COMMUNITY RADIO: REVENUE STRUCTURE AND POSSIBILITIES IN INDIA

By Soumya Dutta

According to the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC 1998), the philosophy of community radio is to use the medium as a voice of the voiceless, the mouthpiece of the oppressed people (be it on racial, gender or class grounds) and generally as a tool for development. Community radio is defined as having three aspects: non-profit making, community ownership and control and community participation. AMARC further states that community radio is not about doing something for the community but about the community doing something for itself, i.e., owning and controlling its own means of communication. Community Radio can be described as a short range radio service that caters to the information needs of a particular community. It is a significant alternative medium of communication in the present day world where globalised, marked driven mainstream media systems are ruling the roost with little or no representation of the marginalized sections of the society. As mentioned by AMARC, Community Radio is a tool for giving voice to the voiceless. It is empowerment of the people at the grass root levels to express their own concerns, in their own language and by their own means. In a developing country like India media can not solely serve the purpose of entertainment, they need to play a social role as well. However, post liberalization, privatization and globalization in the 1990s the country has witnessed the growth of big media corporations which are projecting an elitist lifestyle through their programme content and advertisements. A strong market driven social system is gradually taking shape which threatens to alienate have-nots further. Radio still remains the main source of news and entertainment for most parts of India. Apart from All India Radio, the public service broadcaster, there are private FM radio channels which are imparting information and entertainment. Though All India Radio has programmes which address the issues of the rural populace they are not really community radio experiences and hence there has been a gap in the participatory approach involving the marginalized people. Community Radio has the potential to become the effective medium of fostering development through active participation. India has been late to awake to the potential of community radio and until late 2006, government regulations only allowed educational institutions to set up campus radio stations with a transmission range of 10-15 km. However, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India has come up with updated policy guidelines for setting up Community Radio Stations in

India which has incorporated non-profit agencies, agricultural research institutes and schools in its ambit. There has been a slow but steady progress since then and according to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting by November 2009 more than 40 community radio stations were operational in India. Some NGOs working in the grass root levels has initiated community radio projects. They include: a) Alternative for India Development (AID) Project in Daltanganj(Jharkhand) b) Kutch Mahila Vikas Sanghathan(KMVS) Project in Bhuj(Gujarat) c)Voices Project in Budhikote(Karnataka) d)Deccan Development Society (DDS) Project in Pastapur (Andhra Pradesh) There are also a number of Universities, Colleges and schools who have started community radio stations. a) ANNA CRS 90.4 MHZ(Educational Multimedia Centre, Anna University) b) SIVANTHI CRS 90.4 MHz(Aditanar College of Arts & Science, Tamil Nadu) c) APNO RADIO 90.4 MHZ(Banasthali Vidyapeeth, Rajasthan) d) RADIO ACTIVE 107.8 MHz(Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College, Karnataka) e) HOLY CROSS CR 90.4 MHZ(Holy Cross College, Tamil Nadu) f) APNA RADIO ARI 96.9 MHz(Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi) g) JAMIA CRS 90.4 MHz(Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi) Funding for Robust Community Radio Experience in India GovernmentInitiatives Community Radio is a non-profit initiative by the members of the community but has its own operational costs. To start with, there needs to be an initial investment of Rs.2, 50,000 to Rs. 3, 00,000. An additional running cost of Rs. 20, 000 per month is required to pay for staff salaries, electricity, generator fuel, travel and other expenses. Hence, funds are of utmost importance. According to the new policy guidelines of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting applicants are eligible to get funds from multilateral agencies. Those desirous of foreign funds for setting up of community radio stations have to obtain FCRA Clearance under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 1976. This has given fillip to the movement for community radio because there is scope for more and more N.G.O participation. As mentioned earlier there are N.G.Os like DDS (Deccan Development Society) and Voices which are taking the community radio experience to the desired levels. The opportunity given for inflow of foreign funds can further bolster communities in rural India to set up community radio stations. Role of UNESCO

Apart from initiatives on the part of the government, international bodies like UNESCO are also helping with funds for making community radio experience a success story in India. UNESCOs International Programme for the Development of Communication (UNESCO-IPDC) has approved funds in the amount USD 60,000 to help in the establishment of first 10 Community Radio Stations in India. The aim of the funds is to support CR stations in tribal areas in cooperation with organizations like Alternative India Development (AID). Funding: Road Ahead

