Citizen Radio

From Pondicherry—where the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (SRF) has been working hard to convince the government to allow it to start its own radio station but has had to remain content with a measly 15-minute airtime allotted by AIR Pondicherry—to Baramati in Maharashtra, radio operators are trying to make sense of the world around them and communicate it to their listeners (See accompanying stories).

Fear Factor
THE government finally appears to be tuning in. Before that, hear the background score. Just over two years ago, the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry decided to talk Community Radio, prompted by the vision of a radio revolution. Like so many decisions taken by the government, this too stopped short of the desired goal.

So fearful were the bureaucrats of allowing civil society access to its own media, that they put in clauses allowing only government-recognised universities to operate radio stations. ‘‘It was to check the credentials of non-government organisations (NGOs) desirous of starting radio stations. It would have been doubly difficult to monitor their content,’’ a ministry official now says.

Organisations like SRF have been lobbying for a licence for quite some time. Their prayers are likely to be answered when the I&B Ministry, shaking off fears of a civil society takeover, takes a note to the Cabinet to hand over radio to community-run stations.

Once this is done, NGOs, resident welfare associations and voluntary institutions will become eligible to apply for a licence and operate a radio station.

As it happens, 2005 also marks the 10th anniversary of the historic Supreme Court judgement that declared airwaves public property, not the state’s preserve. As campuses and NGOs and neighbourhood groups look to a policy change that allows them to participate in a media revolution, the airwaves may finally belong to the people.

Being Neighbourly
WHETHER it be the SRF or the Kutch Mahila Sangathan, which has to depend on the government-controlled airwaves to communicate to listeners, each one is looking forward to running a radio station of its own.

As compared to other Asian countries, radio in India has not fared badly. It started trusting the community only three years ago, but can reach the I&B Ministry’s target of 4,000 radio stations—roughly the number of tehsils in the country—if the policy changes are duly effected.

A glance at Asia reveals which way India needs to go. Thailand has more than 500 radio stations already, with each reaching not more than eight per cent of the population. In fact, the audience is so highly fragmented that it is a wonder most radio stations have not gone out of business.

Bangladesh has 15 community stations under the Bangladesh NGOs’ Network for Radio and Communication. Nepal has two, both under government control. Sri Lanka has five, after starting Kothmale Radio in 1989.

Ad Wads
WITH the government in a mood to listen, advertisements will be allowed so that the stations can be financially viable. At Anna Radio, for instance, director G Sreedhar says commercials will make operating a radio station sustainable.

‘‘I can’t keep asking the university for allocation of funds. With reasonable advertisements, I will be able to take care of 60 per cent of my operational costs,’’ says Sreedhar. The radio station he operates stays away from film music, focusing instead on local songs and lost traditions.

A typical station, with a studio and a transmitter, costs about Rs 6 lakh to set up. To generate content through the day, seven days a week would cost another Rs 12 lakh a month, which radio stations feel is possible only if advertisers buy airtime.

The government is inclined towards allowing 10 minutes of advertisements per hour of programming. It also appears ready to double transmitter power from the present 50 watts. The area covered will also increase from the present 10 km radius to an entire city.

We, the People
ALREADY, says Iftikhar Ahmed of Radio Jamia—the Delhi-based campus station that is now conducting test runs and awaiting formal inauguration by President A P J Abdul Kalam—the station has listeners tuning in from the Indira Gandhi airport to the Jama Masjid, the city’s south to north.

‘‘People are calling in to air their problems, like water shortage, sanitation. And we facilitate this by getting municipal authorities to hear them out,’’ says Ahmed.

No frills, no advertisement clutter. Simple sounds of music—and the voice of the community. If that’s not people’s radio, what is?

Learning on the job
ANNA FM
Based in Anna University, Chennai; reaches radiosets within a 5 km radius

WHEN launched in February 2004, Anna Radio was a political decision to please NDA ally AIADMK. The inaugural was attended by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and former Home Minister L K Advani was the chief guest. The heavyweight political presence completely overshadowed the fact that Anna Radio had exactly one hour of content to broadcast.

