NEW DELHI: The Prasar Bharati board, which met here yesterday, has decided that Doordarshan should go in for narrowcasting by tying up with organisations like NGOs and agriculture universities.
The board also decided that while commissioning of programmes should be started again, a panel of producers should be set up to whom news and current affairs programming can be commissioned. This panel is likely to include those who have produced N&CA-based programming for DD like BAG Films, Rajat Sharma's IMPL and Nalini Singh.
The board also discussed other issues that included recovery of money from those private agencies and producers who owe DD money running into crores of rupees and the sponsorship-related controversy that is threatening the cricket world, and the bonus scheme for bulk advertisers.
Where narrowcasting is concerned, DD has floated this scheme where it will tie up with agriculture universities like the Hissar Agriculture University (negotiations completed) for agriculture-related programmes to be made by these organisations for telecast on DD's various regional channels or meant for local viewing. "A DD centre ready for such narrowcasting is Bellary," a member of the Prasar Bharati board told indiantelevision.com, adding that this is part of Prasar Bharati's efforts to live up to its image of a pubcaster.
The board, according to Prasar Bharati sources, took note of the sponsorship controversy which has engulfed the cricketing world and its implications if some top cricketers from India like Sachin Tendulkar and other countries do not participate in the ICC-organsised cricket tournaments because of their personal sponsorship deals.
"What can bother DD is that if top cricketers do not participate in the upcoming cricket tournament, then the commercial value of such matches may go down and the marketing of such matches may become a problem," the Prasar Bharati board member said.
Though DD is fairly protected against such upheavals, the Board nevertheless took note of the controversy and its financial implications if any.
On the recovery of money owed to DD, the errant producers had suggested that DD adjusts the outstanding against them for new programming. However, a final decision on this issue could not be taken by the board at its meeting yesterday.
