ITV

Tag: FM radio

  • MIB extends FM Radio migration fee submission date to 27 October

    MIB extends FM Radio migration fee submission date to 27 October

    NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has yet again extended the date of submitting the total migration fees for existing operators of Phase II FM Radio wanting to migrate to Phase III to 27 October.

     

    Earlier, those wanting to migrate had been told that they could pay 25 per cent of the non-refundable one-time entry fee (NOTMF) by 5 October and the balance by 15 October.

     

    Accepting another demand by Phase II FM operators for extension of time, the MIB once again said the option of migration only applied to Phase II operators and not Phase I operators.

     

    Meanwhile, the Ministry has assured the Courts that FM channels whose petitions are pending before courts would be given the chance to migrate in case they succeeded in their pleas. This includes some channels of the Sun Group of companies.

     

    Earlier on 29 September, it had said that the migration fee had been fixed according to the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) of 20 February this year.

     

    Each channel in Mumbai, which falls under the ‘A’ plus category will have to pay Rs 36.69 crore to the Ministry while each channel from category ‘D’ city- Aizawl will have to shell out Rs 0.12 crore.

     

    This means that from Mumbai, the Ministry will receive a total of approximately Rs 256.83 crore, considering there are seven stations – Radio City, Red FM, Fever FM, Big FM, Radio One, Radio Mirchi and Oye FM.

     

    The second highest pay-out will come from New Delhi, which will pay Rs 33.33 crore per channel, which means that all the stations together will contribute about Rs 266.64 crore.

     

  • FY-2015: ENIL PAT up 27% at Rs 105.97 crore

    FY-2015: ENIL PAT up 27% at Rs 105.97 crore

    BENGALURU: Indian private FM player Entertainment Network (India) Limited (ENIL) reported 27 per cent increase in profit after tax (PAT) at Rs 105.97 crore (24.2 per cent of Total Income from Operations or TIO) in FY-2015 (year ended 31 March, 2015, current year) as compared to the Rs 83.45 crore (21.7 per cent of TIO) in the previous year. The company has entered the Rs 100 crore PAT club this year.

     

    PAT in Q4-2014 increased by 20.1 per cent to Rs 25.52 crore (20.5 per cent of TIO) as compared to the Rs 21.24 crore (18.6 per cent of TIO) in the corresponding year ago quarter, but was 22.3 per cent lower than the Rs 32.86 crore (28.1 per cent of TIO) in the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Notes: (1) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore

    (2) The numbers in this report are standalone unless stated other wise.

     

    ENIL’s TIO in FY-2015 increased 14 per cent to Rs 438.48 crore as compared to the Rs 384.49 crore in FY-2014. TIO in Q4-2015 increased 8.8 per cent to Rs 124.43 crore as compared to the Rs 114.42 crore in Q4-2014 and was 6.5 per cent more than the Rs 116.79 crore in Q3-2015.

     

    Let us look at some of the other numbers reported by ENIL:

     

    ENIL total expense (TE) in FY-2015 at Rs 326.02 crore (74.4 per cent of TIO) was 11.8 per cent lower than the Rs 291.64 crore (75.9 per cent of TIO) in FY-2014. TE in Q4-2015 at Rs 98.06 crore (78.8 per cent of TIO) was 7.9 per cent more than the Rs 90.87 crore (79.4 per cent of TIO) and was 21.8 per cent more than the Rs 80.53 crore (69 per cent of TIO) in the trailing quarter.

     

    ENIL paid 7.7 per cent higher license fee in FY-2015 at Rs 21.79 crore (five per cent of TIO) as compared to the Rs 20.24 crore (5.3 per cent of TIO) in the previous year. License Fee in Q4-2015 increased 5.1 per cent to Rs 4.23 crore (3.4 per cent of TIO) as compared to the Rs 4.03 crore (3.5 per cent of TIO) in the corresponding year ago quarter and was seven per cent more than the Rs 3.96 crore (3.4 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2015.