The policy guidelines of the Government of India in regard to community radio clearly state: Transmission of sponsored programmes shall not be permitted except programmes sponsored by Central & State Governments and other organisations to broadcast public interest information. In addition, limited advertising and announcements relating to local events, local businesses and services and employment opportunities shall be allowed. The maximum duration of such limited advertising will be restricted to 5 (Five) minutes per hour of broadcast. The policy decision to have 5 minutes of time per hour of broadcasting for advertisements is a welcome gesture because it gives producers of local consumer goods, fertilizers etc an opportunity to advertise their products. In return, the revenue generated from these advertisements can help the community radio stations to overcome their operational costs. This is a positive move towards self-sustenance and community radio stations can depend less on grants from the government or other agencies for their development. In the rural areas of India Panchayati Raj system is an effective tool for governance. According to (Articles 243G-243H) of the Constitution of India State legislatures have the legislative power to confer on the Panchayats such power and authorities as may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of self-government. They may be entrusted with the responsibility of preparing plans for economic development and social justice, implementation of schemes for economic development and social justice and in regards to matters listed in the Eleventh Schedule which comprise of education, women and child development, animal husbandry etc. Therefore, the Panchayati Raj system can be used to pump in money for setting up community radio stations. However, according to the Government of India guidelines political parties and their affiliate organizations have been debarred from running community radio stations which make it difficult for the Panchayats to help with funds. While this has been done to keep the stations free from any political influence and propaganda some mechanism needs to be devised to utilize the Panchayats in the grass root levels. Possibilities of Community Radio in India

In a country like India where there is diversity in all aspects, community radio can be used as a potent tool of development. It can be used to make communities aware of various social issues like dowry, forceful marriage of young girl child, nutrition and eco- balance. Community radio can be effectively used to provide information about weather conditions, train and bus timings in the locality where the community radio station is situated, possible sources from where the rural villagers can apply for funds, education and training facilities, job opportunities etc. In India, states like West Bengal have a strong potential to have a number of community radio stations. West Bengal has a large number of Self Help Groups (SHGs) which can be channelized to set up community radio stations. The first community radio station was set up at Jadavpur University as part of the TEQIP project in collaboration with School of Media Communication and Culture, JU. It came up on April 14th, 2008 and was named RadioJU 90.8 MHz. The programmes aired at RadioJU 90.8 MHz can be heard within a radius of 10km from Jadavpur University. This community radio is operated with the main objective to empower, inform and entertain not only the campus population but also those who live outside the University within the above mentioned radius. A number of programmes are on offer like Alochana which brings together experts from various fields to talk on issues, Shruti natak(radio drama), programme for the children, Sanskriti(cultural programme incorporating all types of music), career counseling and many others. Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute also came up with its community radio station, SRFTI 90.4 FM. This radio station operates over a stretch of 10 km from Ruby Hospital to Kamalgazi and airs programmes which include literature, music, theatre and issues on women and children. These are initiatives which are meant to make community radios successful in the state. However, a lot more needs to be done. In this context the recommendations made by distinguished guests at the National Seminar on Community Radio, IGCNI, 13-14 September, held on October 2008 in Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan, West Bengal can be useful. The recommendations comprise of the following: 1. The network of Self Help Groups (SHGs) in West Bengal needs to be given encouragements to set up community radio stations as a medium of development. 2. In the coastal areas of the state community radio stations need to be set up to communicate with fishermen venturing out at sea. 3. Possibilities need to be explored to link community radio stations with Common Service Centre (CSC). 4. Identifying large N.G.Os and encouraging them to set up community radio stations. 5. Active role on the part of the Government of West Bengal to facilitate setting up of community radio stations. As discussed earlier, India has been late to ascertain the prospects of community radio. Presently, there have been initiatives on the part of the government but there are issues which need to be resolved for community radios to operate effectively. According to the policy guidelines framed

by Government of India the licensing procedure is tedious and the interested parties have to go through a process of screening and clearance from Home ministry, Defence etc. This can be a hindrance to the road ahead for community radios because it is time consuming and not encouraging enough for non-government institutions. In the present global system keeping out the private sector from an initiative which proposes to reach the length and breadth of the country can be unrealistic. Roping in willing private organizations for setting up community radio stations can take the process forward at a faster pace. However, the private sector can be allowed to operate only under strong regulatory mechanisms on the part of the government, otherwise the purpose of the stations to reach the marginalized will be lost and the community radio stations can end up becoming market driven money making machines. Community radio can be the driving force behind ushering in changes in the living condition of the people of the country. It can truly help India in becoming developed by providing opportunities for progress. A bright future waits for the community radio stations in the country provided the material and human resources are channelized properly.

References: 1. Other Voices-The Struggle for Community Radio in India: K. Kanchan Malik and Vinod Pavarala: Sage 2007 2. Community Radio: Voice to the Voiceless: Snehasis Sur: Ganamadhyam Barta, June 2009, Volume I, Issue I 3. Introduction to the Constitution of India: Dr. Durga Das Basu: Wadhwa and Company Law Publishers 2003 4. UNESCO Releases on Community Radio 5. Policy Guidelines for setting up Community Radio Stations in India, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Govt. of India 6. Official Website of the Jadavpur University 7.Input from the AMARC 8. Input from the Indian Express