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Monday, June 30, 2014

Jawhar Sircar to speak on future of journalism at Global Media Forum in Germany

Posted on: 28/06/2014 08:51 PM   TelevisionPost Team


MUMBAI: To debate and discuss how media is participating globally, Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar will address a session on 'The Future of Journalism and the Role of International Broadcasters' at the 'Global Media Forum 2014' in Germany. Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar To be moderated by former BBC newscaster Tim Sebastian, the summit will debate whether conventional media will be able to retain its position in the converged digital world where the lines between commentary and traditional journalistic reporting have been blurred, how international broadcasters can contribute to global diversity, how information services are likely to look like in the future and more. The three-day international media congress has been organised by Deutsche Welle, Germany's international broadcaster. Prasar Bharati is the only one of the two broadcasters from the developing world invited to participate in the gathering of the best minds from reputed international broadcasting. The other broadcaster to be invited is Al Jazeera. The Global Media Forum 2014 will be held in Bonn, Germany, from 30 June to 2 July 2014, and the theme of the year is 'From Information to Participation: Challenges for the Media'. Prominent guest speakers including Google critic Jeff Jarvis and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will debate and discuss how media is participating in the global trend towards greater active participation, community involvement, and interest in political processes and decision-making. 




Ooty FM station to be upgraded

UDHAGAMANDALAM, June 29, 2014

From a 1kW station, it will become a 10kW broadcasting facility soon
Colour and gaiety marked the 20th anniversary celebrations of All India Radio (AIR), Udhagamandalam station, here on Saturday.
Singers and dancers – including tribals and folk artistes – from various places, showcased Indian culture in different forms.
The Nilgiris Collector P.Sankar, who participated as the chief guest, traced the history of broadcast through radio in the country and said that Tamil Nadu was a pioneer.
He added that in many aspects, the radio continues to be peerless.
The Additional Director General, AIR, South Zone, P.K.Subash, who presided, said that the progress of the Ooty station, notwithstanding challenges of a varied kind over the last two decades, was praiseworthy.
Its part in ensuring the welfare of the Nilgiris was significant.
Pointing out that its record in public broadcast was impeccable, he expressed the confidence that it would flourish in the years to come.
He added that very soon the Ooty FM station would be upgraded. From a one KW station it would become a ten KW broadcasting facility.
The Project Director, Hill Area Development Programme (HADP), Srinivas R.Reddy, said that the district administration and the AIR can collaborate in many ways.



DD DG to make a documentary on women trafficking

Nitisha Kashyap,TNN | Jun 30, 2014, 12.00 AM IST



Tripurari Sharan, director general, Doordarshan, will be making a documentary film on women trafficking. Sharan, who was recently present at the screening of Not My Life, a documentary on human trafficking and contemporary slavery, which was aired at prime time on Doordarshan, said, "It's just a coincidence. Only a few days ago, I was talking to a friend (Ruchira Gupta) about my plans of making a film on women trafficking. She works in an NGO (Apne Aap Women Worldwide) which works against women trafficking. We've been talking about it for a while." 


Friday, June 27, 2014

The good news on radio

By Vanita Kohli-Khandekar, 27 June 2014


Almost all of India's 242 private FM radio stations play film music all the time. The lack of variety on FM radio has been the biggest bugbear in the growth of the medium over the last decade. But, there are indications that news will finally be allowed on private FM radio in India. Should we be singing in delight?

Not yet. To start with, the policy states that private operators have to take news from All India Radio (AIR) without changing it in any way. That means a Radio Mirchi or Radio City will sound like AIR whenever they broadcast news.

However, something that Prakash Javadekar said soon after he took over as minister for Information and Broadcasting last month gives hope. "Why should FM channels be banned from broadcasting news? The Centre is considering allowing privately-owned FM radio channels to start their own news broadcast," he said.

Radio broadcasters are interested but wary for three reasons. One, because they are still not allowed to own more than one station per city. Till policy changes allow a second or third channel, offering variety is 

difficult. The primary and only channel has to be something that can make money. And film music is the only thing that gets a large mass of listeners and, therefore, advertisers. The R1,460-crore radio industry is completely dependent on advertising.
Two, from a revenue perspective, radio news makes sense only for large newspaper firms that own editions across the country perhaps. For example, The Times of India or this paper have a huge news gathering capability in place in Mumbai. For them to use the same news ability to feed 24-hour channels in Mumbai is a low-cost operation — all you need is anchors and packaging. Ditto for a Jagran Prakashan or a DB Corp in small-town India.

For the others, it might well be a mix of feeds from wire services in periodic news bulletins, which would be more viable. Any radio news service needs to be low-cost because radio ad rates are among the lowest in the media. The third thing that makes radio broadcasters wary of news is the state of news television in India.

From a 2-3 TV news channel market in 2003, India now has a world-beating 135 news channels, most of which make losses. Many of them, owned by politicians and real-estate barons, don't care.



AIR’s revamp strategy

Posted on: 26/06/2014 08:34 PM   Chandni Mathur


The radio pubcaster has not been able to monetise that aspect and now plans to build that space by developing a sponsor base and by launching interactive content within the next few months. A well-placed source with the pubcaster tells TelevisionPost.com that AIR will soon foray into print publication by launching a magazine, which will also be available in electronic format on its portal. Slated to launch in the next two months, the magazine will feature information about music, dance, drama, health and tourism from across the country. However, the print edition will have a specific target audience and will be available across airport lounges around the world. 

