New Delhi: With national elections just months away, India’s public broadcaster Prasar Bharti launched an initiative to allow private FM stations to carry the news bulletins of its radio arm, All India Radio, for free.
Private FM stations are otherwise barred from broadcasting any news content, which means that the government monopoly on FM radio news remains intact. It has only expanded to use private stations, which are popular in urban India, as a new vehicle.
The broad terms for broadcasting the AIR news bulletin, free of cost, include carrying it:
- “In toto, and unaltered”
- With any commercials within the bulletin,
- With no additional news content,
- Simultaneously with the AIR broadcast or within thirty minutes,
- In territories excluding “disturbed/border and Naxals areas”.
The free news-sharing initiative is a pilot project, however, and the terms will be reassessed on May 31, 2019.
At the press conference to launch the news-sharing initiative, on January 8, Rajyavardhan Rathore, the minister of information and broadcasting, called it “a matter of great happiness, that regular citizens can now hear the news on any radio platform – this empowers me.”
Citizens will now be able to hear news on any radio platform, that will help in creating more awareness: Union Minister @Ra_THORe at the launch of “Sharing of All India Radio News with Private FM Broadcasters” https://t.co/pkFqunrP3b
— PIB India (@PIB_India) January 8, 2019
Speaking in Hindi, Rathore admitted that “this step had taken time to operationalise” and that officers of his ministry had given “the necessary nudges” to the autonomous broadcaster.
He welcomed the example of unity within the media industry, saying that “Hindustan mein jitne bhi radio station hai, sab ekjut hokar apne nagarikon ko ham information aur education vahan tak pahunchaye (all the radio stations in India come come together to deliver information and education to citizens)”.
Defending a defence minister
An exclusive story published on The Wire on January 7 creates a different expectation of what will be collectively delivered by the AIR bulletin via private FM stations.
On January 5 – just hours after the Congress accused the minister of defence of avoiding questions in parliament on the Rafale aircraft deal – Prasar Bharti scrambled to translate the minister’s marathon speech defending the deal into multiple languages – while expressly ignoring the remarks and questions of opposition MPs.
Also read: Defence Minister Lied in Parliament on HAL; Must Show Documents or Resign: Rahul Gandhi
Orders went out the regional departments, requiring them to return translations “positively by 11 am Monday”, and adding that there was “no need to translate the remarks and questions of other Hon’ble members or version of Hon’ble Speaker”.
These translations may appear as part of the AIR bulletin, or in the prime minister’s Mann Ki Baat programme, which is also broadcast on AIR.
Also read: AIR Scrambles to Translate Sitharaman’s Defence of Rafale, Excludes Opposition Remarks
Slipping away from autonomy
Prasar Bharti and AIR are autonomous bodies, under the law. Under the present government, however, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has made a consistent effort to manoeuvre BJP supporters and advocates into leadership positions.
In 2017, it appointed Prasar Bharti’s new CEO – Shashi Shekhar, whose only media experience until that point was running NitiCentral, a pro-BJP website and campaign platform. NitiCentral folded up soon after Modi’s victory in 2014. But its former editorial director, the journalist Kanchan Gupta, blunt about his opinion of Shekhar and the direction that the website took under him.
Speaking to The News Minute, Gupta said:
‘’Friends have told me about Niti Central’s demise. My response is one of indifference. I resigned from my post as Editorial Director of Niti Digital in June 2014 after a callow techie whose only demonstrated qualities were of intrigue and deceit was appointed CEO… I wished no association with the new dubious avatar of what was once a trail-blazing multi-media digital platform.’’
Shashi Shekhar remains CEO of Prasar Bharti. At the press conference on January 8, Rajyavardhan Rathore credited Shekhar with “working tirelessly” to bring about the news-sharing initiative.
In 2018, Smriti Irani (then the minister of Information & Broadcasting) tried to manoeuvre more BJP supporters into senior offices – specifically as Doordarshan’s head of TV news, and the Prasar Bharati News Service’s chief editor –at extravagant salaries. The board refused to clear their appointment because of the “unjustifiable compensation”, a member of the Prasar Bharati board told The Wire at the time.
Also read: Exclusive: Angered by Prasar Bharati’s Defiance, Smriti Irani Blocks Salary Funds for DD, AIR
The ministry even tried to strong-arm the public broadcaster by withholding funds for its other salaries – forcing the broadcaster to draw on its contingency fund.
However, the board prevailed and the appointments did not go through. Abhijit Majumder, the ministry’s nominee for chief editor at the Prasar Bharati News Service, is now editor of a hard-right ‘nationalist’ website, co-owned by BJP MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar.