[HCDX] PM launches DTH service

[Mukesh Kumar <thecosmosclub@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

PM launches DTH service

Dr Manmohan Singh said the media should shun the
temptation to indulge in vulgar propaganda and promote
liberalism.

NEW DELHI, DHNS:


Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday urged the
media, especially television, to promote values of
liberalism, pluralism and secularism and refrain from
?vulgar propaganda?.

Launching Prasar Bharati?s free-to-air DTH service
called ?DD Direct Plus? at a ceremony at his official
residence, Dr Singh said, ?We must pay attention to
what messages we are conveying. It is essential to
focus on the importance of content in public
broadcasting, in particular.?

?Media must organise content in a manner that promotes
the values of our Republic, in particular, the values
of liberalism, pluralism, secularism and of unity in
diversity. 

While eschewing the temptation to indulge in vulgar
propaganda, public television must present information
in a manner that encourages positive thinking and free
debate, and affirms values of decency and fair play in
our public life,? he said.
DD Direct Plus will initially have 33 TV and 12 All
India Radio channels, Prasar Bharati CEO K S Sarma
said earlier.

?In a democracy, there is a special role for a public
broadcaster. We must define and develop that role. We
must prepare programmes, which will have depth and
content required by people living in rural and urban
areas and in different parts of this vast country of
ours,? Dr Singh said.

Radio power
Giving instances of the power of radio and television,
he said that public broadcaster Doordarshan and All
India Radio need to have an attitude and a mindset
that addressed the needs and concerns of ordinary
people. 

?There is a thirst for information and we must quench
that thirst to the best of our ability,? he said,
adding that the DTH platform would enable people to
access classical music, sport, science and wholesome
entertainment.

Stating that the DTH service was an investment in the
cause of development, he said that it would bring
?tremendous returns? economically, socially and
culturally. Information and Broadcasting Minister S
Jaipal Reddy and senior Prasar Bharati officials were
present on the occasion.

Emotional integration
Describing the launch as a landmark event in the
history of Indian broadcasting and communication, Dr
Singh said it was an important step forward in the
continuing process of emotional integration of people
and social and intellectual development of the
country.

The prime minister reminded Prasar Bharati that both
DD and AIR were ?public resources? and thus a source
of empowerment through information and education for
strengthening citizens? access to participation in the
nation?s public affairs.
?Radio and television are also a marvellous medium of
cultural expression and national integration in a
diverse country such as ours. They are also a
strategic instrument of socio-economic development. By
stating all this I am not downplaying the role of
Prasar Bharati as a medium of entertainment. We have
to remain mindful of the compulsions of the market as
well,? he said.

As the DTH service would enable DD and AIR to reach
out to a global audience, he asked Prasar Bharati to
ponder over issues like what image of the country
should be presented to the world, and whether DD was
ready to become a global news channel like BBC and
CNN.

?Our technologists have shown us that we can think big
in creating the hardware required. Our intellectuals,
artists, journalists, media managers and social
activists must now do the same and create the content
for a global audience,? he said.


www.deccanherald.com/

Mukesh Kumar 
Muzaffarpur
INDIA.

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