COMMUNITY RDIO STATIONS IN INDIA

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

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

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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

11. The CR application/Licensing process 3. Presentation to Screening Committee and Inter Ministerial Committee 1. CRS Application 2. Clearance from ministries i.e Defence, Home, HRD, Agriculture, Communication and IT 6. Issue of SACFA clearance & frequency by WPC 5. Application for SACFA Clearance & Frequency Allocation 4. Issue of Letter of Intent (LoI) 10. Issue of WoL 7. Application for Grant of Permission Agreement (GoPA) 9. Application for Wireless Operating License (WoL) 8. Issue of GoPA 11. Commencement of CRS broadcast (Within 3 months of signing of GoPA)

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. 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 Ensuring community ownership

17. Thank You