1923 – Radio club of Bombay

1926 – Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC) – private company given permission to set up 2 stations

July 23, 1927 – Bombay station set up

August 26, 1927 – Calcutta station followed

Only 3000 licensed radio owners then

March, 1930 – IBC liquidated April, 1930 – Govt took over and formed Indian

State Broadcasting Service (ISBS) 2 years later, Govt started broadcasting BBC in

India 1932 - To supplement the earning of the Indian

State Broadcasting Service, the Indian Tariff (Wireless Broadcasting) Act was amended leading to a sharp increase in the duty on the wireless receiving set. The possession of a radio set without a license was made an offence.

Lionel Fielden sent to India

Zulfikar Ali Bokhari (Talks on “widow remarriage” & “untouchability”, sound truck tours)

Communal Radios set up

Timers put in

Number of licensed sets climbed to 100,000

German broadcaster Dr. Faruqui beamed his short-wave newscasts directly into India (Indians readily listened to his anti-Britain talks)

March 1935 - Office of Controller of broadcasting created under the Department of Industries and Labour of the Government

August 1935 - Mr. Lionel Fielden assumed charge as the first Controller of Broadcasting

January 1936 - Delhi radio station was opened June 8 1936 - the ISBS was renamed All India Radio

(AIR) 1937 - AIR was transferred from the Ministry of

Labour and Industries to the Department of Communications.

1938 - Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore composed the following poem entitled, "Akashvani", on the inauguration of the Calcutta short-wave transmission:

"Hark to Akashvani up-surgringFrom here below,

The earth is bathed in Heaven 's glory,Its purple glow,

Across the blue expanse is firmly plantedThe altar of the Muse

The lyre unheard of Light is throbbing,With human hues.

From earth, to heaven, distance conquered,In waves of Light

Flows the music of man 's diviningFancy 'sflight,

To East and West speech careers,Swift as the Sun,

The mind of man reaches Heaven 's confinesIts freedom won. "

September 1939 - News bulletins were centralized in all languages at Delhi.

October 1, 1939 - External Service started and directed to Afghanistan, Iran and Arab countries in Pushtu (to counter radio propaganda from Germany)

1939 - Controller Broadcasting Lionel Fielden was succeeded by Professor A.S. Bokhari who remained the head of All India Radio for six crucial years (In 1943, the designation, Controller of Broadcasting, was changed to Director General)

A. S. Bokhari

By 1939, in addition to the existing medium wave transmitters, short wave transmitters had

also been Installed at Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. New stations with medium wave

transmitters were opened at Lucknow and Tiruchiraplli.

In 194 1, AIR was again transferred to the department of Information and Broadcasting, which after Independence in 1947, became a separate ministry by itself.

BBC steps in – Fielden and Bokhari reorganise BBC broadcasts to suit Indian sensibilities

1940 – Shows for Indian troops (WW-2 around the corner)

1940 - Bokhari began broadcasting a daily ten-minute Hindustani news commentary. Soon, programmes in Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Pushtu, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam followed.

When Japan joined WW-2 in 1941, thus began AIR's Burmese, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Malay and the Indo-Chinese languages broadcasts.

(Today, AIR broadcasts in 16 foreign languages)

1947 - total number of radio sets at that time was about 275,000.

At the time of Independence, 9 AIR stations (also including Peshawar, Lahore and Dhaka)

Sardar Vallabhai Patel was the first Minister of Information and Broadcasting in Independent India.

AIR stations in Delhi, Madras, Bombay, Calcutta, Lucknow and Tiruchirapalli.

Bahujana hitaya bahujana sukhaya ( For the benefit of many and the happiness of many)

Emphasis on disseminating information, education, music and drama.

1952 – Vadya Vrinda or National Orchestra with Pandit Ravi Shankar as the first music conductor.

In the 50s, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr. B.V. Keskar, put a ban on broadcast of Hindi film songs on AIR.

Radio Ceylon became immensely popular.

Binaca Geetmala and Amin Sayani.

1957 – Vividh Bharti started.

Sangeet SaritaBhule Bisre Geet

Hawa Mahal Jaimala

Inse Miliye Chhaya Geetare Bioscope Ke Baatein

Sargam Ke Sitare Celluloid Ke Sitare

Sehatnama Hello Farmaish

Emphasis shifted to entertainment.

Vividh Bharti extended to Medium Wave which meant more listenership.

1956- AIR officially called Akashvani.

1959 – Satellite Television introduced which later separated to form Doordarshan.

1957 – Rural Radio Forums

Arrival of Transistor – Low cost and mobile.

1964 – Indira Gandhi becomes Minister of I&B.

Chanda committee.

Headed by A.K. Chanda, former Comptroller & Auditor General of India:

1.Convert AIR into a corporation run by a board of Directors like BBC.

2.Separate Radio from TV.3.Commercialize Vividh Bharti so that

it earned revenue.

In 1967, Vividh Bharti was commercialized.

In 1976, AIR and Doordarshan were separated.

Prasar Bharati Act.

Prasar Bharati Bill passed by Parliament in 1990 but subsequent governments didn’t finalize it.

Act implemented in September 1997.

Broadcasting Corporation of India with two distinct bodies – Akashvani and DoordarshanSource: www.prasarbharati.gov.in

Functioned as a corporate with a Board of Directors headed by a Chairman.

Director General’s for both DD & AIR.

Member of Ministry of I&B part of Board.

