SEWA sets up 49th CRS

Self Employed Women's Association's radio unit Rudi No Radio is setting up its 49th community radio station in Manipur village, Sanand taluka and other villages within a 10-km radius, according to a press release. It will be functional within the next three months. Rudi No Radio has transmitted 200 episodes in partnership with All India Radio. It is managed by women who have had no formal training in mass media. Its episode s focus on development issues such as agriculture, health, water and are produced by women in the local folk style. Video team comprises of women who were vegetable vendors, bidi makers, head loaders, screen painters, tailors and now they manage the video unit completely by their own. Video SEWA has completed 25 years and is registered as a cooperative.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com

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BBC to tighten programme costs and save £1.9 bn

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is targeting a five per cent net reduction in programme prices each year for the next five years, prompting a tightening of the belt to tide over the harsh economic climate.

Across the BBC, the plan is to make savings of £1.9 billion in this Licence Fee period. BBC DG Mark Thompson revealed the plans while speaking on 'Accountability In A Time Of Change' at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy Annual Conference in Manchester.

"This is an environment where pay restraint at every level must make sense. In this year's pay round, the people with us earning below £60,000 got a flat rate increase of £450 and those earning £60,000 will not have any general increase at all. We have suspended all bonuses across the organisation."

Thompson reiterated that the UK pubcaster will protect programmes and services over the next few difficult years. "As far as we can, we will also protect jobs and so also our investment in independent production. We can only do those things because we began the difficult process of reform nearly five years ago. And even so, the economics are tight."

Thompson pointed out that all broadcasters including relatively well-funded parts of the public sector like the BBC face "some difficult years." The wider downturn and the level of public indebtedness will inevitably colour the entire climate for public spending decisions, he added.

http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k9/june/june358.php

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AIR engineers, direct recruits up in arms

Prasar Bharati is bracing itself to meet major protests from various cadres on issues such as cadre review for engineering employees to the inordinate delay and failure in promoting the direct recruit cadre officers to higher posts as directed by Courts more than five years back.

Hundreds of Direct Recruit Programme officers working in the two public service broadcasters, All India Radio and Doordarshan, are to launch a nationwide peaceful sit in protest dharna from 2 July.

The Association of Radio & Television Engineering Employees (ARTEE) held a lunch hour gate meeting last week as the first leg of its protracted agitation on a seven-point charter including One Pay for One Cadre amongst subordinate Engineering cadres (from Helper to Assistant Engineer) in All India Radio and Doordarshan.

Detail story on
http://www.radioandmusic.com/content/editorial/news/air-engineers-direct-recruits-arms

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Reliance Mobile and BBC World Service to jointly offer Live Radio services

Reliance Mobile and BBC World Service announced a strategic alliance to
offer Live Audio services through R-World VAS platform
Reliance subscribers will be able to have access to Live radio services from

BBC World Service with the content available in five different languages all

seven days a week.
BBC World Service will offer news in English, which will switch to Hindi at
6.30am, 8.00am, 7.30pm and 10.30 pm; Tamil, at 09.15pm; Urdu, at 7.00am,
8.30 pm and 11.00pm, and Bangla, at 5.00 am, 6.00 am and 6.00pm.
Commenting on its partnership with BBC World Service, Krishna Durbha, Head -

Business & Marketing, Value Added Services at Reliance Communications, said,

"Radio is a very popular medium in rural India. Through this service we
wanted to offer same experience to our customers in their preferred
language. Introduction of this service is part of our strategy to provide
innovative services in local languages."
Indu Shekhar Sinha, Business Development Manager, BBC World Service India,
adds, "We want to reach out to the widest possible audience across India,
both linguistically and geographically, and this deal is part of that
strategy. We're delighted to offer 24/7 live streaming radio on Reliance
mobile phones; this new platform will help us provide even more for our
listeners."
Reliance subscribers can access the BBC World Service Radio by dialing
51234378.

http://www.telecomt iger.com/ fullstory. aspx?passfrom= vasstory& storyid=6486

----
Alokesh Gupta
New Delhi

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Websites of All India Radio: Updated

Website of All India Radio, Agartala (Tripura)
www.airagartala. org

All India Radio, Rampur
http://rampur. nic.in/air. htm

Here are links to the websites of AIR regional stations posted in dx-india
earlier :

All India Radio - Ahmedabad,Gujarat
www.airahmedabad. in

All India Radio - Bhawanipatna, Orissa
www.airbpn.org

All India Radio - Cuttack,Orissa
www.airctc.com

All India Radio - Imphal
http://cicmanipur. nic.in/html/ air_imp.htm

All India Radio, HPT Malad, Mumbai
www.airhptmalad. com

All India Radio - Panaji
www.airpanaji. gov.in

All India Radio - Rohtak
www.rohtakakashvani .com

All India Radio Shillong
www.airshillong. org

All India Radio - Thiruvananthapuram
www.airtvm.com

All India Radio - Vividh Bharati (Temp)
http://vividhbharat i.weebly. com/index. html

All India Radio - Kolkata (Unofficial)
www.freewebs. com/airkolkata/

Other websites :

Govt. of India, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
http://mib.nic. in/

All India Radio - Main Website
www.allindiaradio. org

All India Radio News Portal
http://newsonair. com/

All India Radio, CE East Zone
http://airez. org.in/allindiar adio/

All India Radio, CE West Zone
www.cewzair. org

All India Radio, CE North Zone
www.cenorth. org <http://www.cenorth. org/>
All India Radio - Central Sales Unit,Mumbai
http://csuair. org.in/

All India Radio,Civil Construction Wing
www.ccwprasarbharat i.nic.in

All India Radio - Staff Training Institute (Tech)
http://education. vsnl.com/ stitair/

All India Radio - Regional Staff Training Institute(Techl) ,Bhubaneshwar
http://www.rstitbbs r.org/

All India Radio - Childrens Programme
http://childrensect ion.tripod. com/

Doordarshan
www.ddindia. gov.in

Doordarshan Thiruvanathapuram
www.ddktvm.gov. in

AIR & DD Engineers Association
http://airddenginee rs.org/

---------
Alokesh Gupta
New Delhi

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India to get its 50th community radio station in Hyderabad

Four years and two months after the government announced its policy relating to community radio, the 50th community radio got its clearance at Abid Ali Khan Educational Trust, Hyderabad. The trust has been operating for about 15 years in Hyderabad and serving the community, especially the weaker and marginalised sections by providing free education and vocational training in the field of journalism, computers, tailoring, embroidery and many other fields of livelihood generations.