A senior AIR official reveals, "We are in talks and are getting into an arrangement with the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs for the magazine to be available in the respective consulates as well. The magazine will be free of cost and we intend to monetise it through advertisements from sponsors and are presently in talks with them." Another area where AIR is looking to build its presence is the web, including social media. Therefore, it is also redesigning its portal in order to form two-way communication to earn ad revenues.

AIR recently took a step in that direction by launching AIR News on SoundCloud. Users can now download and listen to latest AIR news and news-based programmes for free. Archival speeches by Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi are also being made available on this platform. The move aims to engage 200 million potential listeners on SoundCloud. Within a week of its launch, there have been over 12,000 plays. On average, it is getting 2,000–3,000 plays per day. 

AIR News DG Archana Dutta says, "We are still discussing if the archival speeches should be charged or made freely available. Our aim is to expand the reach on social media as it takes no extra cost and we can catch the interest of young listeners as well." In the last one year, the news services division of AIR has taken several initiatives to make its presence felt on social media platforms. Its Facebook page, All India Radio News, has close to one million followers; its Twitter handle has about two lakh followers. On Facebook, the pubcaster also posts the top 10 news of the day following the 9 pm bulletin so that the youth can access news on the go. 


Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Audition Rules clear on age-bar for AIR presenters and radio jockeys


RnM Team    23 Jun 14 16:51 IST


NEW DELHI: All India Radio (AIR) has clarified that the directive asking certain presenters and radio jockeys to quit because they have crossed the age bar for the channels in which they were working, is only implementation of the relevant audition rules.

AIR Director General Faiyyaz Sheheryar told Radioandmusic.com that it was also incorrect to say that these persons would be rendered jobless, since most of them were either employed elsewhere and working part-time for AIR or were doing this work as a hobby or to supplement income. 'None of them are employees of AIR', he emphasised.

He says that although the Audition Rules have always been there, it was only a few months earlier that Prasar Bharati decided to implement them as competition increased with the private FM channels.

Under the rules, those working in the primary channel of AIR on medium wave could continue to be presenters up to the age of sixty, while those working for the AIR FM Gold or FM Rainbow could do so only till the age of 35. The Rules had also provided that those in the now-defunct Yuva Vani could work as radio jockeys or presenters till the age of thirty.

AIR sources also denied reports that young persons were being forced to interview personalities with whose work they were not conversant. The sources said that all presenters and radio jockeys were asked to do adequate research before conducting programmes where they had to converse with or interview senior classical artistes or performers.

While not disputing the view that it was sometimes not possible to tell the age of a person from his or her voice, the sources said that every organisation has to lay certain criteria and in any case these presenters and radio jockeys were aware of this when they agreed to come on board in the public broadcaster. 

It has been learnt that the directive will affect around 200 presenters or RJs. Official sources said they were aware that many of these persons were already well past the age set in the Audition Rules, and therefore it had been decided to implement those rules.

Read More at:
http://www.radioandmusic.com/content/editorial/news/audition-rules-clear-age-bar-air-presenters-and-radio-jockeys

I&B Ministry-mukt India: Are politicians ready to give up the media watchdog?

by Sandip Roy  Jun 24, 2014 17:34 IST


Every morning at the crack of dawn the babus of the information and broadcasting ministry get to work. Their job is to collate all the media feedback of the day for the Prime Minister so he can scan it before he starts his day.

"Under UPA rule, we used to collage the news items under different heads: political, security, finance and others. Now we group them under 'positive' and 'negative'" an Indian Information Service official tells The Telegraph. Even worse for the beleaguered babus Modi wants his cuttings an hour earlier than Manmohan Singh.

Positive and negative. Now that is called streamlining and cutting to the chase. It also effectively sums up what the ministry of information and broadcasting has turned into over the decades. It does not just produce endless little preachy documentaries about AIDS, running water and happy Hindu-Muslim-Christian children, all apparently made by one Devendra Khandelwal. It keeps tabs on the media.

There's nothing nefarious about it. All governments do it. But in a country like the United States that's the clearly understood objective of the White House Press Office. Here the PMO currently has no media advisor reports DNA and the BJP's newly appointed spokesperson M J Akbar has not briefed the press at all. What sounds like a function of the PMO is being done by I&B ministry whose stated objectives are quite different.

I&B minister Prakash Javadekar. Agencies.

I&B minister Prakash Javadekar. Agencies.

As a ministry, the I&B claims to be a well-meaning nanny. One of its latest press releases, for example, is an advisory to television channels to be extremely careful about portraying scenes of "negligent or rash driving" and demanding any such scene be accompanied by finger-wagging messages like "driving two-wheeler without wearing helmet is dangerous and illegal".

In practice the ministry has been more of a Big Brother. Prakash Javadekar, the new minister for Information and Broadcasting, acknowledges that and he places the blame firmly on the Congress. That is justified. During the Emergency, the Congress used the I&B ministry as a police truncheon to try and cow the media into line.

When Vidya Charan Shukla, the I&B minister during the Emergency, died in 2013, Sohail Hashmi wrote on Kafila his many achievements included "snapping power supply to newspapers critical of the Emergency, introducing draconian censorship, banning magazines and newspapers, and sealing printing presses that dared publish anything critical of the infamous Mrs G or her Emergency regime". And Shukla famously banned Kishore Kumar songs from All India Radio because Kishore had refused to sing at an Indira Gandhi rally.

Javadekar rightly bemoaned the freedom of expression sins of the Congress during Emergency. The Justice Shah Commission said the likes of Shukla exercised power "like a medieval despot." But clamping down on the press was not entirely politically suicidal for Shukla. That same Shukla later found a home with VP Singh, Chandrasekhar and the BJP proving his resume bothered few political parties.

