Press Trust of IndiaNew Delhi, November 25, 2005
Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle has said it wasinterested in entering the television and FM radio space in India, though itwas wary about the restrictions on news and current affairs programmes forforeign broadcasters."India is an important country and we are looking for partnerships here," DW Director-General Erik Bettermann said.He said DW, which had revenues of about 300 million Euros last year, wasopen to making investments in the Indian market, in case right opportunitiesand partners came its way.Among others, Bettermann held meetings with top officials of publicbroadcasters All-India Radio and DD during his visit to the nationalcapital, and welcomed the government's decision to allow foreign directinvestment in FM radio.He, however, expressed reservations over some of the restrictions on foreignbroadcasters in respect of news and current affairs programmes. "Free pressis a pre-condition for democracy... Open the sector for foreignbroadcasters. It is the trend worldwide," he said.While the government has disallowed news and current affairs programming inprivate FM radio, foreign TV news broadcasters like BBC and CNN cannot haveprogramming and advertising specifically designed for Indian audience.DW, which transmits multilingual feed over its network including in Hindi,offers 29 radio channels apart from its TV channels. It is mandated bypublic law and funded by the federal government.The German network, whose programming ranges from news, features, sports andbackgrounders, may look for a content tie-up with an Indian radio partnerand offer programmes on sports, culture and lifestyle.Thomas Barthlein, a senior official of DW, said that the broadcaster wasalso speaking to direct-to-home (DTH) service providers in India like Zeeand Prasar Bharati for making their TV channels available on their platform.This was apart from the efforts on the FM radio side, he said.After the liberalisation in the FM sector, which included shifting to arevenue share regime and allowing 20 per cent FDI, the market has seeninterest from a variety of broadcasters.BBC is believed to have filed an application with the Foreign InvestmentPromotion Board for a 20 per cent stake in a radio company while others likeUKs Virgin group are also keen on a radio foray.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1556298,00020020.htm
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
BBC tunes in to FM radio
OUR BUREAUMumbai, Nov. 21:
BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of Britain's publicservice broadcaster, has filed an application with the Foreign InvestmentPromotion Board (FIPB) seeking permission to establish and operate an FMradio station in Mumbai.The application was filed on November 14, just three days before thegovernment cleared a proposal permitting 20 per cent foreign investment inthe FM radio business.The rider attached is that the 20 per cent cap will include foreign directinvestment (FDI), investments by non-resident Indians and persons of Indianorigin (PIOs) and portfolio investment.Until now, foreign investment of up to 20 per cent was permitted in radiounder the Portfolio Investment Schemes under the Foreign Exchange Management(Transfer or Issue of Security by a Person Resident outside India)Regulations, 2000 while FDI was not permitted.The rules have now been changed in the light of a changed scenario even asthe government prepares to launch the second phase of the FM radiobroadcasting services.BBC Worldwide hasn't said in its application who it intends to partner inthe FM radio business.Last December, BBC Worldwide signed an arrangement with Bennett and ColemanLtd, publishers of Times of India and Economic Times, to publish the 29magazines in the Times' stable, including Femina and Shipping Times through a 50:50 venture called Worldwide Media.The Times group has a FM radio venture called Radio Mirchi, which operatesin seven cities, including Mumbai and Calcutta.However, it is not known whether BBC Worldwide will pick up a stake in theventure or find another partner.Radio Mirchi is planning to come out with an initial public offering, whichwill be the first by a FM station. It has already filed a red herringprospectus with the Sebi.The company plans to offer 12 million shares with a face value of Rs 10 eachat a premium to be decided through a book-building process. The book-runninglead managers to the issue are JM Morgan Stanley Ltd and Enam FinancialConsultants Pvt Ltd.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1051122/asp/business/story_5505790.asp
BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of Britain's publicservice broadcaster, has filed an application with the Foreign InvestmentPromotion Board (FIPB) seeking permission to establish and operate an FMradio station in Mumbai.The application was filed on November 14, just three days before thegovernment cleared a proposal permitting 20 per cent foreign investment inthe FM radio business.The rider attached is that the 20 per cent cap will include foreign directinvestment (FDI), investments by non-resident Indians and persons of Indianorigin (PIOs) and portfolio investment.Until now, foreign investment of up to 20 per cent was permitted in radiounder the Portfolio Investment Schemes under the Foreign Exchange Management(Transfer or Issue of Security by a Person Resident outside India)Regulations, 2000 while FDI was not permitted.The rules have now been changed in the light of a changed scenario even asthe government prepares to launch the second phase of the FM radiobroadcasting services.BBC Worldwide hasn't said in its application who it intends to partner inthe FM radio business.Last December, BBC Worldwide signed an arrangement with Bennett and ColemanLtd, publishers of Times of India and Economic Times, to publish the 29magazines in the Times' stable, including Femina and Shipping Times through a 50:50 venture called Worldwide Media.The Times group has a FM radio venture called Radio Mirchi, which operatesin seven cities, including Mumbai and Calcutta.However, it is not known whether BBC Worldwide will pick up a stake in theventure or find another partner.Radio Mirchi is planning to come out with an initial public offering, whichwill be the first by a FM station. It has already filed a red herringprospectus with the Sebi.The company plans to offer 12 million shares with a face value of Rs 10 eachat a premium to be decided through a book-building process. The book-runninglead managers to the issue are JM Morgan Stanley Ltd and Enam FinancialConsultants Pvt Ltd.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1051122/asp/business/story_5505790.asp
Sunday, November 13, 2005
AIRs 24X7 Music Channel from Trichy and Lucknow
Hyderabad November 13, 2005 1:36:03 AM IST]
A 24-hour channel in Hindustani and Carnatic Music will be launched shortlyby All India Radio (AIR), which also plans concerts at prominent open publicplaces to popularise classical music in the country.Lucknow for Hindustani classical and Trichy for Carnatic music would be thehub of the 24X7 music channels, which would be launched ''anytime'', AIRDeputy Director General (South Zone) G Jayalal told the media here today.AIR, in collaboration with the New Delhi Municipal Corporation, proposed tohold classical music concerts at public gardens and prominent open spaces,for which the Prasar Bharati (PB) Board had given its consent recently.Flanked by Hyderabad Station Director Dr Gopalakrishna and Programmer MsVedavathi, AIR's Southern Chief said Archives (South) would release onNovember 13 Audio Cassettes and Audio Compact Discs of four popular Teluguplays. The plays - ''Kanyasulkam'', the all time socially relevant play byGurajada Appa Rao, ''Varavikrayam'', another play on dowry written byKallakuri Narayan Rao, ''Ganapathi'' rated as the best literary comedy byChilakamarthi Laxminarasimham Panthulu and ''Pandavudyoga Vijayalu'', pennedby Tirupathi Venkata Kavulu - would be released on the occasion of''Broadcasting Day''.Union Information Minister S Jaipal Reddy and K S Sarma, the CEO of PB,would be present on the occasion.The event would be recorded due to the national mourning and relayed byAkashvani Centres from December 17 to January 23, 2006.
