Media & Communication Government Jobs 2026
Doordarshan, All India Radio (AIR), DAVP, PIB, Prasar Bharati and Ministry of Information & Broadcasting recruit journalists, announcers, artists, public relations officers and media professionals every year.
About Media & Communication Government Jobs 2026
Quick Snapshot
- Entry pay: ₹35,400 / month — grows with annual increments and DA revisions
- Top exam: UPSC IIS / Prasar Bharati / SSC / PIB Information Officer
- Minimum qualification: Any Graduation / Mass Communication / Journalism
- Estimated annual vacancies: 500 – 2,000
- Age limit: 18 – 35 years (General category — relaxations apply for SC/ST/OBC/PwBD)
What Are Media & Communication Government Jobs?
Media and communication government jobs as of 2026 are centred around Prasar Bharati — India's statutory public broadcaster comprising Doordarshan (TV) and All India Radio (420+ stations) — which recruits Programme Executives, News Correspondents, Announcers and Technical Operators through its own independent exam. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) additionally recruits through PIB (Press Information Bureau), DAVP (Directorate of Advertising & Visual Publicity) and the UPSC IIS (Indian Information Service) examination for government public communication roles.
UPSC IIS is the highest-grade government media career — a Group A civil service for senior information and communication officers in the Government of India — but with only 20–40 annual vacancies it is extremely competitive. For mass communication and journalism graduates without the IIS competitive bandwidth, Prasar Bharati Programme Executive, DAVP Field Publicity Officer and PIB Junior Information Officer posts offer government media careers at Level 6–7 pay. Regional language proficiency is a decisive advantage for AIR regional station recruitment — candidates proficient in less-common scheduled Indian languages face significantly lower competition per seat.
Latest Media & Communication Government Jobs 2026 — Apply Before Deadline
No active jobs in this sector right now.
Browse all government jobs →₹35,400 / month
18 – 35 years
UPSC IIS / Prasar Bharati / SSC / PIB Information Officer
500 – 2,000
What Is the Career Growth Path in Media & Communication Government Jobs?
- • Doordarshan News Correspondent / Producer
- • AIR Announcer / Programme Executive
- • Field Publicity Officer (DAVP)
- • Junior Information Officer (PIB)
- • Programme Officer (Doordarshan)
- • Station Director (AIR)
- • Advertising Officer (DAVP)
- • Information Officer (Press, IIS)
- • Director General (Doordarshan)
- • DG (AIR)
- • Director (PIB)
- • Secretary (I&B Ministry)
- • Doordarshan News Correspondent / Producer
- • AIR Announcer / Programme Executive
- • Field Publicity Officer (DAVP)
- • Junior Information Officer (PIB)
- • Programme Officer (Doordarshan)
- • Station Director (AIR)
- • Advertising Officer (DAVP)
- • Information Officer (Press, IIS)
- • Director General (Doordarshan)
- • DG (AIR)
- • Director (PIB)
- • Secretary (I&B Ministry)
Which Government Bodies Recruit Media and Communication Professionals in 2026?
Prasar Bharati (Doordarshan + AIR)
Programme Executive, News Anchor, Correspondent, Announcer, Programme Producer and Technical Staff for India's public broadcaster — Doordarshan (TV) and All India Radio (Radio)
Exam: Prasar Bharati Direct Recruitment (DD/AIR specific exam)
Ministry of I&B / PIB / DAVP
Information Officer, Field Publicity Officer, Creative Assistant and Advertising Officer for government communication, press briefings and public awareness campaign management
Exam: UPSC IIS / PIB Direct Recruitment / SSC CGL I&B posts
UPSC (Indian Information Service — IIS)
Group A information officer cadre for central government communication — Accredited Correspondents, Press Attaché and Director-level I&B posts via UPSC IIS exam
Exam: UPSC IIS Exam (Separate UPSC exam, not CSE)
Film Division / NFAI / SRFTI
Cameraman, Director, Film Editor, Archivist and Film Technology specialist posts at Film and Television Institute, Film Division and National Film Archive of India
Exam: SRFTI / FTII Entrance Exam; Film Division Direct Recruitment
What Qualifications and Skills Are Required for Media Government Jobs?
Qualification
Any bachelor's degree for Field Publicity Officer, PIB Information Officer and SSC-based I&B posts. Degree or Diploma in Mass Communication / Journalism / PR preferred for Doordarshan/AIR Programme Executive. UPSC IIS: Graduation + Journalism/Mass Comm degree or equivalent experience. Film Division: relevant technical degree/diploma.
Age Range
21–30 years for UPSC IIS (General); 18–27 years for SSC I&B posts; 18–30 years for Prasar Bharati Programme Executive; 18–35 years for some DAVP posts. Relaxation: SC/ST +5, OBC +3 years.
Domicile
No domicile restriction for Doordarshan, AIR, PIB, DAVP or any central I&B post. State information department posts (state DPR, state AIR sub-stations) may require state domicile and regional language proficiency.
Category Relaxation
SC/ST: +5 years | OBC (NCL): +3 years | PwBD: +10 years. For regional language announcer posts at AIR, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in the station's regional language regardless of category.
How Are Doordarshan Anchors, AIR Announcers and Information Officers Selected?
