New Delhi : You might have wondered seeing Bhaba Atomic Research center popping on top of the Google search list, when we (Media & Broadcast professionals) actually search for BARC looking for Broadcast Audience Research Council a body set up to measure television ratings. Well this due to the reason that the short form BARC was used to represent Bhaba Atomic Research Centre long before Broadcast Research council started adopting the acronym BARC.
But, when the short form BARC started becoming a trending and familiar topic among Media & Entertainment Industry. It started altering the search criteria in Google and this has certainly annoyed the Atomic Research centre.
Now, the issue has flared up and the use of the acronym – ‘BARC’ by Broadcast Audience Research Council, , has made the country’s premier nuclear research organisation Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) see red.
The Trombay-based research centre is learnt to have written to the Broadcast Audience Research Council, asking it not to use the same acronym. Officials of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre have raised the matter related to the use of the acronym with Broadcast Audience Research Council and also the Information and Broadcasting ministry after they came to know about it through media reports, sources said.
BARC controller R P Raju in his letter to the Broadcast Audience Research Council has said that the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre had been using the acronym for decades and is popularly known by it. He has mentioned that being a premier national research and development institution, it is important that the acronym ‘BARC’ should be for the exclusive use of the institution and its use as trademark by the TV ratings measurement body is “inappropriate”.
He added that even on its website the Broadcast measurement body has used – ‘BARC’ as its trade name and also filed an application with the trademark registry for registration.
Raju, through his letter, has asked that the Broadcast Audience Research Council that it should immediately stop using the acronym ‘BARC’ and also withdraw applications filed by it with the trademark registry for registration of the same trademark.
Broadcast Audience Research Council CEO Partho Dasgupta did not elicit any response on this issue.
The Broadcast Audience Research Council is a body promoted by broadcasting and advertising industry associations and aims to provide reliable television audience measurements in India.