http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=160754&cat=India
A 24-hour channel in Hindustani and Carnatic Music will be launched shortlyby All India Radio (AIR), which also plans concerts at prominent open publicplaces to popularise classical music in the country.Lucknow for Hindustani classical and Trichy for Carnatic music would be thehub of the 24X7 music channels, which would be launched ''anytime'', AIRDeputy Director General (South Zone) G Jayalal told the media here today.AIR, in collaboration with the New Delhi Municipal Corporation, proposed tohold classical music concerts at public gardens and prominent open spaces,for which the Prasar Bharati (PB) Board had given its consent recently.Flanked by Hyderabad Station Director Dr Gopalakrishna and Programmer MsVedavathi, AIR's Southern Chief said Archives (South) would release onNovember 13 Audio Cassettes and Audio Compact Discs of four popular Teluguplays. The plays - ''Kanyasulkam'', the all time socially relevant play byGurajada Appa Rao, ''Varavikrayam'', another play on dowry written byKallakuri Narayan Rao, ''Ganapathi'' rated as the best literary comedy byChilakamarthi Laxminarasimham Panthulu and ''Pandavudyoga Vijayalu'', pennedby Tirupathi Venkata Kavulu - would be released on the occasion of''Broadcasting Day''.Union Information Minister S Jaipal Reddy and K S Sarma, the CEO of PB,would be present on the occasion.The event would be recorded due to the national mourning and relayed byAkashvani Centres from December 17 to January 23, 2006.
http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=160754&cat=India
Second phase of FM radio starts rolling
Nivedita MookerjiFriday, November 11, 2005 22:51 ISTNEW DELHI:
Over 100 applications have been made to the government, seekingentry to the second phase of private FM radio service.Among those who have submitted their pre-qualification bids, include MusicBroadcast Private Ltd (MBPL), Bennett Coleman, Hindustan Times, Bhaskargroup, Jagran group and Reliance, among others. The deadline for submittingpre-qualification bids was Friday.While only 42 applications had come in till Thursday, the rest weresubmitted on Friday. The government has thrown open the second phase of FMradio for 338 frequencies (radio stations) across 91 cities.Technical evaluation of these bids, including security clearances from thehome ministry, will take around two months, it is learnt.Financial bids have to be submitted in January. While the last date forfinancial bids for the 'A plus' and 'A' category cities (big cities acrossthe country) is January 6, for cities and towns in the north, the deadlineis January 13. For eastern Indian cities and towns, the deadline is January20, for western cities, it is January 27, and for the south, it is February3.Every applicant and related entities must bid for only one channel per city,as per the tender document.Also, channels allocated to an applicant and related entities should notexceed 15% of the total number of channels in India. Subsidiaries ofapplicants in the same city will be disqualified, and so will be the holdingcompany of the applicant company in the same city.Foreign investment will be restricted to 20% of the paid-up equity of thecompany. Also, one Indian entity must hold more than 50%, excluding theequity held by scheduled banks and other public financial institutions. Alldirectors on board must be Indians, as per the tender. Even all the keyexecutive officers of the applicant entity must be resident Indians.Financial bids will have a one-time entry fee, deposit of an amountequivalent of 50% of financial bid, and performance bank guarantee in favourof the I&B ministry equivalent to 50% of financial bid. To apply for allcategories of cities, a company must have a net worth of Rs 10 crore, for Aplus and A class cities Rs 3 crore, for B category, Rs 2 crore; for C class,Rs 1 crore; and for D class, Rs 50 lakh.Making a shift from a licence era to revenue-sharing, the government hasspecified the annual revenue share at 4% or 10% of the reserveone-time-entry-fee (OTEF) for a city, whichever is higher. Annual fee willbe paid on quarterly basis.While FM bidders must operationalise within 18 months of issue of LoI, theymay need to opt out in case of delay. But, the tender has stated, "in theevent of default in operationalisation of a channel being attribuateble todelay beyond reasonable period by Becil/Prasar Bharati, WPC, the prescribedtime limit will be extended." Co-location on Prasar Bharati towers ismandatory for FM companies, and Becil, a PSU under the I&B ministry, willintegrate the infrastructure for radio operations.As for content, news and current affairs will not be allowed, and 50% ofprogramming on a channel must be produced in India, according to the FMtender.The first phase of FM radio privatisation took off five years ago.
