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Broadcasting the voice of the voiceless....

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

A SUCCESS: Community radio

NEW DELHI: Still in its nascent stage in India, community radio, given its reach, can become the mouthpiece of the voiceless. Experiments in community radio programming having already proved to be a success, the new community radio policy announced this past November is expected to further catalyse its growth.

An exhibition showcasing the unique low-cost technical innovations available for setting up community radio will be held at Pragati Maidan here from February 1 to 3. Set up by UNESCO in association with Plan International, CARE and OneWorld South Asia, the exhibition is part of "BES Expo-2007'', the 13th International Conference and Exhibition on Terrestrial and Satellite Broadcasting of the Indian Broadcast Engineering Society.

To create greater awareness about community radio, a forum on "Community Radio: Innovation, Low Cost Solutions and Access'' will be held on February 2.

The event will have community radio experts and technicians from across the country and South Asia, broadcast professionals, non-government organisations as well as community and mainstream radio enthusiasts taking part in discussions.

The forum will address issues related to the reach and affordability as key components of the success of community radio. Discussion with experts will throw up answers to queries on how easy is it to set up a radio station and at what cost.

In a world where media is largely dominated by global conglomerates, community radio is touted as the mouthpiece of the voiceless. Given television's limited reach, both in terms of distance and content, radio continues to remain the preferred means for millions of rural citizens for news and entertainment.

In India, community radio programming has had some stunning successes and a case in point is "Rudi no Radio", a 15-minute programme launched by SEWA in Ahmedabad and Vadodara, and "Chala Ho Gaon Mein'', an initiative being run in Jharkhand.

On display at the three-day Delhi exhibition will be technical innovations such as the radio-in-a-box, lamp radios, solar-powered FM transmitters, low-priced disc-less recorders and a host of reasonably priced, creatively designed, hardy radio equipment suitable for the Indian environment.

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