The Hindu Business Line : Community radio: Will the listeners hang on?

THE Government's initiative towards community radio is seen as a favourable step but could throw up issues such as financial and programming sustainability.

In January 2003, the Government has issued guidelines for the setting up of community radio stations stipulating that the content be confined to social, cultural and local issues and not offend "good taste or decency''.

The programmes would have to promote values of national integration, religious harmony, scientific temper and Indian culture, the guidelines issued by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said.

The Government had decided to grant community-broadcasting licences to educational institutions and universities of technology, management and residential schools.

According to practitioners in the field of community radio, this initiative is campus radio and not community radio. "The Government's recent initiative, while welcome, focusses on residential universities. At best, this is campus radio - not community radio as it is practiced in Nepal or the Philippines,'' said Mr Ashish of Radio Voices.

He said that as community radio was of, for and by the community, it covered a very defined and concise geographical space.

"Sustainability is a big issue which community radios across the world are addressing. However, the major plus point in this context stems from the ownership factor,'' Mr Ashish said. By the very fact that it covers a geographically specific area community radio or campus radio gets its USP.

As per the criteria laid down by the Ministry, the licence will be granted for FM transmitters for power of 50 watts or less and be issued in the shared frequency band from 87.5 to 100 mhz for three years.

The licence did not allow broadcast of news and current affairs programmes, election or political broadcast and advertisements or sponsored programme. Apart from focussing on issues such as education, health, environment, agriculture, rural and community development, the focus must reflect local flavour, the Ministry said in its guidelines.

As its content pertains to its community, a radio of this nature provides local talent an opportunity to flourish, according to Ms Swati Dandekar, who is directing an educational radio programme.

However, she said, that questions such as length and quality of programmes would surface. "With so much competition for attention listeners may tune into radio for a short period,'' she said adding that community radio would also be faced by sustainability in listenership.

According to Mr Ashish, Nepal's initiative in community radio is a good example of sustainability. Nepal's model includes co-operative (Radio Lumbini), panchayat (Radio Madan Pokhara) and public (Radio Sagarmatha). "The community through member-driven initiatives, strategic advertising plays a key role in sustainability,'' he said.

The Government's stipulation about the issues though relevant to community radio may not necessarily hold the interest of the listener.

Besides, the cost of the setting up transmitters will have to be covered by revenues either in the form of membership fees or other means, those in the field of radio say.

There has been some work in this area by way of community radio programmes on the existing stations. In Kutch in Gujarat, Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan has been running a weekly show titled Radio Ojas.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication

Stories in this Section
Conservation amid luxury

Community radio: Will the listeners hang on?