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Introduction
Community Radio
is a very powerful tool for social change. It is a new source of
strength for poor people as it addresses their most basic
development needs.
Despite rapid technological changes in telecommunications in the
recent years, radio broadcasting remains the cheapest mode of
information dissemination. It plays a vital role in the country’s
socio-economic and cultural development. |
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What is
Community Radio
It
is a programme conceived, devised, developed and managed by poor.
It addresses their real issues, their sufferings, their wisdom,
their expressions, their joy, their sorrow, their anguish, their
longings and their feelings. This is a means.... |
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Government Apathy
In
2003, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting decided to
grant non-profit, non-commercial radio stations to educational
institutions at the school and college levels. Although it is
referred as ‘community radio’, but ...... |
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Why AID
used Community Radio?
The
districts of Palamau and Garhwa in the state of Jharkhand are one
of the most backward and neglected districts of India. Though rich
in mineral deposits, the region is plagued by poverty and social
ills like bonded labour....... |
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Chala Ho Gaon Mein
This
program effectively gave voice to the needs, concerns and issues
of the neglected lot in the region. It was started by AID in 2001.
At the initial stage, people from 45 villages of...... |
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Programme Activity
The
main activities related with the Radio program are:
Capacity
Building, Broadcasting,
Narrow Casting,
Cultural Program,
Right
mode activities, Information Bazaar,
Documentation of response
letters and Production of audio cassettes. |
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The Issues
The programs have covered issues of
dowry, bonded labour, child labour, superstition, alcoholism,
child marriage.... |
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Outreach
'Chala Ho Gaon Mein’, today, reaches a population of over
seven million, covering Palamau, Garwah and Latehar districts in
Jharkhand, and some of the bordering regions in the states of
Chattisgarh, Bihar and UP. It was initially broadcast through FM
band of AIR, Daltonganj every Sunday from 7:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Due to popular demand, the frequency of the programme had to be
increased to two episodes a week from 1 May 2003. Today, ‘Chala Ho
Gaon Mein’ can be heard every Sunday and Wednesday. It has
successfully completed 4 years and 300 episodes of broadcast
without a break.
See details of the episodes broadcast since 2001with audio in
Anatomy of the episodes.
Villagers feel that the most unique feature of this programme is
the fact that it is entirely in Magahi- the local dialect (a
mixture of Hindi and Bhojpuri) and they can recognise most of the
participants. |
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Impacts of
Community Radio: Case Studies
A
recent internal impact study across 374 villages reveals that 98
per cent of the village folk listen to the programme regularly, 81
per cent of the listeners feel the programme is very good and most
of the listeners appreciate the social dramas and folk songs
through which they would like to discuss their problems.
Some examples of real life events are given below to illustrate
the direct impact made by the community radio at the community
level. |
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Some
Facts |
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The
Supreme Court in 1995 declared airwaves to be the public
property. This judgment held that the 'freedom of speech and
expression' guaranteed by Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian
Constitution includes the right to acquire and disseminate
information. The right to disseminate also includes the
right to communicate through any media - print, electronic
or audio-visual - though restrictions were permissible on
such rights. |
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launched South Asia's first community radio station in 1995.
Today it has at least five independent stations across the
country that address people's complaints and act as hubs of
information. |
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Villagers
can set up a low-powered, do-it-yourself radio station -
with a half-watt transmitter, a microphone, antenna and a
cassette player - for approximately Rs.1000 ($25). Such a
station can reach about a third of a mile and cover a small
village. |
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Ministry runs All India Radio service that covers the
country and has more than 200 stations. Communities can buy
time from the radio service and run their programs under the
state supervision. |
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The
first campus radio station came into existence at the Anna
University in Chennai on 1 February 2004.
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2000, two NGOs, one in the Kutch region of Gujarat and the
other in the state of Jharkhand being run by AID, have used
time slots on All India Radio to run programs in their local
dialect. |
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Government
has declared drought year of Jharkhand after broadcasting
and highlighting the issues by the Community radio in July
2004. As preventive measures the state Government have
started many minor Irrigation program in the state. |
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Links |
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The Government
of India, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has
formulated a policy on expansion of FM radio broadcasting
services through private agencies.
For more information about AIR visit AIR’s home page at
http://mib.nic.in |
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AIR
today has a network of 215 broadcasting centres with 144
medium frequency (MW), 54 high frequency (SW) and 139 FM
transmitters. The coverage is 91.42% of the area, serving
99.13% of the people in the largest democracy of the world.
AIR covers 24 Languages and 146 dialects in home services.
In Externel services, it covers 27 languages: 17 national
and 10 foreign languages.
See
www.allindiaradio.org |
Prasar Bharati is a statutory
autonomous body established under the Prasar Bharati Act.
The Board came into existence in 1997. It is the Public
Service broadcaster of the country. The objective of public
service broadcasting is to be achieved though All India
Radio and Doordarshan, which earlier were working as
independent media units under the Ministry of I&B.
For more information, visit our site at
www.ddindia.com |
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UNDP-UNESCO
has given full backing to India's efforts for new Community
Radio Policy. For details see
http://www.undp.org.in/NEWS/PRESS/2004/PRESS277.HTM |
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Apart
from ‘Chalo
Ho Gaon Mein’
program by AID, other organizations that are running
Community Radio programs successfully in India are:
Deccan Development
society in Medak
District of Andhra Pradesh
http://www.ddsindia.com
The Kutch Mahila
Vikas Sangathan's weekly radio programme Kunjal
Panje Kutch Ji (Sarus Crane of Our Kutch), featuring
Kunjal (the Sarus Crane) as the narrator. It has become
the mainstay in the lives of women in Kutch. For details
see:
http://www.itforchange.net/ict4d/display/98
Namma Dhwani
has gained a reputation of being perhaps the only
community radio station in India to cablecast programs
made by the community on a daily basis. For details see:
http://www.voicesforall.org/communityradio/namma_dhwani.htm
Campus Radio at
Anna University:
www.annauniv.edu
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