Responding to a question, the CEO has said though the public broadcasters have nearly 95% coverage on terrestrial mode, due to lack of proper implementation of Cable act, the access has been low on satellite mode. He said appointing some of the engineering staff as Inspecting Officers to monitor the implementation of Cable Act has been under consideration of the Government.

                   Stating that accurate and objective news is the highest priority, the CEO said measures are being taken to speed up the news on both AIR and Doordarshan. On regulations of media, the CEO has opined that proper independent regulatory mechanism should be there to regulate media in the country.

                  Earlier, delivering a keynote address at a seminar on Prasar Bharathi as Citizen’s Media organised by the Programme Staff Association of All India Radio and Doordarshan, the CEO has emphasised the need for people’s partnership.

                Emphasizing for more interactive programmes with people, NGOs and local communities, he said the social commitment is enormous on the public broadcasters and asked the employees to distinguish from other private channels through their creative programmes.

               Speaking at the seminar, Loksatta president Jayaprakash Narayan advised AIR and Doordarshan to take up the mission to educate the nation, which will enrich several generations to come. Professors Vinod Pavrala and Padmaja Shaw have also spoke on various aspects of public broadcasting on this occasion.

             The Prasar Bharati is saddled with problems like shortage of manpower and fund constraints and is according top priority to recruitment, the national broadcaster''s CEO B S Lalli said today. "Priority is

recruitment and now steps are being taken to recruit at central and local level with focus on local talent", Lalli said here during a programme organised by the Andhra Pradesh Working Journalist Federation. On funding he said, "The Government of India has agreed to meet all the capital expenditure and the regular expenditure. government is willing to bear 50 per cent and the balance 50 per cent has to be borne by the Prasar Bharthi." He said revenue can also be raised by utilising spectrum and air time.

                  "Earning revenue does not mean commercialisation but giving informative programme good music and entertainment", Lalli said. He rued that although Doordarshan and AIR have distinctive creation of content there is no visibility as the terrestrial front is shrinking in view of cable operators and satellite operators not implementing the cable regulator Act, which makes it mandatory to telecast Doordarshan among the prime channels.

Lalli said he has in fact suggested to Parliament to appoint engineers from AIR and Doordarshan and to notify them as inspecting officers, who will carry out inspections at cable operators level. They should also be authorising officers to ensure that the law is enforced, he added.

Referring to a large number of part-time correspondents of both All India Radio and Doordarshan he said it was difficult to regularise them but the broadcaster would continue to use their services. Stating that there was no competition between Prasar Bharati and commercial broadcasters, he said the national broadcaster was born out of public interest whereas the commercial channels'' idea was different.

While underlining the need to produce more creative and local programmes, Lalli said there should be a balance between the in-house production programmes and outsourcing programmes with a social message to the masses. "India has a rich treasure trove diversity and we should exploit it to create local talent programmes.

There is lot of scope for creative content in AIR and Doordarshan," he said. PTI CORR AN.