New Delhi: Months after India opened uplow-powered FM radio broadcasting to community groups, those eligible to applyfor licences are finding many roadblocks and a shortage of skills in a fielddominated by the government for generations.

 

In November 2006, the government gave the green signal to communityradio stations, opening what some noted was a potent power in localbroadcasting.

Some two and a half months later, officialdom is currentlyfinalising application forms for applying to set up FM community radiostations, under a policy, which will open up broadcasting to educationalinstitutions, agricultural centres, and non-profits or NGOs though under somestringent conditions.

Training for those intending to run the tiny, mostlylow-cost stations, and the best mix of technology available were high on thelist of challenges facing such attempts, during a two-day national consultationheld on the subject by campaign groups and individuals here. 

Prior to this, educational institutions were allowed to runcampus-radio like initiatives. But these too have not been problem-free.

"Our electronics department built its own (radio)transmitter for Rs.600 that can reach up to a distance of five km. But we weretold to buy one through the licensed dealer. After paying Rs.100,000, thedealer is asking for the licence before delivery, while the officials say weneed to get the equipment first to get the licence," said Principal NewmanFernandes of Goa's St. Xavier's College.

Many other issues hit grassroots media campaigners in theirface. With its "no-news" policy and other restrictions, communityradio remains one of the Indian media's tightly controlled segments, as againsta very large measure of freedom for the print media.

 

Spreading the message is also another important concern.Since radio has been largely government-run in India, and opened to commercial FMsince the 1990s, most cannot even imagine of the possibilities of community-runradio stations.

 

"People simply don't understand what community radiois. The closest they get to it is confusing it with HAM radio," saidKanchan Kumar, lecturer at the Hyderabad-based Sarojini Naidu School ofPerforming Arts, Fine Arts and Communication.

Getting access to a licence and understanding the proceduresto do so remains another maze for most, according to those who launched anetwork called the 'CR Forum' to promote community radio here. Community radiohas grown rapidly even in Nepal,Latin America and Africa. 

 

But challenges come from inside the campaign too.

 

There has been some talk of adopting voluntary codes ofconduct, so that self-regulation improves the functioning of the sector once itis up and running. Others stressed that community radio should not be limitedto just NGO radio, and that actual communities should be empowered by it.

There are two perspectives on the conditions in the licenseconditions. Some argue that there are too many stumbling blocks that would makethe fledging community radio stations unviable and difficult to sustain.

Others in the network suggest that what has been given is asignificant change over the earlier government approach, and should be acceptedtill the authorities are more comfortable with the idea. 

Arun Mehta said, "We should outright reject conditionswhich say that equipment should be bought only from 'authorised dealers'.Surely, a college with talented students could build their own equipment (at afar lower cost)."