[cr-india] India: Community Radio - waiting to take off

[sakthi vel]

Community Radio - waiting to take off

- Mumbai University FM community radio head Pankaj
Athawale
   
Community radio is the latest addition the FM radio
bandwagon in the country. With the great radio story
just beginning to happen this year, it's not
surprising to find these avenues opening up. But
community radio is a non profit, non commercial
version of the FM radio sector. 

With government policies becoming open and procedures
getting simplified, Community Radio (CR) is getting
pretty popular; not in terms of the number of radio
stations opened, but in terms of the interest it has
generated among people. The more interested parties of
course, are the universities and educational
institutes as they have been getting licenses at short
notice. Anna University's FM venture, Anna FM in
chennai was the first of its kind of CRS to start, but
not many have been able to replicate its success
story. 

2007, however, was a very eventful year in terms of
the licenses granted. The likes of Mumbai univeristy,
Delhi univeristy and others have been the leading
institutions to procure these CRS licenses. Delhi
university CRS has already gone on air in 2007 and
Mumbai university's own radio station should go live
in early 2008. 

But the basic objective of CRS should be understood.
With the advent of private FM radio channels,
entertainment and radio have become synonymous with
films and youth. But CRS can be a very interesting
change or option in terms of FM broadcasting. If
private radio is all about fun and entertainment, CRs
can offer some infotainment via fun programmes
tackling various acadmeic and social topics. 

Sounds vague, but if the CRS can be a professional
radio run by amateurs, then the basic target is
achieved. That's precisely what the CRS holders need
to do in 2008.

Technology too is becoming cheaper and easily
available. So, someone can easily start a CRS for as
low as Rs 10 lakh. This can include some very good
equipment which will help the operators to package the
CRS programming in a very FM and private radio-like
fashion. This is the need of the hour and can be
surely achieved. 

Also, it becomes a very healthy and attractive sector
for service providers as you need many players, if the
number of CRS in country has to reach 500 in the
coming years. A very good volume business oppurtunity
indeed. 

Even the UN has made plans to assist the building of
various CRs across the country as a part of its
Millenium Development goals.
As for CR, like every coin, it has two sides to the
story.

On the flip side, people have not yet understood the
basic idea of starting a CRS. It does not imply just
running a station for the sake of it, neither does it
mean being revolutionary with your own radio. It's
also not about being a drag, serious type of radio. 

A CRS can be a very important link for youngsters and
amateurs alike. If the hobbyist can provide good
topics, amateurs can train themselves for a good radio
career while working at a CRS. You need to have
infotainment programmes to attract people. With the
government allowing a 100W transmitter, you can easily
cover an area of about 40 odd km, a pretty big area to
operate in. Also, with the government allowing five
minutes per hour as commercial time, the main headache
of sustaining a CRS disappears. If your CRS can be
innovative and intelligent, a private radio player in
your area might also be interested in helping you
generate revenue on a sharing basis. I see no harm in
this. 

Another problem is, some people think of CRS as a
completely non profit idea which should not earn
money. But, I guess you need money to at least survive
and there is nothing as a free dinner in life any
more. 

If we are reading this article, it's to get something
in return, right ! 
We should all look at the CRS as a great oppurtunity
to learn new tricks in radio, train yourself to be a
future radio broadcaster and make FM radio a useful
medium for all in all ways.

2007 was really a mind opener for the CRS sector, and
I sincerely hope that 2008 will soon set up decent
examples of innovative and infotainment led CRS in the
country.
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http://www.indiantelevision.com/ye2007/pankaj_story.php
 


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For Contact: Jaisakthivel,59,Annai Sathya Nagar,
             Arumbakkam,Chennai-600106,India 
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