He is the pioneer of TV journalism in Kerala. As the first director of the Thiruvananthapuram Doordarshan Kendra, K Kunhikrishnan was instrumental in ushering in a culture of visual media into the state in 1985. An accomplished journalist and writer, his experience of varied interactions with stalwart leaders, persons of eminence and changing governments, alongside landmark socio-politico-cultural instances in the country’s history make an interesting anecdotal affair.
Recently, the state government bestowed on him the Lifetime Achievement Award for TV journalism. TNIE caught up with the veteran for a nostalgic, freewheeling chat.
Excerpts
Having had a long innings, you are credited with being instrumental in bringing TV journalism to Kerala. Could you share the story?
It’s been 40 years since Doordarshan set up a station in Kerala. I was working in Chennai when the then deputy director general asked me to proceed to Thiruvananthapuram. I was told there was a lot of pressure from Mr Karunakaran (the then Chief Minister K Karunakaran) to start a station here. On October 31, 1984, I landed here. As soon as I reached the under-construction station, the engineers told me that I had two lightning calls from Delhi. When I called back, I was told that Madam Prime Minister had been shot dead, but I was not to mention it officially.
I was told to do the work from here, including collating condolence messages. Indira Gandhi was the first tele-visionary in India. It was when she was I&B minister that a broad development plan was made and it was under that plan that the Thiruvananthapuram TV station was to come up. Kudapanakunnu was a totally remote area; there were no proper roads, not many vehicles plied there. T
here were just seven producers, a few cameramen, staff transferred from various places, and a few engineers. Of the 150 required to start a station, we had only 30-40. Except for a few cameramen and engineers, everyone was new, with some of them having not even seen a TV.
How were the initial preparations?
I told Mr Karunakaran that it would take at least six months. He told me the entire government was at my disposal and asked me to speed it up. He wanted it to be a gift to Kerala by the Union government on New Year’s Day. I was willing to take the risk. I had to organise a lot, meet several Kerala ministers for infrastructure. The engineers worked in a ramshackle studio. We got an OB van from Jalandhar and four low-band, picture producing cameras. The key lay in attracting talent... television faces... announcers, news-readers, comperes, etc, with almost all of them garnering popularity with the viewers.
Have heard that E K Nayanar cried inconsolably in the DD studio while saying the condolence message after Indira Gandhi’s assassination…
Oh, yes. Many leaders were called to render condolence messages. The first to be called was Nayanar. He was the Leader of Opposition then. I knew him from my Madras days. While recording his condolence message, Nayanar began to cry inconsolably. We were all stunned, but we kept recording it. Later, he told us about his last meeting with her where he was angry and spoke agitatedly.
When he was about to leave, she stopped him and said: “Mr Nayanar, please stay on for a minute. I have come to know that you have some health issues, and are under medication. Is there any way I can be of any use to you?” Nayanar was stunned because it was for the very first time that a political leader had asked about his health. When he began crying, there were about 10 people in the studio. All were moved… That was one of the most touching moments of my television career in Kerala.
Other challenges?
Television is known by its onscreen faces. Telegenic faces with broadcast-worthy voices, correct pronunciation, poise, effective delivery styles, etc had to be selected. I initially received around 4,500 applications, but not even 400 came close to fitting the bill.
The inauguration was telecast live from Tagore theatre. We needed a microwave link from Tagore to the TV tower. That came from Madras. Equipment came from Mumbai. Everyone was willing to help. The challenges were something we cannot even imagine. With the advent of mobiles, all of us stay connected now. Back then, there was nothing of the sort.
Your experience of working with television faces of those days…
We didn’t have a news editor at first. Delhi told me not to start news telecasts before the news editor and assistant news editors were posted. I asked: “If there’s no news telecast in Kerala, then what’s the point in having television?” News culture is ingrained in Malayalis. Back then, we needed teleprinters because PTI and UNI were our only news sources. Delhi used a pool copy of AIR, which had so many bulletins.
Here, there was no such facility. I was against it because for people who had migrated from radio, TV was picture on sound. TV is a combination of theatre, film, and radio. Teleprinters were installed on January 1, 1985, DD’s inauguration day. The first announcer was Susheela Devi who began transmission with a Malayalam announcement. The first person to read the news was Kannan. We had good presenters.
Did they know how to go about it? It was unlike radio news...
The bulletin was at 7.30 pm. They were supposed to come and start rehearsing at 3.30 pm. Any earth-shaking event at the last minute too got added. It would be given to the floor manager, even as the news was being read. There were some complaints that their reading style was akin to cows drinking water, raising their heads occasionally to look around (laughs). Another complaint was that they were not as well-dressed as the television stars of Delhi (smiles).
How was the reading done?
They used to look at the text and then at the camera lens, to give viewers the feel of facing them. That’s why we insisted they come at 3.30 pm and practise for the 7.30 pm bulletin. Some did it extremely well. There was Santosh, an earth scientist. Kannan also did very well. Hemalatha was another, and Maya. Then there was Rajeshwari Mohan from AIR, and later Krishnakumar and Alakananda.
