Remember the days when you rushed to the neighbourhood to have a date with “Rajni” in the morning and “Karamchand” at night?your first brush with classical music and sitting through dreary episodes of “Krishi Darshan” to have a glimpse of “Chitrahaar”. But as the society moved from “Hum Log” to “Main”, Doordarshan could quietly chuckle “Banegi Apni Baat”. The “Buniyaad” of the public broadcaster remained chiselled in stone.
As DD turned 50 this week, it is time to reflect on the status of a family member, which is gradually becoming estranged in the blitz of razzmatazz from satellite channels. “When you have a monopoly you do become complacent. We have to reinvent our role as a public broadcaster. We will continue to inform and educate but in the competitive environment we have to attract eyeballs. For years we didn’t invest in publicity despite the fact that we have got some of the best programmes and genres which are not tried elsewhere. Now we will. What’s the harm in telling the world what we have got? Even IGNOU and UGC programmes could be made entertaining,” says Aruna Sharma, Director General, Doordarshan.
Immediate challenge
The immediate challenge is the coming Commonwealth Games, where DD has to play the key role of the host broadcaster. “We are geared up. Wrestling, boxing and weightlifting events will be exclusively covered by the in-house talent while for the rest of the events both in-house and outside expert entities will be engaged to give a high quality experience. The nine-camera coverage of the recent World Badminton Championship was a step in the process and it proved a huge success as DD earned not only appreciation but also revenue of Rs.69 lakhs, which is handsome for a non-cricket sports event in India.” Taking cue from the past follies, Sharma promises live coverage of all the events where India is participating.
Doordarshan has come a long way from the ‘rukavat ke liye khed hai’ days. Sharma informs that DD will introduce HDTV format with the Games to give the viewers a world-class experience. “HD compatible television sets are already available in the market. Those who can’t afford to spend on new sets can buy set top boxes. Even on the existing sets, viewers will receive better picture quality.” The world would be able to watch the Games on DD India, which will be re-launched with the event.
Ratings have become a crucial factor in the business of television and Sharma says DD wants to remain relevant in the competitive scenario. “TAM has only 7000 people metres which do not match Doordarshan’s enormous reach but my point is if we are good it should reflect in any sample. And our shows like ‘Jalsa’ and ‘Udaan’ have proved it. Experts have pointed out that the quality of singers in our talent show ‘Bharat Ki Shaan’ is better than what they see on other channels. Similarly more people turned to Doordarshan for Lok Sabha results than any satellite channel. When it comes to credibility and authenticity of news, DD is still the most trusted. Also we are the only channel, which is doing programmes on classical dance and heritage.”
No to DOSA!
But what about the editorial control? “As a public broadcaster it is our duty to take government policies to the people but we are also a means to provide a feedback mechanism to the government. So if we won’t provide the other side of the story that purpose will be diluted. Sometimes what happens is the law or policy is right but it’s not well implemented at the local level in some part of the country. We highlight such roadblocks. However, we don’t believe in DOSA system, which some of our private news channels practise.” What’s DOSA? “It is a term which my father, a management guru, coined. It stands for Decision Oriented System Analyses. Some channels have a conclusion in their mind before they start a debate or discussion. They want the experts to just fill in the details to reach there.”
Similarly, she points, in reality shows like “Sach Ka Samna” on private channels, a considerable chunk of the revenue goes to the foreign company, which owns the format. “Where is the Indian brand? Isn’t it reminiscent of the past when a foreign company walked away with our indigo? This time it’s through our talent.”
However, the look of DD channels leaves much to be desired considering the organisation has got the best of technology. “It’s right we have got the best but one should not forget we don’t have fresh recruitment in the last 10-15 years. DD is an aging organisation. Despite this the National channel has been able to garner enough revenue to sustain all the other channels. It is a break even situation.”
Talking of technology, Sharma says with DTH, DD’s reach has become cent per cent. She is relying on narrowcasting to take the government polices to the remotest of areas. “We are also revamping Krishi Darshan to include land based activities like land acquisition, which have become relevant in the last few years.”
DD archives are a goldmine, waiting to be judiciously exploited. “We are working towards it. We have 10,000 hours of recording out of which 3000 hours have already been digitised. We are looking private-public partnership format through which we could be able to provide these timeless gems at an affordable rate.”
Sharma promises to rope in creative giants, who started their innings from DD or contributed their best to the channel. “The best in the business have been associated with DD. With single window clearance policy, all the apprehensions have subsided.” Greats like Gulzar, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Shyam Benegal have already evinced interest. Let’s see when the tide will turn.