Today, its director G Sridhar says he has over 1100 hours of programming. ‘‘I have a big bank and don’t have to worry,’’ says Sridhar. The radio station is on air on 90.4 FM from 5.30 am to 10.30 am in the morning and then again from 6.30 pm till 11 in the night.

Steering away from film-based popular programming, the station focuses on finding new voices. Mass communication students are paid Rs 150 as conveyance allowance to interview people and interact with them on radio. Very often, it is the students themselves who conduct the programmes, doubling as anchors, artists and interrogators.

So far as the music is concerned, Sreedhar has a simple arrangement. ‘‘I produce the album for the singer and in return I retain the rights to the songs,’’ he says.

Also on air is a quaintly titled Lifestyle programme focusing on families living below the poverty line. The radio station is also trying out special sessions for the visually impaired, during which plays are read out and syllabi discussed.

Next on the agenda, says Sridhar, is raising their own funds. ‘‘Community radios cannot sustain themselves on college funds or public goodwill. We should be allowed to generate our own resources.’’
Anuradha Raman

Based in Pondicherry; reaches out to 60,000 people

‘‘WE used to broadcast on Sunday evenings. We changed to Saturday after we realised very few people were tuning in to our programmes,’’ says A R Thiagarajan.

Ever since, some 60,000 people across 10 villages have been listening to Open Knowledge Network, a joint venture between One World South Asia and the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation.

On offer: Advice to the local fishing community, including attempts to diversify into oyster and mushroom cultivation. A weather forecast is also broadcast.

‘‘The December 26 tsunami struck on a Sunday, so we could not communicate with our audience. If we had a radio station of our own, we could have gotten in touch with the coastal areas, maybe the casualties would have been less,’’ Thiagarajan says.

At the moment, OKN has to be content with 15 minutes of air time provided by Air Pondicherry for Rs 6000 per month. Content expenses are higher, close to Rs 25,000.

From next month though, OKN will be available on Nila Radio, run by the Manakula Vinayakar Engineering College. On air on 90.4 MHz from 9.30 am to 6 pm, the station, says its spokesperson Sridhar, will focus on healthcare, medicine and students.

‘‘In the area of community problems, radio can bring change,’’ says Sridhar. ‘‘All it requires is a studio, an antenna, a transmitter, a CD player, an amplifier and a phone-in line.’’
Anuradha Raman

Waiting in the wings
PUNE VARSITY FM
Based in the university campus; to cover 15-km radius

MAY 1 is the latest deadline set by the University of Pune (UoP) for commissioning its much-discussed FM radio project. While UoP officials insist the deadline will be met—Vice-Chancellor Ashok Kolaskar announced the new date at the recent varsity senate meeting—doubts persist over the radio service being operational in true sense.

‘‘We will start with the trials. A formal launch is being scheduled for June 5, World Environment Day. June also is a crucial month considering that many exam results are declared and the admission process sets in,’’ says Dr K R Sanap of the Department of Communication Studies and in-charge of the FM project.

On-air, however, will happen only after the university receives the equipment it has recently ordered or is planning to order.

Located at the Education Media Research Centre (EMRC) facility on the UoP campus, work on the installation of a 30-meter transmission tower is in the final stages.

So is the case with the state-of-the-art radio station, which will have standard recording, editing, transmission facilities. ‘‘We have got all the necessary clearances from the I&B Ministry and have so far invested Rs 20 lakh in the project,’’ says Sanap. A provision of another Rs 20 lakh has been made in the varsity budget for 2005-06, he adds.

In effect, Sanap suggests the varsity has little to worry about recurring costs meant for sustaining the project, which is to cover an area within 15 km radius of the university.

The thrust, undoubtedly, will be on education and information content, such as academic programmes implemented by the UoP and its affiliated colleges, institutions, seminars, broadcasts related to general knowledge and competitive exams, announcement of vital UoP circulars etc., says Sanap.

Right now, the staff is being trained for various operations at the FM station; the final name for the service, too, is yet to be decided. While some members of the steering committee have suggested the FM service to be named as Vidya Vahini, a final decision is yet to be taken.

