With an aim to connect with mobile phone users and for better reach in local areas, All India Radio is planning to simulcast content aired on several of its Medium Wave stations in FM mode as well. Information and Broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar said this at an event where he inaugurated free SMS news service of AIR in Assamese, Gujarati, Tamil and Malayalam in New Delhi on Thursday.
Javadekar told reporters that programmes on several Medium Wave stations of AIR can be heard by people in far-off areas but there are problems related to their receptivity in local areas of the cities from where they are broadcast. He said to address this issue "FMisation" is being planned and added if such stations are available on FM, they can also reach mobile phone users.
"The Medium Wave stations... in their broadcasts, there are some difficulties as they can be heard well outside the cities and in rural areas, but not in nearby areas. So we will simulcast, which means they will run on Medium Wave as well as FM," Javadekar said. He said over 100 such stations have been prioritised and it would be done in the coming time. Speaking about the launch of AIR's free SMS service in four languages, Javadekar said said that the Narendra Modi-led government had initiated innovative approaches in reaching out to the people through multiple media platforms.
On a question related to allowing news on private FM radio stations, Javadekar said private FM stations may be allowed to run the news clips broadcast by AIR using the voice of their own radio jockeys. On a question on allowing private radio stations to use news from agencies like UNI and PTI he said it would be considered. Speaking about the Phase III of FM radio expansion, Javadekar said the process could be completed before March. "We want to complete it one month before the licenses expire, so that nobody faces a problem," he said responding to another question.
On a question to whether the government plans to exempt Free to Air channels from the 12-minute ad cap rule, the minister said the process has already been initiated. In a statement here, the I&B ministry said that earlier, AIR had launched SMS service in English on September 9 last year and in five other languages Hindi, Marathi, Dogri, Sanskrit and Nepali on September 19 to provide AIR News on mobile sets to its subscribers free of cost.
The service has already touched the database of over three lakh subscribers, the statement said. Officials said that in the coming time, the service would be started in more languages. Officials also said that in the coming time AIR could consider a customised news and related information to varied sections of the society.
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