Radio Days

I don't know if too many people have been watching the media closely, but it appears to me that radio is making a comeback. Not enough to kill the video star, but definitely on a comeback trail.
Now those of us living in major cities like Bangalore or Mumbai, know how popular FM has become, with all the radio stations belting out the latest hits day in and day out.
So how did this happen? Why only now? Where has radio been all these years? Just what is the inside story? Ladies and Gentlemen, the facts to the best of my knowledge:
Ever since 1924, when the Madras Radio Club was formed, radio hasn't looked back. Ever since then All India Radio has been pretty much the face of radio in India as we know it.
But things changed drastically in 1994. Private companies were allowed to broadcast commercial radio programmes on FM. Firstly, the question, why FM? Unlike AM, FM does not need expensive transmission towers, enables a great degree of localization and helps bring interactivity and local flavor to the programming.
This paradigm shift really took off when the Government started auctioning off frequencies in 1999., for 32 Indian cities. Although many players perished in this game, an equally large number of private companies have been able to consolidate their media empire by owning these stations. Today revenues from Mumbai alone are in excess of 50 crore rupees for the Government. Consequently, only media conglomerates with really deep pockets, and the ability to absorb losses over a period of time, have kept their stations going, i.e. groups like Reliance, Times Group, Tata etc
Now a really tiny group of people were also making a few noises around the same time. They said, radio is cheap to produce and to listen to, allows illiterate people to participate, and as a medium has a long history of listenership in India (remember 1924!). So why should only AIR and private companies be allowed to start FM stations? FM radio would be perfect for rural people who can use the medium to express their views and address issues which have been hidden under the surface, unscratched, waiting to explode, i.e. things like marginalization of women, Dalit's struggles, senior citizens' issues, HIV/AIDS, etc and God knows, the list runs a mile.
The truth is radio and in fact all broadcast media is governed by the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885, an Act which was put in place by the Raj, when Marconi was a mere 11 years old, and years away from pioneering radio or as it was called in those days- "telegraphy without wires"!
Finally, the Indian government relented and in November 2006, a policy for what is now called "Community Radio" was drafted. However, this policy also allows only NGO's, educational campuses or Krishi Vigyan Kendras to apply for a community radio license. They are only eligible for 100 Watts ERP. NGOs have to be registered for a minimum of three years- these are only some of the restrictive conditions.

Today, in 2007, there exist three levels of radio in India (FM Radio)- AIR, i.e. Public Radio; Private Radio and Community Radio.
However, we are still a far cry away from realizing the huge potential of this medium to really make a difference in our lives, be it through entertainment, or bringing out hidden , suppressed information and participation from the masses. Whether our sleepy Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will wake up one day to this reality is yet unknown.