Prasar Bharati

Prasar Bharati was envisioned as an independent and unbiased broadcaster and there is no doubt that it has played a very important role in educating, informing and entertaining the citizens of India ( >Editorial, May 18 ). If it is to survive in an age of intense competition, it needs to move out of government control and reinvent itself. Professional management along with functional and financial autonomy is the need of the hour.

Badal Jain,

Jalgaon, Maharashtra

One has to place Prasar Bharati’s current and past challenges in perspective. Now when the BBC License fee model is under threat there is a need to save real public service broadcasting and amend it to blend in with the emerging social media scenario. While the whole world was moving towards adopting satellite technology, Prasar Bharati was busy with expanding its terrestrial reach and which is now a white elephant. Assets management has never received due attention.

Since inception Prasar Bharati’s Chief Executive Officer — Executive Member on the Board — has been an IAS officer who often lacks a vision for the broadcast media which is always dynamic. However, as one who worked for 34 years in the organisation, I am confident that given the proper inputs and functional freedom, the organisation can still be revived.

K. Kunhikrishnan,

Thiruvananthapuram

DD was the channel of my generation. Who can forget ‘Shaktiman’ and ‘Chitrahar’ broadcast on eight channels? But today’s youth has a variety of programming options to choose from. Prasar Bharati has lost its large viewership because of a lack of rich content. DD News, for instance, lacks an in-depth analysis of news and shuns investigative journalism. Similarly, its entertainment options cannot hope to compete with ‘Comedy Central’ or ‘Life OK’. It is not enough changing logos and signature tunes. It is the content that matters.

To become the BBC of India, Prasar Bharati has to take the competition head on. This requires independent functioning and greater investment.

Gaurav Singhal,

New Delhi

Prasar Bharati is perhaps the only programmer fortunate enough to have reached the most number of people in India, an advantage it has lost. While attempts to negotiate pacts with other public service broadcasters could rejuvenate it, the fact is that its programming is still very conventional. There must be impetus to modernise the entire structure of the organisation and its approach to programming. The news channel, for instance, appears to be very biased towards the government’s agenda and views. I have never seen any programme that is critical of the government.

Anurag Kamal,

Thiruvananthapuram