Gandhi ji has called AIR as ’A medium of unparalleled immediacy, intimacy and power’ !!
Think about it: “If a television is called a “mirror with a memory” then what will you call radio ??
“Perhaps the best gift you can present…… is to receive words that rhyme….. and whose reverberations can be echoed .”
Well I thought to start my review with this little serious thought….....and I have worked for them for a short while....Now coming to the point,
“Sustanability and Access to New techonology” is fast becoming watchword in present I.C.E AGE(Information, Communication, Entertainment). Convergence of new techonologies is also bringing fast changes in the broadcasting environment. In the current Indian scenario , information revolution is a household word. The word “Communication revolution” gained prominence in 80’s and 90’s.When we go back to 50’s and 60’s the concept of fast and accessible concept was alien to us.
From the time immemorial Man has relied on the popular media to communicate and propagate ideas, views and news/messages.This powerful medium of communiction has seen a lot of remarkable changes with advent of communication revolution.Today media is seen as a catalyst to create strong public-opinion and create informed society.
There has been a spurt in Broadcasting Media with an “added flavour” of Online-Broadcasting services being offered by many broadcasting stations like-BBC-News, CNN-News, Fox Etc.
All India Radio is a national service planned and operated under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.AIR is committed to it’s motto-the benefit and happiness of large-sections of the people(bahujan hitaya, bahujan sukhaya).
Role of AIR :
· To educate , inform, entertain and enlighten all the sections of people .
· To broadcast development-programmes for the upliftment of the common masses.
· Acts as a Connectivity Bridge between the oversees Indians listeners(it broadcasts programmes in foreign as well as in Indian languages) with their cultural heritage.
· AIR is a mouthpiece of common masses through which they can identify themselves and it enables and equipped them with all the vital information on issues like-health, family welfare, agriculture, science and techonology.
· Air is a boon to remotest areas of the country…..no exaggeration of fact!!
New Paradigms in Communication era:
· The marked impact of Information Revolution can been assessed from this fact that nowadays “Provincial Taste” is giving way to the Free Flow or exchange of information. The generation next is more International in taste now…
· The radio-broadcasting has been revitalized and revived keeping in tune with the changed needs like multimedia or digital sound effects.
· There has been a sudden boom in the vacancies in broadcasting-industry worldwide.
Issues and Challenges ahead??
“To maintain the creativity for the better future and to maintain vitality for the present needs.”
· Lack of orientation and empowerment of the users to use the technologies; inadequate development of the related infrastructure and support services creates information gap between two segments of society (haves/havs not)which requires serious consideration.
· To provide all sections of people “mature info-tainment”.
· Keeping in mind the ethnic and cultural standards it should remain IMMPASSIVE and UNBIASED in it’s broadcasting to create, mould and sharpen diverse public opinion to strengthen well-informed citizenary.
· Quality matters most than quantitiy.
· Idea of sharing information is seen as a force to be recokned with and to strive towards towards democratized broadcasting systems.as in many developing nations standardization of techonology is still a far cry!!
Services Offered:
· General Oversees Service in English, 16 other foreign languages and 8 indian languages(Bengali, Panjabi, Gujrati, Hindi, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu).
· FM service (that is popular among all sections of society).
· The News Service Division produces many Bulletins in 19 languages…..like SPOTLIGHT (English) is on Topical issues.
· Internet news facility.
· News on phone (English) and Phone in Sewa(Hindi).
· Entertainment Channels like-Vivadh-bharti.
· Advertisements which are inexpensive as compared to others means.
· Local Broadcasting Stations are set-up keeping in mind the uniqueness of local culture….on the lines of local television channels.
· ’’India Calling’’ is a monthly journal to keep listeners informed about the coming programmes.
Inputs are provided by various News agencies(trans-national.national) and AIR also maintained it’s own correspondents also for gathering of news etc.
FACT –FILE:
July 20, 1952 First National Programme of Music broadcast from AIR
October 3, 1957 Vividh Bharati Services started.
November 1, 1959 First TV station in Delhi started (at that time, it was part of AIR).
July 21, 1969 Yuvavani services started at Delhi.
1974 Akashvani Annual Awards instituted.
July 23, 1977 First ever FM service was started from Madras.
1985 All AIR stations were provided with 5 channel satellite receiver terminals.
May 18, 1988 Introduction of National Channel.
March 2, 1990 The 100th station of AIR commissioned at Warangal (Andhra Pradesh)
August 15, 1993 Introduction of Times slots on FM Channel to private Parties at Delhi-Bombay.
September 10, 1994 Multi-track recording studios commissioned at Mumbai.
September 28, 1994 Four 500 KW Superpower Shortwave transmitters at Bangalore inaugurated. This has made Bangalore one of the biggest transmitting centres in the world.
May 2, 1996 Launching of AIR on-line Information Services on Internet.
February 25, 1998 AIR ’News on Telephone’ and AIR ’live on Internet’.
This background-information speaks volume about the importance of radio-broadcasting and ofcourse about the untapped potential of it.
Television is an extension of sound broadcasting!!
That’s all about ’R-ZONE’!!