Prime Minister Narendra Modi has anointed India's state-backed broadcaster as his media brand of choice, helping to shield his government from tough questions and prompting private news outlets to complain that they are being kept out of the loop.
Starchy and unpolished, Doordarshan News and All India Radio (AIR) were not the obvious choice for a government that took power in May after a high-octane election campaign that used special effects to beam Modi's image to rallies across the nation.
But the old-fashioned outlets are expected to offer one big advantage over their slicker private rivals: a less combative and questioning platform from which Modi can get his message out to tens of millions of Indians.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.