To achieve these objectives and to reach out to these communities, particularly those who are poor, literally challenged and socially and culturally underprivileged, the CRS proposed by the Abid Ali Khan Educational Trust aims to address issues that concern the community through participatory programmes, and improve the quality of life in general.

(Indiantelevision.com)

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Sri Lanka’s tallest broadcast tower to be built at Kokkavil

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRC) says the giant broadcasting tower to be built in Kokkavil in the Mullaitivu District would be an all-purpose one. It also announced that the tower could be the highest to be built in the country, though it cannot confirm the statistic yet.

TRC Director General Priyantha Kariyapperuma told the Daily Mirror that the tower will be used for TV, radio and telecommunication purposes. He said it will be taller than the normal broadcasting tower. A broadcasting tower is generally 120 metres high but the height of this one would be 175 metres.

Mr Kariyapperuma said the TRC is currently finalizing the plans for constructing this tower. He also indicated the possibility of introducing new radio channels in the North while new technology such as digital TV also would be introduced.

(Source: Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka)

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Astro to up stake in Sun TV's radio subsidiary by 13%

Malaysia-based Astro Group is increasing its stake in Sun TV Network's radio subsidiary South Asia FM Ltd (SAFL) by 13.02 per cent, says a source familiar with the development.

South Asia Multimedia Technologies currently owns 6.98 per cent stake in SAFL and has expressed intent to enhance its stake to 20 per cent through fresh capital infusion.

As reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, Astro would be picking up equity in SAFL and Sun TV's stake would likely fall by five per cent to 60 per cent.

It is not clear yet what NDTV's holding would be after South Asia Multimedia Technologies hikes up its stake. NDTV currently holds three per cent stake in SAFL, the source adds.

SAFL has got the FIPB (foreign investment promotion board) nod to increase the foreign direct equity participation.

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SEWA gets licence to run community radio

Mahila SEWA Trust of Ahmedabad is to be the 48th licensee in the country to get a community radio station.

The Letter of Intent has been issued to the Institute after recommendations of Inter Ministerial Committee and seeking requisite clearances from various Ministries. SEWA started its community radio initiatives for building capacity of the women of the informal sector. The main objective of the activity is to provide information and education to the members in the remotest of the villages.

The radio programmes are made on different subjects like health, water, agriculture, animal husbandry, national and international events. The programmes particularly emphasize community participation. The professional experts give the training to the women at the grassroot level.

Mahila SEWA (Self Employed Women Association) was set up on 18 June 1975 under the Bombay Public Trust Act. Mahila SEWA Trust's main goals are to organise women workers for full employment and self reliance.

The Ministry encourages setting up of the Community Radio Stations as CRS promises to provide an opportunity to the local communities to express themselves, and empower the women. The main aim of starting the CRS is to provide different and useful information to the people in nearby villages.
(Indian Television.com)

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FM-III auctions may take place by end-2009

The government may delay its plans of announcing the third-phase auctions of over 500 private FM radio stations by at least four months, say informed government sources. This is significant because the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) is actively looking at making a policy announcement for the third-phase roll out of FM radio as part of its action plan for the first 100-days of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

A final recommendation to this effect has already been made by the sector regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).

Sources in the I&B ministry say that while the policy announcement for the third-phase roll out of FM radio stations will still be made, the auctioning process is likely to be pushed towards the end of this year.

This comes in the backdrop of a recent meeting between the Association of Radio Operators (AROI), the apex body of existing 40-odd private FM radio companies with Ambika Soni, the new I&B minister.

The AROI has urged the government to delay the auctioning process for the third-phase of FM radio till the issue of payment of music royalty to various music companies and their associations is resolved.

"If the auctions for the phase-three takes place soon, we fear none of the existing radio operators would be able to participate as the current rate of music royalty makes the entire radio business unviable," said Prashant Pandey, chief executive, Entertainment Networks India (ENIL) and a senior AROI.

Pandey said the AROI was hoping for an early settlement of the music royalty issue as the matter was before the Copyright Board that will begin the hearing on the matter by end-July.

Pandey, along with other senior members of the AROI, recently met the I&B minister and made a brief presentation on the radio business in the country.

According to the AROI, the radio industry has made around Rs 2,000 crore of combined investment so far while the advertising revenue stands at less than Rs 800 crore per annum. The only source of income for the FM radio industry is advertising revenue.

"We want the third-phase and we have conveyed the same to the minister. However, we are expecting a settlement in the music royalty issue in the next few months. If the government can delay the auctioning process till the music royalty issue is resolved, it will be beneficial for the existing FM radio operators," Pandey told Business Standard.

ENIL operates 32-FM stations under the Radio Mirchi brand name and is one of the oldest private FM radio operator and the only listed radio company.

For the last five years, the private FM radio companies have been involved in a legal battle with the music companies over payment of royalty for the much played by the FM radio stations.

"At the current rates fixed for paying music royalty, a FM station, irrespective of its geographical location, ends up paying Rs 80-90 lakh per annum to the music companies. Then there are other operational expenditures. However, the revenues for a FM radio station depend on its geographical location. So there is a practical problem in operating a radio station under the current scenario," says a media consultant who advises several radio companies.

So far, the I&B ministry has successfully launched the phase-one (2000-01) and phase-two (2005-06) of the private FM radio stations that has resulted in the launch of over 250 FM stations across 90 cities in past nine years.

While the first phase saw FM stations getting launched in the metros and certain state capitals, the second-phase turned out to be very significant for the private FM operators as the government tweaked the radio policy in favour of revenue-sharing model from the escalating licence fees regime in 2000-01.(Business Standard)

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Rs 389cr plan to increase TV, radio coverage in J&K border areas

Troubled by aggressive Pakistani propaganda along the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir, the government has mooted a Rs 389 crore proposal to increase its television and radio coverage in the higher reaches of the state and near security establishments. The proposal -- of immense strategic importance -- is in the final stages of approval.

- The Times of India 18/06

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AIR Shillong launches new website

All India Radio Shillong has launched a brand new website, here's the link :
www.airshillong.org

Direct links :
All India Radio, Shillong : www.airshillong.org/air/
All India Radio - North Eastern service, Shillong : www.airshillong.org/ner/

Contact address:
All India Radio
A.I.R. Building
Shillong, Meghalaya
0364 2222781
India.
Email: airnes@sancharnet.in
(Via Alokesh Gupta)

Open letter to RTI listeners

From RTI English website ......