     

    The company’s marketing expense in FY-2015 at Rs 75.76 crore (17.3 per cent of TIO) was 24.6 per cent more than the Rs 60.82 crore (15.8 per cent of TIO) in FY-2015. Q4-2015 marketing expense at Rs 31.57 crore (25.4 per cent of TIO) was 4.1 per cent lower than the Rs 32.91 crore (28.8 per cent of TIO), but was 54.2 per cent higher than the Rs 20.47 crore (17.5 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2015.

     

    Employee Benefit Expense (EBE) in FY-2015 at Rs 82.76 crore (18.9 per cent of TIO) was 10 per cent more than the Rs 75.22 crore (19.6 per cent of TIO) in the previous year. EBE in Q4-2015 at Rs 20.98 crore (16.9 per cent of TIO) was 9.4 per cent more than the Rs 19.17 crore (16.8 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2014, but 1.1 per cent lower than the Rs 21.21 crore (18.2 per cent of TIO) in the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    ENIL managing director and CEO Prashant Panday said, “It’s a very happy feeling for all Mirchi folks that the company they created has entered the Rs 100 crore PAT club! Our sustained focus on cost management as well as better sales in our radio, TV properties, and activations businesses has helped reach this milestone. We see the future even brighter with Phase-3 auctions coming up next month. This opportunity to expand is coming after nearly 10 years and we plan to make the most of it. Overall, Mirchi remains the strongest brand in radio with a 33-35 per cent share of the revenue market in its cities and a listenership lead across most of its 32 cities.”

  • TRAI’s recommendations for reserve price for Phase-III FM radio

    TRAI’s recommendations for reserve price for Phase-III FM radio

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today recommended that the reserve price for FM Radio channels for Phase III in a new city is to be set equal to 0.8 times the valuation of FM Radio channels in that city.

     

    Thus, TRAI said the reserve price for FM radio channels for each of the 253 new cities has been fixed at 80 per cent of the valuation for each city.

     

    In its recommendations on the reserve price for all the 253 new cities, TRAI also said the reserve price in 11 border cities in the ‘Others’ category in Phase-III should be Rs 5 lakh per channel, as approved by the Cabinet in the Phase-III policy.

     

    After considering all comments received from stakeholders during consultation process and further analysis of the issues, TRAI said in a consultation paper that the valuation of FM radio channels in 253 new cities has been worked out as a simple mean of the three valuation approaches. The approaches are based on population of the city; per capita Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP); listenership of FM Radio; and per capita Gross Revenue earned by the existing FM Radio operators.

     

    The regulator said it had received a letter from the Ministry on 16 December seeking recommendations of the Authority on reserve prices for auction of FM Radio channels in 264 new cities as per the Phase-III policy guidelines.

     

    In all 831 FM Radio channels in these cities are proposed to be auctioned through an ascending e-auction process as provided in Phase-III policy.

     

    Out of the 264 new cities, 253 cities have a population more than one lakh according to the census data 2011 and are classified as B, C, and D category cities. There are 798 FM Radio channels in these 253 cities, which are proposed to be put up for auction.

     

    The remaining 11 cities having a population less than one lakh are in the border areas of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and the North East (NE) region. There are 33 FM Radio channels in these 11 cities, which are proposed to be put up for auction.

     

    TRAI issued a consultation paper on “Reserve Price for auction of FM Radio channels in new cities” on 6 February. All the comments received were posted on the TRAI website. Subsequently, an Open House Discussion was conducted by TRAI with all the stakeholders on 9 March at New Delhi.

     

  • FM Radio phase III: TRAI to hold Open House on reserve price for auction

    FM Radio phase III: TRAI to hold Open House on reserve price for auction

    NEW DELHI: An Open House meet will be organised on reserve price for auction of FM Radio channels in new cities in Delhi on 9 March.

     

    This follows a consultation paper by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 6 February. It has already received some comments.

     

    TRAI recommended that the reserve price for FM Radio channels in phase III should be 0.8 times of the valuation of FM Radio channels in that city.

     

    The authority body suggested a reserve price of Rs 5 lakh per city, for FM Radio channels in 11 border cities in phase III.

     

    The regulator also asked if stakeholders agree with the proposed approach and methodology for determination of the valuations of FM Radio channels in 253 new cities in phase III.

