I&B minister says private FM radio companies will be allowed to broadcast news only from the bulletins of AIR
Shuchi Bansal, FIRST PUBLISHED: WED, JUL 16 2014. 03 49 PM IST
New Delhi: Minister for information and broadcasting Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday ruled out any immediate permission to carry private news on FM radio stations, contrary to his earlier promises of looking into the matter "positively"—a move that came as a surprise downer to private FM stations expecting that they would be allowed to broadcast news. Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Javadekar said private FM radio companies would be allowed to broadcast news only from the bulletins of All India Radio (AIR), owned by the state-owned broadcaster Prasar Bharati. He said the FM radio policy could be relaxed in the future "...in view of the dynamic nature of news."
Currently, private FM radio companies players are not allowed to broadcast news. Javadekar said that under the guidelines approved for the so-called FM Phase III (or the latest round of bidding out of private FM radio stations), private FM radio companies will be allowed to carry AIR news bulletins in exactly the same format "on such terms and conditions as may be mutually agreeable with Prasar Bharati." He said information pertaining to traffic, weather, coverage of cultural events as well as public announcements related to health, civic amenities or natural calamities would be treated as non-news and, therefore, be allowed on FM radio.
Radio companies were upset with the announcement. "This is very disappointing. Access to AIR news for all cannot be a differentiator for radio channels. We had thought at least we would get access to the PTI feed,"said Rahul Gupta, director, Shri Puran Multimedia Ltd, which operates FM stations under the brand Radio Mantra. Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd (RBNL) CEO Tarun Katial expressed similar views. "We are still hopeful that the minister will stay true to his earlier announcements of allowing at least PTI news on air. With all sorts of news available even on local cable television, radio should be treated fairly and equitably. It is a responsible medium." RBNL operates 45 radio stations under the 92.7 Big FM brand. Katial's reference to PTI news is news put out by wire service Press Trust of India. "The regulator continues to restrict news on radio by restricting FM radio to broadcast only AIR bulletins, while no such restrictions are placed on print, TV or digital media," said Ashish Pherwani, partner and radio segment champion at audit and consulting firm EY.
Currently, private FM radio companies players are not allowed to broadcast news. Javadekar said that under the guidelines approved for the so-called FM Phase III (or the latest round of bidding out of private FM radio stations), private FM radio companies will be allowed to carry AIR news bulletins in exactly the same format "on such terms and conditions as may be mutually agreeable with Prasar Bharati." He said information pertaining to traffic, weather, coverage of cultural events as well as public announcements related to health, civic amenities or natural calamities would be treated as non-news and, therefore, be allowed on FM radio.
Radio companies were upset with the announcement. "This is very disappointing. Access to AIR news for all cannot be a differentiator for radio channels. We had thought at least we would get access to the PTI feed,"said Rahul Gupta, director, Shri Puran Multimedia Ltd, which operates FM stations under the brand Radio Mantra. Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd (RBNL) CEO Tarun Katial expressed similar views. "We are still hopeful that the minister will stay true to his earlier announcements of allowing at least PTI news on air. With all sorts of news available even on local cable television, radio should be treated fairly and equitably. It is a responsible medium." RBNL operates 45 radio stations under the 92.7 Big FM brand. Katial's reference to PTI news is news put out by wire service Press Trust of India. "The regulator continues to restrict news on radio by restricting FM radio to broadcast only AIR bulletins, while no such restrictions are placed on print, TV or digital media," said Ashish Pherwani, partner and radio segment champion at audit and consulting firm EY.
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