Dear listeners,

It has come to our attenton that one of our programs may have contained objectionable content. We would like to offer our sincerest apologies and ensure you that Radio Taiwan International is dedicated to offering quality programming that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
We are in the process of conducting an internal review, and would like to encourage listeners to continue offering suggestions and feedback so that we can together create better quality programs in the future!
Sincerely,

The Staff of Radio Taiwan International
http://english. rti.org.tw/ Content/WhatsNew Single.aspx? ContentID= 80890

(Via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi)

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Prizes from CVC

The Above prizes won by Mr. Arun from Meenatchipalayam, Namakkal Dist., Tamil Nadu, India.

SLBC revamps its website

Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation has revamped its website with new look, new colors & new content. Have a look at the site here : http://www.slbc.lk/
Live audio streams are now available for following services :
- Sinhala National Service
- Tamil National Service
- Sinhala Commercial Service
- City FM
- Thendral
(Via Alokesh gupta, New Delhi)

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BBC updates its list of iPlayer compatible handsets

Updating its list of iPlayer compatible hand sets, BBC today boasts of 13 models that are competent enough to streamline WiFi.

Except for the Apple iPhone, all the other 13 handsets are also capable of steaming over a 3G connection if you happen to use 3 or Vodafone.

The iPhone can however listen to Listen Again, the radio service – a function that the Samsung Omnia and Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 are not capable of performing.

The list of mobile phone goes on as iPhone, Nokia N85, Nokia 5800, Nokia E71, Nokia N95, Nokia N96, Samsung Omnia, Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, Sony Ericsson W705, Sony Ericsson W715, Sony Ericsson C905, Sony Ericsson W995 and the HTC Touch HD.

There are five devices that will enable users to download TV over WiFi, the Nokia N85, 5800, E71, N96 and the Sony Ericsson W995. (freshnews.in)

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DRM+ successfully trialled in Paris

Paris, 12th June 2009: The Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) technology for broadcast at higher frequencies was successfully trialled in Paris on Thursday. The DRM+ signal was broadcast on 64.5 MHz from Tour Pleyel, North of Paris, and was received at the office of Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA) which regulates the various electronic media in France. The CSA is located 10 km away from the transmitter but the signal strength was good with only 400 watts of radiating power.

This positions DRM+ as a perfect solution for stations not able to join multiplexes, even in places where the FM band is full.

DRM+ extends the DRM standard which is the open, universal, digital radio standard for broadcast bands, to frequencies up to 174MHz including the FM spectrum from 87.5MHz to 108 MHz. DRM+ offers a range of features and benefits for radio stations’ around the world and can lead to a cost-effective migration to digital. It was first successfully tested on the FM Band in Kaiserslautern, Germany last year, but this is the first time DRM+ has been used in Band 1.

DRM+ has distinct advantages over conventional FM, it needs lower transmission power for same coverage, opens up new audio possibilities like 5.1 surround sound, increases spectrum efficiency and offers electronic data services such as programme guide and supporting information.

David Blanc, SNRL (Syndicat National des Radios Libres) says: “Professor Dr Andreas Steil and his team (Mr. Schad and Mr. Köhler) from the University of Applied Sciences, Kaiserslautern, was able to put together a complete DRM+ broadcast system on Band 1 and agreed to test it in Paris. SNRL, which gathers over 300 local stations in France, has been trying to find a technical solution for the many stations which cannot join multiplexes for various reasons, including coverage area, cost and desire to remain in control of their broadcast operations. “

“DRM+ seems to be an excellent choice, offering over 100 kbps of usable bit rate, enabling CD audio quality, slideshow and other data to be broadcast from a simple privately-owned transmitter. We now recommend integrating DRM+ in all digital radio receivers, from 60 to 108 Mhz.”, he added.

This test was performed by the help of University of Applied Sciences, Kaiserslautern and Fraunhofer IIS, Erlangen.

Ruxandra Obreja, Chairman, DRM Consortium says: “Through this trial in France, we have yet another proof that the DRM standard can offer a most versatile, economical range of options for big and small operators for the benefit of audiences that want good quality radio. We hope that the trial in France will be positively noted and actioned by the French radio authorities. It is an excellent extra step that will preface the expected all- band extension of the DRM global standard.”(drm.org)

> Click here to view the release in pdf format.

TV programme on amateur radio

As part of a technology programme, NDTV HINDU, a new channel, is
broadcasting a programme this evening (12 June 2009) at 2130 HRS.

Apparently NDTV HINDU is not available on Tata Sky but is part of regular
cable TV channels, and so some of us may not be able to view it, including
myself!

If someone has a chance to record it, kindly do so and we could all share
it. It may be uploaded onto a web site later but not for now. (Gopal, VU2GMN)

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DRM & WorldDMB at Broadcast Asia

DRM and WorldDMB are hosting a joint networking party at Broadcast Asia in Singapore this year. After the day session on 'Expanding the Opportunities in Radio', the two consortia will invite industry guests for a special reception on Tuesday 16th June 2009 from 19.30-21.30. DRM & WorldDMB are the industry bodies promoting digital radio around the world.

> If you would like to attend this event, please contact the DRM Press Office .

Stop and Listen – BBC World Service invites audiences to Save our Sounds

Iconic images of cities, from the Sydney Opera House to the canals of Venice, are etched in the public's imagination, but BBC World Service is on a quest to celebrate the often overlooked quality of sound. From bells, to taxi horns and the shouts of street traders, BBC World Service's new multimedia season Save Our Sounds is on a quest to make people around the world stop, listen and think about the defining noises around them.

The Save our Sounds website - bbcworldservice.com/saveoursounds – has launched an innovative interactive sound map. Audiences are able to record, and upload sounds on to the world map to become part of a sonic worldview and an online archive of global noises.

Resident Save Our Sounds micro-blogger Kate Arkless Gray will be talking to acoustic practitioners and audiences online and via Twitter ( @BBC_SOS) , building a community around the project. The website will also feature regular 'sound challenges' and a 'desperately seeking sound' appeal'*. Later in the season users will also be able to create their own soundscapes in a virtual 3D landscape.

