[cr-india] wanted: professional musicians for Pondy Univ campus radio

[Vickram Crishna]

It beats me (well, no, actually it hardly surprises me) that officers working in the corridors of power, the occasionally musty and mildewed gloomy hallways of the ministries that manage (errr....!) our country, can continue to frame 'one-size-fits-all' rules under 'enabling' legislation (since the courts regularly stymie them when it comes to 'disabling' laws, the so-called 'black' laws created to deliberately restrict our freedoms). 

In theory, there is no reason why AIR stations could not have functioned as the next best thing to 'community' radio, other than the miserably small number of such stations. Why so few? Because they made rules (or pretended there were rules, in the most part) that encouraged engineers to set up gigantic radio stations in which few people can feel a sense of ownership. Much less nowadays, when these temples of miscommunication need to be guarded day and night by gun-toting semi-literate and less than semi-educated career footmen. The ideological (not political) split between the engineering and content wings of AIR itself will doubtless be a sad backdrop one day in a latter-day Premchand ki kahani.  

Not content with wilfully wrecking AIR, our doughty ministryfolk have now set their caps on ensuring that the CR concept fails. Why? Could it be the need to ensure that repeated failures kill any possibility of government sanction for mechanisms that encourage genuine participatory democracy, since AIR itself stands in muted, if not silent, testimony of original failure? 

Has the ministry set up either a guidance cell or a supervisory board (and, while suggesting the need for such a board or group, I do not encourage thinking it should either be run or dominated by careerist apparatchik) to examine and support not the content generation, but the processes by which such stations create good programming and distribute it to their listeners? In fact, has the government taken any concrete steps to ensure that newbie stations do not repeat the mistakes of the past 60 years of independent India broadcasting, but spend their moneys wisely, with methods calculated to get the best return for their public funds?

One last thought: is there any mechanism left in government to encourage public participation in efficient governance?
 
Vickram
http://communicall.wordpress.com
http://vvcrishna.wordpress.com



----- Original Message ----
From: sajan venniyoor <venniyoor at gmail.com>
To: CR India <cr-india at sarai.net>
Sent: Sunday, 22 June, 2008 8:54:23 AM
Subject: [cr-india] wanted: professional musicians for Pondy Univ campus radio

The Pondy University campus radio station has advertised for professional artistes "in the medium of solo vocal,
carnatic music, western music, folk music, nagaswaram and light music." Also radio jockeys and 'lyricist in Tamil'. I wonder what kind of 'community radio' operation they are running over there. I would hesitate to say that it sounds like an AIR station, because even AIR stopped putting music artistes and lyricists on its payroll many, many years ago. 

Incidentally, AIR launched its 18th FM music channel (FM Rainbow) in Pondicherry yesterday, though - disappointingly - they don't seem to be hiring nagaswaram artistes or Tamil lyricists.

Sajan

Varsity invites applications  
The Hindu, 21 June 2008
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/21/stories/2008062150910300.htm

PUDUCHERRY: The Pondicherry University has called for applications
from qualified artists in all forms of media to work in their proposed
FM Community Radio Station.
A release issued by Assistant Registrar of Pondicherry University
D.J.P Babu said artists who specialised in the medium of solo vocal,
carnatic music, western music, folk music, nagaswaram and light music
could apply for various posts in the FM Radio Station. Those interested
to work as Radio Jockeys and lyricist in Tamil could also apply, the
release said. 
The university had already started its Electronic Media Centre for
TV Production and the FM Station would be launched very shortly, it
added.
Filled in applications could be sent to Director, Directorate of
Culture and Cultural Relations, Pondicherry University, R.V. Nagar,
Kalapet, Puducherry-14. Interested candidates could apply online on director-ccr at pondiuni.edu.in, emmrcl at gmail.com, the release added. 

AIR FM station 
22 June 2008
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/22/stories/2008062252670300.htm

PUDUCHERRY: Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Saturday appealed to traders not to hoard essential commodities as it would have a cascading impact on the supply of food materials.

Speaking at the launch of AIR's FM Radio station here, he said the traders should cooperate with the government in its effort to curb price rise. Union Minister of State for Planning and Parliamentary Affairs V. Narayansamy also spoke.

Deputy Director-General of Prasar Bharati G. Jayabal said the Puducherry station was the 18th FM Radio of the AIR.


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