     

    The Ministry sent a reference dated 16 December, 2014 to the Authority seeking recommendations of TRAI on reserve prices for 831 FM Radio channels in 264 new cities in the phase III. With this, the private FM Radio operations would be permissible in 350 cities.

     

    Comments and views of the stakeholders on the issues related to estimation of the reserve prices for auction of FM Radio channels in new cities were to be sent latest by 25 February.

     

    TRAI said that for FM channels in 253 new cities, the reserve price can be fixed at 80 per cent of the derived valuations.

     

    For 11 new cities classified in the ‘Others’ category, no reference price is available from phase-II as no city was available in this category in that phase. These cities have population figures of less than one lakh and are located in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and the North- Eastern (NE) States. The Cabinet approved the RP for each of these 11 cities as Rs 5 lakh.

     

    These cities are of strategic importance. The availability of FM Radio broadcasting service in these far-flung areas can also be used for Emergency Warning Services (EWS) with the specific approval and guidance of the local district administration. When the reserve price of Rs 5 lakh per city set for these cities in phase III, the policy is compared with the proposed RPs for ‘D’ category cities of NE and J&K, it appears to be reasonable to encourage the participation of a large number of prospective bidders. The inherent design of an ascending e-auction process would anyway ensure that the true market value of the FM Radio channels in each city is discovered during the process of auction. So the RP for each of these 11 new cities may be Rs 5 lakh.

  • TV Today’s Oye FM up for sale amidst disappointing revenues

    TV Today’s Oye FM up for sale amidst disappointing revenues

    BENGALURU/MUMBAI: Entities in the radio business have started to play their cards for survival in the industry. The first one to make the move was Radio City when it entered in an acquisition agreement with Jagran Prakashan. Now, TV Today’s Oye FM is in spotlight.

     

    According to an announcement on the BSE, the Board has approved the sale of the radio FM business, which has seven radio stations operating in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Patiala and Shimla.

     

    The corporate announcement stated, “TV Today Network Ltd has informed BSE that the board of directors of the company at its meeting held on 6 February 2015, inter alia, had allotted ESOP as per TVTN Employee stock option plan 2006: Satyaky Chowdhury – 10,500; and Shams Tahir Khan – 7,500.”

     

    It further said, “The Board has approved the sale of Radio FM Business (Seven Radio Stations) and has further authorised a Committee of Directors / senior officials to negotiate the terms and conditions with potential buyers and to execute the sale, subject to requisite Statutory and Regulatory approvals.”

     

    No official information has been circulated amongst Oye FM employees giving details of such a sale. But one of the sources said that Oye FM was pretty much evaluating its position in Phase III auctions along with Oye FM’s migration plans. But with the new announcement there is no clarity as to where they stand for Phase III auctions. Currently, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is working on making the partial auctions happen as smoothly as possible. The first partial auction of FM radio phase III is for 69 existing cities for 135 channels.

     

    This sale will not be the first for TV Today Network Limited (TVTN). In 2006, TVTN promoter, Living Media, sold the FM radio business under the brand Red FM to a consortium of investors, and later Kalanithi Maran’s Sun Network bought a stake in the company.

     

    Click here to read the full story

  • TRAI seeks views on methodology for calculating reserve price of FM phase III

    TRAI seeks views on methodology for calculating reserve price of FM phase III

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended that the reserve price for FM radio channels in phase III should be 0.8 times of the valuation of FM radio channels in that city.

     

    In a consultation paper on the subject of reserve price at the request of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, TRAI suggests reserve price of Rs 5 lakh per city, for FM radio channels in 11 border cities in phase-III.

     

    The regulator has also asked if stakeholders agree with the proposed   approach/methodology for determination of the valuations of FM Radio channels in 253 new cities in phase-III.

     

    The Ministry sent a reference dated 16 December 2014 to the Authority seeking recommendations  of TRAI on reserve prices for 831 FM radio channels in 264 new  cities in the phase-III. With this, the private FM radio operations would be permissible in 350 cities.