http://dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=9431&CatID=4
Over 100 applications have been made to the government, seekingentry to the second phase of private FM radio service.Among those who have submitted their pre-qualification bids, include MusicBroadcast Private Ltd (MBPL), Bennett Coleman, Hindustan Times, Bhaskargroup, Jagran group and Reliance, among others. The deadline for submittingpre-qualification bids was Friday.While only 42 applications had come in till Thursday, the rest weresubmitted on Friday. The government has thrown open the second phase of FMradio for 338 frequencies (radio stations) across 91 cities.Technical evaluation of these bids, including security clearances from thehome ministry, will take around two months, it is learnt.Financial bids have to be submitted in January. While the last date forfinancial bids for the 'A plus' and 'A' category cities (big cities acrossthe country) is January 6, for cities and towns in the north, the deadlineis January 13. For eastern Indian cities and towns, the deadline is January20, for western cities, it is January 27, and for the south, it is February3.Every applicant and related entities must bid for only one channel per city,as per the tender document.Also, channels allocated to an applicant and related entities should notexceed 15% of the total number of channels in India. Subsidiaries ofapplicants in the same city will be disqualified, and so will be the holdingcompany of the applicant company in the same city.Foreign investment will be restricted to 20% of the paid-up equity of thecompany. Also, one Indian entity must hold more than 50%, excluding theequity held by scheduled banks and other public financial institutions. Alldirectors on board must be Indians, as per the tender. Even all the keyexecutive officers of the applicant entity must be resident Indians.Financial bids will have a one-time entry fee, deposit of an amountequivalent of 50% of financial bid, and performance bank guarantee in favourof the I&B ministry equivalent to 50% of financial bid. To apply for allcategories of cities, a company must have a net worth of Rs 10 crore, for Aplus and A class cities Rs 3 crore, for B category, Rs 2 crore; for C class,Rs 1 crore; and for D class, Rs 50 lakh.Making a shift from a licence era to revenue-sharing, the government hasspecified the annual revenue share at 4% or 10% of the reserveone-time-entry-fee (OTEF) for a city, whichever is higher. Annual fee willbe paid on quarterly basis.While FM bidders must operationalise within 18 months of issue of LoI, theymay need to opt out in case of delay. But, the tender has stated, "in theevent of default in operationalisation of a channel being attribuateble todelay beyond reasonable period by Becil/Prasar Bharati, WPC, the prescribedtime limit will be extended." Co-location on Prasar Bharati towers ismandatory for FM companies, and Becil, a PSU under the I&B ministry, willintegrate the infrastructure for radio operations.As for content, news and current affairs will not be allowed, and 50% ofprogramming on a channel must be produced in India, according to the FMtender.The first phase of FM radio privatisation took off five years ago.
http://dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=9431&CatID=4
New FM Channels in Ranchi & Jamshedpur
NAVTAN KUMAR Ranchi, Nov. 9:
Good news for the people of Ranchi and Jamshedpur: the All India Radio (AIR) has decided to give four FM channels, to be run by private agencies, to each of the cities. Official sources said the Union ministry of information and broadcasting has invited tenders, the last date for which was November 7. Three parties have applied and a decision will be taken soon, added sources.
The tenders were floated as part of the Union ministry's massive expansion plan of the FM radio broadcasting services. According to the plan, the government intends to allocate 338 channels to private parties in 91 cities across the country. The operations will, however, be restricted to entertainment-based programmes. The four channels will be in addition to the existing FM channel (103.3 MHz) in Ranchi, which mainly broadcasts Vividh Bharati programmes.
An official said: "The expansion plan was mooted after the Prasar Bharati decided radio culture is on the revival path in India. FMs are popular and have become a part of life in the bigger cities. They air melodious songs and also provide local information, trains, bus or flights timings, forecasts weather, traffic situation and other such things"
So far, FM is yet to hit Jharkhand "in the true sense", he pointed out, as only limited time is allotted for local stations. However, the official noted, the audience research wing is trying to make the existing slots more lively and entertaining.
"We have already introduced programmes on the existing FM channel. We are also in the process of selecting good anchors. Our main target is young people in the age group of 18 to 35," the official pointed out. Sources said Firayalal - a famous departmental store in the capital - and Radio Sheetal has applied for the Ranchi tenders.
Interestingly, the ministry had invited tenders two years ago, but did not get any response. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1051110/asp/jamshedpur/story_5458903.asp
Good news for the people of Ranchi and Jamshedpur: the All India Radio (AIR) has decided to give four FM channels, to be run by private agencies, to each of the cities. Official sources said the Union ministry of information and broadcasting has invited tenders, the last date for which was November 7. Three parties have applied and a decision will be taken soon, added sources.
The tenders were floated as part of the Union ministry's massive expansion plan of the FM radio broadcasting services. According to the plan, the government intends to allocate 338 channels to private parties in 91 cities across the country. The operations will, however, be restricted to entertainment-based programmes. The four channels will be in addition to the existing FM channel (103.3 MHz) in Ranchi, which mainly broadcasts Vividh Bharati programmes.
An official said: "The expansion plan was mooted after the Prasar Bharati decided radio culture is on the revival path in India. FMs are popular and have become a part of life in the bigger cities. They air melodious songs and also provide local information, trains, bus or flights timings, forecasts weather, traffic situation and other such things"
So far, FM is yet to hit Jharkhand "in the true sense", he pointed out, as only limited time is allotted for local stations. However, the official noted, the audience research wing is trying to make the existing slots more lively and entertaining.
"We have already introduced programmes on the existing FM channel. We are also in the process of selecting good anchors. Our main target is young people in the age group of 18 to 35," the official pointed out. Sources said Firayalal - a famous departmental store in the capital - and Radio Sheetal has applied for the Ranchi tenders.
Interestingly, the ministry had invited tenders two years ago, but did not get any response. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1051110/asp/jamshedpur/story_5458903.asp
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
News automation system at AIR - Guwahati
Guwahati, Aug 28 : All India Radio, Guwahati, has become the country's firstregional radio station to introduce the news automation system.The system, designed and developed by the research and development wing ofAIR, will also be introduced in Lucknow, Jaipur and Mumbai air stations verysoon.Inaugurating the News Automation System at the Regional News Unit(RNU) ofAIR Guwahati this afternoon, engineer-in-chief of All India Radio K M Paulstated that digital recording facilities are being introduced removing theold tape system in about fifty per cent of the radio stations of thecountry.He said process is on to digitize the programme distribution throughsatellites all over the country.Terming the news broadcasting house, built at a cost of around 60 crorerupees, at the parliament street in New Delhi, as a unique in the world, MrPaul said that the news, the programme and the external services sectionsare being fully automated using top class equipment there.