Subject to the provisions of this Act, it shall be the primary duty of the Corporation to organise and conduct public broadcasting services to inform, educate and entertain the public and to ensure a balanced development of broadcasting on radio and television.

1.Free and objective broadcast of all matters of public interest, national or international, and presenting a fair and balanced flow of information including contrasting views without advocating any opinion or ideology of its own.

2.Paying special attention to the fields of education and spread of literacy, agriculture, rural development, environment, health and family welfare as well as science and technology.

3. Providing adequate coverage to the diverse cultures and languages of the various regions of the country by broadcasting appropriate programs.

4. Providing adequate coverage to sports and games so as to encourage healthy competition and the spirit of sportsmanship.

5. Providing appropriate programs keeping in view the special needs of the youth.

6. Making specific programs for and about women, tribals, children, handicapped, aged and vulnerable sections of society.

7. Promoting social justice and combating exploitation, inequality and such evils as untouchability and advancing the welfare of the weaker sections of the society.

8. Promoting national integration by broadcasting in a manner that facilitates communication in the languages in India; and facilitating the distribution of regional broadcasting services in every State in the languages of that State.

9. Providing comprehensive broadcast coverage through the choice of appropriate technology and the best utilisation of the broadcast frequencies available and ensuring high quality reception.

10. Promoting research and development activities in order to ensure that radio and television broadcast technology are constantly updated.

For more information regarding make up and assets of Prasar Bharati, you may visit their official website : www.prasarbharati.gov.in

THE FM Wave

In 1995, AIR decided to open FM stations to private players. Path of Indian Radio then veered towards:

First Phase - 1999

Second Phase - 2006

Third Phase - 2010

PHASE 1

Auctioning of FM bands to Private stations begins

21 stations commissioned across 12 cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Jaipur.

108 radio frequencies put up by the Government across 40 cities.

Stations to pay OTEF for 10 years.

Licenses for Community Radio also given

Radio Mirchi amongst the first private FM stations set up by The Times Group.

India’s first Private FM station came up in Bangalore.

Strict government policies, unviable high license fee and lower advertisement flow led many companies to leave the FM radio industry after the initial euphoria in 1999.

Fewer than 3% of the Indian ad-spend goes to radio. When 108 frequencies across 40 cities were auctioned in May 2000, the bids went through the roof as the loopholes in the tender document allowed people to make bids without any significant obligation to fulfill their promise.

The exorbitant bid amounts and the high annual license fee resulted in only 21 stations getting off the ground across 12 cities in Phase-I.

PHASE 2

338 frequencies for radio stations 91 cities were on block

The government awards 280 licenses for a total sum of $205 million

Sun, Adlabs, HT Music, ENIL emerge as the leaders with nationwide footprint

Government introduces new revenue-sharing model

In 1999, the government opened up the industry to private companies. While they established themselves in India’s major cities, they couldn’t build a profitable business because of the high license fee structure.

The government then changed the fee structure to make FM radio a more viable business. And it authorized the set up of FM radio in 91 cities across the country in a “Phase II” rollout.

As a result, companies ranging from the obvious media ones to unlikely real estate firms, bid and won Phase II licences.

The Phase-II bidding process attracted greater interest compared with the first phase in 1999. Phase I participants, such as New Delhi-based Living Media India Limited and Mumbai-based Midday Multimedia Limited popularized FM in large metropolitan cities and paved the way for Phase II.

The government had put total 338 frequencies in 91 cities on the block as part of phase-II compared to 21 licenses (currently operational) allotted in the first phase in 1999, and all the 91 cities were classified in A-plus, A, B, C and D categories. The private FM Radio companies bidding for these licenses won 280 out of these 338 frequencies offered for a total sum of $205 million (Rs. 907 crore) of one time entry fee (OTEF). There were no takers for the remaining 60 frequencies. The government is expected to get $51.3 million (Rs. 227 crore) more from the migration fee also from the existing players to shift their 21 licenses of first phase in to Phase II.

A total of 85 private players, not only media companies but also some real estate developers, were shortlisted for bidding, based on the pre-qualification bids invited in September 2005 by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. After the all five rounds of bidding, south India’s television network Sun Group bidding through its two companies—Kal Radio Private Limited and South Asia FM Private Limited has managed to win total 67 frequencies. It already has four operating stations taking the total tally to 71. It, however, had to give up a good number of these frequencies due to the maximum 15% restriction. Government norms stipulate that no individual company should own more than 15% of the total radio stations. That works out to no more than 45 radio station. Similarly, Adlabs Films, a part of ADAE Group formed by Anil Ambani who broke away from the largest private Indian company Reliance Industries, had to surrender some of their 56 station licences won following the Phase II awards.

PHASE 3

Yet to take off. Government was expected to take up

the third phase of expansion in 2010 however, it has been delayed.

Govt. expected to open bid for over 700 new stations, most of which in smaller towns.

Third phase should see the Govt. allowing broadcasting of news albeit it is sourced from AIR or DD.

Govt. to allow increase in FDI from 20% to 26%.

It is also likely to see relaxation in the 15 per cent limit on the number of channels an entity can own in the case of Jammu & Kashmir and the North-East.

Can you name some of India’s Private FM stations?

Radio City 91.1Big FM 92.7Red FM 93.5Radio One 94.3Hit FM 95Radio Mirchi FM 98.3Fever 104 FM 104