     

    Comments/views of the stakeholders on the issues related to estimation of the reserve prices for auction of FM radio channels in new cities should be sent latest by 25 February.

     

    TRAI has said that for FM channels in 253 new cities, the Reserve Price can be fixed at 80 per cent of the derived valuations.

     

    For 11 new cities classified in the ‘Others’ category, no reference price is available from phase-II as no city was available in this category in that phase. These cities have population figures of less than one lakh and are located in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and the North- Eastern (NE) States. The Cabinet approved the RP for each of these 11 cities as Rs 5 lakh.

     

    These cities are of strategic importance. The availability of FM radio broadcasting service in these far-flung areas can also be used for Emergency Warning Services (EWS) with the specific approval and guidance of the local district administration. When the reserve price of Rs 5 lakh per city set for these cities in phase-III, the policy is compared with the proposed RPs for ‘D’ category cities of NE and J&K, it appears to be reasonable to encourage the participation of a large number of prospective bidders. The inherent design of an ascending e-auction process would anyway ensure that the true market value of the FM radio channels in each city is discovered during the process of auction. So the RP for each of these 11 new cities may be Rs 5 lakh.

     

    The Consultation Paper noted that the non-refundable one time entry fee (NOTEF) for FM radio channels in all the cities coming up during phase III is to be discovered through an ascending e-auction. The phase-III policy guidelines provides the mechanism for migration of existing FM radio operators from phase-II to phase-III regime.

     

    According to the decision of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM), the Ministry had in April 2013 sought recommendations of TRAI on the migration fee to be charged from existing phase II operators on their migration to the phase-III regime of FM radio. Broadcasting authority sent its recommendations on ‘Migration of FM Radio Broadcasters from phase-II to phase-III’ on 20 February 2014.

     

    The methodology for determination of the reserve prices for auction of FM Radio channels   was already finalised by the Government. In its recommendations of 20  February 2014, the Authority recommended that the methodology for determining the reserve prices for fresh (new) cities (where no private FM radio channels are operational) in phase-III should be reconsidered as the current methodology might jeopardize the auction.

     

    Thereafter, MIB decided to seek fresh recommendations of the Authority on reserve prices for new cities in phase-III and also make the 2011 census data applicable for identification and categorisation of the new cities. Based on the 2011 census data, MIB has identified 37 additional cities where 112 private FM radio channels are proposed to be put up for auction. This is in addition to the already identified 227 new cities earlier earmarked for FM radio expansion as per the 2001 census data. Further, based on the 2011 census data, MIB has also upgraded the category of 11 new cities that were already mentioned in the phase-III policy guidelines dated 25 July 2011. Thus, there are now, in 264 (227+37) new cities, a total of 831 FM radio channels that are to be put up for auction.

  • Govt. keen on early expansion of phase III of FM radio

    Govt. keen on early expansion of phase III of FM radio

    NEW DELHI: Even as the government wants to commence the expansion of phase III of FM radio to bring in additional revenue, there appears to be a re-think on the question permitting these channels to carry All India Radio news bulletins.
     

    While confirming that he was keen to start the process as soon as possible in the current financial year, Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley said about the proposal to allow broadcast of news on private FM radio stations: “Let me consider this at length.”
     

    His response was in a similar manner when asked about permitting All India Radio news bulletins on private FM stations.

     
    The Minister said his Ministry and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) are considering aspects related to this process. He said. “Some aspects are being considered between the I&B Ministry and the regulator. And I would like to see that happen quite early. If I could have my way, it should be in this financial year because I now speak in both capacities.
    31 March, and some more revenue to the government has some relevance to me,” said Jaitley,

     
    More than 800 new FM radio channels are proposed to be allowed to come up in nearly 294 cities across the country under phase III.

     
    While the previous government had cleared the carriage of AIR news bulletins on private FM channels and even given the option to the existing 245 FM channels to opt for phase III, it had halted the process of auction in view of the elections.

     
    Jaitley’s predecessor Prakash Javadekar had not only promised early e-auctions, but said that the government would consider what can be broadcast by the private FM channels on their own other than AIR news bulletins.

