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The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), which measures TV audience viewership behavior, suspended publication of TRPs for news for eight weeks after the allegations of manipulations had surfaced. 

On a day the Centre announced a four-member committee, to be headed by Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati, to look into the Television Rating Points (TRP) system and recommend any changes required to make it more robust and transparent, the News Broadcasters Federation (NBF) wrote to the Prime Minister, seeking a “national-level independent body” to “deal with misconduct by professional journalists”.

The NBF is an industry body established a year ago by Republic TV editorial manager in-boss Arnab Goswami.

By chance, Republic TV is among media associations being examined for a situation of claimed ‘TRP trick’. Mumbai Police’s case is that some TV channels were purportedly paying to get their TRPs supported.

The letter, composed by NBF secretary-general R Jai Krishna and named “Solicitation for dire intercession to maintain the opportunity of the press”, is likewise set apart to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Principal Secretary to PM Pramod Kumar Mishra, and the Home and I&B secretaries.

It looked for the administration’s “quick intercession with respect to excessive weight and nonsensical impedance by state governments and police divisions against news TV channels, columnists and media proprietors for playing out their obligation”, and referred to a few cases from the “previous not many weeks”. In these cases, the NBF stated, “columnists and the executive’s staff of news telecasters (were) called by nearby police and held hostage for pointless extended periods at an outlandish time for routine addressing, which is hampering the mindful obligation of public assistance performed by writers… “

Among others, it referred to instances of Republic TV and its Hindi channel R Bharat being “dogged determinedly” by Maharashtra government, OTV confronting “genuine malignant hassling activities” by Odisha government, “police activity” against TV5 in Andhra Pradesh, and arguments against Newslaundry and a writer from ABP Majha in Maharashtra.

Looking for PM Narendra Modi’s “critical mediation”, the NBF asked the legislature to “set up a public level impartial office with an organized and sensible standard working arrangement, to manage genuine grumblings against columnists and media associations”. The letter expressed that a “public level autonomous body, on the lines of Bar Council of India, Medical Council of India, Institute of Chartered Accountants, to manage wrongdoing by proficient writers, will go about as a hindrance against maltreatment of intensity by any office to smother opportunity of the press, for insurance of columnists and heads of news media associations… “

In the interim, on the issue of TRPs, an I&B Ministry request gave on Wednesday expressed that there is a “need to have a new look on the (current) rules… ” To fortify strategies for a “dependable and straightforward rating framework, a Committee is therefore established to consider various parts of the TV rating framework in India”, the request expressed.

It said the advisory group will evaluate the current framework, inspect TRAI proposals told now and again, take a gander at the “general industry situation” and address needs of partners, and “make suggestions for strong, straightforward and responsible rating framework through changes, assuming any, in the current rules”.

Other than Vempati, different individuals from the board are Shalabh, teacher of insights, IIT Kanpur; Rajkumar Upadhyay, chief head of the Center for Development of Telematics – DOT; and Prof Pulak Ghosh of IIM Bangalore.

The new board has additionally been entrusted with concentrating past proposals made by different discussions regarding the matter, late TRAI proposals, recommend ventures for upgrading rivalry in the area, a survey of the current rules and check whether they work, and address any lacunae.

Prior, with questions being raised about heartiness of estimation of TRP, the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), which estimates TV crowd viewership conduct, suspended distribution of TRPs for news for about two months after the charges of controls had surfaced.

Presently, BARC is an essential organization that distributes TRPs. It is mutually possessed by industry bodies speaking to telecasters, publicists, and publicizing organizations. The notice of “propose ventures for upgrading rivalry in the area” as one of the purposes of the terms of reference for the board indicates that it could prescribe the formation of another body to quantify the TV viewership in the nation.