http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=17869
http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=17869
Akashwani award for Kovai AIR station
Coimbatore, August 30:
All India Radio, Coimbatore station, has been adjudged the best maintainedstation in the south zone in the year 2004.The station bagged the Akashwani award, after technical experts inspectedvarious stations in the zone comprising Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka,Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Andaman and Nicobar islands, station director NMurugan said in a release today.The award presentation ceremony would be held at AIR, Thiruvananthapuram, onSeptember 5.Established in 1966, the station started Rainbow FM (stereo) in August 2000,which has emerged as one of the most listened FM stations, in the face ofstiff competition from private organisations, Murugan claimed.In April 2002, Gyanavani FM (stereo) transmitter was commissioned here,which was the first in Tamil Nadu and third in India. All the threetransmitters are located at Chettipalayam on the city outskirts and thestudios for AM and FM are located at Ramanathapuram in the city. (Agencies)http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BECDCEC
24-D612-4E63-9417-870DE5DA5745%7D&CATEGORYNAME=National
All India Radio, Coimbatore station, has been adjudged the best maintainedstation in the south zone in the year 2004.The station bagged the Akashwani award, after technical experts inspectedvarious stations in the zone comprising Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka,Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Andaman and Nicobar islands, station director NMurugan said in a release today.The award presentation ceremony would be held at AIR, Thiruvananthapuram, onSeptember 5.Established in 1966, the station started Rainbow FM (stereo) in August 2000,which has emerged as one of the most listened FM stations, in the face ofstiff competition from private organisations, Murugan claimed.In April 2002, Gyanavani FM (stereo) transmitter was commissioned here,which was the first in Tamil Nadu and third in India. All the threetransmitters are located at Chettipalayam on the city outskirts and thestudios for AM and FM are located at Ramanathapuram in the city. (Agencies)http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BECDCEC
24-D612-4E63-9417-870DE5DA5745%7D&CATEGORYNAME=National
Monday, August 29, 2005
AIR unveils new broadcasting house
Indiantelevision.com Team(24 August 2005 8:17 pm)
NEW DELHI: Indian pubcaster Prasar Bharati enterd the digital era byunveiling a swanky studio for All India Radio in the Asia-pacific region'sbiggest broadcasting studio set up here.The New Broadcasting House, as its being called, was inugurated byinformation and broadcasting minister Jaipal Reddy yesterday, who said thatapproximately Rs 1.97 billion would be spent on the whole digitizationprocess.The minister also took the opportunity to allay fears of the employees ofPrasar Bharati, an autonomous organisation.The employees union had recently exhorted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh torepeal the Prasar Bharati Act as it would fail to take care of theemployees' concerns in its present form due to shortage of funds.The new facility of Prasar Bharati was unveiled in the presence of I&Bministry secretary SK Arora and Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma.The New Broadcasting House is the first ever fully digital studio set up ofAll India Radio. Built on a plinth area of 13,895 sqmtrs, it has twoblocks -- a five storey studio block and a seven storey administrativeblock.The new set up, which will be used by AIR home services, News ServicesDivision and the External Services Division, has 26 fully automatedtransmission studios. All recording, editing and playback equipment,including mixing consoles and master routers, are in digital mode.The newsroom is paperless, equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities.Besides 26 transmission studios, the nw facility also houses six dubbingrooms, five control booths, two radio conferencing rooms and one captiveearth station.The digital audio work stations have a provision for 24 hour scheduledprogramme back up to take care of accidental network failure.A newsroom automation software system developed by the Dalet company willenable a central server to receive the feed from wire agencies like UNI,PTI, PTI Bhasha and UNI Varta, faxes and voice dispatches from AIR'scountry-wide correspondent network and sound-bites from TV and make itavailable to editors on individual workstations.And in the studios, instead of reading from paper sheets pinned tocardboards, AIR's newsreaders will now read off the computer monitors, wherethe story will keep getting updated till the last minute electronically.All India Radio has seven channels broadcasting from Delhi. The NewsServices Division puts out daily, 112 national bulletins in 17 Indianlanguages and 65 external services bulletins in 27 languages.It's not that AIR only is getting upgraded. A new wing for Doordarshan toowas unveiled yesterday by the I&B minister.Doordarshan Tower B is an eleven storey octagonal structure, flowering outfrom the sixth floor upwards. It is enveloped by a five storied structurehousing studios and ancillary technical areas. The 18,958 sqmtrs technicalarea is centrally air conditioned and houses four studios of varying sizes.The largest studio is 600 square metres with height equivalent to a fourstorey building. Besides various technical facilities for recording andtransmission, the building also provides for rehearsal rooms, committeerooms, projection room, large screening area and a film preview theatre.The total project cost of Doordarshan Bhawan Tower B is Rs 820 million. TheTower C, an eight storey structure with a 600 persons capacity amphitheatre,will be built in future.
