India: Time for Community Radio has come!
26-02-2007 (New Delhi)
Rukmin Wijemanne, engineer behind
UNESCO's Radio-in-a-Box,
showing the station to a visitor.
© UNESCO
Following the Indian Government Policy Guidelines to allow non-profit community based organizations with a known reputation and a track record of at least 3 years to apply for a license to broadcast, the UNESCO Office in New Delhi partnered with the Broadcasting Engineering Society to organize a key forum at their 13th annual convention.
The forum entitled “Community Radio – Innovation, low cost solutions and access” was held at the Pragati Maidan Conference complex in New Delhi from 1 to 3 February 2007. Media partners Care and Plan International also contributed to the forum and the exposition stand set up by UNESCO in the main hall.
The forum was inaugurated by the Indian Minister of Urban Development, S. Jaipal Reddy who declared that “The time for Community Radio has come!” But it must be low cost radio for India, he insisted.
UNESCO experts led by Adviser in Communication and Information,Jocelyne Josiah, discussed models that could be obtained for US$ 600, 1000, 2000 or 6000,with an eye to quality, professionalism and the law of the land. The idea was to start at low cost and build up gradually.
Some 600 community radio aspirants visited the stand. Various proposals focused on communities of ethnic minorities, involving children in making programmes, teaching credit union and cooperative work on radio, and creating a 'chaupal' or town meeting around the local radio, thus expanding community-wide this instrument of democracy and decision making. Still others sought to carry knowledge and skills in credit unions and cooperatives to local communities, all the more to help bootstrap self-development. This was very significant in the light of Minister Reddy's statement that 80% of the nation lived below the poverty line of $2 a day!
Some, however, still find the new Policy Guidelines restrictive in terms of power and antenna height, and the interdiction on the making of news programmes. Nonetheless, the new Policy Guidelines do represent a major advance in official thinking and it would be best to roll with the momentum, start the new stations and smooth out any shortcomings over time.
Building on this first wave of enlightened and enlightening enthusiasm, The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and a Joint UN Group including UNESCO will be convening a national consultation on community radio, in New Delhi 6-7 March 2007.
The forum was inaugurated by the Indian Minister of Urban Development, S. Jaipal Reddy who declared that “The time for Community Radio has come!” But it must be low cost radio for India, he insisted.
UNESCO experts led by Adviser in Communication and Information,Jocelyne Josiah, discussed models that could be obtained for US$ 600, 1000, 2000 or 6000,with an eye to quality, professionalism and the law of the land. The idea was to start at low cost and build up gradually.
Some 600 community radio aspirants visited the stand. Various proposals focused on communities of ethnic minorities, involving children in making programmes, teaching credit union and cooperative work on radio, and creating a 'chaupal' or town meeting around the local radio, thus expanding community-wide this instrument of democracy and decision making. Still others sought to carry knowledge and skills in credit unions and cooperatives to local communities, all the more to help bootstrap self-development. This was very significant in the light of Minister Reddy's statement that 80% of the nation lived below the poverty line of $2 a day!
Some, however, still find the new Policy Guidelines restrictive in terms of power and antenna height, and the interdiction on the making of news programmes. Nonetheless, the new Policy Guidelines do represent a major advance in official thinking and it would be best to roll with the momentum, start the new stations and smooth out any shortcomings over time.
Building on this first wave of enlightened and enlightening enthusiasm, The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and a Joint UN Group including UNESCO will be convening a national consultation on community radio, in New Delhi 6-7 March 2007.
Visitors intrigued by Radio-in-a-box.© UNESCO
Related themes/countries
· India
· Community Media: News Archives 2007
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- UNESCO Office in New Delhi
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- UNESCO Office in New Delhi
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