[nukkad] Lobbying for community radio

[Harshal Chhaya <>]

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A very informative write-up on community radio and where it stands.
There is talk of a PIL (lawsuit) to force AIR and Prasar Bharati to
open up the air waves for NGOs and similar organizations. The lack
of awareness about CR (you won't find any coverage of this in regular
media) coupled with the lack of deep pockets is the real problem. A 
number of very talented and innovative people are working in this area.

CR is in use in a number of countries and has been proven to
be very effective. I hope the CR enthusiasts can convince the bigwigs 
as well as the public of the importance of CR in India and actually 
implement it. 

Regards,
- 'shal



COMMUNITY RADIO - what is all the lobbying about?

By Vasuki Belavadi


Questions have often been raised on the efficacy of All India Radio as a
medium in reaching out to people who have their own dialects, customs,
traditions, local issues to discuss and thereby empower themselves. Caught
as it is in the web of bureaucratic control, All India Radio still remains
highly inaccessible by rural communities.

It is in this context that non-governmental organisations and activists
interested in the welfare of rural communities began to voice their demand
for a community radio (CR). A radio that would reflect the aspirations of
the people, give the oppressed a voice and provide them with an alternative
platform to discuss their issues in their own language to their own people,
thereby creating an ambience for horizontal communication in the process.

While definitions of community radio have found variations, one would think
that community radio in the Indian context is primarily for rural
empowerment since urbanites already have access to mainstream media.

Current debates on community radio have often been centred on the issue of
licences. There have also been voices favouring the use of AIR to broadcast
programmes meant for a community. It is against this background that models
being pursued by different community radio initiatives in the countries
gain significance.

The Deccan Development Society (DDS), an NGO in Medak district of Andhra
Pradesh has set up a CR for the 75 villages it works in. The DDS CR works
on simple cassette technology. The volunteers record programmes on portable
cassette recorders and edit them on cassette machines. The volunteers have
already canned over 150 hours of programmes. DDS right now 'narrowcasts'
(plays back the programmes on a portable cassette player) and creates an
atmosphere for discussion in the villages. DDS is waiting for a licence to
switch on its transmitter.

The Kutch Mahila Vikas Sanghatan (KMVS) in the Kutch district of Gujarat
has been involved in CR and recently won the Chameli Devi Award. KMVS hires
audio studios and produces programmes using digital technology. Funded by
UNDP, KMVS purchases airtime on AIR and the programmes broadcast have
received encouraging response from the listeners.

VOICES, Bangalore, has also initiated three CRs, one in Kanakapura with
Sree Ramana Maharshi Academy of the Blind and two others in Kolar and
Chitradurga along with MYRADA an NGO. VOICES is right now engaged in
capacity building, i.e training its volunteers in CR. Involved in
popularising the briefcase radio, VOICES has been actively lobbying for
licences but is not against using AIR for transmission of programmes.

This brings us back to the basics of community radio. Conceptualised as an
alternative to the highly centralised state-owned radio, community radio
seeks to ''develop pluralistic and participatory communication that is open
to the need for statement of the social and cultural sectors with less
access to exclusively commercial media.
That exercise the right to communication and, particularly, the right to
information.'' (Federaci=F3n Argentina de Radios Comunitarias, FARCO.
Argentina.) In the words of VOICES, ''Community radio is characterised by
the active participation of the community in the process of creating news,
information, entertainment and culturally relevant material, with an
emphasis on local issues and concerns. With training, local producers can
create programmes using local voices. The community can also actively
participate in the management of the station and have a say in the
scheduling and content of the programmes=85.In these days of highly
commercialised broadcasting, the ethos of community radio remains
independence and responsibility to serve the community, not the advertiser.
As the community owns the station, it also maintains some responsibility in
the running of the station.''

Those arguing in favour of using AIR time for broadcasting programmes seem
to be glossing over several factors that limit the scope of community
radio. Firstly, the undue scrutiny by AIR is against the spirit of CR. Not
many AIR stations accept programmes meant for communities and those made on
low-end formats. This means increased costs of production. One would be
interested in knowing how those who already have or are in the process of
investing in high-end technologies will enable communities to run their
affairs after funding ceases. Even when AIR does receive programmes
produced on high-end formats, airtime costs are rather high. One would
again be interested in knowing whether the community would be able to bear
such high airtime costs on its own.

Underlying these issues is the fact that broadcasting on AIR would
neutralise the principle of active participation of the community in the
management of the station and having a say in the scheduling and content of
the programmes.

Those in favour of utilising the services of AIR for a beginning would
argue as to why other listeners should not hear such programmes. While one
agrees that AIR does provide a platform for bottom-up communication, the
fact remains that such programmes will still remain ones made FOR the
community. The scope for feedback would be limited by AIR.

CR is based on the principle of taking the medium to the people and
encouraging participation, management and thereby catalyse empowerment.
However, dependence on AIR will continue to work against the very principle
of community radio. Yet another danger remains. As long as organisations
facilitating CRs satisfy themselves with lobbying for space on AIR,
licences will continue to be delayed.

There has also been talk about filing a public interest litigation to fight
for a licence based on an earlier judgement that declared airwaves as
public property. However, organisations involved in CR hardly seem to be
interested in pursuing that line of action. It is also unfortunate that
while the government allows private broadcasting for commercial purposes,
it still does not believe the very NGOs that it works with in the uplift of
the communities.

What is now required is a SINGLE and CLEAR voice demanding licences.
Different groups pursuing different models must come together on a common
platform to better the prospects for community radio in India.



Vasuki Belavadi is assistant professor at the Manipal Institute of
Communication. The views expressed here are his own.



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