As part of this season, a new two part documentary, Discovery: Save Our Sounds will premiere on Wednesday 8 and 15 July at 2030 BST on BBC World Service*. Presented by acoustician Professor Trevor Cox, this series features a range of experts including architects, urban planners, environmental scientists, sound artists, psychologists and social scientists, all concerned with acoustic ecology in the urban soundscape. The series will examine the impact of sound on people's lives, and question whether some distinct noises, from street markets, to bells and street hawkers, are actually at risk of disappearing, drowned out by new technologies and generic sounds like cooling fans and traffic.

Professor Cox also travels to one of the noisiest cities in the world, Hong Kong, where engineers are pioneering new approaches to acoustic management, as well as meeting an expert in the UK, who has been commissioned to create the urban soundscape of the future.

Other BBC World Service programmes will be involved in the Save our Sounds season. Outlook, from 15 June will focus on sounds from five parts of the world which maybe in danger of disappearing, from the fish wives of Angola whose songs resonate through the streets of Luanda, to chai wallahs pouring tea on the streets on Delhi.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

For further information on Save our Sounds please contact Penny Crook, BBC World Service publicity on +44 (0)207 557 1142, penny.crook@bbc.co.uk

*Save our Sounds will transmit on Wednesday 8 and 15 July at 2030 BST on BBC World Service –UK and Europe schedule. The documentary will also be available online as a podcast - www.bbcworldservice.com

Go to bbcworldservice.com/saveoursounds to find The Interactive Sound Map, 3D Soundmaps, and blogs

The Save our Sounds Twitter feed is: @BBC_SOS

Interactive Sound Map

For more information on how the interactive sound map go to - bbcworldservice.com/saveoursounds. This site also contains Information and tips on recording and uploading material on to the map.

*Desperately Seeking Sounds

Save our Sounds want to hear from audiences about the sounds they want to hear again. Perhaps a childhood sound or a noise from a favourite longed for city. Email us at saveoursounds@bbc.com telling us which sound you'd love to hear again, and where in the world you heard it. We'll then try and match-make you with the sound and you can tell us if we've got it right.

BBC World Service is an international multimedia broadcaster delivering 32 language and regional services. It uses multiple platforms to reach 182 million listeners globally, including shortwave, AM, FM, digital satellite and cable channels. It has around 2,000 partner radio stations which take BBC content, and numerous partnerships supplying content to mobile phones and other wireless handheld devices. Its news sites include audio and video content and offer opportunities to join the global debate. For more information, visit bbcworldservice.com. To find out more about the BBC's English language offer and subscribe to a free e-newsletter, visit bbcworldservice.com/schedules.

Radio Operators contemplate no bidding in Phase 3 unless MIB addresses core issues

The Association of Radio Operators in India (AROI) has tabled its issues with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) over the last three months stating categorically that unless various issues such as music royalty cost, cost of renting Prasar Bharti infrastructure and so on, that are challenging the growth of the radio FM industry are not addressed, the key operators would not bid for the Phase 3 of radio FM licenses. The FM players have reiterated this positioning.

Come clean on music royalty says AROI:

Apurva Purohit, CEO Radio City and President AROI said that Phase-III auction will be a non-starter unless the ongoing music royalty row is solved, and either economic environment becomes more conducive or the government takes steps to help the fledgling FM industry.

Uday Chawla, Secretary General, AROI, confirmed that existing private operators have officially taken a position of not participating in Phase III, unless certain basic anomalies are resolved. He said, "The fledgling and nascent private FM radio industry owes its existence to the initiative of the MIB to create a unique example of encouraging private enterprise to build an industry, which internationally has proven to be a major source of news and entertainment, besides providing tremendous employment opportunities."

The AROI officials explained that the private FM radio industry contributed over Rs 100 crore per annum to the government through license fee payments and rentals. To achieve these results, the industry has invested heavily, by way of license bids or one-time entry fee (OTEF) of Rs 1180 crore and further capital expenditure of around Rs 750 crore, to set up new radio stations. Several companies have raised debt to fund this heavy investment..

Chawla explained, "High music royalty continues to be an impediment to short term survival and long term potential of private FM industry. Combined with the government stand to not allow news and current affairs, there is no way out till a reasonable solution is reached. The limit of 10-year period of license has also proved to be commercially unviable."

Industry Says

Prashant Panday, CEO, Radio Mirchi, stated, "We believe that the issues of music royalty cost should get sorted out before the auctions happen. Nevertheless, we are in favour of FM phase III and its other recommendations."

Amritendu Roy, Business Head, Friends FM observed, "We are a member of AROI and we stand by whatever the AROI has proposed. If it is refusing to participate in the FM phase III bidding, so be it. However, if the government pays no heed to the proposal and goes ahead with the phase III policy, then we would definitely see what we can do next."

Dilip Dugar, Vice-President, Radio Misty noted, "We have not received any official statement from AROI on this but we are a part of the AROI, and we will participate in the FM phase III bidding. Music royalty is a big issue and should be sorted out at the soonest so that the Indian radio industry grows."

While the MIB has been "cooperative" in trying to resolve the royalty issue, the matter is subjudice under Copyright Board, which comes under the preview of Ministry of HRD. There is an expectation in both radio and music that the Board will be able to find a reasonable solution within three months.
© exchange4media 2009

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FIPB holds up Worldspace India's audio streaming plans

Satellite radio company WorldSpace's proposal to provide audio music programmes for listening on its website has been returned to the applicant. The FIPB board has advised the company to submit it afresh after the government policy on the related activity is notified. WorldSpace India will now have to wait until the notification of Government policy pertaining to satellite radio services, to offer streaming of audio music programmes on its website. The Web-based service proposed by Worldspace is seen as B2C (business-to-consumer) activity by the Government and hence needs separate permission. Under the current law, Web-based service requires the Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance. The deferring will delay the company's plans to deliver the channels via its site, which would have spelt good news for its Indian music subscribers in  different parts of the world. WorldSpace India had stated that the programmes would be streamed, allowing it to receive payment (in lieu of subscriptions to the service) and revenue. It had also pointed out that the proposed service would only involve streaming but not support playback, storage or recording of music. The company wanted to promote the service, distribute and transmit content over various mediums in locations outside India as well. The proposal had come up for discussion in the previous meeting of the FIPB in April this year, but was deferred. Worldspace plans to go ahead with its overall organisational plans and without any major changes in its approach of business execution in India, While globally the company has been facing several problems, in India, the company has been  optimistic about future prospects, especially with the expected finalisation of the satellite radio policy. At present, World Space provides 34 radio channels in India that include BBC World and London-based WRN news channels.(http://www.radioandmusic.com)

