Now community radio stations a reality

Community radio stations will conform to the new community radio guidelines notified by the I&B ministry this week, reports Chetan Chauhan.

Published on: Dec 11, 2006, 23:15:00 IST

None | By Chetan Chauhan, New Delhi

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Bengalis in Chittranjan Park in south Delhi or Marwaris in Kolkatta or Parsis in Mumbai can now own their radio stations, thanks to the new community radio
guidelines notified by the Information and Broadcasting ministry this week.

The new policy, for the first time, allows public trusts and societies, registered for more than three years, to start radio stations specifically for their community and preferably in the language of that community. The government has stressed for more community participation, thereby implying that those in that community can perform.

Though the content will be decided by the license holder, the government has imposed certain conditions of what cannot be aired. "No views denigrating women, children or any religion or community will be allowed," an official said. The state governments have been asked to set up special monitoring committees for areas under coverage of FM radio, where community radio licenses will be issued.

Though the license fee is just Rs 2,500 per annum and Rs 25,000 bank gurantee will have to be furnished, the government has allowed foreign funding for setting up the station. If the community finds funds for setting up the station a problem, they can ask their more prosperous friends abroad to fund the unique venture subject to FCRA clearance under Foreign Currency Regulation Act, the guidelines say.

Till now, the community radio service is restricted only for educational institutions and therefore, it has not grown as the government would have expected.

There are only 19 community radio stations in the country. "We expect to increase the number to over 2,000 stations in a few years time. Progressive
schemes with the help of industry will be initiated to achieve the target," said a senior I&B ministry official.

To ensure that community radio become economically viable, the new policy allows commercial advertisement on radio stations for five minutes each hour. In
addition, the government can publicise its programmes through stations. "It should be a no profit no loss station as these stations should not become commercial radio stations. If the station makes any profit that can be used for the benefit of the trust," an official said.

The government has also imposed the condition that no money can be charged for the service. It has to be free-to-air and available within five to ten kilometres of the radio station.

Email Chetan Chauhan: cchauhan @hindustantimes.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chetan Chauhan
Chetan Chauhan is the National Affairs Editor looking into all aspects of news and features from across India. A Chevening scholar with over three decades of experience in reporting and news management, Chetan has extensively covered all important aspects of the social sector, political economy, environment and climate change nationally and internationally. He did a journalism course at the Reuters Institute of Journalism in Oxford and Digital Media training at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He started as a reporter with The Statesman in 1996 and joined the Hindustan Times in 2000 in the metro bureau covering environment, crime and Delhi politics. He covered hot local news, from the Jessica Lal murder case to the rebellion of Delhi Congress MLAs against then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, to the replacement of toxic vehicle fuel with cleaner compressed natural gas (CNG) in the national capital. Some of his stories on air pollution became part of the Supreme Court’s landmark MC Mehta versus Government of India case in the National Capital Region (NCR), forcing the government to take corrective measures. As part of the national political bureau since 2004, he covered important central sectors such as environment, education, social justice, labour, rural development, water resources, renewable energy, agriculture, broadcasting and the Planning Commission for more than a decade producing several exclusive and investigative breaking stories. His specialisation is the environment, having covered at least a dozen United Nations global conferences on climate change, biodiversity and wildlife including climate summits in Paris, Copenhagen and Bali. He also covered India’s two five-year plans ---11th and 12th and reported on drafting and execution of right based laws such as Right to Education, Right to Information and rural job guarantee law, MG-NREGA, now being introduced in new format as VG-RAM-G Act. He has in-depth knowledge of social sector issues. He was one of the first to report on tigers vanishing from Sariska and Panna wildlife reserves in 2004 and 2008, respectively, leading to the setting up of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the introduction of stringent penal provisions for poaching. He has written extensively on the rising human-animal conflict in India and the degradation of India’s biodiversity hotspots because of mining and other activities. Since 2004, Chetan has covered Parliament comprehensively and participated in training on the nuanced coverage of Parliament proceedings. He has travelled extensively across India to cover national and provincial elections since 1998, especially in the Hindi heartland states, considered India’s road to power. He writes a regular column for Hindustan Times, Ecostani, on important national politics, economy, Himalayan ecology and environmental issues. His other responsibilities include providing inputs for edits and edit page articles for the publication, apart from managing news flow from across India.Read More

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