NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati plans to enter the European market in a move to expand its footprint and present the Indian voice to international audiences.
Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar told the Global Media Forum in Bonn that: “Our international forays have been made by private journalism to a small extent. It is time for the public broadcaster to start thinking of collaboration with the best in the market and come out to present the voice of India or the voices of India. In fact that is the reason why I am here.”
He said the pubcaster was thinking in terms of going in for European penetration.
Meanwhile, he reiterated his demand for greater freedom to work and said the present government was aware of his views in this regard. “Whatever I have said is there in public discourse. I will not like to rake it up here. This is not the place. My stand or our stand on autonomy, professional autonomy, the autonomy to operate, has been made clear,” he said.
Sircar, who gave his views on ‘The future of journalism and the role of international broadcasters’ during a session of media summit, held “typical bureaucratic mentality” responsible for people’s perception of Prasar Bharati being a government controlled body.
“That perception is because all the members of Prasar Bharati are government servants,” he said. “So they carry their mentality with them. I was also a government servant. I told them that I took an oath to remain at arm’s length (with the government) and if I have paid the price for it, why don’t you guys come forward,” he added.
“There is a spirit in Prasar Bharati. It is not pro-government or anti-government. It is a question of taking up the facts as they come,” he said.
“As I said a rape has to be reported. But we report not the rape and sensational part, we report the retribution part, the punishment part. That is the important part,” he said.
Sircar said it is for the nation to make up its mind for bringing in changes to ‘doordarshan’ video service run by Prasar Bharati.
“We raised the issue (in the conference) of India’s public broadcaster not being international class. Our problem and our identity and our task were completely different – the aim was to hold India together. A very typical country with 24 languages and 600 dialects. Our task was to hold the India together through ‘Vividh Bharati’ (a radio service) through a common discourse, through a common shred experience. We have done that. It is now time for India to move outwards,” he said.
During the conference, the CEO lauded the role of social media in bringing about the changes in people’s thinking.
“Social media played a major role in that (crowd sourcing in general elections) aspect. That crowd source views or open views what was later turned out to be one of those instruments that brought majority of people (out to cast their votes in recently concluded general elections),” Sircar added.
A large number of participants including journalists from many countries took part in this first meet organized by the Deutshe Welle.
