Few expected AIR’s coverage of the World Cup to end this way. The broadcaster has many faithful admirers who still remember its crisp ball-by-ball documentary, taking cricket to every household at a time when there was no television and no one had heard of “cricket specials”, forget Mandira Bedi and noodle straps.
Even Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, defending Prasar Bharati’s decision to make sharing of telecast rights of games with the public broadcaster mandatory some time ago, had said: “It was not the private TV channels or corporate advertisements that made this country cricket-crazy, but AIR commentary which was heard in every Indian household.”
But at a time when the radio is again witnessing a boom — especially in the 12-20 age group, lending celebritydom to some DJs — AIR, apart from its FM Gold channel, has been struggling to catch up. Many feel the public broadcaster typically let an opportunity slip through its fingers by treating the World Cup so nonchalantly.
The 10-odd commentators who covered the Cricket World Cup 2007 were just “cricket buffs” who had taken time off from their other full-time professional commitments “to lend a helping hand” to the cash-strapped AIR. For their efforts, they each got Rs 1,050 per day. “Of course, we usually also provide them TA/DA, hotel accommodation, flight tickets.”
But this time round even the travel to West Indies could not be organised. AIR officials say cash was not the only constraint. “We could not make the internal travel arrangements as the matches were taking place on various islands. It was not possible to hire chartered flights for the commentators,” they said. So it was an entirely Delhi-based operation. For the nail-biting semi-final, especially the match played between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, Vineet Garg and Shankar Prasad sat glued to their TV.
... contd.
