The Evolution of TV News in India: From Doordarshan to Digital Disruption An Insider's Account

Author :

Harsaran Bir Kaur Pandey

Publisher:

OM BOOKS INTERNATIONAL

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Publisher	OM BOOKS INTERNATIONAL
Publication Year	2026
ISBN-13	9789363950290
ISBN-10	9363950298
Binding	Paperback
Number of Pages	324 Pages
Language	(English)
Weight (grms)	340
Subject	Society & Culture

In this engaging blend of memoir and media history, Harsaran Bir Kaur Pandey traces the evolution of Indian television news from Doordarshan’s formative years to the fragmented media landscape of today. The book reveals how television news developed through improvisation, innovation, and crisis.

Charting key milestones such as the SITE experiment, the arrival of colour television during the Asian Games, and the expansion of national broadcasting, it offers a rare behind-the-scenes view of a profession built on resourcefulness and constant adaptation. Pandey also examines the complex relationship between journalism and political power during defining moments such as the Emergency, Operation Blue Star, and the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

Moving beyond Doordarshan’s heyday into the era of liberalisation, private news channels, and digital disruption, the book reflects on changing media cultures and growing concerns about credibility. A first-hand account of Indian television’s evolution, it is also a timely exploration of the future of news in an age of rapid technological change.

Harsaran Bir Kaur Pandey

Harsaran Bir Kaur Pandey belongs to the first generation of television news professionals who helped build India’s broadcast journalism from scratch. Joining Doordarshan in its early years of expansion, she worked at a time when resources were scarce but the sense of mission was immense. Along with her colleagues, she helped define what television news could be: credible, curious, and closely connected to the life of a young nation finding its voice. Over a career spanning fifteen years in television news, she produced programmes such as Perspective, Panorama, and Roving Eye, which gently but firmly expanded the space for questioning governance and public policy within the state broadcaster. She reported on defining moments in India’s contemporary history, from the Emergency and political transitions to major national development initiatives. She covered high-level international visits and international summits, bringing global developments into Indian living rooms with clarity and context, interviewing world leaders along the way. Her journey later took her into the world of international development, first with UNICEF India and then with the World Health Organisation, where she served as Information Officer for the South-East Asia Region, across eleven countries. Her work reflects a lifelong commitment to public service, credible storytelling, and the evolution of media in India. Even after retirement, she remained active with UN Agencies, working on communication strategies and the important field of risk communications.