Javadekar wins hurrahs for making the right noises at venues like the Leadership Summit at Goafest 2014:

There has to be an absolute freedom. Assurance of complete freedom to the media is important in new India. The right to criticism is your right. Only when that freedom is nurtured, can we say what we have achieved as a democratic nation.

Since then he has gone a step further. When asked by Karan Thapar whether India could move towards a future where the I&B ministry "ceases to exist", Javadekar said"Philosophically or ideologically I'd be willing to do that."

Brave words. But will he find many takers among the powers that be?

Government's instinct is to consolidate power not to give it up. While Javadekar might talk about the "right to criticism" it does not mean anyone in the government will rush to demand that cases against those students lampooning the prime minister in their college magazine be dropped. Freedom of expression gets plenty of lip service but few politicians have any incentive to walk the talk. It's not that the PMO is ordering crackdowns on students drawing up offensive crossword puzzles. It might well be that policemen and local activists trying to curry favour with the new masters in Delhi are over zealous in their crackdown.

But for the PMO it is a missed opportunity writes Thapar in the Hindustan Times:

I would have expected Mr Modi to immediately distance himself from the Kerala police action, criticise the highhanded arrests and demand the cases be dropped. Once again, that would also have been the politically astute response. But all we got was silence.

One word from the PMO could have sent a clear message and prevented another unnecessary hullabaloo from erupting again. But few politicians want to go out of their way to do that in practice even if the I&B minister says the right things in the abstract.

Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar takes Javadekar at his word and asks that he "go down in history as the man who prepared India for a future without the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting".


Read More at: http://www.firstpost.com/politics/ib-ministry-mukt-india-are-politicians-ready-to-give-up-the-media-watchdog-1586469.html?utm_source=FP_HP_LATESTNEWS

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

For Prasar Bharati, 35 yrs too old for FM anchors




For Prasar Bharati, 35 yrs too old for FM anchors
Written by Naveed Iqbal | New Delhi | June 24, 2014 12:44 am


SUMMARY
Orders two FM channels to phase out casual presenters

The country's public service broadcaster Prasar Bharati has directed two of its channels, FM Rainbow and FM Gold, to phase out casual radio presenters above the age of 35 years.
Nearly 200 presenters will be affected by the directive in Delhi alone, many of whom have served All India Radio for 10 to 25 years. The national figure will be much higher.
The official order, issued on March 20, 2014, states: "The process of phasing out of FM presenters/radio jockeys above the age of 35 years should be completed within six months."
Prasar Bharati has directed that bookings of all casual announcers/ comperes/ anchors/ presenters of FM (Gold/ Rainbow channels) and Yuvavani channels be stopped immediately on attaining the upper age limit.
The maximum age limit for the Yuvavani channel has been restricted to 30 years and will apply only to full-fledged exclusive Yuvavani services. However, the services of approved announcers will be "utilised and continued on the basis of annual review of their performance but not in any case beyond 60 years". A casual presenter is offered a maximum of six days a month but not exceeding 72 days in a year on a temporary contract.
While Prasar Bharati CEO Jawahar Sircar did not comment on the issue, an AIR spokesperson said: "AIR, like other established broadcasting organisations of the world, is professionally bound to review, recast and recreate the panels of casual jockeys every year to bring in fresh talent and break monotony."
He added that jockeys for FM services of AIR were booked against a temporary contract and paid in accordance with the fee structure of AIR. Casual jockeys/ announcers are not regular employees of AIR, more so of the FM Rainbow and FM Gold, which do not have sanctioned posts of announcers. While some casual presenters have alternate sources of income, many depend solely on their monthly contracts with AIR.
Sunil Varma, who first joined AIR as a presenter in 1985, said the only reason provided by the broadcaster was that it was their mandate to promote new talent. "No one has objections to promoting new talent, but the argument of age fails on a medium like radio when no one gauge a person's age by only listening to voice," he said.
Subhadra, who joined the Delhi B channel as a teenager and subsequently moved to FM, said: "I have worked for music all my life and I never picked up a job because of my love for radio."
Casual presenters have also raised an objection to the considerable age gap between them and their regular counterparts. "Clearly, the concept of equality as guaranteed under Constitution is intended to be defeated by such a directive. It, therefore, is violative of our constitutional rights of profession," said one of them.





Monday, June 23, 2014

Kisan TV channel likely to be launched soon

NEW DELHI, JUNE 22


Doordarshan could soon launch a channel devoted exclusively to farmers and agriculture with public broadcaster Prasar Bharati actively considering such a proposal.
It is learnt that consultations are already underway for the launch of a 24-hour agriculture-based channel which could leverage the expertise Doordarshan has in creating programmes for farmers and rural audiences and telecast them to a wider audience.
While different Doordarshan channels regularly beam programmes meant for farmers, there is a view that the public broadcaster would be able to create more awareness and educate farmers if there is a channel specially dedicated to agriculture.
According to the Prasar Bharati Act, agriculture is one of the fields to which Prasar Bharati is required to pay special attention.


Prasar Bharati mulling 'krishi' channel for farmers

COURTESY: www.indiatvnews.com
PTI [ Updated 22 Jun 2014, 11:05:12 ]


New Delhi: Doordarshan could soon launch a channel devoted exclusively to farmers and agriculture with public broadcaster Prasar Bharati actively considering such a proposal.

It is learnt that consultations are already underway for the launch of a 24-hour agriculture-based channel which could leverage the expertise Doordarshan has in creating programmes for farmers and rural audiences and telecast them to a wider audience.

While different Doordarshan channels regularly beam programmes meant for farmers, there is a view that the public broadcaster would be able to create more awareness and educate farmers if there is a channel specially dedicated to agriculture.