     

  • TRAI clears platform services offered by local cable ops, subject to conditions and payments

    TRAI clears platform services offered by local cable ops, subject to conditions and payments

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended the establishment of an online system by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to register all the platform services being offered and the registration is on the basis of a simple set of information and at a nominal registration fee of Rs 1000 per channel.

     
    According to the recommendations on the ‘Regulatory Framework for Platform Services’ issued by it, TRAI said distribution platform operators (DPOs) desirous of providing platform services must be incorporated as a company under the Indian Companies Act 2013.

     
    TRAI had issued a consultation paper on ‘Regulatory framework for Platform Services’ on 23 June and the recommendations are based on the responses received from stakeholders. TRAI said there is an urgent need to ensure that these programming services are brought within the four corners of a robust and fair regulatory system that addresses all concerns adequately.

     

    The Ministry in a letter to TRAI on 17 January 2013 sought recommendations of TRAI under section 11 (1) (a) (ii), (iii) and (iv) of TRAI Act, 1997 on the issues related to local ground-based channels of cable TV operators. In addition, through an earlier letter of 2 February 2009, the Ministry had also sought TRAI’s recommendations about such kind of programming services being offered by DTH service providers to their subscribers as well as on the issue of carriage of FM radio channels on the DTH platform.

     
    The Regulator also issued a letter in this connection to the secretary in the Ministry, Bimal Julka.

     
    TRAI has also said a time of 12 months should be given to the DPOs to comply with the guidelines to be issued by the Ministry in this regard.

     
    Prior clearance is required from the district authorities of any local information and local affairs bulletins that may be transmitted.

     
    Platform Services (PS) are programming services/ channels that are owned by the DPO; available only to the subscribers of the DPO’s network; advertisements, if any, on these channels is inserted by the DPO and ad-revenues, therefore, accrue to it. Regular TV channels, howsoever transmitted, and Doordarshan channels which appear on the TV networks, cannot be included in PS. Further, foreign TV channels not registered in India cannot be included in PS.

     
    A maximum number of five PS channels may be offered by the cable operators in non-DAS areas. In DAS areas and for all other platforms, a maximum of 15 PS channels may be offered by the DPOs. These numbers are the number of PS channels to be made available at the subscribers’ end.

     
    In addition to the recommendations on Platform services, the Authority has suo motu made recommendations for a regulatory framework for ground based broadcasters as well. This has been done to ensure that any TV channel that is distributed on any TV network in India is covered by a regulatory framework, whether it is obtained from a satellite-based broadcaster; produced by the network operator or sourced from a terrestrial broadcaster.

     
    The recommendations for the ground-based broadcasters are largely the same as that for the satellite broadcasters, barring the requirements of seeking spectrum and approvals in that regard from Department of Telecom and the Department of Space.

     
    Retransmission of FM radio channels on TV channel distribution networks has been recommended provided that all the legal rights to do so are obtained. However, the Authority has said that this matter will be revisited at a later point in time, once the FM radio industry fully develops in India.

     
    These recommendations have been issued in view of ground based channels being operated at the level of cable TV operators and regarding the kind of programming services being offered by the DTH service providers to their subscribers.

     
    The Authority recommends that no change in the existing FDI limits and Net-worth requirements be made for DPOs offering PS.

     
    In so far as carrying local news and current affairs bulletins on PS is concerned, the following categories will be treated as non-news and current affairs broadcast and will, therefore, be permissible:

     
    (i) Information about local events and other local affairs, sourced locally and not obtained from news agencies or from broadcast news channels/ sources;

    (ii) Information pertaining to sporting events, excluding live coverage. However live commentaries of sporting events of local nature may be permissible, if broadcasting rights for the same are not held by anyone else;

    (iii) Information pertaining to Traffic and Weather;

    (iv) Information pertaining to and coverage of cultural events, festivals;

    (v) Coverage of topics pertaining to examinations, results, admissions, career counseling;

    (vi) Availability of employment opportunities; and

    (vii) Public announcements pertaining to civic amenities like electricity, water supply, natural calamities, health alerts etc. as provided by the local administration.

