[cr-india] Community Radio: Social FM

[sakthi vel]

Community radio is today believed to be an important
tool for social upliftment and empowerment of the
marginalised. With that thought in mind, the
Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia
(CEMCA), the Asian chapter of Commonwealth of Learning
(COL) is now preparing to launch 13 community radio
stations (CRS) in South and North India during
2007-08. 

Community radio refers to a type of radio service
catering to the interests of a specific area,
broadcasting material that has relevance to a local
audience. The term has somewhat varying meanings. In
the UK, it originated in the illegal pirate radio
stations whereas in America, as well as in India,
community radio is more commonly non-profit and
non-commercial, often using licensed class-D FM band
transmitters. 
With the successful implementation of its pilot
projects, first of running the only licensed CRS at
Anna University, Chennai, and the second one in Kongu
Engineering College, Erode, CEMCA is all set to repeat
its success at Bhagwan Mahavir Jain Institute,
Bangalore, on June 25 and at Holy Cross College in
Tiruchirapalli on June 26. 

Speaking about the target audience and the focus of
the project, Sreedher Ramamurthy, director, CEMCA,
said: "Our target audience for the stations will be
1,000 women each. First we will document their
knowledge, including their superstitions, and then our
experts will guide them. Then we will set up the radio
stations. At the end of the year we will take into
account the change in their behaviour and attitudes." 
While the universities/institutes would host and run
the CRS, CEMCA would be the facilitator, helping with
capacity building and baseline research. To be
implemented in collaboration with the ministry of
science and technology (MST), CEMCA is a nodal agency
for MST and would use CRS to broadcast 'Science for
Women' for a year at the community level. 

According to Ramamurthy, who is the first person in
India to initiate community radio, "Radio is not
simply a tool for entertainment, but is also a great
tool for employment and a medium for solution to local
problems at the community level." He further added
that the above-mentioned CRS would be a good source of
hands-on experience for students of mass
communication.
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Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Education/Community_Radio_Social_FM/articleshow/2146017.cms

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