Since times immemorial, radio has been the one link of communication that has held its ground even after waves of technology changes across every decade in India. It has stood the test of time and is now morphing into an instrument of social upliftment with the onset of community radio. Community radio, a new phenomenon has rapidly gained popularity. In the newly revolutionizing culture of the rural sector of the country, there is a need to strengthen the third tier of governance by raising awareness of local bodies and Panchayati Raj institutions through effective media campaigns. Visual media such as television would not survive due to lack of rural electrification, while print media is still struggling to find its space in rural areas due to poor literacy rate. Radio could be the only medium which is not always dependent on electricity, and could effectively convey the message to masses.

With the passage of time, the scope of community radio as an effective medium did not only restrict to the rural masses but has been extended to even tier-1 and tier-2 cities. Educational bodies such as Delhi University, JNU,Jamia Milia Islamia University, and several engineering colleges across India have their own community radio stations (CRS). The aim of such CRS in campus is to connect with students, understand their concerns, and address their problems through an effective channel. The focus of the CRS would be to encourage the community members to speak out their needs and ideas, to create knowledge content for students, and to act as a medium for teachers to develop knowledge content relevant to their subjects.

Policies & Plans

The Government of India is planning to expand its CRS program to all states, with the aim to connect the rural hinterland with the national mainstream. During the current fiscal, the community radio network will focus on covering states like Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, which have remained untapped so far. An amount of Rs 3.25 crore has also been sanctioned for the entire Plan (2007-12) period for information, education, and communication (IEC) for CRS.

Participatory development communication as a concept has now started evolving with the governments CRS program plans on the anvil that will give the underprivileged not only access to information but also their involvement to use the media.

At the quarter ending Sep-09, out of 83 licensees of community radio stations, 47 stations were in operation. In the quarter ending Dec-09, 5 licenses were issued. Now, out of 88 licensees, 50 stations are in operation.

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting issued twenty letters of intent (LoI) by the end of 2009, totaling to 189. Approximately 600 applications, including 250 applications from educational institutions, were received from various organizations for setting up CRS. Around sixty-seven CRSs are presently functioning in the country under the Ministrys initiative to provide an opportunity to the local communities to express themselves and share their views. Six state level consultations for community radio awareness were also organized by the Ministry during 2009.

Tracking History

Indias first CRS became operational on February 1, 2004, at Anna University, Chennai, after obtaining license by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. The government then came up with the Community Radio Policy in November 2006, after enacting the Right to Information Act which is considered to bring transparency, ensure good governance, and empower people to access any information. However, there were a lot of apprehensions and constraints when such an initiative started. One was regarding the ability and willingness of educational institutions to come forward for the social cause of upliftment of the society and communities at large. Secondly, and most important being the technical issues like efficient spectrum management, proper bandwidth usage, and the receiver technologies that hold the key for growth of community radio in India. Last, but not the least is the need for the self-regulation and observance of the code of conduct for the content of programs to be broadcast.

Conclusion

Four key factors are essential for the success of a CRS. Firstly, the physical requirements of equipment which should include a studio, transmission system, antenna tower and electrical supply. Secondly, the content that is being aired on the stations. A challenge here would be to produce content regularly that will have appeal and would be relevant to the target audiences. Thirdly, investment in the form of grants and loans is needed, however, a strategy aimed at self sustainability is essential for long term success of the station, and finally wider community investment and participation are also important for the stations effectiveness as a catalyst.