Agriculture is one of the fields to which Prasar Bharati is required to pay special attention according to the Prasar Bharati Act.

The broadcaster is also considering what would be the most appropriate model for the launching of the channel.


Saturday, June 21, 2014

AIR turbulence renders many RJs voiceless

AIR turbulence renders many RJs voiceless
NEW DELHI, June 21, 2014
Updated: June 21, 2014 10:21 IST

In the harsh world of visual entertainment and news industry, losing out on your looks or youth can have brutal implications and can even cost you your job at times. Now, this reality is all poised to shake up the radio industry too, with Prasar Bharati directing its radio FM Gold and Rainbow channels to get rid of contract workers above the age of 35 years.
"It is impossible to judge the age of a radio presenter by his/her voice. And in some instances depending upon the character of a programme or channel, listeners may indeed prefer a more mature presenter to a teeny-bopper. It will be difficult to imagine a voice of a teenager presenting FM Gold shows on ghazals, classical and folk songs. In the FM Rainbow shows, we play old Hindi/English songs," said Sunil Varma, a presenter who stands to lose his job.
He said the same can be said for shows that are interview-based, and also a young presenter may not even be familiar or have heard of music legends of yesteryears.
The directive also implies that about 200 employees, many of whom have served All India Radio for 10 to 25 years or more, will find themselves without a job in the Delhi station of AIR alone and the number will be significantly higher on an all-India basis.
Another employee, who stands to lose out, Jayati Ojha said: 

Monday, June 16, 2014

DD launches 5 new evening shows

Courtesy: www.bestmediainfo.com
BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | June 16, 2014


Doordarshan is set to launch a series of new programmes to provide fresh content which is full of entertainment and information. Beginning June 6, 2014, DD National has rolled out five new shows: Nadiyaan Gaati Hain; Bharat Ki Shaan; Let's Dance; Earth Matters; Gaon Connection; and Yatra.

The five new programmes being slotted are as below:

Nadiyaan Gaati Hain: From June 6, every Friday at 7 PM

Nadiyaan Gaati Hain is a one of its kind travelogue documentary series on rivers that explores the historical, cultural and social journey of these rivers. Produced by Anupama Productions, Nadiyaan Gaati Hain, the 13-part series delves deep into the realms of history, mythology and culture to bring out gems of unique information about the six significant rivers of Madhya Pradesh- Narmada, Betwa, Shipra, Tapti, Chambal and Sone.

Bharat Ki Shaan – Let's Dance: From June 7, Saturdays & Sundays at 8:30 PM

After five fantastic seasons of unparalleled success of music and dance reality shows, this season of Bharat Ki Shaan has a new look. The new format creates an edge over the monotonous dancing reality shows. Judged by two ace choreographers, Pony Verma and Sandip Soparrkar, the show is bound to attract eyeballs.

Earth Matters: From June 8, every Sunday at 10:30 AM

Directed and Produced by Mike Pandey, Earth Matters take a hard look at the state of the environment; the diminishing natural resources, the fast disappearing forest cover, the endangered wildlife, urban pollution and the pressures on rural India. The series is not just a doom and gloom series it provides solutions and remedial action that each individual can take at his own level. The series have already won accolades internationally.

I&B minister Javadekar to work on establishing the primacy of DD and AIR

Courtesy: www.televisionpost.com
Posted on: 14/06/2014 08:41 AM   TelevisionPost TeamShare

MUMBAI: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar was on his first visit to the Doordarshan studio in Worli, Mumbai. And high on his agenda, as he says, is to establish the primacy of Doordarshan (DD) and All India Radio (AIR).

Accompanied by Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar and Mumbai Doordarshan director Mukesh Sharma, the new minister visited the studios, and met with the staff—producers as well as technicians—and told them his goal. "I want to see DD and AIR become the first choice of the viewers and listeners. They should be able to compete with the private TV channels and FM radio stations and win the hearts of Indians," he said.

Javadekar will depend on public feedbacks to revive the popularity of DD and AIR. On the I&B ministry website, he will soon start a 'Minister's corner', inviting suggestions from anyone on how to improve the performance of Prasar Bharati.

The minister agreed that there is need for investing in infrastructure and better equipment. "We will look into the budgetary allocations. Also, the hiring of employees, which had stopped, will be reviewed," Javadekar said, while addressing a press meet after visiting the Doordarshan Sahyadri office in the city for the first time since taking charge of the ministry.

To TelevisionPost.com's query about giving autonomy to Prasar Bhatrati and accepting other recommendations of the Sam Pitroda Committee, the minister said that Sircar won't have any complaints. However, he added that the ministry will keenly take note of the performance and look for results.
Moving away from the area of public broadcasting, Javadekar said that while he has no intention of stopping private FM players from airing news, it should be reliable. "I don't see any reason why they (private FM) have to use AIR news. They can use other reliable news sources like PTI or UNI and present it like print publications do," he said.

When asked about the ministry's take on the paid news menace, Javadekar said that while the matter related to paid news during elections is sub judice in the Supreme Court, there is also another form of paid news, private treaties. "As the matter of paid news is in the SC, I would not like to comment. But, we have got reports and have a view, which we will announce soon," he said.
He further added, "I am very concerned about paid news. Candidates resort to paid news because there is a limit on the amount which they can spend. Earlier, they used to give advertisements and sponsored articles, but they cannot do so now. We want to do away with this menace once and for all. The purity of journalism should be there. News should look like news, an advertisement like an advertisement."




