If Surindar Singh Gill is affected by the prospect of a BJP Government engineering his removal as Prasar Bharati CEO, he's not letting on. The 70-year-old appears to have decided fairly early on that it is impossible to please all political parties all the time. ``The Congress dislikes me because I am the author of The Dynasty, which is critical of the Nehru-Gandhi family, forgetting that Rajiv Gandhi and I were great friends during the time I was General Secretary of the Asiad Organising Committee. That didn't influence my writing. The BJP is unhappy because they think The Dynasty is a panegyric to the Family. What can I do?'' he asks, shrugging his shoulders.But, you ask tentatively, hasn't the BJP's comfort level vis-a-vis him gone up after the telecast of TV Today's Aap ka Faisla and India Decides? ``How can anyone think those shows were pro-BJP? If the party is getting the numbers, what can Doordarshan do about it?'' He seems fairly relaxed about his future, and says it's all up to the newgovernment. ``It was a great act of self-abnegation on the part of (I.K.) Gujral and (S. Jaipal) Reddy to give up control of the media,'' he says.Brushing aside questions about his continuation, he chooses to concentrate on the tasks at hand. He spent some time travelling to Chennai, Bangalore, Calcutta, the North-east, and is flush with the virtues of decentralisation. ``Our regional kendras are in a mess. Buildings leak, kendras can't even afford taxis, in certain areas, we've actually received a notice from the electricity department.'' Excerpts from an interview with Kaveree Bamzai:How do you explain the change from confrontation to cooperation in Prasar Bharati's stand towards private satellite networks?I believe in looking at things pragmatically. Now, Doordarshan is simultaneously telecasting the Zee Cine Awards on March 14 with Zee TV - in fact, they are using our Outside Broadcast van to avoid tape delay. I am looking at it not only as an opportunity to make money butalso ensuring that SitiCable, the largest cable player in Delhi, improves the transmission of our signal. I met Vijay Jindal of Zee Telefilms. He's a practical man and understands what I mean by a level playing field for everyone.I've done the same for (Rathikant) Basu of Star TV. I've made him chairman of the joint industry body which is sorting out the problem of a common television rating system for all networks. We have no enmity towards him. He is most welcome here. My objective is to turn DD into a money-making machine and if there is a proposition that is profitable to both parties, I will pursue it.You say that all officers concerned sit in on every administrative decision. Yet, there is so much resentment in Doordarshan and All India Radio towards you..Well, there are three reasons for it. One is that I am very particular that all staff should come in at 9.30 a.m. and I keep them here like cattle till 6 p.m. My point is that if I can work hard, why can't they? Then, I have stoppedthe khana-pina (corruption) at several levels. For instance, it's a well-known fact that regional films were being bought for Rs 4 lakh and being sold to Doordarshan by touts for Rs 8 lakh - the middlemen made Rs 2 lakh and Doordarshan officials made Rs 2 lakh. Now, I allow only award-winning regional films. Then, I've stopped giving work to a lot of DD's regular producers. My point is that if I have to give work it will only be to outstanding producers. I've placed a lot of controls on moonlighting too by asking for logs of equipment use.But do you feel satisfied with the time you have devoted to All India Radio?Yes, why not? We have invited tenders for FM slots, which for three years were in the grip of one media house because our politicians wanted good press. The nation lost so much revenue because of that. Then we had a meeting recently at AIR where I talked about effecting greater innovation in programming.Why did you send Doordarshan Director-General K.S. Sarma back to theMinistry?I didn't. His term here ended and I wasn't interested in giving short extensions. That is no way to build an institution. I wanted someone with a long-term stake in the organisation. I checked with Secretary (Personnel) and found that he had a year to go before he became Additional Secretary and became eligible for the post. So when his extension expired on January 31, he went back to the Ministry.So, when will we see a new D-G? Before the new government comes in?I doubt it. The rules for the appointment are still being framed. I also have to appoint a Member (Finance) and Member (Personnel).What are the changes in progress in Doordarshan?Well, I've just appointed Carat India for three months to revamp our commercial set-up at a cost of Rs 10 lakh. They will be re-packaging the entire channel with a focus on revenue. They have to professionalise our people, decentralise marketing and change the programme profile. For instance, on Sunday mornings, I want to take theentertainment quotient on the National Network till 1.30 p.m. with high-quality serials by people like Gulzar and Mahesh Bhatt. At the same time, we'll run cultural programmes for the more serious-minded viewers (on classical music, dance, literature and visiting personalities such as Edward Said and Samuel Huntington) on DD Metro to prevent a clash. Then I'm also building the brand name of Doordarshan by bidding for exclusive sporting rights. These things have been set in motion and can be done even if I go.
