Prasar Bharati to form internal committee to revamp DD Kisan
Prasar Bharati to appoint a five-member committee to look into the selection of new content to be aired on DD Kisan
DD Kisan was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26 May 2015. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint
New Delhi: Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati is all set to revamp DD Kisan, a channel dedicated to agriculture and farmers, in a bid to introduce more engaging content.
In the process, the broadcaster has decided to appoint a five-member committee to look into the selection of new content to be aired on the channel.
“There have been apprehensions about DD Kisan’s content. So a committee will be formed to look at a programming overhaul. Doordarshan employees who are experts in different fields will be a part of the committee,” said a Doordarshan official, who did not want to be identified.
The five-member committee will include additional director general (finance), additional director general (DD Kisan) and three other Doordarshan employees who will be nominated by the chairman of Prasar Bharati.
“Till now, there was nobody to look into the programming of DD Kisan. Prasar Bharati had also invited programmes from private production houses but there was no committee to select the content,” the official added.
The committee, after evaluating the aforementioned programmes, will purchase them from producers under a self finance commissioning (SFC) scheme to help DD Kisan generate advertising revenues.
The decision was taken at a board meeting held on 6 April.
This comes as a part of Doordarshan’s efforts to revamp the entire network to revive its viewership and finances and compete with private television channels.
Recently, the broadcaster auctioned the prime time programming slots on DD National to private production houses. Meanwhile, Doordarshan is also looking to introduce new channels in children, youth and music genres.
For the year 2017-18, the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry has earmarked Rs80 crore, up from the earlier Rs60 crore in the previous year for DD Kisan.
DD Kisan was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26 May 2015, the day when the National Democratic Alliance government also celebrated its first anniversary. DD Kisan reaches 80 lakh farmers every week, according to estimates from Doordarshan.
