[cr-india] 'TNAU plans to start six Community Radio Stations' - is this allowed/desirable?

[Kanchan K. Malik]

Just wondering after reading the news item below, if it is possible for one
University to have six CR stations? I understand that technically, the
licenses could be issued separately for all the six KVKs... but is this not
contrary to the spirit/provision within the CR guidelines that states, "An
applicant/organisation shall not be granted more than one Permission for
CRS operation at one or more places." ??

Kanchan

TNAU plans to start six Community Radio Stations

In an effort to reach out to more farmers and members of the public, the
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) is planning to start more
Community Radio Stations.

The university has written to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
seeking permission to start six such stations at the Krishi Vigyan Kendras
in Villupuram, Cuddalore, Tiiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai and
Virudhunagar districts.

The application was sent more than a month ago and the Ministry was
considering the same, sources said.


*Fund*Once sanctioned, the varsity would require Rs. 90 lakh to set up the
stations. It planned to secure Rs. 65 lakh under the ‘Agriculture
Technology Management Agency’ fund and was working out to meet the balance
amount and also the operational cost that included salary and content
creation expenses. The radio stations would help in content sharing and
bring in variety into programmes.

At present the university had only one station on its campus in Coimbatore
catering to listeners within a 20 km radius, the sources said.

*Programmes*

Since December 2010, the community radio station had been airing programmes
for four hours a day – between 10 a.m. and noon and 2 and 4 p.m., repeating
the programme in the second transmission, said N. Koma, who manages the
station.

The two-hour programme includes interviews with leading farmers,
entrepreneurs, transmission of success stories, inputs from experts on crop
and pest management. Her team had roped in students to host the programme.

C. Karthikeyan, faculty, Agriculture Extension and Rural Sociology said the
students would undergo a course in ‘Development Communication’ for which
they would visit the radio station to learn about its functioning.

B.Tech. student A.M. Shenaz Parvin said that the 25 programmes she had
hosted in the radio station in her two years of study had given her
experience that she could not get in classrooms. “I have learnt to improve
my communication, make it simple and direct and encourage the guests to
talk more.”

T. Shanmugam of Vellalore said that he was making good use of the ideas on
bee rearing and mushroom cultivation to multiply his income. He’s a daily
wager at a mill here and was hooked onto the station only a month ago.

Source: The Hindu
<http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/tnau-plans-community-radio-stations-at-kvks/article6616879.ece>

-- 

*Dr. Kanchan K. Malik*

Associate Professor, Department of Communication

Faculty Fellow, UNESCO Chair on Community Media

Sarojini Naidu School of Arts & Communication

University of Hyderabad

Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500046

Phone: +91-40-23135506 (O)

           +91-990-858-2613 (M)
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