[cr-india] Indian Varsities Begin To Tune In To Campus Radio

[Jose Jacob,VU2JOS, India]

   Varsities Begin To Tune In To Campus Radio, 
             First MoUs Within A Week  
   
                                - Nivedita Mookerji 
 
New Delhi: At least two universities in the country
are expected to sign memorandum of understanding with
All India Radio (AIR) within a week for starting
campus radio. The government recently allowed
recognised educational institutions to set up
community/campus radio stations. 

AIR Resources head HO Srivastava told eFE that letters
have been sent out to 400 universities and colleges
across the country about the campus radio programme.
According to Dr Srivastava, at least two of these
universities are likely to sign up with AIR next week.
AIR will offer total turnkey solution to these
institutes, which would include providing
transmitters, transmission towers, antenna, cable,
playback facility and helping them get licence. 

The institutes will of course have to shell out some
amount for the facility. AIR will charge each
institute anything from Rs 10 lakh to 15 lakh for the
total solution. Although there’s no licence fee,
campus radio may take time to actually get going.
Here’s why. 

While the licence will be issued by the Information
and Broadcasting Ministry, clearances are needed from
two more ministries—Home and HRD. It doesn’t stop
there. For, there’s another authority involved—the
Wireless Planning and Coordination Committee (WPC) of
the Ministry of Communications. WPC will be
responsible for allocating frequency spectrum to
universities, colleges, schools and other educational
institutions. 

With so many government wings involved, it is tough to
give a time framework, quipped an official. And once
all the clearances are granted and frequency is
allocated to an institute, AIR would take around two
to three months to set up a station. 

Coming to the basics, campus radio is really all about
setting up low-frequency FM radio stations in the 87.5
to 108 mhz range. To be accurate, the transmitters
would be around half a kilowatt each and cover five to
eight km of radius. 

As per the government vision, all the universities,
IITs, IIMs, and residential schools across the country
would now be able to set up their own FM band radio
station. Dr Srivastava spoke on similar lines. 

On AIR’s target for 2003-04, he said around 300 to 400
campuses should be covered, which means a turnover of
up to Rs 60 crore. 

Quite an old concept in Western countries such as the
US and the UK, campus radio is aimed at both formal
and informal education. To popularise the concept in
India, AIR is planning seminars and exhibitions over
the next few months. 

These events would perhaps highlight the dos and donts
of campus radio as well. For one, commercialisation
and advertisements would not be allowed in the
network. And two, institutions must adhere to the
general broadcasting code.

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=27858


(Financial Express 11 Feb 2003)

Note: The permitted power is actually 50 watts (not
half kilo watt mentioned in the article)  
 


=====
73 
                        Jose Jacob, VU2JOS/AT0J
                  National Institute of Amateur Radio 
                        Box 1555, Somajiguda
                      Hyderabad 500082, India
 
                      Telefax 91-40-23310287

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