket coverage of the events.

    The government appears to have come round to the view that a dedicated news channel is an absolute must in these times of uncertainty to work as a vehicle to better represent the government‘s side of the story.

    Word of a rethink on DD News comes at a time when Doordarshan is working overtime to spruce up its new presentation team with the help of the BBC and there is a spurt of interest among private players to launch news channels.

  • Scientific-Atlanta appoints David Wheeler Australia, NZ country head

    Submitted by ITV Production on Jun 14, 2002

    Scientific Atlanta has announced that in order to increase its focus on the Asia marketplace it has named David Wheeler as country manager for Australia and New Zealand.

    An official release informs that the strategic acquisition of BarcoNet late last year by Scientific-Atlanta offers many benefits to cable operators, programmers and broadcasters from the converged strengths of the two organizations.

    Around the world, Wheeler and other Scientific-Atlanta managers are rolling out the company‘s integrated strategy of products, systems and services under the banner ‘Stronger Connections, Broader Possibilities‘.

    Wheeler, who will be based in Sydney, returns to his native Australia following previous assignments with Scientific-Atlanta in Australia, Singapore and the US. Most recently he served as senior director, marketing for Scientific-Atlanta‘s Media Networks business unit - responsible for world wide marketing of the highly successful PowerVu digital video distribution system.

    Scientific-Atlanta views Australia as an advanced broadcast and cable market populated by consumers who are early adopters of new technologies and applications.

  • Scientific-Atlanta appoints David Wheeler Australia, NZ country head

    Scientific Atlanta has announced that in order to increase its focus on the Asia marketplace it has named David Wheel

  • If all-clear given, DD News may resurface 15 September

    Well, the news and current affairs (N&CA) genre of programming space is certainly hotting up for action.

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    Prannoy Roy's New Delhi Television appears to have finalised plans for life after Star News.

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