     
    There are four distinct kinds of channels, though variously described, and with a variety of content, that are being carried on DPO networks. For analytical ease and simplicity these are classified in terms of the source of the channel:  

     
    (a) Private Satellite Channels: These are the traditional satellite broadcast channels, governed by the Uplinking/ Downlinking Guidelines of the Ministry. They carry all genres of programme content.

    (b) Doordarshan Channels: These are the Public Broadcaster’s channels, some of which the TV networks are mandated to carry under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995.

    (c) Platform Services (PS) Channels: These are channels owned and operated by the DPOs and distributed to their own subscribers. They are of several kinds and, depending on the design of the network, may or may not be interactive. They offer a fairly wide variety of content to their subscribers. Content generally offered includes local affairs information/news; movies; general entertainment; music; education and religion. The DTH networks offer on-demand services for which the subscriber has to pay extra. These channels include movies/ video on demand, educational channels, interactive channels, etc. While such on-demand channels are at present distributed only by the DTH operators, in the DAS environment MSOs too can provide them.

     
    (d) Ground-based Channels: These channels are akin to the traditional broadcast channels, but with a strong local focus. In the comments received they have generally been referred to as ‘local-channels’ and the producers of such channels have been described as ‘local-channel operators’. In reality they are ground-based broadcasters. These channels offer a variety of content such as local news and information; regional movies and music; religious content, etc. The ground-based broadcaster channels are an integral part of most cable TV networks. Like traditional TV channels, these channels may also be carried on more than one DPO network simultaneously. The owners of these channels transmit the content terrestrially to the headend of the cable TV network, i.e., there is no uplinking or downlinking of the channel and the DPOs retransmit them on commercial terms to the subscribers. Like traditional TV channels, these local-channels also carry advertisements and the ad-revenue obtained usually accrues to the ground-based broadcaster. Consequently, they own the rights for the content carried and are responsible for the same. At present, such channels are not specifically covered under any regulatory framework and the ground-based broadcasters are not formally recognised as a ‘broadcaster’.

     
    The Authority recommended that any DPO offering PS retain, with itself, a recording of all PS channel programmes for a period of 90 days; a written log/register should also be maintained about such programme for a period of one year from the date of broadcast. The recording and the register can be examined by the Authorised Officer and the State/District Monitoring Committee appointed by the MIB as, when and if required. For PS distributed on a pan-India basis MIB should be the monitoring agency.

     
    The Authority recommends that the first violation of the PS Guidelines should lead to prohibition on transmission of the PS channel for a period of up to 30 days; for the second violation, the prohibition on transmission of the PS channel should be for a period of up to 90 days; for the third violation the registration of the PS should be revoked and the PS channel concerned should not be allowed to be transmitted. Consequently, the number of PS channels that the DPO can transmit thereafter will be appropriately reduced.

     
    Considering the smaller reach of some of the ground-based broadcasters, the Authority recommends that a State should be taken as a unit and a reach in 15 or more States should be taken as a pan-India presence. The States that are members of the North Eastern Council (NEC) could be considered to be equivalent to one State, for this purpose.

     

  • Future of Prasar Bharati lies in Freedish, FM Radio and internet radio, says Jawhar Sircar

    Future of Prasar Bharati lies in Freedish, FM Radio and internet radio, says Jawhar Sircar

    NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati chief executive officer Jawhar Sircar has said that the pubcaster would have to strengthen its direct-to-home platform Freedish and its FM services if it has to survive.

     

    He announced that Freedish was expected to go up to 112 television channels in the next two to three months but he had made it clear to the government that while most were coming through e-auctions, some popular channels may have to be ‘attracted’ to join Freedish since satellite television was the future. He said he was not opposed to digital terrestrial transmission but advances in technology may make it obsolete.  

     

    He said that when Freedish utilises its full strength, it will give the other DTH operators ‘a run for their money,’ while addressing a function organised by the Broadcast Engineering Society (India) on the occasion of Public Service Broadcasting Day.