Indian radio supports UNICEF vaccination project

Courtesy: http://asiaradiotoday.com
June 16, 2014 LATEST STORIES


UN Children's organisation UNICEF and Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI) organised a first-of-its kind workshop on Routine Immunisation (RI) for radio professionals in Delhi last weekend.

Attended by 40 presenters and top executives from different private FM radio stations, the workshop was a part of the World Immunisation Week.

It focused on building awareness on RI and utilising radio to save children's lives by highlighting the importance of vaccination.


DD launches another show to strengthen its afternoon slot


By indiantelevision.com Team Posted on : 14 Jun 2014 04:02 pm


NEW DELHI: Pubcaster Doordarshan is going all out to strengthen its content offering to its viewers. And in keeping with that, the channel will launch a new series 'Aisa Prem Kahan' starting 16 June. The series captures the unique story of a romance born out of the mayhem of the tsunami set against the renaissance of Bengal.
 
The series will telecast from Monday to Friday at 1.30 pm on DD National.
 

News soon on Private FM, total revamp of Doordarshan on the cards, indicates Javadekar

Courtesy: www.radioandmusic.com/
RnM Team    14 Jun 14 15:03 IST


NEW DELHI: The Government will shortly take a decision on permitting private channels to broadcast news of All India Radio.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar – said that the government may also consider permitting news of Press Trust of India or United News of Indiato be broadcast on private radio stations.

Addressing a press meet at the Doordarshan Kendra in Worli, Mumbai, he said the Government was committed to making Doordarshan the first choice of viewers across the country and a special provision will be made in the Union Budget for a total revamp of DD.

Javadekar, who was in the western metropolis to make a full appraisal of the Mumbai Kendra of Doordarshan, held discussion with officials about future plans and said, "The blue print for revamp of national and regional channels of DD is being drawn and this will involve going for staff and artiste recruitment on a large scale. I and B ministry is planning to change the look and feel of the national and regional channels of DD." 

ARTISTS SHOULD BE THANKING RADIO

Courtesy: www.radioink.com

6-13-2014


As background, to date, the artists, music labels and songwriters (collectively hereinafter referred to as the "Music Industry"), have been alleging that their compensation as earned by them through concerts, merchandising, tours, endorsements, records sales, songwriting royalties, etc. and as also partially paid to them by the broadcast industry via the performing rights organizations ("PRO's"), namely, ASCAP, SESAC, and BMI, are inadequate and unfair. Meanwhile, the broadcasting industry feels that what they are paying is more than fair for the continual daily (if not hourly) "promotions and marketing" role they provide to the Music Industry for the use of the music they play on the radio and TV for public consumption.
For decades and decades this remarkable symbiotic relationship has worked and thrived for each party with no fanfair or sense of injustice. It was only challenged following the Music Industry consolidation and the ensuing music label overhead structures that took money from artists and songwriters (as more fully noted below).
Consequently, this "consolidation" resulted in the perceived "inequity" in the coffers of the artists, songwriters, and labels. Further, and equally important, was the advent of "iTunes" (single-song downloads) that virtually eliminated the album sale, and along with it the massive profits that the Music Industry had heretofore been receiving.
It is important to know that the iTunes decision was a decision that the Music Industry made, whereby they thought there would be a windfall profit from increased sales of single songs versus album-oriented songs. In retrospect, this caused major shockwaves in the profit and loss statements of every Music Label and, indeed, the Music Industry as a whole! The result has been that the Music Industry is now looking for ways to recoup a "business decision," which they themselves endorsed without the proper due diligence of what could happen, that they now clearly see as a bad move! 

As most of you know, the broadcasting industry is prohibited from taking payments from the labels and/or artists under the premise that this constitutes "payola" and is illegal, per se. For decades upon decades the broadcasting industry has served as the "marketing and promotions" arm for the Music Industry which not only helps sell records but also benefits the industry as a whole. I don't think that anyone could argue that the marketing and promotional support that radio plays in helping sell records and promote artists to their fame is a fact, and not conjecture. One need only look at any awards ceremony when an artist receives their award and the first person they thank is not their label, not their manager, nor even the songwriter who wrote the song. They thank the radio industry for playing their music!

You might ask: Why doesn't the artist thank the "industry" that has helped them? Good question!
Perhaps it is how the record label "negotiation" is played out on both ends – namely how the Music Industry controls the recording contracts and songwriting deals. You have probably heard the term "360 contract" which refers to how the Music Industry generally writes contracts that largely benefit the Music Labels and leaves the artist out there struggling to make a living off the residual concerts, merchandise, or other personal endorsements. The songwriter or "mailbox millionaire" as we refer to it, writes songs and earns a royalty for each song sold. Unfortunately, the songwriting contract, more often than not, rewards the "house" that signed the songwriter. Most of the "profits/proceeds" are absorbed long before the struggling or emerging artist/songwriter gets a taste, but nonetheless there is a very handsome residual earned by both!

Today, much to my chagrin, the music industry has gotten worse, not better.
Most songwriting and recording deals today are what I would refer to as "720 deals," because, in the past, the music industry has left the artist alone to make a living off of their concert venues, merchandise, tours, actualities, etc. Today, the greedy Music Industry now takes a second bite at the apple and has tapped into what was once purely reserved for the artists, i.e. the concert revenues and merchandising sales (hence what I refer to as the "720 Deal"). It is no wonder many artists simply loath their recording deals with their music labels because of their unfair treatment in the contract negotiation.
The deals written today are adhesion contracts with zero room for any negotiation! At any point if a songwriter or artist tries to "negotiate" a term or "fine point," the label and songwriting house typically and very simply says, "Do you know how many people are waiting for this position you find yourself in. If you want to negotiate, go back to the end of the line, and we will see if we get to you again!" There is no negotiation -- it's a take-it-or-leave-it proposition!  

