Editor’s Note

Arthur C. Clarke, in a 1969 UNESCO address in Paris, remarked, “A time is going to come when any student or scholar anywhere on Earth will be able to tune into a course in any subject that interests him at any level of difficulty he desires. Thousands of educational programs will be broadcast simultaneously on different frequencies so that any individual will be able to proceed at his own rate, and at his own convenience, through the subject of his choice.”

Today, in 2026, after the covid pandemic, the use of digital technology in day-to-day activities seems normal. Teaching and learning at all levels are happening online. All this is possible in India due to the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE), India’s first attempt to use technology as an educational tool on 1 August 1975. It was conducted for a year and ended on 31 July 1976. Dr. Vikram Sarabhai had visualized this program. Upon Sarabhai's untimely death, Prof. YashPal, a longtime friend and colleague, took up the mantle to carry the SITE project forward. The original purpose was to bring about behavioral changes in some 2,400 villages in selected backward clusters, including agricultural modernization, family planning, and public health.

India has celebrated 50 years of SITE, which is why Global Media Journal-Indian edition decided to dedicate an issue to SITE. When we considered the issue, we tried to contact a few people involved with SITE, and some readily agreed to share their experiences with us. This issue has been delayed as we wanted to incorporate an article by Dr. B.C. Agrawal, who was the Research Manager at the Space Application Center, Ahmedabad, and was involved as an anthropologist in the evaluation of SITE. Both Dr. Agrawal and Prof. Chitnis are no longer with us. I was unable to get permissions to reproduce the article. I personally wish to thank Prof. Usha Vyasulu Reddy, Prof. Srinivas Melkote, Dr. Arbind Sinha, and Prof. B.P. Sanjay, who have contributed to the learning from SITE for communication research in India.

The NASA–ISRO collaboration was led by one of the finest men in the enterprise. On the Indian side, E.V. Chitnis was the overall Program Manager. Chitnis received support from technologist Pramod Kale, who served as SITE's project manager, overseeing the development of electronics and TV hardware for the project. The Director of the Space Applications Center (SAC) in Ahmedabad, Yash Pal, was one of the key figures in the program. P. Krishnamoorthy was the Software Program Manager, and Binod C. Agrawal was involved in conducting the sociological evaluation of SITE during and after its completion. In India, the National Study Group for Satellite Communications (NASCOM) was formed in 1968. It was an interdepartmental consortium of ministries that decided the structure of the SITE program.

The effect of SITE on the village community was substantial. The program's impact on agriculture and family planning was noteworthy. Social workers also observed that while watching television, caste and communal differences were forgotten. It was through SITE that the Prime Minister’s (then Indira Gandhi) Independence Day speech from the Red Fort was broadcast live for the first time.

India was poor and faced severe developmental problems, but in that one year of the SITE program, Indian scientists and social scientists succeeded to some extent despite several difficulties (Chipman, 1982; Pal, 1979). The program also proved to be a learning experience for ISRO in controlling complex systems, such as satellite broadcasting and receiver station setup. The experience eventually paved the way for the homegrown Indian National Satellite (INSAT) System, which took flight in 1982. Communication research in India initially focused on agricultural extension and family planning campaigns. Later, it evolved into the evaluation of the program and audience reception.

Moreover, SITE reflected ISRO’s foremost mandate of serving the people. Vikram Sarabhai’s remarks encapsulated that spirit perfectly — “A national program which could provide television to about eighty percent of India’s population during the next ten years would be of great significance to national integration, for implementing schemes of social and economic development, and for the stimulation and promotion of the electronics industry. It is of particular significance to the large population living in isolated communities.”

I Hope all of you will enjoy reading this issue as much as we have enjoyed putting it together.

Please feel free to share your feedback regarding the issue with us.

Dr. Padma Rani
Professor
Manipal Institute of Communication
Co-ordinator, Media Research Centre