AIR FM absent in 160 of the Phase III cities

NEW DELHI: All India Radio (AIR) does not have any FM station in 160 of the cities included in the Phase III FM radio license auctions. In Phase III, auctions for a total of 839 FM radio channels in 294 cities will be conducted.

According to the ?Poised for Growth: FM radio in India? study by Confederation of Indian Industry and Ernst & Young, Prasar Bharati proposes to provide FM transmitters with programme production facilities in 20 of these cities.

This scheme has been proposed in the Twelfth Plan, subject to availability of funds. Consequently, AIR FM Radio requires more than 500 transmitters to increase its coverage to more than 80 per cent of the country.

AIR stations broadcast from 267 transmitters that are installed at 246 places across India, and its FM stations reach around 42 per cent of India?s population.

Furthermore, 248 new FM transmitters are being installed in the country under various schemes approved under the Eleventh Five Year Plan to further augment AIR?s FM terrestrial coverage.

AIR is expected to reach around 54 per cent of India?s population on implementation of this project.

In the Phase III, auctions for a total of 839 FM radio channels in 294 cities will be conducted.

Referring to the role All India Radio can play, the report says community radio stations should be provided content relating to local welfare programmes by the pubcaster and the local government to spread awareness of this.

AIR or media institutes need to conduct training courses to build a pool of skilled people who are competent to operate radio stations. Roll out of FM Phase III will also require a large number of professionals.

Meanwhile, the report says two-thirds of the persons surveyed by it feel that permission to broadcast AIR news bulletins subject to conditions and other non-news content will increase listenership and stickiness.

But the report suggests that there is need to provide flexibility in news generation and dissemination, as has been permitted to television channels and internet media, with the requisite guidelines and monitoring mechanisms.