So while the above explains what the primary reason is for "why" the artists and songwriters are not getting their fair share, the corrective measure should be the same for any other for-profit business. When you create a bad deal like the Music Industry did with "per song" purchasing online, and your cost structure increases and revenues decline (from a business decision you made), you don't go out and seek more revenues and put forth specious claims that the industry that serves your marketing and promotions arm is somehow now all of a sudden "not paying their fair share."
Today, the Music Industry thinks the answer to their declining profits model is to simply raise revenues through the toxic performance royalty "taxes" they are seeking to have the government put on free-over-the-air broadcasters in the form of such wrongheaded legislation as the Songwriters Equity Act! 

Let's now focus on the broadcasting industry.
There is no question that broadcasters benefit from playing songs, which is why the songwriters are paid vis-à-vis the PROs. Artists are paid through their record sales which in turn are tied to the Music Labels who also get a share (the lion's share). Songwriters benefit as well with copyright royalties that are tied to the record sales of the artists who sing these songs. Radio feels that they are paying for the use of this music with not only their cash, but with "sweat equity."
The broadcasting industry performs a vital daily role to the Music Industry in the form of marketing and promotion, which is why the broadcasters (as an industry) are steadfast against any increased fees. In fact, many broadcasters have logged, copied, and amassed notebooks of written proof of the emails from the Music Industry seeking their help to promote artists on air. Many receive "hourly" calls requesting assistance with pushing artist songs on the radio. This is fact and not conjecture or posturing. The record labels/music industry seeks radio's assistance to push songs to thereby enhance their record sales for which the radio industry derives no financial benefit! (i.e. the radio "marketing and promotions" role alluded to above).

Again, in fact, there is a direct, undisputed correlation between song spins on the radio and increased record sales. This is the very reason why the record labels spend countless hours calling broadcasters each and every day. It is for this reason that broadcasters are vehemently opposed to any "tax" or increased fee structure since they rightfully view themselves as the marketing and promotions arm for the Music Industry!
Okay, so now what happens when two sides are diametrically opposed? Logic says negotiate or compromise. To date, the Music Industry has failed to seek meaningful compromise, resulting in the reality that each side has dug in on their core beliefs.
The Music Industry has taken this fight to Congress and it is my belief, with a healthy respect for both sides of this aisle, that if the Music Industry is awarded increased fees, that many creative works from emerging or new recording artists will never see the light of day. Certainly, no artist would ever have an opportunity to become famous and successful absent their natural partnership with free-over-the-air radio!

Our two industries have worked perfectly together for decades. Why do you think local stations across the country are bombarded with sample CDs and "demos" by emerging artists (and seasoned veteran artists) begging station managers to play their new tune? It's because broadcasters and artists genuinely "get it." It's how they sell records, (yes, vinyl records are making a comeback) CDs, downloads, and video. So you see, a new performance tax imposed on radio stations by record companies would only be biting the very hand that feeds them.
More importantly, the increased fees will simply put many stations out of business, leaving the airwaves "dark," which will cripple the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and cause irreparable harm to the audiences radio serves so well and effectively, especially in times of severe weather emergency.
Equally disturbing is the disingenuous comparison of broadcast radio to Internet providers and pay/subscription audio entertainment programming and fees paid by satellite radio. The proponents of this legislation want us all to be alike – just because cable, satellite, and Internet services pay these royalties.

Well, we are not alike! Free over-the-air radio and television are the only exclusively local media that exists! Radio stations are licensed separately and differently; and broadcasters have a very different mission, mainly to operate in the public interest -- from the EAS for local emergency notification such as NJ Amber Alerts and community wide emergencies such as forest fires, hurricanes, blizzards, and other extreme weather hazards, and flash flooding, to local news of community events and happenings in entertainment from their myriad and diverse variety of formats.

India-Bangla ODI series on DD

Courtesy: www.eni.network24.co
Friday, June 13, 2014 6:02 PM


New Delhi: The India-Bangladesh One Day Series will be telecast on Doordarshan. However, Doordarshan will not be the official broadcaster of the series. Doordarshan has stepped in after Indian broadcasters have shown little interest in buying the rights for the live telecast. The broadcasting rights for the ODI series are with the Bangladesh-based Gazi TV.  

According to a ESPN Cricinfo report, Gazi TV had approached Star Sports and Sony Six. However, Sony 6, which is telecasting World Cup matches live, refused to telecast the ODI series. According to reports, Star Sports had asked for telecast rights for Rs 5 crore, which was considered "paltry" by the Bangladesh broadcaster. 


DD’s competitive game plan

Courtesy: www.indiantelevision.com

By Disha Shah Posted on : 13 Jun 2014 06:21 pm


MUMBAI: "It is my dream to make Doordarshan a success story," said Information & Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar at the recently concluded GoaFest.
 
Indeed, what was once the only television channel and earned nearly 100 per cent revenue because of its monopoly has over the years become an 'also-ran', thanks to the satellite and cable TV explosion.
 
DD recently undertook several new initiatives in a bid to reclaim its place under the sun. Just last month, the government-owned channel launched a dedicated slot for afternoon shows called 'DD Dopahar… Aapke Ghar' where between 12pm and 3pm, serials produced and directed by biggies from the television and film fraternity including Harry Baweja, Karan Razdan, Paintal, Sudhir Pandey and Maninee Dey are aired.
 