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Community Radio Station to Start at T. Pudupatty, Madurai District, Tamil Nadu

Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India has signed a Grant of Permission Agreement for establishing, maintaining and operating a Community Radio Station at T. Pudupatty, Thirumangalam Taluk, Madurai District, Tamil Nadu by People's Association for Rural Development (PARD). Letter of Intent had been issued to the Society after recommendations of Inter Ministerial Committee and seeking requisite clearances from various Ministries. The Community Radio Station is expected to be operational within three months as per the agreement.People's Association for Rural Development (PARD) is a registered Society registered under Societies Registrations Act 1975(Tamil Nadu Act 27 of 1975) on 28.11.1988. The main objective of the Society is to impart education in health, social awareness, agriculture, promote functional education, legal education and cultural development of the villages, environment and rural sanitation to the rural people, to
undertake constructive activities for the welfare of socially and economically backward women, children and family on voluntary self help and democratic basis.The People's Association for Rural Development (PARD) had conducted a survey across 59 villages in four taluks of T. Pudupatty, Thirumangalam Taluk, Madurai District, Tamil Nadu about the need for setting up CRS and the requirements of targeted population. It was noted that out of 708 respondents, 83.05% of the population did not receive any newspaper. 61% of the respondents believe that radio can help them solve the major problems they are facing. 66.7% radio owners tuned to FM Channels. This pointed to the dire need of a Community Radio which employs local language and dialect to attract a new generation of listeners if a Radio revival is to be achieved. Besides the language and content, people feel that if they have the ownership of media, the possibility of the radio revival will increase
enormously.The Ministry encourages setting up the Community Radio Stations as it promises to provide an opportunity to the local communities to express themselves, share their views and particularly empower the women, youth and the marginalized groups to take part in local self-governance and overall socio-economic and cultural development of the area. It will also better inform the society about the developmental initiatives of Government and promote transparency in the implementation of the scheme.
(Press Information Bureau, Govt of India Via Alokesh Gupta)

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RFA QSL series celebrating musical instruments of Asia

Today I received a wonderful QSL from RFA. Report send on 23 May 2009 for 17780 Khz. Tx Site is IBB Saipan. This QSL card is the first in a series celebrating musical instruments of Asia. The dutar is a two stringed lute usually plucked by Uyghurs in Western China. Dutar's are popular throughout Central and Southern Asia. This QSL is issued for all confirmed reception reports from May - June 2009. Send your reports to via ww.techweb.org or by email qsl@rfa.org

THE WINNERS OF THE RADIO ROMANIA INTERNATIONAL “GOLD OF THE APUSENI

And now here comes the long awaited announcement: "and the winners are.."
RRI has offered 124 smaller prizes. 21 of them have been won by
listeners to the English language Service of RRI.
Here they are:
Riaz Ahmad Khan of Pakistan,
Richard Chen of Trinidad &Tobago,
H. Poortvliet of Zeist, the Netherlands,
Hans Verner Lollike of Denmark,
Satadal Ghosh of Kharagpur, India,
Kelvin Lee of Johor, Malaysia,
Prasanta Kumar Padmapati of Assam, India,
Serge Tremblay of Ontario, Canada,
Amin Najmi of Hay Tarik, Morocco,
Abu Mostofa Byuia of Abador, Bangladesh,
Heath Hall of New Mexico, the US,
Kamlesha A Gautam, of Haryana, India,
Asghar Shah of Karachi, Pakistan,
Takeshi Murakami, Japan,
Rabisankar Bosu of West Bengal, India,
Mohammad Aslam of Azamgarh, U.P. India,
Syed Ali Akbar of Karachi, Pakistan,
Ali Ahmad Hussein of Sweileh, Jordan,
Riaz Ahmad Khan of Sheikhupura, pakistan and
Zahoor Ahmed Solangi of Islamabad, Pakistan.

Of a total number of 66 third prizes, 11 of them were won by listeners
of the English language programs of RRI.
And the winners of the 3rd prizes are:
Krzystof Borski of Poznan, Poland,
Stephen Wara of Paris, France,
Halim Chahed of Tunis, Tunisia,
A Ragu of Vedereniam, India,
Catherine O. Agboola of Ekiti State, Nigeria,
Jim Drexler of Wallingford, the US,
Surendra Kumar of Delhi, India,
Brian Kendall of Kent, Great Britain,
jason Nugent of New Brunswick, Canada,
Jonathan Murphy of mallow, Cork, Ireland and
Roberto Carlos Alvarez Galosso of Florida, the US.

Of the 34 second prizes, 3 have been won by listeners to our English
programmes:
Chadrick Bulinda of Kenya,
Umesh Kumar Yadav of Mumbai, India and
Michael Whing of Norfolk, Great Britain.

18 first prizes have been offered by our sponsors to:
Zhang Shifeng, Han Keqin, Li Meng, Wang Jiangyang, Xie Yujing (all of
them from China),
Yong Cher Leong of Malaysia,
Giovanni Lupoli of Italy,
Abdel-Kader Khalil of Algeria,
Abdel-karim Ahmad Al-Mabrouk of Lybia,
Alastair Pamphion of Warwickshire, the United Kingdom,
Iulia Stepanova and Vladimir Ignatiev of Russia,
Friedrich Andorf of Germany,
Amady Faye of Senegal,
Rene Pigeard of France,
Irina Halaiciuk of Ukraine,
Antonio-Angel Morilla Rios of Spain and
to our co-naitonal Brandusa massion, now living in Germany.

The 11 Special Prizes have been offered by the Alba and Bihor branches
of the Fine Artists's Union. They were 6 and 5 paintings,
respectively. These valuable prizes go to:
our co-national Camelia Himcinschi of Germnay,
Olexandr Havrysh of the Ukraine,
Juan Carlos Gil Mongio of Spain,
Leny Boulay of France,
Serghei Lobatzeev of Russia,
Khalil Bourazzan of the US,
Alesia Porreca of Italy,
Wu Xuan and Wang Qiuling of China,
Chen Nanlu of Taiwan and
Mark Ludlow of Rochestown, Ireland.