NEW DELHI: Indian pubcaster Prasar Bharati enterd the digital era byunveiling a swanky studio for All India Radio in the Asia-pacific region'sbiggest broadcasting studio set up here.The New Broadcasting House, as its being called, was inugurated byinformation and broadcasting minister Jaipal Reddy yesterday, who said thatapproximately Rs 1.97 billion would be spent on the whole digitizationprocess.The minister also took the opportunity to allay fears of the employees ofPrasar Bharati, an autonomous organisation.The employees union had recently exhorted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh torepeal the Prasar Bharati Act as it would fail to take care of theemployees' concerns in its present form due to shortage of funds.The new facility of Prasar Bharati was unveiled in the presence of I&Bministry secretary SK Arora and Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma.The New Broadcasting House is the first ever fully digital studio set up ofAll India Radio. Built on a plinth area of 13,895 sqmtrs, it has twoblocks -- a five storey studio block and a seven storey administrativeblock.The new set up, which will be used by AIR home services, News ServicesDivision and the External Services Division, has 26 fully automatedtransmission studios. All recording, editing and playback equipment,including mixing consoles and master routers, are in digital mode.The newsroom is paperless, equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities.Besides 26 transmission studios, the nw facility also houses six dubbingrooms, five control booths, two radio conferencing rooms and one captiveearth station.The digital audio work stations have a provision for 24 hour scheduledprogramme back up to take care of accidental network failure.A newsroom automation software system developed by the Dalet company willenable a central server to receive the feed from wire agencies like UNI,PTI, PTI Bhasha and UNI Varta, faxes and voice dispatches from AIR'scountry-wide correspondent network and sound-bites from TV and make itavailable to editors on individual workstations.And in the studios, instead of reading from paper sheets pinned tocardboards, AIR's newsreaders will now read off the computer monitors, wherethe story will keep getting updated till the last minute electronically.All India Radio has seven channels broadcasting from Delhi. The NewsServices Division puts out daily, 112 national bulletins in 17 Indianlanguages and 65 external services bulletins in 27 languages.It's not that AIR only is getting upgraded. A new wing for Doordarshan toowas unveiled yesterday by the I&B minister.Doordarshan Tower B is an eleven storey octagonal structure, flowering outfrom the sixth floor upwards. It is enveloped by a five storied structurehousing studios and ancillary technical areas. The 18,958 sqmtrs technicalarea is centrally air conditioned and houses four studios of varying sizes.The largest studio is 600 square metres with height equivalent to a fourstorey building. Besides various technical facilities for recording andtransmission, the building also provides for rehearsal rooms, committeerooms, projection room, large screening area and a film preview theatre.The total project cost of Doordarshan Bhawan Tower B is Rs 820 million. TheTower C, an eight storey structure with a 600 persons capacity amphitheatre,will be built in future.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Govt. plans common infrastructure for FM Radio in 9 cities
Chennai, July 3 (PTI): The Centre, which allowed 20 per cent Foreign DirectInvestment in private FM radio services, will create common infrastructurefor these channels in nine cities, including Chennai, Bangalore andHyderabad, a note prepared by the Information and Broadcasing Ministry said.A total of 48 FM channels would be available for bidding by the privatesector on the common infrastructure network created by the Government inthese nine cities, it said.The other cities where the common infrastructure would be created for FMchannels include Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Jaipur, Pune and Surat.In Chennai and Delhi, six channels each would be available for biddings onphase-II of private FM Radio Broadcasting, after earmarking a total of sevenchannels (Chennai-3 and Delhi-4) for IGNOU and other educationalinstitutions, it said.Hyderabad and Bangalore would have the highest number of channels availablefor bidding at seven each, while Kolkata and Mumbai would have five FM radiochannels each for bidding, it said.The Centre on Friday announced the second phase of private FM radiobroadcasting, replacing the existing licensing model with a revenue sharingregime.While five channels will be available for bidding in Jaipur, another fourwould be up for grabs in Surat. In Pune, the number of channels availablefor bidding is three.A total of 24 channels in these nine cities would be earmarked for IGNOU andother educational channels, it said.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200507030359.htm
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200507030359.htm
Riding high on radio waves
AIR programme touches off a small revolution in rural pockets
ARTI SAHULIYAR
Ranchi, July 1: Laxmi Oraon was tired of the daily struggle for water. Atthe crack of dawn, she and a bunch of women from her village would hit adusty 13-km trail that ended at a well in a place called Getalsud. The lonewell and the four handpumps in her block failed to quench the thirst of the15 villages that made up the Angada block.She recalled the numerous failed trips made by the village men to thedistrict's corridors of power in an attempt to get a new handpump forAngada. Then, someone suggested the Community Radio Programme (CRP), ahalf-an-hour programme on the AIR, aired every Sunday evening.As the request for help from the Angada residents crackled through the radiotwo weeks later on the community programme, an assistant engineer of thePHED department volunteered to support the pump project. Earlier this month,the pump was inaugurated amid much cheer from Laxmi and her villagefolk.Similar such requests on the radio programme have managed to get for theresidents of far-flung areas of the state what the administration could notgive.Coordinator of the programme at Angada block, Malya Bedia, says the radiohas made the villagers aware of the different developmental schemes meantfor the block. She also recalled how the radio was used to connect to themasses about the need to get children and, especially girls, educated."A play was staged themed on the importance of education and it was aired onthe AIR. The next thing we found was that many organisations were comingforward to build the schools," added Bedia.Explaining how the CRP was started with the aim of providing the villagersan opportunity to air their grievances, programme executive Devi Roy said:"The residents did not know who to talk about the problems. We just providedthem with a platform." The programme was a joint effort by the AIR, a localNGO called Manthan Yuva Sansthan and a Delhi-based NGO, Charka.Meena, a 12-year-old, is perhaps one of the best examples of the smallrevolution that has touched these rural backwaters. Six months ago, thebubbly child would spend the day finishing up household chores and learningto cook. "I go to school now. I like maths. My mother says it is important,"she says, enthusiasm written all over her small happy face.
www.telegraphindia.com/1050702/asp/jamshedpur/story_4940628.asp
ARTI SAHULIYAR
Ranchi, July 1: Laxmi Oraon was tired of the daily struggle for water. Atthe crack of dawn, she and a bunch of women from her village would hit adusty 13-km trail that ended at a well in a place called Getalsud. The lonewell and the four handpumps in her block failed to quench the thirst of the15 villages that made up the Angada block.She recalled the numerous failed trips made by the village men to thedistrict's corridors of power in an attempt to get a new handpump forAngada. Then, someone suggested the Community Radio Programme (CRP), ahalf-an-hour programme on the AIR, aired every Sunday evening.As the request for help from the Angada residents crackled through the radiotwo weeks later on the community programme, an assistant engineer of thePHED department volunteered to support the pump project. Earlier this month,the pump was inaugurated amid much cheer from Laxmi and her villagefolk.Similar such requests on the radio programme have managed to get for theresidents of far-flung areas of the state what the administration could notgive.Coordinator of the programme at Angada block, Malya Bedia, says the radiohas made the villagers aware of the different developmental schemes meantfor the block. She also recalled how the radio was used to connect to themasses about the need to get children and, especially girls, educated."A play was staged themed on the importance of education and it was aired onthe AIR. The next thing we found was that many organisations were comingforward to build the schools," added Bedia.Explaining how the CRP was started with the aim of providing the villagersan opportunity to air their grievances, programme executive Devi Roy said:"The residents did not know who to talk about the problems. We just providedthem with a platform." The programme was a joint effort by the AIR, a localNGO called Manthan Yuva Sansthan and a Delhi-based NGO, Charka.Meena, a 12-year-old, is perhaps one of the best examples of the smallrevolution that has touched these rural backwaters. Six months ago, thebubbly child would spend the day finishing up household chores and learningto cook. "I go to school now. I like maths. My mother says it is important,"she says, enthusiasm written all over her small happy face.
