Anytime now, the frontier state will boast of Arun Prabha—Doordarshan’s North East 24X7 channel headquartered in the state capital Itanagar. The Information & Broadcasting Ministry headed by Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu has done a fabulous job and this has proved that the Centre is serious to walk the talk when it says that development of Arunachal is its top priority.

Arun Prabha has been envisioned to provide a strong platform to showcase the rich and diverse cultural and linguistic identities of the region. This definitely carries a feeling of well-being as the entire north eastern region is obliterated in mainstream channels. However, the move may also be seen as an opportunity to help bolster the falling fortunes of India’s national broadcaster.

DD has been dubbed a white elephant and not without reasons. Although it has achieved over 90 per cent reach in the country, it is not the preferred channel for people who have a choice. The story of All India Radio is no different. Private radio channels have been able to attract listeners quite effortlessly.

From just one channel, to over 700 channels, the Indian TV industry has come a long way. With 150 million households having TVs, India is the third largest market in the world after China and the US. However, during this unprecedented growth, Doordarshan has dramatically lost viewership to its competitors.

But a state as linguistically diverse as Arunachal still has a significant audience for the news and programme bulletins in local dialects in Doordarshan and All India Radio especially in its largely rural setup. Therefore, the launch of Arun Prabha must also be a ‘make or break’ for the national broadcaster. It must remember that it is not about setting up more channels or making more inroads in terms of coverage but the crux lies in improving its content in order to charm viewers.

Director General of state-owned broadcaster, Surpiya Sahu who was here to overlook the preparations has admitted that there is a content crisis faced by the network. For the authorities at the helm, their biggest challenge will be to retain viewers once the paraphernalia surrounding the launch settles down.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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