“TV gives everyone an image, but radio gives birth to a million images in a million brains.” So said Peggy Noonan, a weekly columnist for The Wall Street Journal. Her point is profound – when watching a piece of content, viewers simply follow the images presented on screen; but when listening, audiences engage with content on a personal level as each listener visualizes the message in his or her own individual fashion. Considering this, one can say that radio is quite an intimate medium. Different types of programs are broadcast through radio, from music and news to interactive programs; and radio stations range from single-broadcast stations to those that reach mass audiences. There are multifaceted layers to this platform, some of which are overlooked – like the service known as Community Radio. This is a distinct form of radio broadcasting operated by local communities. The programs usually cover topics and perspectives relevant to the community, and are conducted in the local language. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? An interesting fact is that Tamil Nadu was the very first state to commence a Community Radio service, and it was established in our very own Chennai.
When The Radio Does The Talking, Everyone Listens!
To learn more about the city’s Community Radio service, I spoke to Dr. T. Jaisakthivel, an Assistant Professor of the Department of Journalism and Communication at the University of Madras. He shared a sea of knowledge about the subject. When asked to explain what Community Radio is, Dr. Jaisakthivel explained that it is just another mode of broadcast like Medium Wave (MW) and Short Wave (SW).
A brief history
In India, one cannot broadcast in SW, as it is not permitted by the government. The public service sector operates Akashvani (formerly known as the All India Radio). Radio broadcasting by the private sector picked up only after the year 2000, when the Indian government gave permission to broadcast in FM. And so, a question drew forth from many – if the private sector can be allocated air waves for broadcasting, why cannot the common public be accommodated? Thus was born the concept of the Community Radio. The government permitted the public to initiate Community Radio service, and many establishments like schools, colleges, universities and NGOs began to explore building their own radio channels.
Thus, the chief characteristic of Community Radio is that it is highly inclusive and provides equal representation to people from different backgrounds, acting as a voice for the voiceless. Community Radio Stations tackle key local issues and broadcast the viewpoints of people across ethnicities. It is diverse in the truest sense. The very first community radio station, Anna FM, was established in Anna University, Chennai in the year 2000. The station was later taken over by the fishing community, and still functions in Rameshwaram under the name Kadalosai. (An interesting side note: India’s first Disaster Radio channel was established in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu.)
Dr. T. Jaisakthivel, An Active Voice In Speeding Up Community Radio Service Since Inception!
Dr. Jaisakthivel.
Most Community Radio channels are run by NGOs. For example, Nalamdana, a non-profit organisation, operates a Community Radio station called Thendral. Educational institutions also run Community Radio channels – for example, Loyola College runs Loyola FM, S.R.M has Muthucharam and M.O.P Vaishnav college has M.O.P FM. They produce content from their own local groups and communities, and conduct outreach activities. These stations play an important role as they broadcast subjects that are typically not covered by other radio stations.
“I did my PhD in community radio and I followed the channel near Dindigul, which is close to Kodaikanal – the name of the channel is Pasumi FM,” shared Dr. Jaisakthivel. “Pasumi is an NGO that focuses on environmental issues and its sustainability, and the owner of the FM station was Paul Bhaskar, a close friend. He is unfortunately no more, but rendered immense support to the Dindugul Community Radio.” A key feature of the FM station is that it broadcasts in five different languages – the broadcast languages of the Dindigul Community Radio include Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi and Saurashtra, and the number of listeners runs into lakhs. On the other hand, private FM does not have such a rich variety in the languages broadcast; in fact even the All India radio broadcasts only in a few regional languages. “I was invited to their listeners meet-up programme, and 1,500 people participated,” said Dr. Jaisakthivel. “I usually attend all International Radio meet-ups and Public Service Broadcasting meet-ups but it is only in community radio meet-ups that I see a huge number of people gather with sheer joy.” Community Radio programmes are high on sentimental value as they’re quite personal to listeners, and strike an emotional bond. The content is highly relatable, and word of mouth plays a significant role. The platform helps bring recognition to creative skills among those who otherwise may not have had the chance to step into the limelight despite having the talent.
