Reach of state broadcasters DD, AIR to increase
New Delhi : The reach of state broadcasters Doordarshan (DD), with 64 studio centres and the All India Radio (AIR), with 225 stations across the country, may be expanded over the next five years, parliament was informed Monday.
"The government is considering a proposal for expanding the coverage of AIR and Doordarshan during the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12). However, the Eleventh Plan is yet to be finalised," Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
While Doordarshan has 1,398 transmitters, AIR has 361, he added.
The extent of TV coverage in the terrestrial mode is 79 percent by area and 91 percent by population, while that of AIR is 91.78 percent by area and 99.14 percent by population, the minister said.
"The whole of the country, except the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is also covered by Doordarshan's free-to-air DTH (direct to home) service. The DTH service was launched primarily for providing AIR/TV access in uncovered backward and rural areas," he added.
In the case of Doordarshan, while its 64 centres are functional, 53 of its transmitters "are presently relaying partial transmission due to non-availability of adequate manpower".
"Staff for operation and maintenance of a large number of Doordarshan stations has not been sanctioned and these have been operationalised by providing limited staff by way of redeployment," Dasmunsi added.
Two additional studio centres at Calicut in Kerala and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir "are technically ready and these are yet to be operationalised".
"These two studio centres can be operationalised after the requisite staff is sanctioned and deployed," the minister stated.
In the case of AIR, all but three of its transmitters are functional. A 1,000 kw medium wave transmitter at Rajkot is expected to be replaced by September, 2009, while two 250 kw short wave transmitters at Aligarh are shut for want of spares, which are expected to be provided by November, Dasmunsi said.
