So there I was at Sanchar Bhavan today morning. I left about 45 minutes later clutching my precious SACFA clearance letter, and a frequency allotment letter. Next step, we complete our survey (which is waiting for schools to open after the Dushera break), sign the GOPA, deposit the license fees, and get our Wireless Operating License - The License. Three months later, we better be ready to beam it up. So, we’re looking at end-January to launch Gurgaon’s very own community radio station.
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1 minute read | 83 words
Delhi-based Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has announced that it is launching a six-month certificate course in community radio in association with Commonwealth Educational Media Centre. According to a report in The Times of India, the course will bring together community radio practitioners, communication experts and academics for content planning in community radio. Read the full TOI story here.
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1 minute read | 60 words
Its unofficial. But we’ve got our frequency. Yesterday’s visit to Sanchar Bhavan yielded this wonderful nugget of information that TRF has been allocated 107.8 as their CR frequency. An official letter follows next month.
Meanwhile, I am playing verse games with Ek Sau Saat Dashamlav Aath, which is what 107.8 will sound like in Hindi. The possibilities for a followup line seem endless. Though if something comes to your mind, please do send them in.
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1 minute read | 75 words
Symbiosis Institute is on its way to starting a CR station on-campus sometime early next year. According to a report in RadioandMusic.com, the SIMC Students’ Council President Mitin Chakraborty has confirmed, “We have already applied for the necessary government licence for our campus radio and would be starting the radio once we procure the licence.” Read the full story here.
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1 minute read | 60 words
India’s first CR station seems to have got caught in internal bickering. According to a story in The Indian Express, “The first community radio Anna FM was launched with lot of fanfare by the Media Science Department of the Anna University some years ago, providing the students with some valuable experience. But today, the students have minimal or no access to it.” Read the full story here.
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Two wonderful stories about how the Jamia community radio station in Delhi contributed to keeping peace in Jamia Nagar where the recent shootout took place. Run by MCRC Jamia Millia Islamia University, the CR station helped broadcast information about what was happening in the neighbourhood, and quelled rumours that may have sparked off incidents of violence. You can read the RadioandMusic story hereand The Times of India story here.
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1 minute read | 69 words
A story just came through that reminded me of something N Ramakrishnan of Ideosync had thrown in the air as an idea worth pursuing. Using community radio, at a very local level, for the community to showcase its talent and “vote” for whom they think is the best. An “Indian Idol” reinvented at the local level. Via radio. Not only would a program like this generate enormous interest in the radio station, it could possibly reel in advertisers for the 5 minutes of ads per hour of programming that CR stations are allowed.
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Our file is apparently finally complete. That mystery form which has confounded brighter minds, is finally filled and filed. How did we do it? Er, with a little help from some people from WPC. I had tried and tried but the minute I came to the technical bits I just could not figure out what to fill in. Finally I called WPC. A helpful gentleman there suggested I come over and he would help me fill the form.
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We’ve been seriously considering Teaching of English as a significant element in the CR station’s content offering. Centre for Learning Resources’ Dr Kurrien has mentioned that he would be happy to share the content that they have developed for the teaching of English over radio.
I just read a wonderful story about how it is being done in Bihar, through the radio (AIR), for primary school children throughout the state. Read the full story here.
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1 minute read | 75 words
We’ve finally done it. Today I spent the entire morning weaving my way through the corridors of Sanchar Bhavan, and sitting with a very helpful person who screen by screen helped me fill out the Network License Application form. This is the last remaining form before our application file is considered complete. Now, all we have to do is to print the form out, and drop send it off to WPC.
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2 minute read | 242 words
An interesting story out of Philippines. According to the Inter Press News Service Agency (IPS), “amidst the raging conflict between government forces and Muslim rebels on the island of Mindanao, the religiously mixed population in the North Cotabato region looks to a community radio station as a beacon of peace.”
Read the full story here.
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A question of questions: what do we include in the survey that we have to conduct in our target villages of Garhi Harsaru and Dhankot? In a bid to get as many inputs as possible (and at the risk of too many cooks…), I’m putting up what we’ve worked out so far. Please feel free to suggest additions, deletions, changes, and especially re-wording.
Draft Survey Questionnaire for Community Radio
Section – Media access and ownership
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5 minute read | 1001 words
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