     

    Similarly, he said he was conscious that FM was on analogue and may have to be phased out at some stage, but was the best alternative at present since medium wave and short wave were on the way out. That was the intent in his plan to simulcast MW programmes on FM channels. According to Sircar, AIR should direct its resources to strengthen FM broadcasts, particularly as even mobile phones and car radios could catch these signals.

     

    He denied that he was opposed to DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale), but said the present DRM will become obsolete by the time people are able to afford it and a futuristic version of DRM may be in vogue.

     

    He also felt that Internet Radio was the best alternative at present to short wave and asked the engineers to work on this.

     

    The day is marked as Public Service Broadcasting Day as it coincides with the only time that the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, ever visited All India Radio. He had come to the station in Delhi to make a broadcast in 1947 aimed at Hindu refugees from Pakistan then staying in a camp near Kurukshetra.

     

    AIR director general F Sheheryar referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to talk to the people through AIR and to the disaster management that AIR had helped in during the floods in Jammu and Kasmmir or the storm in the Bay of Bengal. In Kashmir, he said people depended either on the Army for help or AIR for information on how to get that help.

     

    He said the clear philosophy of the public service broadcaster was to do more than just entertainment as the private FM channels were doing. A pubcaster gave precedence to public welfare over pecuniary gain.

     

    A pubcaster also helped in development of languages and literature and taking forward classical art, music and dance.

     

    He said AIR had now undertaken a major exercise to record for posterity all the dying forms of folklore and folk music before these vanish.

     

    From six stations in 1947, he said AIR had grown to 414 stations at present. However, there was severe dearth of technical staff.

     

    Speaking earlier, Doordarshan engineering-in-chief N A Khan said terrestrial transmission was necessary for narrow casting.

     

    Meanwhile, he said DD had already begun using 19 of the 64 digital transmitters being set up to strengthen digital terrestrial transmission.

     

    Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi, who was the chief guest, said that he had depended on AIR when he set up ‘Bachpan Bachao Aandolan’ to reach out to parents who had lost their children or to get information about forcibly kept children.

     

    He also lauded radio for its work when the country was struck by disaster like the floods in J and K and the storm in the Bay of Bengal.

     

    He wanted AIR to work towards democratisation of knowledge. The pubcaster could help the people march from despair to hope and the dissemination of collective construction of information.

     

    While AIR had united India, he wanted it to help create a child-friendly India.

     

    Three former engineers of Prasar Bharati –M C Aggarwal, G S Sarma, and A R Krishnamurthy – were given lifetime achievement awards. BES(I) president O K Sharma and AIR E-in-C Animesh Chakravarty also spoke on the occasion.

     

     

  • Just over 37 million of the 65 million DTH subscribers active: TRAI

    Just over 37 million of the 65 million DTH subscribers active: TRAI

    NEW DELHI: The six private direct-to-home (DTH) operators were serving a total of 64.82 million registered subscribers at the end of the first quarter of the calendar year 2014.

    However, the number of active subscribers was 37.19 million, according to a report by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

    Apart from this, a large number of subscribers are served by Doordarshan’s DTH service.

    A total of 187 satellite television channels were encrypted (pay) out of the total 793 permitted by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry at the end of the first quarter ending March 2014. The number of pay channels is as reported by the broadcasters for which the rates have been taken on record.

    The maximum number of TV channels being carried by any of the reported MSOs was 387 in DAS areas, whereas the maximum number of channels carried is 100 in conventional analogue form.

    Apart from All India Radio, there are 242 private FM Radio stations in operation at the quarter ending March 2014. The status of operationalised private FM Radio stations is listed on the website of the I and B Ministry.

    The total number of internet subscribers has increased from 238.71 million at the end of December 2013 to 251.59 million at the end of March 2014, showing a quarterly growth of 5.4 per cent. Of these, the wired internet subscribers are 18.50 million and wireless internet subscribers are 233.09 million.

    The number of broadband internet subscribers increased from 55.2 million at the end of December 2013 to 60.87 million at the end of March 2014, showing a quarterly growth of 10.28 per cent.

    The number of narrowband internet subscribers increased from 183.51 million at the end of December 2013 to 190.72 million at the end of March 2014 with quarterly growth of 3.93 per cent.