The Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry has set up a media monitoring centre to keep a watch on channel content. The ministry is expected to come out with a set of guidelines shortly even though there is no consensus on the issue between the government and private broadcasters, says a report in the Hindu.
Some details:
Located at the Prasar Bharati office, the Rs. 16-crore Electronic Media Monitoring Centre, can monitor over 100 televisions channels simultaneously.
The centre’s main focus would be to keep track of programmes that violate the Programmes and Advertising Codes under Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. It has been designed on a web-based system, which facilitates monitoring of channels and signals, can record content and retrieve recorded footage.
The Code prescribed under the proposed Broadcasting Bill has however come under fire with TV channels, describing it as an attempt to control the media. The National Broadcasters Association has also submitted its own proposals on content regulation to the Ministry.
