[cr-india] South Delhi gets an FM station, courtesy IIMC

[sakthi vel]

South Delhi gets an FM station, courtesy IIMC  
 
RESIDENTS of south Delhi can now make themselves heard
for they are about to get a radio channel of their
own. 

The Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) is
all set to have its own community radio channel on air
within the next two weeks, enabling those living in
south Delhi to air their views and enjoy their own
music. Jamia Milia University was the first to set up
such a project in Delhi. 
 
The FM channel, to be aired on a frequency of 96.9
MHz, will span a 10-km area around IIMC and cover
Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University’s South
Campus, IIT and adjoining areas. 

The project is the second of its kind in Delhi, the
first being the community radio started by Jamia Milia
Islamia two months ago. 

“The basic concept behind this venture is to inform
the underdog. Therefore, we will have programmes on
health, legal aid... apart from talks, features and
music. And the music will also be our own, whether
it’s a rock band from IIT or some folk music by the
slum dwellers in these parts,” S .Raghavachari,
professor of Broadcast Journalism at IIMC, said. 

Students of Kamla Nehru College have already prepared
a programme on road safety; there is one on the
problems faced by rickshaw pullers and another on
monsoon festivals and the Taj Mahal. 

“Some programmes have educative as well as
entertainment value like the one on varieties of
music. Slum dwellers can educate the community about
various kinds of folk music and the residents can tell
us about the water or electricity problems in the
area,” Professor Hemant Joshi, one of the project
co-ordinators, said. 

College principal Minoti Chatterjee says her students
have been given a half-an-hour slot on the channel. 

IIMC’s Prof Raghavachari says: “With two offline and
one online studio, we have infrastructure which is
more than enough to start a radio channel at this
level. Our editing system is also digital and another
customised software developed by Broadcasting
Engineering Corporation of India Limited. Soon we will
also have a radio OB van too.” 

Two-way communication programmes are what distinguish
community radio from All India Radio. “We do not want
to sit on an ivory tower and teach people, the way it
is with AIR. Neither is it a commercial venture like
other FM channels. It’s simply providing a platform to
the people to come up with their problems and find
their own solutions,” Raghavachari said. 

The channel, which will be on air initially for two
hours only, plans to involve RWAs also. “If we have to
keep it running, we better be cautious in the
beginning,” the professor said.[Ravleen Kaur  
New Delhi, August 8, The New Indian Express]

Jaisakthivel, Ardic Dx Club, India



		
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