BENGALURU: The Digital March-Media and Entertainment in South India - Deloitte-FICCI released a report at the FICCI-MEBC 2013 in Bangalore.

On the impact of Phase III of licensing on South India, the report says that 229 of the 839 frequencies being auctioned are in 83 cities of the four Southern states. Phase III is expected to result in 294 frequencies (existing plus planned) in South India alone. About 90 per cent of the cities for which frequencies will be auctioned belong to Tier 2 or Tier 3 categories.

This would help radio expand its reach to the masses.

Phase III auction of licenses of radio frequencies, is expected to generate substantial employment across the country. Thus, with the launch of new stations in 283 cities across the country, experts in the industry foresee demand for people proficient in regional languages for which regional dialect and diction training may also be required.

The radio industry will face human capital challenges. The industry believes that the skill gaps are largely owing to a scarcity of educational institutes offering programs for radio. This in turn limits the sources for recruitment. This leaves the industry with either hiring graduates and training them in-house or relying on alternative sources of hiring e.g. walk-in-interviews, theatre etc. The issue is only expected to escalate once Phase III licenses are auctioned across India.Quoting industry sources, the report says that retention is never a challenge for key management / leadership team. It’s the support staff that is a challenge. Currently, the industry relies on on-the-job training to compensate for the lack of training courses.

External trainers from abroad are also commissioned to train people on creative thinking skills and show conceptualisation. Trainers are often hired to train sound engineers and technicians. Resources are also trained in-house on handling radio transmission equipment and software.