No policy as policy: The politics of broadcasting in India

The annual reports by trade bodies such as FICCI and PriceWaterHouseCooper on the entertainment & media industry in India and extensive local media coverage of media growth provides a picture of a sector undergoing continuous transformation and change. This growth however is taking place within a policy environment that ironically is bereft of substantial policy. Both the Broadcast Bill and Convergence Bill have been shelved and unlike governance in the press sector that involves the oversight of regulatory and accountability bodies such as the Press Council of India, the governance of broadcasting is being carried out on an ad hoc basis and in a policy vacuum. It can be argued that no policy in itself amounts to a policy of sorts. This environment has been of particular benefit to the larger media houses who have used their economic and political muscle to strengthen their dominance in cross sectoral media markets. A clear winner in this jockeying for inter-sectoral media dominance is the Chennai-based Sun TV empire. In direct contrast, the over-regulated response by the government to opening up of the community radio sector does suggest that there are differing agendas related to the liberalizing of the media in India. This paper will explore issues related to the politics of media ownership, media governance and communication rights in India