NEW DELHI: Indian pubcaster DD has been seen as a laggard in the Indian broadcasting space, way behind private satellite TV channels. Its news service DD News has been spoken about in high light as being more news driven than other private channels which tend to focus on more trivial matters in their chase for TRPS. But this despite it is perceived as something audiences don?t tune in to.

Shattering that ?so-called myth? is Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar. Speaking to indiantelevision.com Sircar says that The DD Newsnight on Doordarshan News in English topped all news channels for five weeks at a stretch from week 14 (24 March-30 March) to week 18 (21-27 April) in TAM?s weekly ratings for 2013.

He further adds that this is an all-time record, particularly for English news.

He claims that DD Samachar in Hindi was first among all news channels (including terrestrial) in that period; it was third amongst all Indian cable and satellite channels.

The ratings relate to the news slots between 8.00 pm to 9.00 pm (when Hindi NewsNight is telecast on DD Samachar) and 9.00 pm to 10.00 pm when English NewsNight is telecast on DD News.

Citing TAM data for the whole universe (cable, satellite and terrestrial), Sircar says that NewsNight in English on DD News raked in 0.95 average TVR in the 9.00 pm to 10.00 pm slot while the Hindi NewsNight on DD Samachar reported 1.14 average TVR in the 8.00 pm to 9.00 pm.

In case of only CS4+ and satellite excluding terrestrial, News Night on DD Samachar (0.84 average GRPs) ranked third behind Aaj Tak (0.93 average GRPs) and ABP News (0.91 average GRPs). NewsNight on DD News in English chalked up 0.76 average TVR as against CNNIBN?s 0.09 average TVR, NDTV?s average 0.06 TVR, and Times Now?s average 0.05 TVR.
Ironically, the ratings have come at a time when DD has filed for legal redress against TAM India?s ?misuse of monopoly? and the Competition Commission of India has commenced an inquiry into the allegations.

Sircar said, ?Though we have our problems with TAM India, and we have filed a petition, even they have admitted that DD has started topping the English news channel genre, between 9 and 10 PM when DD?s ?Newsnight? is telecast in English.?

NEW DELHI: Even as the pubcaster gears up with programmes to mark the International Women?s Day, it has admitted that women employees account for a mere 9.8 per cent in Doordarshan and 9.3 per cent in All India Radio (AIR).

Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources have also told indiantelevision.com that there are no plans at present to reserve posts for women in Prasar Bharati.

The government had recently approved revival of 1150 posts in the pubcaster to meet urgent requirements.

Interestingly, there have been no fresh recruitments and AIR, which had 8462 vacancies in various categories three months earlier, now has 10081 vacancies. Doordarshan has 6186 vacant posts in the various categories.

The vacancies arose due to retirements, resignations, deaths etc since the establishment of Prasar Bharati on 15 September 1997, and there have been no fresh recruitments.

The Government has also granted approval for undertaking recruitment against Group B and C posts through the Staff Selection Commission as a one-time dispensation to fill critical posts expeditiously.

In AIR, there are 1362 vacancies in Group A, 1,584 in Group B, 4863 in Group C and 2272 in group D.

In Doordarshan, 724 posts are vacant in Group A, 1140 in Group B, 2871 in Group C, and 1451 in Group D.

Casual presenters were being booked by AIR stations on assignment basis for six to seven days

Earlier last year, a Parliamentary Committee had noted that AIR and Doordarshan have a total staff strength of 33,800 against a total sanctioned strength of 48,022, leaving a gap of 14222 posts. The most critically affected areas are the Programme Wing and the News Services Division (AIR)/DD News.

The existing strength in the Programme Wing is just 6108 out of the total sanctioned strength of 10679, leaving the gap of 4571. Similarly, in NSD/News, there are 146 vacancies in the sanctioned strength of 379 with the present strength at 255.

The Standing Committee of Parliament on Information Technology which examines issues relating to I&B also regretted that Prasar Bharati had failed to live up to the assurance given by then Prasar Bharati CEO that the Recruitment Boards for Prasar Bharati would be set up by 31 March 2011.

The Committee had been informed that the notification with regard to setting up of Recruitment Board is under inter-Ministerial consultation. The Committee was given to understand that there are still some issues to be resolved between the Ministry/Department of Expenditure and the Department of Personnel.

Since Prasar Bharati is an autonomous body albeit supported by the Government, both UPSC and SSC have refused to select for a non-Governmental organisation.

The proposal for setting up a Prasar Bharati Recruitment Board was approved by Prasar Bharati Board on 21 July 2010 and discussed in the Ministry and a final proposal was referred to the Department of Personnel and Training on 15 February 2011. DOP&T concurred with the proposal in June 2011 and the comments of the Department of Expenditure (DOE) were also received on 28 September last year. The DoE had requested that a separate proposal be formulated for creation of posts for the secretariat of Prasar Bharati Recruitment Board and also requested for drafting of agreement containing terms and conditions of the members of the Board.

This had been done and the proposal sent to DoE in February 2012 and has now been forwarded to the Law Ministry.