Earlier this month, DD revamped its prime time evening viewing with five new shows namely Nadiyaan Gaati Hain, Bharat Ki Shaan: Let's Dance, Earth Matters, Gaon Connection and Yatra. What's more, in the coming months, the channel plans to re-brand itself with a view to better connect with its audiences. "Yes, we will re-brand DD National soon. It is on the cards and we are expecting it to happen by the end of the year," confirmed Doordarshan directorate general CK Jain.
 
The channel which holds the seventh position after general entertainment channel Sab, clocked 131 million GVTs in the week 23 of TAM TV ratings.
 
According to Jain, it's the right time for such a move, considering advertisers' response has also been good. "For DD National, the advertisers' response has been reasonably good, considering the fact that we still have the largest reach across the country. Our strength was towards terrestrial earlier. Our reach has been shrinking over a period of time. We are aware of that and we are trying our best to ensure that the viewership increases in C&S markets also. We are trying to enhance our viewership in these markets by upgrading the content," he said. "We are trying to upgrade our prime time now with fresh content, but of course, we can't compare ourselves with the big players."
 
An industry source opined that unlike GECs like Star Plus and Zee which are able to pump in huge monies on content, DD cannot afford to do so. "This is slightly a disadvantage of being a government body, where you have to follow certain procedures to acquire content," the source said, stressing that DD would not spend more than Rs 300 to Rs 400 crore on new content.
 

...तो निजी चैनलों को टक्कर देगा दूरदर्शन

Courtesy: rajasthanpatrika.patrika.com

Fri, 13 Jun 2014 21:43:56


मुंबई। वन एवं पर्यावरण और सूचना प्रसारण मंत्री प्रकाश जावडेकर ने कहा कि दूरदर्शन को जनता की पहली पसंद बनाने के लिए तेजी से कदम उठाए जाएंगे। जावडेकर ने शुक्रवार को मुंबई दूरदर्शन में संवाददाताओं से बात करते हुए कहा कि सूचना प्रसारण मंत्रालय ने दूरदर्शन और आकाशवाणी को लोगों के बीच लोक प्रिय बनाने का बीड़ा उठाया है, जिसे पूरा करने की ओर कदम बढ़ा दिया गया है। 


AIR currently running largest shortwave DRM service in the world


RnM Team    13 Jun 14 18:49 IST


Media specialist Sharad Sadhu has said India's public broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) continues to roll-out new transmitters, which are also capable of running the DRM standard.

AIR is current running probably the largest shortwave DRM service in the world, and medium wave services are planned, he told RadioAsia 2014 organised by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

An estimated 78 new transmitters will ensure around 70 percent of the Indian population will be able to receive DRM services, when implemented.

Several production houses are now manufacturing DRM sets, he said.

Sadhu called for manufacturers to consider integrated digital radio chipsets, allowing FM, DAB+, DRM and other digital radio standards on the same radio set.

Meanwhile, an academician said radio listenership in India is going down because of a dearth of innovation in on-air programming and a lack of differentiation.

K Padmakumar from the School of Communication at Manipal University sounded a warning to private radio broadcasters ahead of Phase III of FM licensing and said there was also the problem of too many commercial activities – advertising and promotions in programming.

Padmakumar added that there was too much pressure on on-air talent as cost-cutting by stations had led to too much multi-tasking.

Phase III will see 839 FM frequencies auctioned in over 200 smaller cities and towns.Meanwhile, World DMB project director Bernie O'Neill said three Asian countries have begun or will start digital radio trials over the next few months. A trial is already under way in Malaysia, while Thailand (military coup permitting) and Indonesia are due to test the technology in 2014.

Hong Kong already has 15 DAB+ audio services live on air. Over 300,000 devices have been sold in the territory to date.


DD’s FIFA offering


By indiantelevision.com Team Posted on : 13 Jun 2014 07:52 pm


MUMBAI: Reaching out to a wider audience so that the FIFA fever isn't missed by all, India's public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has got into an agreement with official FIFA World Cup broadcaster Sony Six.
 
The deal is mandatory under the Sports Broadcast Signals Act 2007 for telecasting a few games of the mammoth event.
 
These games include the opening ceremony (which was telecasted yesterday), the maiden match (played out between Brazil and Croatia), two semi finals and the final match.
 
However, DD will be showcasing different advertisements during the simulcast of select matches.
 
Officials from Sony Six confirmed saying that since FIFA World Cup is a mandatory listed event under the mentioned Act, therefore it had to share its feed with the pubcaster.
 
Surprising, the marketing department of DD quoted higher ad rates than those quoted by Sony Six for a 10 second slot. Hence, after working out the modalities, DD will retain 25 per cent of the ad revenues while 75 per cent will be handed over to Sony Six.
 

Friday, June 13, 2014

Yuvavani's closure kicks up controversy

Courtesy: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Himanshi Dhawan,TNN | Jun 13, 2014, 03.04 AM IST


NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati's move to shut down the three-decade-old youth-centric radio station, Yuvavani, from June 1 has created a big ruckus. For its part All India Radio, that ran the service in Jammu, Srinagar, Kolkata and Delhi, feels that the service has dipped in popularity and is no longer economically viable. 

However, DoPT minister Jitendra Singh has written to I&B minister Prakash Javadekar seeking the channel to be revived in Srinagar arguing that the decision taken by UPA government to shut down the service was politically motivated. I&B secretary Bimal Julka said that the ministry would examine the matter in light of Singh's objection. 

Yuvavani was started in the 1973 as a youth outreach medium putting out programs on education, skill development, employment, music and arts. But the rapid spread of FM channels in the last few years which are targeted at the youth, led to a sharp decline in the popularity of Yuvavani. 