What was the initial feedback like?
Karunakaran, if in station, would call to convey his opinion. Probably the best monitor we had was the chief minister (smiles). He would express his views about the news. He was not concerned with the visuals, but with the content. A couple of years after we started, my wife — who was a stringer with a women’s magazine — did a cover story with television stars. Certain remarks made by the stars irked the engineers and led to a protest. I was however able to sort it out.
How was the public response after the launch?
Except for Kerala Kaumudi, the vernacular newspapers were against us. They thought the onset of television would affect newspapers. Nowadays, what appears in newspapers are views, not news. Initially, there was a lot of criticism. I ensured the staff had full freedom to function. Once a minister in the Karunakaran government told me that a discussion had come up in the cabinet that there were a lot of communists in Doordarshan (laughs).
Was there any cause for such a discussion?
No. I was monitoring every frame. Such complaints came up because they felt most of the guests being invited for discussions were Marxists or right-wing communists. They felt Congress was not getting enough representation. But I believe we were quite balanced.
Was it a local relay?
Yes. Back then, it was available only within an 80km radius of Thiruvananthapuram
How was news selected?
Mostly national and international news. PTI and UNI were the sources. Visual stories were based on events in and around Thiruvananthapuram. There was a major complaint about a lack of coverage in other parts of the state. Later on, we somehow managed to get a stringer from Ernakulam. Then came another stringer, Pothujanam Mohan, who covered the Perumon tragedy. There were technical and financial challenges. It was a long journey.
You brought many politicians before the camera, many of them hardly camera-savvy…
There was one education minister who couldn’t even pronounce the Malayalam word for education (vidyabhyasam) properly. I don’t think the situation has changed much now (smiles). Also, they don’t look at the camera while speaking. But all of them want to be shown on television. Ministers used to check with me about camera availability and reschedule their programmes accordingly (chuckles).
When you were handling Thiruvananthapuram, there was a lot of creative work going on. People like Shyamaprasad, Baiju Chandran were part of the team…
Baiju Chandran was a producer. Shyam was a production assistant. It so happened that there were seven production assistants. Independent charge of programmes were assigned to people like Shyamaprasad and two others. Shyam had initiative and produced good telefilms. That’s how he started.
How did regional stations like the one you led come up? Was it driven by local demand?
Mostly because of political pressure. The Government of India had a plan to establish TV centres in every state capital. Initially, there were only eight – in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and a few more like Srinagar and Lucknow. This changed post-1982, after the Asian Games (in Delhi) which introduced colour telecast and prompted a national network.
How were things during the ISRO espionage case?
By that time, I had gone to Delhi. In 1989, I was shunted out as I had some problems with the then I&B Union minister of state. He used to keep breathing down my neck. I was posted in Delhi when the general elections were held that year. The election coverage was done under my charge. The coverage garnered praise from media across the world. It was at that time that people like Prannoy Roy and Vinod Dubey came onto the scene.
After your shift to Delhi, Kerala’s media landscape underwent changes. As an industry pioneer, how did you view that?
I maintained a keen interest in Kerala media. It was under my initiative that Kerala got its first 8-camera OB van in Thiruvananthapuram through N J Nair, the chief engineer. The construction of an additional floor in the current Doordarshan building had my strong backing. Later, Doordarshan became part of the satellite network, first via half-way satellites and then via the INSAT-series. Kerala managed to get one transponder for Malayalam in 1999. By the time 24-hour transmission set in, I was in charge of marketing and stuff in Delhi. My contributions were substantial and I have been an integral part of the growth story of Indian television.
Your thoughts on the changes when private players arrived in the 90s...
In 1993, Asianet was launched. Then came Surya TV. Both were primarily entertainment channels. Asianet did have some news content. One of the reasons for that is Sasikumar, who started the channel on behalf of his uncle. Asianet, Surya, and Zee TV were the three channels that were launched at the time, leading to competition. Later, with the onset of cable TV, Doordarshan faced competition, and revenue dropped as cable TV distributors preferred availability round the clock. Private channels had an eight-hour cycle. All had to shift to 24-hour programmes. Content quality deteriorated considerably. And there was no corresponding increase in staff. The situation has only worsened in today’s Doordarshan. Working conditions are pathetic now.
How do you recall the days of the Emergency?
I joined after that period. I have heard that during the first Janata Dal ministry, when L K Advani was the I&B minister, Doordarshan was taken to task, saying it was we who projected Indira Gandhi. The Films Division had made thousands of films on the 20-point programme promoting Indira Gandhi propaganda. As soon as I joined, one of the tasks was to screen all such films so as to remove all the shots of Indira Gandhi and throw them into the bin. It so happened that in one of the shots Indira Gandhi was shown. Soon, Advani visited Madras Doordarshan and spent around 2-3 hours with us. Unfortunately, that preview was done by a programme executive. He got transferred in a week’s time to some godforsaken place.