In fact, many who produce Community Radio programmes go on to become radio programme producers. “Employment generation is one of the boons of community radio,” said Dr. Jaisakthivel, adding that he prefers the word Radio Announcer to Radio Jockey. “In fact, many women are often actively involved as community producers. Broadcast is usually for about 24 hours on this platform.”
On being asked what made Dr. Jaisakthivel develop such an inclination towards community radio, he reflected and said, “Basically I am a Dxer (“D” stands for distance and “X” means an unknown individual who listens to numerous radio channels/stations). It’s actually a hobby that I have inculcated over the years and it’s called Dxing. I started exploring an array of radio channels and came across Ofcom, which is a body in the U.K. that controls radio channels just like the I&B (Information and Broadcasting) Ministry in India. I came across a magazine published by the British DX Club called Communication, which had a column for community radio. And to my pleasant surprise I discovered that it had Ramzan FM, Deepavali FM, etc.”
“Gradually I came to know about the RSL license which is the Restricted Services License. Basically, these services are given by the government during the festive season such as during Ramadan, Diwali, etc. through the channel concerned. That’s precisely when the question crept in that if such spectacular services are accessible in the U.K. then why is India not taking such an initiative?! And then I realized that it’s extremely difficult to start a community radio service in India,” he said.
“The U.K. has a single window system – one person from the community concerned can apply, and if the authority verifies and cross-checks all the details without finding any loopholes, the license is provided. But in India if one aspires to become a community radio broadcaster, then one needs to get permission from 13 ministries, which is a lengthy procedure and that’s the catch. The authorities say that they can’t monitor the waves. But apparently, they can monitor social media and TV channels. That is the reason the government in India does not allow news to be broadcast in private FM channels, but no such restriction is there for TV or YouTube.”
“ What came as a shocker for me was the fact that people sometimes feel that community radio can be intimidating and can invoke fear among the public. Maybe it is a far-fetched idea that [our] society is ready for something like this. The ministries such as Army, Telecommunications, The Airport Authority of India, etc. seemed reluctant in executing such a service due to certain technicalities,” said Dr. Jaisakthivel.
He continued, “It appears that during the nascent stage of radio, the policy makers thought the radio waves were very dangerous. And during those days, there was no social media for connectivity. We approached the secretaries of the ministry stating that certain rules in terms of radio services were framed in olden days and it’s time to make amendments to such laws. But unfortunately the investment in the broadcasting sector has been relatively low. I did approach the ministry for executing such a service and reiterated that if such a service is being provided here just like in the U.K. then a lot of employment opportunities will be generated in India as well.”
“We further enquired why don’t the people start a radio channel for every taluk (a collectorate or administrative subdivision comprising an Indian revenue district). During natural disasters, we approach different media channels for gaining information to keep our safety intact. For instance, in Chennai, mostly in November-December every year the floods disrupt the entire set up and people avail the services of media in those times. But in 2015, 2023, floods dismantled the city and accessibility to social media or TV was at the lowest. Even print media goes for a toss in such times. And eventually it is community radio that seems to be the most feasible option in providing assistance to people in sailing through the tough times,” pointed out Dr. Jaisakthivel.
A reality check soon followed. “My question,” said Dr. Jaisakthivel, “is if the state government can give TV sets to people, then why can’t they give radio through the ration shop to every individual? People say that they are ready to listen to the radio but ask where they can find it as it’s not easily available in the market. So that’s why it is better to give it to common people through ration. I firmly believe that the government should take this initiative. It will hardly cost 200-500 rupees. We have given a proposal to the government, and if this is accepted, T.N. will be the first state to have a community radio in every Taluk. Every community radio will have 3-5 producers. Naturally, job opportunities will rise for the students, especially those who have completed Journalism/ Mass communication. In fact it will be a full- time job.”
An important point about community radio is that unlike Akashvani, Private FM etc, it can be established with an investment of just Rs. 20-25 lakhs. It is relatively cost effective. In fact it can be established within 10 lakhs since all the taluk headquarters have the towers. BSNL towers don’t work there, so people may put up antennae. Every city has government schools, colleges and one may put up a studio in a government school and ask the students to produce content. So, students belonging from those communities will run the show.
