THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Doordarshan will close down 11 analogue terrestrial TV transmitters (ATT) in the state. As part of public broadcaster Prasar Bharati’s nationwide strategy to wind up stations operating on the obsolete technology, five stations will down shutters by this month end, followed by three more on December 31 and another three on March 31, 2022.
Across the country, 412 ATTs will be closed in three phases. In Kerala, the Kanhangad, Kannur, Kozhikode, Kochi and Pathanamthitta stations will close by the end of this month. "It is only a technical closure. Broadcast via satellite will not be affected. Those who still use antennae to tune in to DD will lose connectivity. We are pushing DD FreeDish DTH service for them. Around 120 free channels, including private channels and 40 channels of Akashavani, can be accessed for free using the dish," said a senior Prasar Bharati official.
By December 31, transmitting stations at Attappadi, Kalpetta and Shoranur will be closed and by March, next year, Idukki, Palakkad and Malappuram ATTs will be closed. By then, the state will completely migrate to satellite broadcast mode.
Though the decision won’t affect programmes division or viewers, the engineering staff deployed to man the stations will have to be relocated. Prasar Bharati has said all staff in these locations will be redeployed.
Prasar Bharati was forced to issue a clarification after the decision fuelled a nationwide propaganda that DD was closing down several stations. "DD Centres shall continue to generate content for broadcasting on satellite channels of Doordarshan dedicated to their respective states, apart from maintaining their presence on digital media via YouTube and on social media," the broadcaster said in a release.
In Kerala, the Kozhikode and Thrissur stations produce programmes and may continue to operate the programming wing along with the headquarters in the state capital. Phasing out of analogue transmitters began in 2017 and 826 ATTs were closed in four years. With the closure of 412 more, Prasar Bharati estimates to save a Rs 100 crore in operational expense annually.