Self-regulation guidelines for India’s TV channels proposed

BY A CORRESPONDENT

24 May, 2007:

Every television channel in India is likely to have a self-censor if the draft self-regulation guidelines for broadcasters are implemented.

The draft code under discussion calls for every channel to appoint a ‘content auditor’ to monitor programs and slot them in appropriate certification categories, according to Televisionpoint.com

The proposed draft aims at ensuring that channels assume more responsibility for the shows they air, making it mandatory for every channel to appoint a ‘content auditor’ to address all complaints of content violation. This will result in fixing the accountability of monitoring the programs on the company.

Many members of the sub-committee on the broadcasting code and guidelines reportedly felt that currently many channels do not have anyone specific to deal with complaints and often pass them on to different sections.

The draft envisages that, like an accounts auditor, the content auditor would be responsible for any lapse in following certification rules. The sub-committee has proposed that the content auditor be made the point of contact for any issue or complaint that may arise vis-à-vis the programs they broadcast.

In order to ensure that the content auditor has sufficient authority, the proposed code recommends that only the senior-most management of the broadcast service provider be allowed to override the content auditor.

Each channel would be given about two weeks to dispose of complaints and would have to either take the program off air, modify the content and apologise, or reject the complaint after citing reasons.

The sub-committee has recommended a three-tier redress system, with the proposed Broadcast Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) being seen as the final authority. One of the major proposals of the draft proposal is the implementation of a watershed format of programming, which would mean that while family programs – certified U – are programmed any time of the day, those certified UA would be shown only between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m.