A decision is also to be taken on the quantum of honoraria to be given to UoP students engaged on a contract basis under its ‘earn and learn’ scheme.

Considering that the project has been in the works for quite some time, the May 1 trials are eagerly awaited in university circles.
Vishwas Kothari

Fuelled by farmers
VASUNDHARA VAHINI
Based in Baramati; covers 30 km radius, 30,000 farmers

‘‘WE are trying to capture the popular FM radio model sans the commercials,’’ declares Amol Goje, Director, Vidya Pratishthan’s Institute of Information Technology (VIIT) at Baramati. The reference is to VIIT’s latest venture: the Vasundhara Vahini, a community radio service catering exclusively to farmers within a 30-km radius of this ‘model tehsil’, more famous as the pocketborough of Union Agriculture Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

On March 29, the Vahini was launched with a trial broadcast, which is to continue for ‘‘a week or two’’ before a formal inauguration. ‘‘We are ironing out the teething problems,’’ says Goje.

At the moment, the station is operational twice a day, in shifts of fours hours in the morning and evening. The niceties, such as a signature tune, may be missing—Goje says noted Marathi poet N D Mahanor is helping them out in this respect—but the Vahini has made a beginning.

And the intent to follow popular models, is evident from the approach. A modern radio station complete with well-equipped transmission, recording and dubbing studios, has come up on a 250 sq ft facility at the Pratishthan’s multi-storeyed community centre. A fully computerised software-driven broadcasting set-up, channel mixers, CD/DVD players, audio systems and phone-in facilities make up the equipment.

Two professional radio jockeys (RJs) have been engaged for striking an instant chord with the audience. To accentuate the local feel, the emphasis is on the local language and peculiarities of the dialect.

The RJs also edit and dub the content, besides conducting interviews and providing live programming. As one of the RJs, Suhas Kshirsagar, explains, ‘‘Our thrust is on communicating with the listeners in their language. At the same time, we have to bring out the difference between plain reading and meaningful dialogue.’’

Kshirsagar and his RJ colleague Vaishali Shete were, till recently, working as casual announcers with the All India Radio in Pune and Satara. Both sound upbeat about their experience and the new assignment.

As for the content, Goje explains, ‘‘It will be a mix of information and entertainment. We have got into a tie-up with our sister concern, the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, for content related to agriculture. This includes interviews and question-answer sessions with experts from agriculture universities, colleges and reputed research and training institutions, prominent personalities as well as farmers, who have made a mark by way of discoveries, innovative farming techniques and market studies.

‘‘The canvas is wide,’’ adds Goje. ‘‘The farmer today needs to know a lot about the good agricultural practices. For example, what is needed to deal with a particular crop ailment, weather and climactic conditions, the plantation methods, treatment applications and extent of usage of pesticides, insecticides etc, organic farming, global trends in farming and agro markets, processing units and a range of other issues. Our programmes will seek to address these aspects.’’

Health, hygiene and rural development constitute the social objective behind this community radio. The entertainment part will be more by the people, for the people. ‘‘We have so many local artists who can make use of this medium as a platform for their talents in mimicry, music, folk and spiritual songs and instruments,’’ says Goje.

Just over two years ago, when the Centre first declared its intent of promoting FM radios for campus and community purposes, VIIT was among the first to seek a licence. The objective was to cater to the network of educational institutions run by its parent organisation, the Vidya Pratishthan, as also the cooperatives network in Baramati in virtually every field that is closely linked with farming, such as market committees, water and credit cooperatives, dairy and goat farming cooperatives, horticulture units etc.

Funds and sustainability of such a project were initially an issue, says Goje. ‘‘Setting up a community radio costs a modest Rs 6 lakh, besides Rs 3 lakh per year on recurring expenses of staff, power and other establishment costs. Being a community-oriented initiative, the government does not allows community radios to broadcast commercials. As such, revenue sources for meeting recurring expenses become crucial,’’ he points out.

The VIIT got the project commissioned under the financial aid being provided by the World Bank for its bigger Rs 4.5-crore Empowerment of the Poor scheme. It invested Rs 15 lakh in raising the FM station for Vasundhara Vahini.