On being asked about the present status of community radio in Chennai, Dr. Jaisakthivel said there is a problem of accessibility since the government has allowed community radio programmes to broadcast in 100 watts transmitters. Further, Chennai has high-rise buildings (skyscrapers) which obstruct radio waves. So Dr. Jaisakthivel, along with his colleagues from the same field, has requested the government to give 1000-2000 watts so that it can reach a large number of people. He says that he is religiously keeping in touch with the people of community radio associations, forums, etc. He elaborated, “We can approach the government through all these means because just sending a proposal will not help in materializing the idea into practice, and the government might question what authoritative power we have to send such a proposal. We certainly have a lot of ideas to conduct awareness programmes for the government so that eventually those aspiring to start community radio get the opportunity.”
But one of the hindrances is the problem of funding. The number of community radio channels is very high in Tamil Nadu. TN has nearly 42 channels. So it goes without saying that it needs sufficient funding.
It wouldn’t be wrong to state that community radio has created a niche for itself to a certain extent. Yes, it’s true that the people by and large might not know about it. But those who do, know how well- defined, sharp and inclusive it is.
“The main idea behind establishing it is that it would act as the voice for the voiceless and what could be more wholesome and righteous than this?” asked Dr. Jaisakthivel. “I believe there is a lot of integrity in being a part of something like this. For instance, in Royapettah, there are people who practice and propagate Islamic culture and they too can produce content in Urdu. Similarly in Sowcarpet there are people who are Rajasthani and they can also start a channel in Hindi and so on!”
“A community is the representation of people and their beliefs, ideologies, faith, moral values, etc. Here, community does not imply religions. It is rather about people representing their cultures, ethnicity, lineage, languages, etc. Needless to say it’s the age of social media and the inclination towards community radio could be less comparatively, but I shall continue to strive towards making it a success.” said Dr. Jaisakthivel
There are challenges – for instance, even when one is in Chennai, one can’t listen to Anna FM or MOP FM because 50 metres is being put up for the broadcast tower from the ground level. If 100 watts is used then the broadcast will reach villages but not cities. Since only the 88-108 frequency range is available, it is within this range only that broadcasting takes place. Chennai has around 12 FM broadcasting channels. Sometimes, the channels merge with one another – for example, if one is in the University of Madras campus, then one can’t listen to all the FM channels, because the tower is right there; the channels get mixed up. and there are possibilities of different channels merging with each other. Dr Jaisakthivel said he approached the government to start a community radio channel from the campus itself. But there are definitely certain rules and regulations that need to be followed. If the army cantonment areas are near or if the airport is near then the broadcasts can’t be allowed. The INS (Indian Naval Ship) Adyar is nearby and that’s also one of the reasons for not allowing broadcasts there. But a lot of private FM transmitters do function from there.
Dr. Jaisakthivel firmly believes that it’s time the rules and regulations are changed. He said, “During the second world-war, a lot of soldiers used to roam in T.N. and they would write a text and mark it as a database to come back to their places. So, these are primitive ways and can’t be applicable in the contemporary world. And that’s why it is equally important to bring in changes in the sphere of radio services. We need to pull up our socks in this aspect in comparison to the U.K.”
The government allows broadcast in the medium and short wave in the U.K. And they used to swear by the system of clandestine radios. These are secret radio stations that are difficult to track down. The people would basically broadcast from unknown places. But in India it’s not possible to do something like this. Nevertheless, people are hopeful and optimistic that the government will be considerate enough to accelerate the process of implementation of community radio soonest.
As far as Dr. Jaisakthivel’s collaborations with community radio in the future are concerned, he said, “I have always been supremely supportive towards the spectrum of community radio services such as production, communication, policy level ideas and I am currently analysing how to upgrade the content on Radio as well as application (app) mode. I am also thinking of expanding the whole venture towards Radio Garden software. Radio Garden is a transnational radio online exhibition that allows users to explore an interactive globe filled with radios past and present. It allows us to explore different voices across various places. Simultaneously I am also thinking that broadcasts should take place on the airwaves. There is a possibility that all these steps might uplift the platform of community radio.”
(to be concluded next fortnight)