On Thu, Oct 2, 2008 at 3:45 PM, rash menon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > today a news in the papers caught my attention and I thought maybe I could > ask you guys what you thought about it. The news read that the government > will allow private FM channels to air news (earlier the realm of AIR). > Rashmi is probably referring to the news story in DNA (see below). In theory, if news is allowed on commercial FM, it would be very difficult to ban it on community radio. But strange things are known to happen in India's radio sector: for instance, news is permitted on satellite radio and internet radio (and probably in the multicast mode on phones as well), but banned on FM radio. For obscure reasons best known to policy wonks, radio is almost entirely regulated in terms of carriage rather than content. At the recently concluded IGNOU conference on community radio, in the session on Legal Information Needs of Communities, the legal experts (Nupur Sinha, Centre for Social Justice; Seem Mishra, MARG; Dharmesh Sharma, Secy, Delhi HC Legal Services Committee) expressed polite incredulity at our insistence that news was banned on FM radio. "But that's unconstitutional," they explained patiently, as one might explain to the village idiot that the earth goes around the sun. Nevertheless it is banned, we said, quoting chapter and verse from the CR Guidelines. At which they said that any policy that violates the Constitution -- and in this case the Supreme Court judgment on airwaves as well -- has little legal validity. Under the circumstances, it is pretty amazing that in the eight years that news has been banned on private radio, the ban has never been challenged. On the other hand, given the Indian public's complete indifference to media freedom<http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/pdf/may08/WPO_PressFreedom_May08_countries.pdf>, one shouldn't be surprised at all. Sajan
News on FM radio may be allowed by year-end Nivedita Mookerji, 2 Oct 2008, DNA<http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1194916&pageid=0> http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1194916&pageid=0 NEW DELHI: A decision to permit news in private FM radio stations may be taken by the government around end of this year, almost three years after the Prime Minister's Information, Communication and Entertainment Committee okayed the proposal. Sources said only reading of news put out by Doordarshan, All India Radio and accredited local and international newswire agencies will be allowed. While news is allowed in private television channels, FM radio stations can only broadcast entertainment and music content. News is however allowed on All India Radio (AIR). Top I&B officials were not available for comment. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), which regulates both telecom and media sectors, had earlier this year recommended news in private FM radio, with some restrictions. It is likely that the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry may accept the Trai recommendation on the matter. But, a view on allowing news and current affairs in private FM will have to be taken by the Union Cabinet. If the government goes with the Trai recommendation, private FM radio stations would be able to access news content from select sources. The regulator had observed in its recommendation earlier this year that, "one of the barriers for further growth identified by the Authority during the consultation process relates to the restriction of existing guidelines that do not permit news and current affairs on FM radio broadcast." Trai had added that "information requirements of large section of unserved population and those who lack access to information through other means like internet, television services, etc can be conveniently met without any cost to the receiving population only through FM radio services." On Thu, Oct 2, 2008 at 3:45 PM, rash menon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hello all, > > I am not an active member of the group. But today a news in the papers > caught my attention and I thought maybe I could ask you guys what you > thought about it. The news read that the government will allow private FM > channels to air news (earlier the realm of AIR). > > I was wondering whether this would hold water even for community radios. > Also, what do you people think about it? > > Hoping to hear your views, > > cheers n luck, > Rashmi > >
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