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Every channel must regulate on its own:
I & B Minister
Courtesy:www.livemint.com
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Ambika
Soni is struggling to complete an unfinished agenda that includes action
against paid news content, raising the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit
in news media and digitization of cable TV distribution, among others
By:Shuchi
Bansal & Abhilasha Ojha
New Delhi: The information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry headed by
Ambika Soni is struggling to complete an unfinished agenda that includes
action against paid news content, raising the foreign direct investment (FDI)
limit in news media and digitization of cable TV distribution, among others.
In an interview last week, Soni said a lot of work has already gone into
each of these unresolved issues and her ministry hasn’t been responsible for
the delays. Edited excerpts:
Why’s
the delay in increasing the FDI cap in news?
Wasn’t the cabinet note ready
last year?
The cabinet note was ready. This is one of the issues we have
addressed to Trai (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) and I have a copy
of my letter sent last October. There is no reply yet.
But, in the meantime, the DIPP (department of industrial policy and
promotion) has sent some press notes which look at investments which does
make, to a certain extent, redundant your 26%, 49% or 74% ceiling. Why, if
you are a company which has a 49% foreign holding and you invest in my
company, that foreign investment will not be counted. You will be treated as
an Indian company, even though in addition to that I have another 26% FDI.
You realize how much it takes it to?
Doesn’t this clash with the existing policy?
Some people who are against foreign investment have brought this up
to me. We addressed it to Trai asking in light of the press note (2-3), what
is our final position on this? It is not stuck in my ministry.
The issue of political paid news
(advertisements disguised as news in newspapers) remains unresolved. What
action is being contemplated to stem the practice?
The Press Council of India (PCI) has been given the responsibility to look
into the issue.
We had a long, detailed discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the topic.
The PCI report was to be tabled on 31 March. Then justice (G.N.) Ray
(chairman of PCI) asked for one month extension. And now we are approaching
30 June and there is no sign of the report. I just asked my secretary to
find out when will it come, otherwise I’ll have to go to the media and say,
“It’s not coming.”
Paid news is of great concern. It affects people who are true to
their profession of journalism and I feel a great deal of satisfaction that
it’s the journalist community which has really highlighted it at personal
risk.
There are problems in the Press Council. I had a chat with them on
the delay. There are representatives of media houses who are resistant to
signing it because it is not just political paid news, it’s also economic
paid news. This happens when media houses become business conglomerates—or
whatever you call them—and diversify beyond their journalistic interests. It
extends to broadcasters too. So, somewhere the judgement between business or
marketing and editorial content is compromised.
Doesn’t PCI need more teeth?
I did tell Mr Arun Jaitley (of the Bharatiya Janata Party) when he
raised it that you instituted it in 1978, your party was in power. I hate to
dig (up) partisan politics, but it’s a fact.
In 2001 and 2003 they asked for more teeth. Why did you not
give it?
I have suggestions from the PCI on what kind of powers they want. But
the moment I say I’m bringing a Bill, I know the kind of reaction it will
have. These are issues which we have to discuss across the floor of
Parliament.
But
there are suggestions to control paid news by amending The Representation of
the People Act, for example.
The Election Commission is also waiting for the report
of the Press Council. There are two suggestions that came up. One was the
changes in The Representation of the People Act and the other one was to
have a media council—that is, to allow a larger body.
Talking
of a body, even the regulatory authority for broadcasters is pending…
It’s been pending for last 12 years, since 1997. I have the whole record.
Since 1997...all of us have been in office at the Centre.
We should make it a collective effort. A task force has been formed, headed
by the ministry of I&B.
The task force comprises…?
It has representatives of News Broadcasters Association, the Indian
Broadcasting Foundation and the Broadcast Editors Association because these
are recognized bodies. In addition, I think there is the Advertising
Standards Council of India (ASCI).
So
this task force of stakeholders has structured interactions with
representatives of civil society.
And its role?
I want to set up a Broadcasting Authority of India. The whole task
force is geared to set up what everybody thought was just a regulatory
authority. But it will be the broadcasting authority of India, without the
word “regulatory”. The name we came up with is National Broadcasting
Authority of India, if we can use it. It would have multiple functions. This
is my intention only if I can get the government to agree and the cabinet to
legislate…It would have transparent and non-partisan appointment procedure.
Then, one of the functions can be co-regulation.
What is co-regulation?
I am
not for regulation. The industry, press, the broadcasting industry and even
the 21st century people are not for regulations. I
want every single channel to regulate on its own according to the Cable
Regulatory Act. Then there are recognized bodies such as the Indian
Broadcasting Foundation, Broadcast Editors Association and News Broadcasters
Association. They are not statutory bodies and if they cannot resolve
something, it could come to the broadcasting authority.
That is
how we are looking at co-regulation. I will take it to the PM, he in his
wisdom may ask other party leaders. What we set up in this domain of media
should have wide acceptance.
Why the need to set up a committee (under Amit Mitra) to look
into TRPs (television rating points) or audience research?
There are two agencies…of which one hasn’t done so well. The other had, till
recently, only 7,000 boxes, now it has increased it to 8,000 plus. That’s
not enough. It doesn’t cover Doordarshan, DTH (direct-to-home television) or
rural areas. So what does it cover? I constituted a committee under the
chairmanship of Mr Amit Mitra—it has representatives from the Indian
Statistical Institute, IIM (Indian Institute of Management) Ahmedabad, a
retired secretary of the telecom ministry, members of the civil society and
public broadcasting. The committee will come up with recommendations on the
kind of audience research required, how many boxes we need.
Why should the government be concerned with TRPs?
I know there are murmurs... why is the government interfering in a
purely business exercise? I don’t have any desire to interfere unless it
affects content. It is my job that viewers should have quality viewing
experiences.
Secondly, I did say, which was clever of me, that DAVP (Directorate of
Advertising and Visual Publicity) is the single largest advertiser (in both
print and electronic media), so how can you say that the government doesn’t
have a role? Be honest about it. And then we are also the single largest
broadcaster with Doordarshan.
There’s been criticism for not pushing digital distribution.
I have
tried in the last six-eight months to give maximum push towards
digitization. We have also got the cabinet to clear Rs1,462 crore for
digitalising Doordarshan and Akashvani, that is, their studios, kendras and
terrestrial reach… It is going to save spectrum and a minimum 25% power
consumption.
For digitization, head-end in the sky (HITS) policy has also been put in
place. Through this the cable operators can get access to digital signals
from a single satellite and they would have to invest only Rs3 lakh to
convert.
We have got only two applications for HITS. So we are looking if DTH can be
allowed to have head-end in the sky, which will facilitate this whole
exercise. I wrote to Trai because I cannot take these decisions in the
absence of a broadcasting authority.
It has not replied. Being the headmistress that I am, I keep calling them.
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Thank you for your
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