And now the long-awaited moment…They participated in our contest,
provided correct answers and won a stay in the Apuseni Mountains
between August the 1st and 11th 2009…………………Martin Prochazka and
Romanian-born Eva Duica of Graz, Austria. Asked whether or not he
accepts the Grand Prize, Mr Prochazka wrote:" Of course I will come on
the trip to Romania. I thank you very much for the prize. For years
now I have been dreaming about visiting Romania again, but my dream
could not come true for financial reasons and time constraints. I am
extremely happy that you give me this chance. I was really surprised
to hear the news, as I have never been lucky or won any contests.
Thanks once again and please send my best regards to all staff of
RRI."

As you know very well, this is not the only Grand Prize.
The second Grand Prize, a stay between August the 15th and 24th 2009,
goes to……………Yuan Jing of Guangdong, China and to …Jin Tao of Hubei,
China. Congratulations dear friends and look forward to meeting you in
Romania this summer.

(Source : RRI Via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi)

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Brazil Includes DRM in Digital Radio Evaluation

Brazilian telecom officials say they will include DRM as a platform under consideration during a 180-day public consultation period in establishing national digital radio standards.

Brazilian telecom officials say they will include DRM as a platform undeThe announcement came as a seven-member panel representing DRM made its pitch at the Brazilian Association of Radio and Television (ABERT) Congress in Brasilia last week.

The move means DRM will join Ibiquity's HD Radio and Eureka 147 DAB/DAB+ as candidates in providing standards for the country's future digital radio infrastructure.

Even though DRM's non-proprietary technology has found recent favor in both Russia and India, the selection process is unlikely to be a slam-dunk in South America, where HD Radio has enjoyed a relatively long history, particularly in Brazil, where more than 20 stations have participated in demonstrations and ongoing evaluations of IBOC digital technology.

Source: text written by Radio Magazine Online, Digital Radio Update, 3 June 2009. from DIGITAL radio mondiale - News

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BBC launches “radio visualisation” trial

Audiences will be able to watch some of their favourite radio shows being broadcast, as the BBC launches its latest "radio visualisation" trial. The trial – which runs until 31 July – begins by offering an enhanced, online version of Simon Mayo's BBC Radio 5 Live show, before being rolled out rolled out to other shows including The Chris Moyles Show and Switch on BBC Radio 1, Material World on BBC Radio 4 and The Hub on BBC 6 Music.

Online audiences will be able to view "glanceable" content – webcam streams, images, now playing and artist information, news and sports feeds – and interact with the programme through a pop-up console online and, later in the trial, by downloading an application to their mobile phone.

For example, listeners to Simon Mayo's show will be able to see what happens in the studios, watch guests being interviewed and read other listeners' text and email messages on screen.

And, in response to audience feedback from the first phase of the trial (January 2009), this phase also includes on-demand content, for those that miss the live broadcast, and a mobile version of the console. The first of these will be a 45-minute compilation of the best bits of Simon Mayo's programmes from the week, including star guests, reviews and banter, available every Friday.

The trial will also allow BBC Audio & Music Interactive to assess the public's appetite for enhanced, visual radio offerings and share their findings with the rest of the radio industry.

Mark Friend, Controller of Multiplatform and Interactive, BBC Audio & Music said: "The visualisation console is about enriching the digital listening experience. More people are consuming radio on different platforms and on devices that have screens.

"Just as DAB listeners might glance at their screen to see what track is playing or what DJ is coming up next, the visualisation console experiments with putting all of our glanceable content in a single place in order to create a richer user experience.

"I look forward to what we can learn from this trial and being able to share findings with the wider radio industry."

The console will be available to download on a selected number of mobile devices which have been chosen based on analysis of mobile traffic to Audio & Music sites. This includes the majority of high-end smartphones and most popular mobile handsets.

The mobile application will not include live video. Tests suggest that it is not currently feasible to offer a stable, good-quality feed of live video and live audio over the limited capacity of mobile data networks.

In order to keep data costs to a minimum, we highly recommend running the mobile visualisation console over a WiFi connection or flat-rate data bundle.
http://mnilive.com/?p=4123
(Jaisakthivel, Chennai, India)

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BBC’s international news services attracts record global audience of 238 million

The BBC’s Global News division attracts a record weekly global audience of 238 million people to its international news services including BBC World Service and the BBC World News television channel, according to independent surveys. Last year’s audience totalled 233 million.

BBC World Service attracted a record weekly audience of 188 million. This figure was boosted by its new BBC Arabic television channel but masked an overall decline in radio listening which was down five million to 177 million in 2008/9. However, despite this loss, BBC World Service remains the world’s most popular international radio broadcaster.

The largest overseas audiences for BBC news, across all platforms, are in Nigeria (26.0m), USA (24.1m) and India (22.2m). The biggest increases in the BBC’s global audience estimate came from Arab-speaking countries like Saudi Arabia (+1.9m), Egypt (+1.3m), and Syria (+1.0m), and newly surveyed markets like Niger (+2.4 million), Liberia (+1.1m) and Guinea (+1.4m).

However radio audiences in Iran dropped by 1.6 million due to a decline in shortwave listening there and the cutting of medium wave transmissions. BBC Persian launched a television channel last January to reflect changing media demands by Farsi-speaking audiences in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

Sri Lankan radio audiences dropped by 1.5 million after the BBC withdrew FM broadcasts there following Government interference with the BBC’s FM broadcasts in the Sinhala and Tamil languages. There were also losses in Nigeria (-1.5 million) due to increased local competition.

UK listening to BBC World Service hit record numbers with 1.5million weekly domestic listeners in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 9%. Radio audiences in the USA also grew to a record six million.

Surveys of key Arabic-speaking markets indicated an audience of eight million weekly viewers for the new BBC Arabic television channel across those specific markets. A more comprehensive figure for the channel will be made available when other countries in the region are surveyed.

BBC World News - the BBC’s commercially-funded international English language news and information channel - can now be received in 292 million homes; attracting 74 million viewers a week.

Major development and enhancement of the BBC’s international facing news sites and mobile phone offer was rewarded with a record 16 million unique online users - a 27 per cent increase on last year.

BBC Global News Director Richard Sambrook said: “In a year when international radio listening to the BBC actually went down marginally; record overall global audiences demonstrate the success of our multimedia strategy and investments. People come to the BBC’s international news services for journalism that is challenging and asks difficult questions, yet respects different points of view and actively encourages debate. Increasingly, audiences want access at a time and place that suits them.”

