[cr-india] Update on radio news: "What if community radios go wild?"

[Sajan Venniyoor]

In 2008, TRAI had recommended for Phase III of FM licensing
<http://trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/Recommendation/Documents/recom28nov08%5B1%5D.pdf>
 that "FM Radio broadcasters may be permitted to broadcast news taking
content from AIR, Doordarshan (DD), authorized TV news channels, United
News of India (UNI), Press Trust of India (PTI) and any other authorized
news agency without any substantive change in the content. No other source
of news is permitted at present."

By the time the FM Phase-III policy was announced, the news source had been
reduced to just All India Radio. Private FM channels would be allowed to
relay AIR news without alteration.

Enter Mr. Prakash Javadekar, new I&B Minister.

On 2 June, the Minister was reported as saying, "Why should FM channels be
banned from broadcasting news? The Centre is considering allowing
privately-owned FM radio channels to start their own news broadcast."


3 June: "We are having preliminary discussions on the issue to open up
radio channels to news. We would not like to restrict it to any one agency
or organization," confirmed a senior [I&B] official.


By 7 June, it was back to Square A. In an interview with Karan Thapar
on *Headlines
Today *(Nothing but the Truth
<http://headlinestoday.intoday.in/programme/prakash-javadekar-editorial-freedom-means-press-freedom/1/365862.html>),
"Javadekar said he would move quickly to grant permission to start news
broadcasts. This will happen before the end of 2014, he said, adding that
FM stations can either run AIR/Doordarshan news bulletins or take their
news content from PTI and UNI, two news agencies. At this stage, he was
reluctant to give FM radio stations permission to set up their own news
operations with correspondents."


What Mr. Javadekar actually said was, "If there are more and more community
news, and if certain community radios goes wild, it will be trouble in that
area. So we have to start giving it bit by bit."


Even by the standards of new ministers, that's an impressive course
correction. I suppose it will take some time for Mr Javadekar to figure out
that media policy in India is decided by the Home Ministry, not the
I&B Ministry. It is just as well that he 'philosophically' and
'ideologically' favours abolishing his own Ministry
<http://www.radioandmusic.com/content/editorial/news/javadekar-says-he-ideologically-favours-abolishing-i-and-b-ministry>
.


Sajan
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