You once had an issue with MGR...
Yes... (smiles). MGR had announced a television boycott. The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce organised a golden jubilee function, which was beautifully covered by Doordarshan. The then President Sanjeev Reddy was given a ‘kuthuvilakku’ by Jayalalithaa, MGR’s heroine at the time and also the AIADMK propaganda secretary. It was brought to MGR’s notice that she was not shown in the TV programme. When our television crew went to cover a government function, he told his people to boycott television. Our camera team was beaten up by the Tamil Nadu police. There were rumours that water supply and electricity to the TV station would be cut. I was quite upset.
How was it solved?
One of my friends arranged a meeting with MGR. When I met him, he said Doordarshan was full of DMK activists who had edited out Ammu’s (Jayalalithaa) shots. We spoke for around 45 minutes. He asked me to resolve the matter and invited me to have breakfast with him. Later, he told the information minister that the issue with Doordarshan had been resolved and directed him to provide me with all assistance. He even gave me both his and Veerappan’s direct numbers. Later, we announced a repeat telecast on a Sunday morning, with the Jayalalithaa shot added to it. After that, MGR was very nice to me. I travelled with him a couple of times in a helicopter. He was a wonderful human. Whenever we interacted personally, he spoke to me in Malayalam. Even while whispering in my ears, he spoke in Malayalam (chuckles).
In Doordarshan, there was a code of conduct for journalism and news reading. But does the current generation of broadcast journalists follow such codes?
Many anchors now use ‘kadha prasangam’ style. Malayalam is spoken in a crude manner. They speak like an express train. Broadcast journalists are so biased. They try and instigate reporters to report in a vested manner. Media trials are the worst. They decide who is the culprit without getting the facts right. Further compounding the issue, Kerala has the highest number of social media practitioners. News has become totally opinionated, polarised towards either left or right. There is no middle path. Earlier, news was truth presented objectively. Now, news is interpretation. Perspectives should be reserved for analysis. In any channel, there is a set of five people who come and speak on any subject under the sun. The anchor is all powerful and seems to be a know-it-all.
Isn’t this what the audience wants?
There was a time in the Malayalam film industry, in the 80s, when semi-pornography was quite common. We thought these were box-office hits and people wanted them. In reality, you are feeding them stuff the same way opium is fed. And they get addicted. TV serials do the same. There is no element of reality involved.
Why did public broadcasting in India lose its edge? We were once in the same league as BBC…
There are structural and systemic reasons. BBC functions under a BBC Charter approved by Parliament. But beyond that, the Parliament has no say in its day-to-day affairs. BBC enjoys editorial and financial autonomy. Funding is not a budgetary allocation. Cess on every television set sold in the UK directly funds the BBC. But Prasar Bharati is entirely dependent on budgetary allocations. That makes a big difference.
Do you feel Doordarshan is increasingly becoming a propaganda organ? Is this a recent phenomenon or has it been happening for long?
It has worsened in recent years. After the Emergency, there were serious debates on how government-owned media should function. The consensus was that it must not promote individuals or political personalities. But today, that principle is being violated routinely even in Kerala. Criticise the government or even its policies on social media, and you’re in trouble.
Ideally, what should the concept of government media be?
Government media should not be party media. Its duty is to serve democracy. It’s about informing citizens, not glorifying leaders.
There’s a perception that Doordarshan news is bland and mechanical...
DD has failed to evolve editorially. Whether during my time or now, the media should grow alongside technology. When satellite broadcasting emerged, I moved away from terrestrial transmission to stay relevant. But that kind of strategic thinking isn’t happening today.
What should be done to revive Doordarshan as a strong public broadcaster?
It needs massive investment — in finance, talent, training, and distribution. Look at Al Jazeera. When it was launched from Doha, it started with an investment of $700 million. Today, it’s globally visible. We need similar ambitions. Even parliamentary committees have raised concerns. The Standing Committee on Information Technology noted a growing number of vacancies. Out of a sanctioned 30,000 posts, over 15,000 lie vacant. Most of the centres are headed by engineers, not content professionals. Earlier, the station head was the director, someone who had editorial command. Now, the head of programme is a low-ranking officer.
Despite technological advancement, why doesn’t Doordarshan’s programming reflect corresponding quality?
Quality all over is deplorable. News channels are no longer news channels, but views channels. A single source will not give you all the news. Truth is split into various ways and channels. Most people are biased. There is heavy polarisation in television, especially in Kerala.
What’s the way forward for public broadcasting in India?
It must be sanitised, freed from political interference, funded adequately, managed professionally... We need broadcasters who understand television, not just administration. Without these, Prasar Bharati will not be relevant.
TNIE team: Cithara Paul, Anil S, Aparna Nair, Aswin Asok Kumar Vincent Pulickal (photos) Pranav V P (video)