The government is looking forward to getting the news broadcast on FM radio finalised by the end of the year, said I&B Secretary Apurva Chandra in an exclusive conversation with e4m. “We have already been given a green signal to present it before the Cabinet,” he informed.
“TRAI has recommended the broadcast of news on radio to enable the dissemination of more important information from the medium. We are also trying to get FM back on mobile sets so that direct broadcasting can be facilitated. This will increase the penetration of FM,” Chandra said.
“Anybody can listen to radio and a lot of people even do listen to radio even now. This is because the broadcast is majorly live. Other mediums have pre-uploaded content and may not be streaming live,” he added.
The MIB recently increased the CBC ad rates for private FM radio channels. The increase amounted to nearly 43 percent of hike on the base rate. Also, the authority recently recommended permitting private FM Radio channels to broadcast independent news bulletins.
Abe Thomas, CEO of Reliance Broadcast Network said, “There have been some notable developments for the radio industry in the recent times, be it the revision in government advertising rates after seven years or the announcement of e-auctions of 808 FM licences or the TRAI recommendations on amendments to the annual licence fee structure and permitting radio players to air news and current affair programs amongst others. These reforms are sure to boost revenue and expand the reach of the medium.”
The executive is eagerly looking forward to the broadcasting of news and current affairs on radio. “We believe it will bring in a new set of listeners and advertisers, enabling radio players to explore a wide range of engagement with listeners,” he added.
My FM’s CEO Rahul Namjoshi too is delighted to see these positive recommendations which were long pending, and according to him, if implemented will be a boon for the radio category. “We are thankful to TRAI for doing a detailed deliberation on the subject, listening to all the stakeholders and then coming out with such strong recommendations.”
He believes all recommendations are based on real pain points of the industry and hopes to see real implementation of these recommendations.