Issued by BBC World Service International Publicity
+44(0)207 557 2941; wspublicity@bbc.co.uk

BBC Global News brings together BBC World Service - funded by grant-in-aid by the UK Government; the commercially funded BBC World News television channel and the BBC’s international facing online news services in English; BBC Monitoring - which is funded by stakeholders led by the Cabinet Office and a range of public and private clients; and BBC World Service Trust - the BBC’s international development charity which uses donor funding. No licence fee funds are used in any of these operations.

BBC World Service is an international multimedia broadcaster delivering 32 language and regional services, including: Albanian, Arabic, Azeri, Bengali, Burmese, Cantonese, English, English for Africa, English for the Caribbean, French for Africa , Hausa, Hindi, Indonesian, Kinyarwanda/Kirundi, Kyrgyz, Macedonian, Mandarin, Nepali, Pashto, Persian, Portuguese for Africa, Portuguese for Brazil, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala, Somali, Spanish for Latin America, Swahili, Tamil, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, and Vietnamese. It uses multiple platforms to reach 188 million users globally, including shortwave, AM, FM, digital satellite and cable channels. It has around 2,000 partner radio stations which take BBC content, and numerous partnerships supplying content to mobile phones and other wireless handheld devices. Its news sites include audio and video content and offer opportunities to join the global debate. For more information, visit bbcworldservice.com. To find out more about the BBC’s English language offer and subscribe to a free e-newsletter, visit bbcworldservice.com/schedules.

BBC World News, the BBC's commercially funded international 24-hour news and information channel, is owned and operated by BBC World News Ltd, a member of the BBC’s commercial group of companies. BBC World News attracts 74 million viewers a week, is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and reaches 292 million households and more than 1.7 million hotel rooms. The channel's content is also available on 80 cruise ships, 42 airlines, 36 mobile phone networks and a number of major online platforms including bbc.com/news http://www.bbc.com/news. For further information on how to receive BBC World News, download schedules or find out more about the channel, visit bbcworldnews.com http://www.bbcworld.com/

The new BBC World Service global audience estimate is derived from a comprehensive programme of independent audience research over a four year cycle. This year’s figure incorporates new data from 28 countries – some 53 per cent of this year’s audience.

The BBC World News audience figure is compiled from multiple surveys (syndicated, omnibus and specifically commissioned) from over 100 countries.

The surveys are carried out by independent market research groups and comply with international standards of audience research.

BARC Golden Jubilee Field Day at Nandi Hills : 27 & 28 June 2009

Nandi Hills or Nandidurg is a hill fortress of southern India, in the Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka state and was one of the summer retreats of Tippu Sultan. It is located just 16 km (till base) 24 km (top of the hill) from Chickballapur town and approximately 60 km from the city of Bangalore. It is 4851 ft. (1478 meters) above sea level. It is located in close proximity to the newly constructed Bangalore International Airport. Nandi Hills was popular with the British too, who built bungalows and laid out gardens here. Today of course, it is a hot favourite among Bangaloreans who find this an ideal get-away for weekends.

Hamfest India 2009 & Bangalore Amateur Radio Club (VU2ARC) have organised a Field Day at this location on 27 & 28 June 2009 to mark the Golden Jubilee Year of BARC.

The club station VU2ARC will be active on 27 & 28 June from the field day location. The event commences from arrival of participants on Saturday from 2 pm onwards. There will be a welcome high-tea at 4.30 pm. Various technical and general activities have been planned for the evening for hams/SWLs and their families. Arrangement for Buffet dinner is made from 8 pm onwards. Sunday morning, there will be breakfast followed by some general activities. The event will conclude with lunch on Sunday afternoon.

Two HF Stations & One VHF Station are proposed to be operational from the location from Saturday morning till Sunday noon. The callsign will be VU2ARC/operator. Hams are encouraged to bring in their own equipment / stations to operate from the field day location. This is an ideal location for VHF hill-topping. Stations with beam antennas can try working long distance stations across south India from here.

The participation fee for this event is Rs.250/- per participant. Non-hams/SWLs & accompanying family members have to pay full fee. Children below 5 years of age are exempt from fee payment. The amount can be handed-over by cash to VU2JHM / VU3PKE / VU3VRL / VU2NTA / VU2LU / VU2FI / VU2GGM / VU2DKV / VU2YZ or can be sent by cheque in favour of "Hamfest India 2009" to the following address:
Hamfest India 2009
C/o Linux Learning Centre (P) Ltd.
No. 635, 6th Main Road, Adj. to Bank of India,
Hanumanthnagar, Bangalore 560019.

The accomodation for Saturday night is limited and will be allotted on first-come-first- serve basis on additional payment. Please contact VU3PKE:Kiran (9845056177) for accommodation details. The participants have to make their own arrangements for transport to reach and return from the location. Details of public transport (busses) is available from Ajoy VU2JHM (9845355773) .

You are encouraged to bring along with you, your family and friends and make this "BARC Golden Jubilee Field Day" a grand and successful event.

73

Ramesh Kumar
VU2LU
Member, Organising Committee
Hamfest India 2009
9845057731

Tamil Internet Conference 2009 in Koeln, Germany

தமிழ் இணைய மாநாடு -2009- உத்தமம் அறிவிப்பு.

The Executive Committee of INFITT is pleased to announce that
the next Tamil Internet Conference TIC 2009 will be held in
Europe, in the city of Koeln, Germany during October 9-11, 2009.

TIC 2009 will have the same format as the last TIC 2004 held
in Singapore. It will be a technical conference devoted
to discussing recent advances and challenges in Tamil
Computing and Tamil Internet in general. To permit max.
interaction, participation will be limited to 100 persons.

We invite Tamil IT professionals worldwide to participate
in this conference - only one of its kind devoted exclusively
for Tamil. Tamil Internet Conferences of INFITT has been
held earlier in Chennai (1999,2003)Singapore (2000, 2004), Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia (2001), San Francisco, California (2002) and
in Singapore (2004). TIC 2009 will be the first
conference to be held in Europe.

The TIC 2009 is being organized in close collaboration
with the Institute of Indology and Tamil Studies (IITS)
of the University of Koeln who will serve as the local host.

IITS, headed by Prof. Ulrike Niklas is one of the major
Tamil Studies and Research Center of Europe. A Tamil
teacher, researcher of IITS well known to Tamil community
is Dr. Thomas Malten, who led a pioneering effort two
decades back to bring Tamil literature in electronic form.
IITS of UKoeln also has the unique distinction as the only Tamil
Studies Center outside Tamilnadu to have more than 50,000
Tamil books. So we are delighted to have the next TIC at this
key Institution devoted to Tamil Research in Europe.

