In its dogged pursuit of eyeballs and popularity Doordarshan is doing what was unthinkable before. Poaching on other news channel for talented newscasters. So far 18 journalists, 10 from Aaj Tak alone have been wooed to join the public service broadcaster at salaries not normally associated with Mandi House. The last 24-hour news channel to take off in 2003, the two month-old channel has also decided that imitation is alright as long as one gets the eyeballs. So while concepts such as assignment desk, input desk have been borrowed from private channels, a stylist who will be doubling as news anchor is the latest to join the channel. The stylist/anchor Suleha Wasim (formerly with NDTV) will not only be reading/ reporting news but will be giving tips on grooming. CEO Prasar Bharati Corporation K. Sarma said he is on the lookout for more professionals and will be placing advertisements shortly to lure talent for the 24-hour news channel — headed by former Aaj Tak political editor Deepak Chaurasia. Two senior IAS officers of the 1975 batch, Naveen Kumar and Brajeshwar Singh, will take over as Director-General of Doordarshan and All India Radio respectively. Kumar belongs to Bihar cadre and Singh is from the Tamil Nadu cadre. Sarma said a permanent head for DD News is his next priority.