www.telegraphindia.com/1050702/asp/jamshedpur/story_4940628.asp
Radio ga-ga - Revenue-sharing shift should do wonders for FM
Posted online: Saturday, July 02, 2005 at 0000 hours IST
The government's decision to allow existing players in FM to shift from theexisting licence fee regime to a revenue-sharing one is a welcome, thoughbelated, policy correction. It is bound to lend cheer to an industry thathas been struggling for almost five years within the confines of an absurdpolicy framework. Together with the other relaxations in the policy on FMradio - notably, inclusion of foreign direct investment within the overallforeign investment limit - the new policy should see a rekindling ofinterest in FM radio.About time, too. After the first flush of enthusiasm that saw a rush ofplayers bid unrealistically high licence fees when the sector was opened toprivate sector entry in 2000, interest in FM radio had all but disappeared.The reason was simple. Players discovered the returns were just notcommensurate to what they had bid. So, while the government got bids for 101of the 108 frequencies auctioned, and for an aggregate amount of Rs 425crore against the estimated amount of Rs 79.65 crore, the actual amountcollected was far less. Bidders for 64 frequencies defaulted, so only Rs158.8 crore could be collected from 37 frequencies.Worse was to follow. Even of these 37, as many as 13 did not operationalisetheir licences and opted, instead, to surrender them. A few players battledon, even as their losses mounted, in the hope that the government wouldaccede to their pleas to free them from their licence obligations and shiftto a revenue-sharing model. Their hopes have now been realised. Whileexisting players will be allowed to migrate to revenue-sharing, bids for thenext phase of FM will be based on the principle of revenue-sharing. Playersare understandably elated. The recent regulatory corrections should see moregrowth, more revenue and more employment across the country.The parallels with the telecom industry are striking. It was only when the initial licence fee regime (that led to mobile telephones being priced out ofthe reach of most) was replaced by a revenue-sharing model, that we saw aboom in mobile telephony. Hopefully, the same experience will now bereplicated in the FM space. But the government's job is not yet done. Itneeds to reconsider the ban on broadcast of news and current affairs. Theexperience with TV should be a good model to go by. There is no reason whywe should have a different set of rules for radio, as compared totelevision. Policy arbitrariness has no place in a globalising economy.http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=95328
The government's decision to allow existing players in FM to shift from theexisting licence fee regime to a revenue-sharing one is a welcome, thoughbelated, policy correction. It is bound to lend cheer to an industry thathas been struggling for almost five years within the confines of an absurdpolicy framework. Together with the other relaxations in the policy on FMradio - notably, inclusion of foreign direct investment within the overallforeign investment limit - the new policy should see a rekindling ofinterest in FM radio.About time, too. After the first flush of enthusiasm that saw a rush ofplayers bid unrealistically high licence fees when the sector was opened toprivate sector entry in 2000, interest in FM radio had all but disappeared.The reason was simple. Players discovered the returns were just notcommensurate to what they had bid. So, while the government got bids for 101of the 108 frequencies auctioned, and for an aggregate amount of Rs 425crore against the estimated amount of Rs 79.65 crore, the actual amountcollected was far less. Bidders for 64 frequencies defaulted, so only Rs158.8 crore could be collected from 37 frequencies.Worse was to follow. Even of these 37, as many as 13 did not operationalisetheir licences and opted, instead, to surrender them. A few players battledon, even as their losses mounted, in the hope that the government wouldaccede to their pleas to free them from their licence obligations and shiftto a revenue-sharing model. Their hopes have now been realised. Whileexisting players will be allowed to migrate to revenue-sharing, bids for thenext phase of FM will be based on the principle of revenue-sharing. Playersare understandably elated. The recent regulatory corrections should see moregrowth, more revenue and more employment across the country.The parallels with the telecom industry are striking. It was only when the initial licence fee regime (that led to mobile telephones being priced out ofthe reach of most) was replaced by a revenue-sharing model, that we saw aboom in mobile telephony. Hopefully, the same experience will now bereplicated in the FM space. But the government's job is not yet done. Itneeds to reconsider the ban on broadcast of news and current affairs. Theexperience with TV should be a good model to go by. There is no reason whywe should have a different set of rules for radio, as compared totelevision. Policy arbitrariness has no place in a globalising economy.http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=95328
AIR Kolkata transmission hit
Kolkata, June. 30 (PTI): Train services and transmission from All IndiaRadio station were disrupted by widespread power cuts in the metropolistoday following a technical fault at a sub-station of West Bengal StateElectricity Board.Train services on all electrified sections remained suspended between 8.18am to 9.20 am because power supplies from five grids of WBSEB to EasternRailway's Sealdah Division failed, railway sources said.Large areas, including the posh satellite township of Salt Lake, wentwithout power when the 400-kv sub-station of the WBSEB at Jeerat, nearBarasat in North 24 Parganas district tripped, an SEB spokesman said.As a precautionary measure, five units of Bandel thermal power station wereshut down, he said.AIR transmission had stopped at 8.16 am and resumed more than an hour laterat 9.28 am, official sources said.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Govt allows FDI in private FM radio; says no to news
Friday July 1 2005 00:00 IST
PTI
NEW DELHI: Launching a major expansion programme for private FM radio services, the government allowed 20 per cent foreign direct investment in the sector on Thursday and decided on a revenue share regime against the existing licence fee structure to allow a total of 330 stations in 90 cities.
The Union Cabinet, which met here to thrash out the policy framework for the second phase of FM radio licensing, however, decided to continue the ban on news and current affairs.