Pleast take note of the date and venue for the conference.
A formal call for papers with more details will be published soon.

For more details :
Dr. K. Kalyanasundaram
Chair, INFITT

Va.Mu.Se. Kaviarasan
Executive Driector, INFITT

T.N.C. VenkataRangan
Vice-Chair, INFITT

FM players in NE seek swift fee structure relaxation

FM radio operators in the north east are lobbying hard to get their voice heard - one of TRAI's recommendations last year on third phase of private FM radio broadcasting in 2008 was the relaxation of fee structure for North-East and Jammu and Kashmir.

The players, particularly in the north east, are now hoping for approval of the proposal by new Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni.

TRAI had recommended that the rate of annual fee be reduced to 50 per cent of what is being charged from all the existing permission holders in other areas, for private FM radio broadcasters in North east and Jammu and Kashmir region for an initial period of three years. Apart from this region specific recommendation, it was also proposed that the minimum annual fee for a district be calculated based on five per cent of reserve OTEF (One Time Entry Fee) across India.

Detail story on http://www.radioandmusic.com

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FM players’ wishlist for Ambika Soni includes news, multiple frequencies and FDI hike

A lot is expected from Ambika Soni, the new Information and Broadcasting Minister, as she takes charge. The media industry is looking forward to some positive developments during her tenure and some definitive decisions on several issues. exchange4media speaks to leading FM players to find out what’s there on their wishlist for the Minister.

Prashant Panday, CEO, Radio Mirchi:

1) We seek the implementation of Phase III of radio reforms. The policy has been ready for some time and it can be pushed through immediately. The Government must, however, delay the portion of Phase III policy which relates to auctions of new cities till the time that the problems of music royalty can be settled. All other reforms as envisaged in the policy should be implemented at the earliest.

2) With respect to the satellite radio policy, the Government must re-look the matter. There is no gain in hurrying through with a policy that can lead to the total destruction of the nascent FM radio industry. Specially, the provision of terrestrial repeaters being considered should be dropped. Additionally, any disparity that exists between satellite radio policy and FM policy must be bridged, specifically: a) FDI limit must be the same; b) OTEF charged to satellite broadcasters must be much higher than currently conceived. With a national reach, satellite radio impacts the fortunes of the Entire FM radio industry.

3) The AROI has been petitioning the Ministry to look into the costs that Prasar Bharti charges private FM operators, be it the rentals for its towers or its land. These are way higher than market rates and are proving to be a big burden for the industry.

4) The Government has recently empanelled many FM stations in many towns. However, this exercise is still not completed and many of the smaller stations are still not empanelled. Besides, the rates the DAVP has offered – in many cases – are way too low. They need to be re-looked.

5) Given the severe economic slowdown, especially in the media and entertainment space, the Government must look at giving the FM industry a moratorium on license fee payments for the next 2-3 years (or till the downturn eases). At the same time, the Government must look at extending the period of the license to 15 years from the present 10 years – the Government knows perfectly well how badly the FM industry is doing – this act of the Government will help in bringing some semblance of profitability to the FM industry, if not now, then at least in the long term.

Tarun Katial, COO, Big FM:

For the radio industry, we are hoping to see news and current affairs open up, live sport coverage being allowed, multiple frequencies per city, which is another huge opportunity for growth of the category in India. In addition, we are hoping for the removal of service tax, and finally an increase in the FDI limit will help. The industry has been actively lobbying with the Government to make this happen at the earliest and we are very optimistic.

S Keerthivasan, Business Head, Fever FM:

Foreign direct investment (FDI) cap should be raised to 74 per cent from the low level of 20 per cent currently. The industry needs investment and there is no justification for the low level of FDI currently allowed.

The Government should allow consolidation in the industry. The restriction that radio licenses cannot be transferred for five years must be done away with. At least one more frequency should be allowed per operator per city. This will enable differentiation of content on radio.

News and current affairs should be allowed on radio. This is critical for a vibrant media and the growth and relevance of radio as a medium of mass communication. The full potential of radio will be unleashed only when news is allowed.

Prasar Bharti should reduce infrastructure rents. BECIL (Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd), which has been mandated to build common infrastructure by the Government, has done a shoddy job after collecting a good amount of money from all radio stations. More accountability should be brought into these matters.

We need a resolution and clear guidelines on the music royalty issue. Currently, we are paying royalty to the Indian Performing Right Society Ltd and the Phonographic Performance Ltd (one is an association of music labels and the other, that of artists). Music companies are taking advantage of the lack of clarity and are armtwisting radio companies. Royalty rates should also be in line with revenue potential.

The Government currently levies 4 per cent of gross annual revenues as license fee. This is hefty for an industry that is at infancy and is bleeding currently. This should be waived off at least for a few years till the industry reaches maturity and gains strength as a media platform. AM should be opened up for private players. This will vastly improve reach and quality of broadcasting and help create truly national players in the radio industry.

DAVP rates should be brought in line with commercial ad rates. The Government charges us commercial rates for infrastructure. We pay huge amount of license fee, bidding prices were decided by market forces and we get no subsidy whatsoever from the Government. So, I don’t see why the Government should get special ad rates from the industry.

Harrish Bhatia, COO, My FM:

Our foremost expectation is an expedited announcement of the third phase of licensing and the resolution of the high cost of music royalties. We are also very keen on allowance for broadcast news and current affairs from the internal media house sources, along with permission to broadcast sports, as these measures will boost the medium and will diversify our audience base as well. Lastly, our wishlist includes a resolution of the high fixed cost of services of Prasar Bharti and also an increase in FDI limits, which will provide huge financial support pillars to the medium.

The Rs 750-crore Indian radio industry has a long list of what its wishes from the newly-formed UPA Government. Allowing news and current affairs, resolution of the music royalty issue, multiple frequencies, FDI hike top this wishlist. Now, over to the new I&B Minister...
© exchange4media 2009 Robin Thomas June 01 2009

Jawahar Sircar is new I-B Secretary

Jawahar Sircar, secretary in the Ministry of Culture, has been given the additional charge of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. He replaces Sushma Singh, who retired on 31 May. Sircar, a 1975 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) from the West Bengal cadre, will hold the charge till a full-time replacement is found. Prior to this, he had served Development Commissioner (Small Scale Industries) and as principal secretary Higher Education Department and Commerce & Industries Department, Government of West Bengal. (Indiantelevision.com)