‘‘The World Bank has assured us funds for a year so, for that period, we will focus on establishing the efficiency and feasibility of the project,’’ says Goje.

A year down the line, the Vahini will have to explore newer funding options, but there are many. ‘‘Since it is a community radio, we may ask the community (farmers) to pay a nominal annual charge. Even if we collect Rs 20 per farmer per year, we will collect Rs 6 lakh, since we have close to 30,000 farmers in the service area. This will be enough for the recurring expenses,’’ explains Goje.

Approaching the Information and Broadcasting Ministry for permission to allow transmission of advertisements related to agriculture inputs, products and equipment as also products of local markets, is another option. ‘‘After all, these ads will be serving interests of the local community,’’ says Goje.

Tapping sponsors is the third option while approaching the government for publicising their agriculture schemes, subsidy announcements and other measures through the Vahini, is yet another option.
Vishwas Kothari

Based in Vallabh Vidyanagar; listenership: 30,000

FOR the 30,000-odd students in Central Gujarat’s university town of Vallabh Vidyanagar (Anand district), February 21 saw radio sets being tuned to a new frequency, 90.4 FM, or their own Radio Campus.

Three daily transmission slots of an hour each and everything entirely in the student domain: this station lives up to its name. Two rooms in the post-graduate electronics department of Sardar Patel University (SPU) are the recording rooms.

On the day The Sunday Express went visiting, Reena Bhatt and her friends were tuning into 90.4 FM to listen to the programme she had just recorded. She is one of the 72 students—200 students applied—selected to work on the project after a four-day training session.

An electronics post-graduate student, Reena loves her flirtation with media, ‘‘My main interest remains technical—the transmission technology. But the creative input is also exciting,’’ she says.

When the Union government agreed to give licences to interested universities for community radio stations, SPU vice-chancellor Pravin Patel applied. On March 10, 2003, SPU and Prasar Bharti signed an MOU for setting up a community radio station. With the Rs 2 crore annual licence fee waived—because this radio station is for academic purposes—SPU has paid for the Rs 45 lakh infrastructure through its development fund.

‘‘Our main focus is the student community. For those who are participating, it is removing their fear and giving them hands-on experience in radio technology,’’ says Divyang Dave, senior lecturer in charge of the radio station.

With FM radio sets now cheap and easily available, students are having a ball hearing themselves on air. The programming inevitably mimics campus lingo—Gujarati, with some English and Hindi thrown in.

The venture is strictly non-commercial. Senior academics on the campus are toying with the idea of taking their lectures or tutorials to the studio. Two local music companies have given the station access to their ghazal and folk music libraries, free of copyright costs.

No wonder, from the next academic year, the radio station plans a regular three-hour broadcast at least three times a day.
Ayesha Khan
Women’s own
UJJAS RADIO
Based in Bhuj; covers Saurashtra and Kutch

WHEN Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan, an NGO working among Kutchi women since 1989, wanted to reach out to rural hamlets in the largest district of Gujarat, it chose radio as its medium.

Since 1998, programmes of Ujjas Radio have been broadcast from Rajkot Akashwani Kendra. The station has become the voice of Kutchis, especially women. Ujjas Radio, which now has its own recording studio, relays two programmes through Rajkot AIR every Monday and Thursday.

Its 53-episode inaugural programme, Kunjal Panje Kutchji, built around the role of women in panchayati raj institutions, ran for a year in 1998-1999. Kutch Lokjivani has three segments: folk music, history of the region, and Pardafass, an expose of various scandals in the region, especially after the January 2001 earthquake.

From field work, reporting to recording, it’s all done by KMVS volunteers. A team of 10 reporters of Ujjas Radio prepares exclusive stories of rural Kutch, for rural Kutch.

‘‘We’ve been publishing a monthly magazine called Ujjas Patrika since 1992. However, we realised radio would be more effective in reaching women in the villages,’’ says Preety Soni, vice-coordinator of KMVS. ‘‘It’s easily accessible and more popular in rural areas than print.’’
Hiral Dave