The television set up in this part of the region started in early seventies with the commissioning of the Kendra at Amritsar. It was 29th September, 1973, when the first television signals was transmitted to accomplish the long cherished aspirations and expectations of the people of the region, who, hitherto, were continuously exposed to the cultural invasion from across the border. In the first stage, programmes were produced at Delhi and air freighted to Amritsar for telecast from there, and the production of news and rural audience programmes were telecast live from the small studio complex fabricated by the side of its transmitter at Basarke Gillan-16 Kms from Amritsar. Thus in the first phase, the transmitter at Village Basarke Gillan, Amritsar transmitted programmes providing information, education and entertainment to the people residing within the radius of 65 Kms.
Although a number of artistes from Punjab used to participate in the programmes produced at Delhi, yet the real Punjab flavour could be added to its programme-mix only in the second phase of development of this media unit, when the whole set up was shifted from Delhi to Jalandhar. The Doordarshan Kendra, Jalandhar was inaugurated on 13th April, 1979 and since then the programme production activities began in the ancient city of Jalandhar, which is well known all over the country for music and music concerts, sports and sports men, art and artistes, business and the vernacular press.
The inauguration of Doordarshan Kendra, Jalandhar was made by Shri L.K.Advani the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting in the presence of Shri Prakash Singh Badal the then Chief Minister of Punjab. The foundation stone of
Doordarshan Kendra, Jalandhar was earlier laid down by Giani Zail Singh, The Chief Minister of Punjab on 27th April 1975 in the presence of Shri Inder Kumar Gujral, Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting.
The first news bulletin of 15 minutes duration in Punjabi language was telecast in 1974 and 5 minutes brief news bulletin was introduced in 1984. At present 6 News Bulletins are telecast daily at 0800 hrs, 1000 hrs, 1230 hrs, 1500 hrs,
1700 hrs and 1900 hrs.
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