India’s 500th Community Radio Station in Aizawl

 Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, recently launched India’s 500th community  radio station, ‘Apna Radio 90.0 FM’, in Aizawl. At the same time, he announced the winners of the 10th National Community Radio Awards. This event shows that the government is serious about using media to get more people involved in their communities.

Significance of Community Radio

Community radio gives people in the area a chance to be heard and allows people at the local level to communicate. It encourages participation in politics, artistic expression, and social change, which makes it an important part of the media landscape. The launch of Apna Radio is in line with the government’s Act East strategy, which aims to improve community welfare and connectivity, especially in India’s North East. It shows a dedication to making local problems and stories heard.

Awards Overview

The National Community Radio Awards recognize outstanding contributions by stations across various categories, highlighting innovation, cultural promotion, and sustainability.

Award Categories

1. Thematic Award: Celebrating specific impactful themes.
2. Most Innovative Community Engagement Award: Creativity in audience participation.
3. Promoting Local Culture Award: Highlighting local traditions and culture.
4. Sustainability Model Award: Encouraging sustainable practices in radio operation.

Award Winners

Thematic Award:

• 1st: Radio Mayur, Bihar (Tech Sakhi)
• 2nd: Radio Kochi, Kerala (Nirangal)
• 3rd: Hello Doon, Uttarakhand (Meri Baat)

Most Innovative Community Engagement Award

• 1st: Yerlawani Sangli, Maharashtra (Kahani Sunandachi)
• 2nd: Vaylaga  Vanoli, Tamil Nadu (Let’s Build a New Norm)
• 3rd: Salaam Namaste, Uttar Pradesh (Maid Didi)

Promoting Local Culture Award:

• 1st: Radio Brahmaputra, Assam (Igarekun)
• 2nd: Radio Kotagiri, Tamil Nadu (En Makkaludan Oru Payanam)
• 3rd: Radio Active, Bihar (Ang Pradesh ki Adbut Dharohar)

Sustainability Model Award

• 1st: Radio Benziger, Kerala
• 2nd: Radio Namaskar, Odisha
• 3rd: Radio Antarwani, Karnataka

Revised Community Radio Station Guidelines

 On February 13, 2024, marking World Radio Day, India’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur released new policy guidelines for expanding community radio stations across the country. The guidelines were unveiled at the two-day Regional Community Radio Sammelan conference held in Delhi and attended by stakeholders from the broadcasting industry.

Key Features

The revised community radio guidelines introduce major changes to enable growth of this localized broadcasting medium.

• Institutional Ownership

A key provision increases the limit of community radio stations one institute can set up from one to six stations across various districts. This allows established organizations to launch multiple community stations catering to diverse regions and enhancing outreach.

• Advertising Duration and Revenue

The guidelines significantly boost the monetization potential for community radio by hiking the allowed advertising duration from 7 minutes to 12 minutes per hour. Simultaneously, the base rate for 10 second advertising spots goes up from ₹52 to ₹74. This greatly expands revenue sources to make community radio operations more sustainable.

• Simplified Licensing

The new guidelines also ease operational challenges regarding permissions, licensing and clearances for setting up community radio stations. A web portal for processing applications and approvals is being introduced to enable more efficient roll-out of stations.

• Government Support

Given community radios run mostly via internal funding, external financial support schemes have been scarce so far. The revised blueprint lays out Central government funds to provide financial viability gap funding, set up infrastructure, digitize stations and raise professional standards regarding content and management.

Impact of the Guidelines

The updated community radio guidelines are expected to rapidly accelerate growth in this sector. From just over 300 existing stations currently, the aim is to double this number with over 600 community radio stations in the next 2-3 years. By reaching smaller towns and rural pockets, community radio can fulfill goals of wider connectivity, localized engagement and affordable entertainment cum information access.

World Radio Day

World Radio Day is celebrated on February 13th every year. It was proclaimed in 2011 by UNESCO to raise awareness about the importance of radio as a medium. To mark the occasion, radio stations around the world organize special programming to showcase radio’s role in communities. Activities highlight issues like gender equality, open communication, innovation in radio, and the security of journalists. The 2024 theme “Radio and Peace” explores radio’s potential to spread messages of tolerance and mutual understanding.