- 1
Written Examination — UPSC IIS: Written exam with GS + Media Law/Journalism Ethics paper. PIB and DAVP: objective MCQ in GK, Current Affairs, Communication Fundamentals and English. SSC CGL for Grade B I&B Ministry posts.
- 2
Audition / Practical Test — AIR Announcer and Doordarshan News Reader posts include a voice audition (pronunciation, modulation, pace) and on-camera or on-microphone reading test. Creative posts include a portfolio/creative sample submission.
- 3
Interview — UPSC IIS Personality Test; Prasar Bharati senior post interviews test media law knowledge, contemporary broadcast issues and editorial judgment.
- 4
Language Proficiency Test — AIR regional stations require regional language proficiency test for Announcer, Compere and Programme Executive posts in the regional service.
- 5
Document Verification and Medical — Standard government verification. Voice-based jobs at AIR may require ENT and voice quality medical assessment.
What Is the Salary for Doordarshan, AIR and Government Information Officers?
| Post | Pay Level | Basic Pay | Approx In-hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR / DD Programme Executive | Level 7 | ₹44,900/month | ₹65,000 – ₹80,000 |
| UPSC IIS Information Officer | Level 7 | ₹44,900/month | ₹65,000 – ₹80,000 |
| Field Publicity Officer (DAVP) | Level 6 | ₹35,400/month | ₹52,000 – ₹65,000 |
| Doordarshan News Correspondent | Level 6–7 | ₹35,400 – ₹44,900/month | ₹52,000 – ₹78,000 |
| Station Director (AIR / DD) | Level 10–12 | ₹56,100 – ₹78,800/month | ₹85,000 – ₹1,15,000 |
| DG Doordarshan / AIR (Secretary level) | Level 15 | ₹1,82,200/month | ₹2,20,000+ |
In-hand includes DA (58%), HRA (metro rate) and standard allowances. Figures are approximate.
Is a Government Media or Communication Career Right for You?
Best Suited For
- ✓Mass Communication and Journalism graduates who want the stability of government employment while working in broadcasting, public affairs and information management
- ✓Candidates with strong voice, language and communication skills who aspire to be government radio announcers or Doordarshan news readers — genuine media craft roles within a government career
- ✓Graduates interested in public policy communication — PIB and DAVP roles involve managing how the government communicates with citizens, a strategically important function with significant organisational influence
- ✓Language-diverse candidates who want to work in regional language broadcasting — AIR's 420+ stations in regional languages offer career opportunities for candidates proficient in less-common Indian languages
Think Twice If
- ✗If private media income is the expectation — established journalists and anchors at leading private channels earn significantly more than equivalent government media posts; government media is a stability choice
- ✗If creative freedom is the primary motivation — government media (Doordarshan, AIR) operates within editorial guidelines and sometimes policy constraints that limit the creative and editorial independence available in private media
- ✗If vacancies are expected to be large — UPSC IIS selects 20–40 posts annually; Prasar Bharati Programme Executive vacancies are irregular and often below 200 per cycle; this is a low-volume sector compared to SSC or banking
- ✗If only Hindi/English media is the target — AIR's national channels and DD national/news are competitive; regional language stations have lower competition and are more accessible for linguistically strong regional language candidates
Common Mistakes in Media and Communication Government Job Applications
- 1
Treating UPSC IIS as similar to UPSC CSE in preparation approach — UPSC IIS (Indian Information Service) is a separate UPSC exam for government communication cadre. While it shares some GK content with CSE, IIS has dedicated papers on Mass Communication theory, Media Law, Press Council of India functions, RTI (Right to Information), PRO (Public Relations Officer) functions and government communication policy. Candidates who prepare only CSE content for IIS consistently underperform on the media-specific papers.
- 2
Missing the voice/audition round for AIR Announcer posts — AIR Announcer and Compere posts require a live voice audition that tests pronunciation (standard accent for the language), modulation, reading pace and microphone comfort. Candidates who clear the written exam but have not specifically trained their on-microphone delivery fail the audition. Practice reading news bulletins, scripts and cultural commentary aloud in the specific language to build audition-ready fluency.
- 3
Not tracking Prasar Bharati recruitment independently — Prasar Bharati (statutory public broadcasting body for DD and AIR) conducts its own independent recruitment — not through SSC, UPSC or state PSC. Notifications appear on prasarbharati.in and are released irregularly. Many media-aspiring candidates assume government TV and radio recruitment follows standard central government exam patterns and miss Prasar Bharati cycles.
- 4
Overlooking DAVP Field Publicity Officer as a structured government media career — DAVP (Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity) recruits Field Publicity Officers (FPOs) for government public awareness campaigns, outdoor media and Jan-Andolan communication programmes. FPO is a Level 6 post involving field-level campaign execution, including audio-visual shows in rural areas. Competition is lower than PIB or IIS, and the work involves visible public communication programme delivery.
- 5
Ignoring Film and Television Institute (FTII/SRFTI) recruitment for technical government media careers — FTII Pune and SRFTI Kolkata are central government academic/production institutions that recruit Cameraman, Editor, Recordist and Film Technology faculty. These are government employment opportunities specifically for technical media professionals — a niche career track overlooked by most candidates who search only for journalism/PR government posts.