The radio station was running content for approx 4-5 hours every day on medium wave. A recent survey carried out by the Audience Research Wing of AIR revealed that the weekly reach was 1.8 % in Delhi and 9.9 % in Srinagar. The Kolkata service was shut down earlier.

However, Jitendra Singh said that the decision was ``politically motivated'' and would send out a ``negative signal'' at a time when there is an all out effort to provide fair governance without any discrimination. He also said in his letter that ``large number of youth got opportunity to exhibit their artistic talent from that region through Yuvavani programmes. Further, this programme has been able to create a sense of belongingness among the people and reinforce integration of the local population into the national mainstream.''

In April the Prasar Bharati vision committee examined a report that said that the service was incurring an expenditure of Rs 3.5 lakh a month but was not earning any revenues for the public broadcaster. AIR officials said that based on the committee's recommendation, Prasar Bharati board decided to shut the service. 


Fwd: Doordarshan delivers EPG feeds to an array of DTH platforms

Courtesy: www.afaqs.com

Media News, New Delhi, June 12, 2014


Taking yet another big leap, Doordarshan has entered into a deal with M/s. NDTV Ltd. and M/s. What's on India Media Pvt. Ltd.

Further specifying the scope of work of both the agencies, Doordarshan spokesperson stated, 'Managing EPG of all 21 DD channels and delivering to all MSOs/DTH operators of the country' comes under the work specification of NDTV Ltd. While 'servicing, aggregating EPGs of all the channels of DD Direct Plus and delivering it to DTH Direct Plus platform in compatible format' will come under work specification of What's on India.

Doordarshan and AIR are set to bring its archival material of national importance in public domain

Courtesy: www.afaqs.com

Doordarshan and AIR are set to bring its archival material of national importance in public domain
New Delhi, June 12, 2014


Fulfilling its role of a public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati has directed Doordarshan and AIR to create a world class archival wing to digitize and fast track the development of its archival material.

CEO, Prasar Bharati said that the main purpose of fast tracking the archival material of AIR and DD is to disseminate digital wealth to the public at large.

Javadekar wants DD, AIR to be first choice of people

Courtesy: www.ptinews.com
New Delhi, Jun 12 (PTI)


Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar has asked Prasar Bharati officials to to focus more on improving the content of Doordarshan so that the national broadcaster becomes the first choice of more and more people.


Thursday, June 12, 2014

Vikram Gokhale to direct a serial "Ratra Vanvyachi" for DD Sahyadri Channel


By indiantelevision.com Team Posted on : 12 Jun 2014 12:34 pm



MUMBAI: "Ratra Vanvyachi" – (Night of the Forest Fire) is a new semi -fictional series produced by Doordarshan Sahyadri Channel based on the novel written by Smt. Neela Satyanarayan, the first Woman State Election Commissioner (SEC) of Maharashtra.
 
The entire series revolves around a female protagonist struggling to be a perfect fit in this male dominated system of governance. It takes you through the journey of a woman who through her honest and upright conduct establishes an impartial and strong image vis-à-vis to her male counterpart. The story unfolds the various career experiences of woman and how skillfully she triumphs over all the problems in day to day life at her home and at work place. The female lead character is portrayed by Actress, Kancha Jadhav.
 
"The most important and interesting aspect of this series will be Shri. Vikram Gokhale, the legendary actor and theatre personality who has accepted to direct this show which is a great honor and USP of this show" – quoted by Shri. Mukesh Sharma, Addl. DG – Doordrashan.
 
Director, Vikram Gokhale envisioned this women centric series as an eye opener in a male dominated society as this society claims to be a thinker's society. He said "The reason to be a part of this series is to expose the so called rational society which has different set of laws while it comes to the liberty of a woman especially when it comes to Power Game in the existing political scenario of our country"
 

Odisha: Doordarshan to broadcast the Snana Yatra of Lord Jagannath

Courtesy: www.orissadiary.com

Thursday, June 12, 2014


Report by Odisha Diary bureau, Bhubaneswar: The Doordarshan Centre, Bhubaneswar will broadcast the Snana Yatra of Lord Jagannath live from Puri on Friday. The Snana Yatra, to be held at the Shree Mandir premises, will be telecast on the DD Odia channel from 11 am to 3 pm and again from 5 pm to 6 pm in Odia language.  Besides, a special programme based on Jagannath Darshan and belief would also be broadcast from the studio, said Doordarshan Deputy Director General Jayanti Manjari Rath in a Press release.    

Hindi media should do away with preconceptions and stubbornness: Mrinal Pande

Writer: exchange4media News Service - Wednesday, Jun 11,2014



Mrinal Pande, veteran journalist, author and TV personality was honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award at Red Ink Awards 2014. In her acceptance speech, Pande said that in today's world where intellectual has become a four-letter word, this award from her fraternity came as a pleasant surprise. This is the biggest award in her life, she said. Padmashree has its place but being awarded by fellow journalists is special. Like many regional language reporters, she comes from a small town, stated Pande. She studied in a government school in Hindi medium.

She said a very good thing to happen in the 50s and 60s was that children belonging to all sections of the society were in the same school and everyone received the same education but there must be something about it as everyone who studied with her have great minds owing to good education. She also said that she learned other languages/dialects such as Bhojpuri, Avadhi, Brij etc. as her father moved extensively around the Hindi-speaking belt. But the impressions she gathered during this stage on language helped her during her journalistic career. She spoke of the publication of Hindustan whose first editor was Madan Mohan Malwi. She said that the quintessential quirkiness of Hindi journalism was well in tandem with her own characteristics. Another turning point was the post-emergency era and then the advent of the 21st century, which led to 'refeudalisation' of Hindi media when its massive spread brought forth lucrative opportunities.



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