NEW DELHI: All India Radio has a spectrum of just 4.7 MHz exclusively reserved for its FM services and will need more spectrum to achieve its objective of setting up 385 new FM transmitters in the Twelfth Plan to increase the FM coverage to India?s 90 per cent population.

Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources said that only 100 to 103.7 was presently reserved exclusively for FM broadcasting services by AIR.

In contracts, 103.7 t0 108 MHz and 91.5 MHz to 95 MHz is exclusively reserved for expansion of the private sector FM services.

At present, AIR FM reaches out to 41.43 per cent population and 29.18 per cent area. This is part of the total AIR coverage of 91.87 per cent area and 99.19 per cent population.

Even prior to the 12th Plan scheme, FM Transmitters of varying capacities are being installed in 224 more places throughout the country by AIR, apart from 40 MW transmitters. This will take the coverage to 38.75 per cent area and 53.53 per cent population including villages and hamlets.

The sources said 87 to 91.5 MHz and 95 to 100 MHz is shared between Fixed/Mobile and FM broadcasting services. But Fixed/Mobile Services have priority over FM broadcasting services.

Meanwhile, 531-1602 kHz (Medium Frequency) is an exclusive band for radio broadcasting according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). AIR gets allocation for Medium Wave radio services. Furthermore, 3-26 MHz (High Frequency) is an exclusive band for radio broadcasting and AIR gets allocation for Short Wave radio services.

In addition, AIR is also using the Insat satellites for linking/feeding of programmes to various stations in the country through S-Band: 2550-2590 MHz (Transponder S-1); 2590-2630 MHz ((Transponder S-2); and C-Band : 4105-4145 MHz.

The sources said the assessment of spectrum requirement for broadcasting and radio is done by Wireless Planning Coordination Wing (WPC) of the Department of Telecom through a Committee under the chairmanship of Wireless Advisor while drawing up of National Frequency Allocation Plan. The NFAP 2011 is the latest frequency allocation plan.

NEW DELHI: All India Radio (AIR) has failed to achieve its commercial revenue target yet again, earning Rs 2.54 billion during 2011-12 against a projected Rs 3.5 billion.

In fact, AIR?s commercial revenue has dropped marginally from the earlier year. For 2010-11, the state-owned radio operator had earned Rs 2.57 billion against a target of Rs Rs 3.25 billion.

AIR has, thus, failed to meet its projected target in any of the years of the 11th Plan. In the earlier years of the 11th Plan, the gap has also been quite visible. For 2009-10, the commercial revenue stood at Rs 2.01 billion while the projected income for the fiscal was Rs 3 billion.

The record for the earlier two years runs like this: Rs 1.98 billion (against projection of Rs 2.8 billion) for 2008-09; and Rs 2.16 billion (target of Rs 2.43 billion) for 2007-08.

AIR?s gross revenues over the last five years had been: Rs 2.9 billion in 2007-08; Rs 2.9 billion in 2008-09; Rs 3.0 billion in 2009-10; Rs 3.7 billion in 2010-11; and Rs 3.6 billion in 2011-12.

According to Prasar Bharati sources, AIR?s projection for 2012-13 has been provisionally kept at Rs 3.5 billion.It remains to be seen whether stiff competition from private FM radio operators will enable AIR to achieve its target that remains similar to what it had kept for the previous fiscal.

NEW DELHI: All India Radio proposes to set up 385 new FM transmitters in the Twelfth Plan in the country to increase the FM coverage to 90 per cent population.

However, this is subject to allocation of funds and approval of the Planning Commission, Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources said.

At present, AIR FM reaches out to 41.43 per cent population and 29.18 per cent area. This is part of the total AIR coverage of 91.87 per cent area and 99.19 per cent population.

Even prior to the 12th Plan scheme, FM Transmitters of varying capacities are being installed in 224 more places throughout the country by AIR, apart from 40 MW transmitters. This will take the coverage to 38.75 per cent area and 53.53 per cent population including villages and hamlets.

In addition, the power of 12 MW transmitters is being increased and 40 new MW transmitters are being installed under the 11th Plan. At present, 432 AM/FM transmitters are installed in the country.

New stations are being set up in 225 places, and a total of 62 new Akashwani kendras were set up in the past three years.

A total of 276 AIR radio stations are functional in the country at present. A total of 278 more stations will be set up under the 12th Plan if the budgets are approved.

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology has said it is ?unhappy to note that out of the planned allocation of Rs three billion for upgradation of studios and transmitters of All India Radio in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, only Rs 18 million had been spent.

The Committee was not convinced with the reasons cited by the Ministry that delay in approval of Schemes only on 27 April 2010 delayed procurement and implementation of the project resulting in low expenditure.

The Committee was "of the considered view that when the budgetary provision had already been made for the project, the Ministry should have set the physical targets, closely monitored the progress of physical targets and ensured full utilisation of funds in the Island".

The Committee took serious note of the above underspending and recommended the Ministry should take adequate measures during 2012-13 so that projects are expedited and funds utilised optimally during the current Financial Year.

NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has prepared a cabinet note to bring about financial restructuring of Prasar Bharati and ensure all operating expenses should be borne by the Broadcasting body?s internal revenues.

The Note will come up before Union Cabinet soon as inter-ministerial discussions on the same are in their final stages.

The note is based on recommendations of a Group of Ministers attached to Prasar Bharati, which suggested that Government Non-Plan support should be extended for meeting the total expenses on salary and salary-related expenses and augmentation and replacement of capital assets for the five years from 2011-12 to 2015-16.

The GoM had also recommended that accumulated arrears of space segment and spectrum charges up to 31 March 2011 should be waived.

Section 22 of the Prasar Bharati Act 1990 should be restored in its original form to exempt the pubcaster from paying any income tax.

All loans paid to the public service broadcaster should be converted into grants-in-aid, the GoM had said, adding that interests accrued on the loans should be waived.

Prasar Bharati?s revenue stood at Rs 10.38 billion for the nine-month period ended 31 December 2011. The commercial revenue by Doordarshan and All India Radio during this period was Rs 7.48 billion and Rs 2.45 billion respectively while Rs 444 million came from ?other resources?.

In 2010-11, Prasar Bharati?s revenue climbed to Rs 12.71 billion, from Rs 11.46 billion a year ago. Out of the net revenue, Rs 9.44 billion came from DD and Rs 2.76 billion from AIR as net commercial revenue. A total of Rs 505.8 million came from other resources.

Prasar Bharati?s operational costs during fiscal 2010-11 rose to Rs 27.45 billion, out of which Rs 14.69 billion was for Doordarshan. The increase in the operational cost has been attributed to the hike in the salary of employees following the 6th Pay Commission.