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Tag: Rajiv Mishra

  • Allow news on private FM: international radio broadcasters association

    Allow news on private FM: international radio broadcasters association

    NEW DELHI: Madrid-based Association International De RadioDifusion (AIR) and International Association of Broadcasting (IAB) have written to the Indian government exhorting green signal to news on private radio FM stations here.

    In a letter dispatched today to the information and broadcasting ministry in Delhi, the international association of private radio broadcasters, including FM, has also attached supportive documents on the regulatory environment from all across the globe where hard core news is allowed on private FM radio stations.

    In India, private FM radio stations are barred from carrying any news and current affairs programming, except information relating to the weather and stock market quotes.

    According to AIR and IAB president Alfonso Ruiz De Assin, “I fail to understand why news is not allowed in India (on private stations) as radio is the fastest medium and extremely user-friendly tool of communication.”

    Early this morning at Madrid (Spain), the general assembly of IAB, in principle, agreed to grant Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI) an active membership. IAB is the global body of private FM Radio broadcasters with more than 17,000 frequencies as members.

    AROI co-coordinator and BAG Infotainment CEO Rajiv Mishra said, “We are glad to get membership of IAB and are hopeful that news will be allowed on private FM radio soon.”

  • FM radio ops form panel on music rights, infra issues

    FM radio ops form panel on music rights, infra issues

    NEW DELHI: The FM radio operators of Indian today formed a nine-member committee to look in to various issues related to infrastructure, music royalty and interacting with various organizations like the Broadcast Engineering Society India Ltd and pubcaster Prasar Bharati, which is slated to rent out some of its transmissions towers.

    According to a statement from the Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI), the panel’s mandate is to try negotiating better deals with infrastructure providers and organization that deal in music copyright issues.

    The music royalty issue is a contentious matter with AROI alleging that the Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL) and another music rights organization have made irrational demands for music rights overlooking the fact that a uniform rights fee could not be applied on small and big radio operators alike.

    PPL is the copyright society in respect of sound recordings and is registered with the government. It is mainly engaged in administering the broadcasting / telecasting and public performance rights on behalf of over 139 music companies that are its members.

    The AROI panel includes BAG Infotainment’s Radio Masti CEO Rajiv Mishra, Radio Mirchi CEO Prashant Panday, Radio Today chief Anil Mehra, Radio City CEO Apoorva Purohit, Syntech Informatics CEO Ashok Narayan, ABP radio CEO Sanjay Prasad and Mathrubhumi Radio chief executive George Sebastian.

    Two positions have been kept vacant for representatives from the Anil
    Ambani-controlled Adlabs Radio and Sun TV.

  • FM players to lobby for tax sops, music rights fee

    FM players to lobby for tax sops, music rights fee

    NEW DELHI: The newly-formed Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI), a body of FM radio licencees, has decided to petition the government on tax sops and work towards rationalization of music rights fee.

    In a meeting held here today, AROI members, approximately 35 in number, including the big ones like Radio City, Radio Mirchi, the Sun TV group, Adlabs, expressed serious concern over high rates being demanded for music rights and also by Prasar Bharati for sharing its infrastructure with private players in some cities.

    In a recent interview with Indiantelevision.com Music Broadcast Private Limited CEO Apurva S Purohit had said, “It is a fairly high fee rate that we pay to the music bodies. And I think that’s where some rationalization needs to be brought about. It is calculated per hour per city. With a large of number of stations in the kitty, a consolidation in the amount has to be brought about. We are working with the industry to bring a rationale pricing. It is a big cost. It can range between five to seven per cent of the cost structure that goes to the music bodies, which is fairly high.

    “The members feel there should be an all round rationalization of rights fee and money demanded by Prasar Bharati for sharing infrastructure, which certainly is unjustified as it doesn’t take into consideration that in smaller cities the level of investments will be comparatively less,” AROI co-coordinator and BAG Infotainment chief executive Rajiv Mishra told Indiantelevision.com.

    Over 40 private sector companies, holding 287 FM radio licences across 91 Indian cities, are preparing to start operations.

    According to Mishra, Prasar Bharati has demanded money for infrastructure at the rate of Rs. 54 to Rs 55 per square feet, which would bring the annual cost to around between Rs. 400,000-Rs. 500,000.

    Such a cost will prove to be high for smaller operations in smaller towns, Mishra said, trying to explain the economics of setting up a radio station.

    Today’s meeting of AROI, attended by most members, also decided to form a panel to frame the constitution of the organization. Radio operators will again meet on 29 March to finalize the constitution.

    AROI will be a registered, non-profit, non-governmental society dedicated to protect the common and collective interests of FM Radio broadcasters.

    It will have a core executive council and will be supported by several committees on areas like legal & regulatory affairs, finance & commercial, technology and dispute settlement.