COMMUNITY RDIO STATIONS IN INDIA

1. 1 COMMUNITY RDIO STATIONS IN INDIA

2. What is Community Radio A Radio of the people ...by the people .....for the people Extraordinary and invisible medium Gives voice to the voiceless A way to leverage communication for development -greater reach- still localized A community resource and a storehouse for traditional knowledge & Culture 2

3. CR Policy in India India’s Community Radio Policy emerged from a grassroots movement Supreme Court Judgment 1995 – Airways are public property to be used for public good First CR Guidelines in 2002 Only educational institutions were eligible Policy was broad based –New Policy 2006 3

4. 4 The CR policy (2006) ‘Non-profit’ organizations/educational institutions registered for 3 years Serving a specific well-defined local community CRS ownership and management structure reflective of the community it will serve. Programmes for broadcast must be relevant to the educational, developmental, social and cultural needs of the community

5. 5 CR Policy 2006 Contd. Who are eligible ! Registered Societies and Autonomous Bodies Public Trusts registered under Societies Act or any other such act. Educational institutions

6. 6 CR Policy 2006 Contd. Who are not eligible Individuals; Political Parties and their affiliate organisations; [including students, women’s, trade unions and such other wings] Organisations operating with a motive to earn profit; Organisations expressly banned by the Union and State Governments.

7. 7 Technical guidelines A CRS expected to cover a range of 10 - 12 km Maximum transmitter strength of 100W ERP Max. antenna height above ground = 30 meters Min. antenna height above ground =15 meters 

8. 8 Cost of setting up CRS Cost of setting up a CRS- 6 -10 Lakhs Fixed Cost Infrastructure for the studio excluding land cost -Rs 5 Lakhs Computers, Furniture etc.- 1 Lakh Transmitter/Antenna – 2-5 Lakhs Recurring Expenditure varies Salaries Content Generation Maintenance

9. 9 Funding & Sustenance Government does not have a scheme for funding CRS Agriculture Ministry funds KVKs UNICEF/UNESCO have funded some CRS Capital Cost and running expenditure to be borne by the CRS operators

10. Funding and Sustenance Main source of revenue for CRS – Advertisements Advertising permitted for only 5 minutes per hour of broadcast. Rate for advt.- Minimum of Rs 1 per second of Broadcast ( Rs 300 per hour ) Sponsored Programmes only by Central & State Governments Revenue generated to be ploughed back into primary objectives of NGO 10

11. 11 The CR application/Licensing process

12. 12 Fees & Levies Processing Fee = Rs 2,500/- Bank Guarantee = Rs 25,000/- Spectrum Fee = Rs 19,500/- per annum No permission fee required

13. 13 Challenges Building a sustainable business model Involvement of women & marginalized Finding NGOs with the right philosophy Creating a relevant training & capacity building process Building local support structures/networks Building local maintenance support

14. 14

17. 17 Thank You