News

Community radio to get a big boost in India

10/02/2005 -- Community radio to get a big boost

Licensing rules to be simplified - The Hindu, 11 Sept 2005
http://www.hindu.com/2005/09/11/stories/2005091106251000.htm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Community radio is `not financially viable' right now. But it has a great future
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry plans to simplify and rationalise community radio licensing rules and allow commercials as well as limited airing of non-political news such as sports. The proposal, coming in the wake of complaints of the process being strenuous and expensive, will be presented to the Cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister S. Jaipal Reddy said on Saturday.

Great future

Admitting that the community radio initiative had not taken off as well as it should have, he said: "We are looking at admitting sponsored programmes. Community radio is not financially viable right now. But it has a great future and we have to find ways of raising funds for it."

He was speaking at a colloquium on "Who decides what we watch" organised by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust as part of the week-long "Open Frame" film festival here.

Decentralisation

"If broadcasting remains in the hands of the bureaucracy, then it will work the same way and not change. If you have to have access, it must be decentralised, although I realise that this is just wishful thinking and not possible. There has to be genuine access for people to have genuine entitlement. The real concern should be how to make broadcasting democratic and accessible," Mr. Benegal said.

Date: 10/02/2005
Location: India
Theme: Freedom of Expression, National ICT Strategies