"Time has come for revival of radio in the country and the government has planned a huge expansion of the private FM radio network which will lead to generation of employment and opportunities and encourage talent," Information and Broadcasting Minister S Jaipal Reddy told reporters here.
"Even as we have decided to allow FDI at the existing 20 per cent cap for FIIS, OCBs and NRIs, there will be no news permitted on private FM channels under the present regime," the Minister said.
The licence fee regime adopted in the first phase proved to be disastrous for the growth of FM radio sector where of the 108 frequencies put on bid, only 21 were operational, two of which have also given notice to close down.
Reddy said the operators will now have to shell four per cent of their revenue as annual licence fee, adding that existing operators will also be allowed to migrate to the new regime and there "would be no black-listing" of any player.
Bidding for the second phase will start in about a month's time, he said, observing that "the government has not looked at the revenue aspect at all" while framing the new policy. "The idea is to encourage expansion of radio in the private sector," he said.
Asked about broadcast of news and current affairs, he said, "We have not looked at this aspect at all... I am not saying no... Actually I have not taken a decision on this aspect as several issues have to be looked into before taking a view."
Reddy said in framing the new policy, the government had accepted most of the recommendations of the radio broadcast policy committee under the chairmanship of FICCI's Amit Mitra as well as that of broadcast regulator TRAI.
He said in the second phase, the cities would be divided into four broad categories -- A, B, C and D -- starting from the metros and flowing down to the smaller ones.
The number of operators in the a category (metros) will be restricted to about 10-11 players while in B cities it will be six, four in C and two in D towns.
"The new players will have to pay a one-time entry fee through close bidding process, and each successful bidder will pay as per his bid amount," Reddy said, explaining the manner in which the second phase licences will be awarded.
Existing operators will have to pay the average bid amount of new players.
"The government will not black-list any player on the basis of ongoing litigation in various courts... We will allow everyone to participate in the new bidding process," he added.
Observing that competition will be a key element under the new regime, Reddy said "no private radio can only run on film music. They have to generate their own content to survive."
Reddy said the government plans to set up a quasi-judicial regulatory authority to deal with disputes, pending which the ministry will have regulatory powers.
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEL20050630031031&Page=L&Title=B+R+E+A+K+I+N+G++++N+E+W+S&Topic=0
PTI
NEW DELHI: Launching a major expansion programme for private FM radio services, the government allowed 20 per cent foreign direct investment in the sector on Thursday and decided on a revenue share regime against the existing licence fee structure to allow a total of 330 stations in 90 cities.
The Union Cabinet, which met here to thrash out the policy framework for the second phase of FM radio licensing, however, decided to continue the ban on news and current affairs.
"Time has come for revival of radio in the country and the government has planned a huge expansion of the private FM radio network which will lead to generation of employment and opportunities and encourage talent," Information and Broadcasting Minister S Jaipal Reddy told reporters here.
"Even as we have decided to allow FDI at the existing 20 per cent cap for FIIS, OCBs and NRIs, there will be no news permitted on private FM channels under the present regime," the Minister said.
The licence fee regime adopted in the first phase proved to be disastrous for the growth of FM radio sector where of the 108 frequencies put on bid, only 21 were operational, two of which have also given notice to close down.
Reddy said the operators will now have to shell four per cent of their revenue as annual licence fee, adding that existing operators will also be allowed to migrate to the new regime and there "would be no black-listing" of any player.
Bidding for the second phase will start in about a month's time, he said, observing that "the government has not looked at the revenue aspect at all" while framing the new policy. "The idea is to encourage expansion of radio in the private sector," he said.
Asked about broadcast of news and current affairs, he said, "We have not looked at this aspect at all... I am not saying no... Actually I have not taken a decision on this aspect as several issues have to be looked into before taking a view."
Reddy said in framing the new policy, the government had accepted most of the recommendations of the radio broadcast policy committee under the chairmanship of FICCI's Amit Mitra as well as that of broadcast regulator TRAI.
He said in the second phase, the cities would be divided into four broad categories -- A, B, C and D -- starting from the metros and flowing down to the smaller ones.
The number of operators in the a category (metros) will be restricted to about 10-11 players while in B cities it will be six, four in C and two in D towns.
"The new players will have to pay a one-time entry fee through close bidding process, and each successful bidder will pay as per his bid amount," Reddy said, explaining the manner in which the second phase licences will be awarded.
Existing operators will have to pay the average bid amount of new players.
"The government will not black-list any player on the basis of ongoing litigation in various courts... We will allow everyone to participate in the new bidding process," he added.
Observing that competition will be a key element under the new regime, Reddy said "no private radio can only run on film music. They have to generate their own content to survive."
Reddy said the government plans to set up a quasi-judicial regulatory authority to deal with disputes, pending which the ministry will have regulatory powers.
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEL20050630031031&Page=L&Title=B+R+E+A+K+I+N+G++++N+E+W+S&Topic=0
Centre to launch two new music channels
Chennai, June 29: The Centre will soon launch two new music channels, one for Hindustani Classical music and another for Carnatic Classical music, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Jaipal Reddy said today.
While one of the channels would be started from Lucknow, the other would be launched from Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu. Both these channels would be available on DD DTH platform, so that lovers of classical music could avail this music in digital quality for most of the time, he said.
Releasing 'Akashvani Sangeet' CDs and Cassettes of doyens of carnatic music, late M S Subbulakshmi, Alathur Brothers and 'Ariyakudi' Ramanuja Iyengar, at the music academy here tonight, he said the Doordarshan DTH now had space only for 33 channels and 17 more would soon be added when these two new music channels would be 'mounted'.
Stressing that All India Radio (AIR) would also focus on folk music, Reddy said 'we have decided to go in for huge expansion of FM radio in the private sector.
We will set up 330 AIR stations throughout the country in as many as 80 new cities, thus laying more focus on growth rather than on earning more revenue.
Reddy said the first phase of the private sector radio expansion did not succeed in full as lot of emphasis was laid on revenue earning rather than on growth. "Now, I am reversing this priority so that people will be able to enjoy more radio in general and more radio in the private sector".
In an obvious reference to the All India Radio losing out to private FM channels, he said all efforts would be made "within our powers to see that radio is revived."
Speaking about the proposed music channels he said: "The golden voice of M S Subbulakshmi, Alathur brothers and of others would be avaiable now to everyone", he said adding that music and peace were intertwined. "Where there is music, there will be peace".
Reddy said Doordarshan's DTH was the only 'free-to-air' DTH available in the world today. The unique feature of it DD DTH was that 'we are able to accommodate all the radio channels in it'. "We are also planning to release AIR folk music in digital quality. Our entire archives, the richest in the world today, had been digitalised by harnessing the latest technology".
The Prasar Bharati now had all the speech of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Rabindranath Tagore and all Prime Ministers and Presidents. "All these have been preserved in digital form. The problem with the Prasar Bharati is that we have lot of good things but do not know how to disseminate them".
Paying encomia to the music doyens whose CDs were released today, the minister said Government cannot remain 'indifferent' to the fate of arts. Governments should be eliminated from intervening or interfering in arts. The AIR had played glorious role in promotion and preservation of classic music.
Jaipal Reddy said historically the All India Radio in the country had rendered greater service, be it Hindustani music or Carnatic music.
"We have record of 10,000 hours of classical music. We have rare recordings of doyens of both the music".
Reddy handed over the first CD of Subbulakshmi to another maestro of Carnatic music, Balamurali Krishna, the CD of Alathur brothers to the Editor-in-Chief of 'The Hindu', N Ram and the CD of Ramanujam Iyengar to Gauri Ramnarayan, a music critic. (Agencies)
Published: Wednesday, June 29, 2005
http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BD4A44789-D575-4340-A838-367CDCC9B155%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Chennai
While one of the channels would be started from Lucknow, the other would be launched from Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu. Both these channels would be available on DD DTH platform, so that lovers of classical music could avail this music in digital quality for most of the time, he said.
Releasing 'Akashvani Sangeet' CDs and Cassettes of doyens of carnatic music, late M S Subbulakshmi, Alathur Brothers and 'Ariyakudi' Ramanuja Iyengar, at the music academy here tonight, he said the Doordarshan DTH now had space only for 33 channels and 17 more would soon be added when these two new music channels would be 'mounted'.
Stressing that All India Radio (AIR) would also focus on folk music, Reddy said 'we have decided to go in for huge expansion of FM radio in the private sector.
We will set up 330 AIR stations throughout the country in as many as 80 new cities, thus laying more focus on growth rather than on earning more revenue.
Reddy said the first phase of the private sector radio expansion did not succeed in full as lot of emphasis was laid on revenue earning rather than on growth. "Now, I am reversing this priority so that people will be able to enjoy more radio in general and more radio in the private sector".
In an obvious reference to the All India Radio losing out to private FM channels, he said all efforts would be made "within our powers to see that radio is revived."
Speaking about the proposed music channels he said: "The golden voice of M S Subbulakshmi, Alathur brothers and of others would be avaiable now to everyone", he said adding that music and peace were intertwined. "Where there is music, there will be peace".
Reddy said Doordarshan's DTH was the only 'free-to-air' DTH available in the world today. The unique feature of it DD DTH was that 'we are able to accommodate all the radio channels in it'. "We are also planning to release AIR folk music in digital quality. Our entire archives, the richest in the world today, had been digitalised by harnessing the latest technology".
The Prasar Bharati now had all the speech of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Rabindranath Tagore and all Prime Ministers and Presidents. "All these have been preserved in digital form. The problem with the Prasar Bharati is that we have lot of good things but do not know how to disseminate them".
Paying encomia to the music doyens whose CDs were released today, the minister said Government cannot remain 'indifferent' to the fate of arts. Governments should be eliminated from intervening or interfering in arts. The AIR had played glorious role in promotion and preservation of classic music.
Jaipal Reddy said historically the All India Radio in the country had rendered greater service, be it Hindustani music or Carnatic music.
"We have record of 10,000 hours of classical music. We have rare recordings of doyens of both the music".
Reddy handed over the first CD of Subbulakshmi to another maestro of Carnatic music, Balamurali Krishna, the CD of Alathur brothers to the Editor-in-Chief of 'The Hindu', N Ram and the CD of Ramanujam Iyengar to Gauri Ramnarayan, a music critic. (Agencies)
Published: Wednesday, June 29, 2005
http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BD4A44789-D575-4340-A838-367CDCC9B155%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Chennai
Sunday, June 26, 2005
SW Radio Africa saved from closure
By Staff Reporter
Last updated: 06/25/2005 21:13:04
SW RADIO Africa which has been teetering on the brink of collapse is nowsafe, it was confirmed on Friday."SW Radio Africa is very pleased to announce that we have been saved fromclosure," the station's manager Gerry Jackson said in a brief statement."We will therefore be able to continue broadcasting on Medium Wave 1197kHzfrom 5 - 7am every morning. This signal is clearly heard throughout SouthAfrica and over most of Zimbabwe. We regret that due to the relentlessjamming of our Shortwave signal by the government we are unable to providethis service at the moment."Jackson did not say where the money had come from, but indications were thatthe station was now safe for another year.The award winning radio station needs close to £100 000 every month toremain in operation, according to insiders.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/fm14.12786.html
Last updated: 06/25/2005 21:13:04
SW RADIO Africa which has been teetering on the brink of collapse is nowsafe, it was confirmed on Friday."SW Radio Africa is very pleased to announce that we have been saved fromclosure," the station's manager Gerry Jackson said in a brief statement."We will therefore be able to continue broadcasting on Medium Wave 1197kHzfrom 5 - 7am every morning. This signal is clearly heard throughout SouthAfrica and over most of Zimbabwe. We regret that due to the relentlessjamming of our Shortwave signal by the government we are unable to providethis service at the moment."Jackson did not say where the money had come from, but indications were thatthe station was now safe for another year.The award winning radio station needs close to £100 000 every month toremain in operation, according to insiders.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/fm14.12786.html
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