Vote for News on FM

Political ads allowed on FM channels, but no political news other than from AIR. How fair is that?

WrittenBy:Somi Das
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With December 4, 2013, the day when Delhi goes to polls approaching nearer, it’s become impossible for Delhi-ites to enjoy listening to music on the radio. Every song is followed by messages from Aam Aadmi Party Chief – Arvind Kejriwal, BJP chief ministerial candidate – Dr Harshvardhan or BJP PM candidate – Narendra Modi telling us repeatedly how once they come to power they’ll solve all our woes. When they aren’t speaking, we get to hear not the latest yo YO Honey Singh song, but instead unending songs about Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit’s achievements in the past 15 years.

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For our political parties, radio seems to have become as much a tool for political campaigning as social media. With 256 private FM channels spread across 86 cities and an estimated 106 million audience, this is understandable. Political parties understand the importance of a medium that is cheap, portable and easily accessible to get their message across. While there is nothing unusual about parties using this medium to their advantage, what is unusual is the fact that radio is the only medium of mass communication which carries political campaigns but not political news and views.  Ad campaigns are all about showing the good and the bright side of political parties and candidates prior to the elections. Without the balance of news and opinion on what the reality of these parties is, such campaigning takes on the tone of propaganda.

Recently, the Supreme Court of India admitted a petition from civil society to lift the government monopoly on telecast of news over radio and allow news on private FM channels.  The petition filed by the NGO Common Cause challenged “the validity of the provisions of the Policy Guidelines and of the Grant of Permission Agreements framed by the Government which prohibits private FM Radio and Community Radio stations from broadcasting their own news and current affairs programmes on the same footing as television and print media”.

While accepting the petition, the apex court had observed that not everyone can afford to open a private TV channel, but people can open community radio stations and FM channels. The Supreme Court also sought a response from the Centre on why it has not allowed news on private FM channels.

The restrictions on news and current affairs as specified in the Policy Guidelines of FM Radio Services (Phase II & Phase III), state that:

FM Radio (Phase II) (Policy Guidelines on Expansion of FM Radio Broadcasting Services through Private Agencies, dated 24.09.2008)

“Para 10. News and Current Affairs Programs:

10.1 No news and current affairs programs are permitted under the Policy (Phase-II).…”

However, under the policy guidelines for expansion of Phase III of FM radio which will lead to the creation of over new 800 channels, private channels would be allowed to air news. This move was approved by the cabinet in 2011 – with riders, though. These are the guidelines for carrying news on Phase III FM channels:

“11.1 The permission Holder will be permitted to carry the news bulletins of All India Radio in exactly same format (unaltered) on such terms and conditions as may be mutually agreed with PrasarBharati, No other news and current affairs programs are permitted under the Policy(Phase-III).”

So, all that the new set of radio channels along with the existing ones will be allowed to air in the name of news are cut-copy-paste versions of AIR news.

What is more noteworthy is the deliberate blocking of political news from being broadcast while allowing other forms of news on FM channels. Here’s what the guidelines categorise as news and as non-news.

“11.2 The broadcast pertaining to the following categories will be treated as non-news and current affairs broadcast and will therefore be permissible:

(a) Information pertaining to sporting events excluding live coverage. However live commentaries of sporting events of local nature may be permissible;

(b) Information pertaining to Traffic and Weather;

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

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

(e) Availability of employment opportunities;

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

(g) Such other categories not permitted at present that may subsequently be

specifically permitted by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting from time to

time.”

Sports, weather updates, education, health, civic amenities, cultural events and festivals are non-news and any content pertaining to them is permissible on private FM channels. Even Common Cause in its petition says, “Effectively, there is a ban on political news more than anything else, since many other kinds of news are allowed under the banner of ‘information’”.

Why should the political health of the nation be barred from being discussed on the radio? Former Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi agrees that it is highly unfair to not allow news on private FM channels while allowing full-fledged political campaigning. He says, “Prima facie it does seem strange that what is allowed on TV is not acceptable on radio. Logically, both the electronic mediums should be on the same footing. I have no idea what reasons the ministry has”.

Akash Banerjee, Associate Vice President – Radio Mirchi, says that radio channels do understand the importance of radio as a means of political awareness and campaigning. He says that special care is taken by Radio Mirchi to demarcate the advertisement space and the general content. “We at Mirchi have a rule – that no political ad would be voiced by an RJ, thereby we keep any political ad impersonal (and not in any way endorsed by Radio Mirchi). Needless to say that RJs as a basic rule cannot even appear to advocate any party. So political messages are limited only to advertising space – automatically limited in nature.”

The only argument that the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the Home Ministry have been giving for not allowing news on private FM channels is that it is “difficult to monitor news content on private radio stations in border and sensitive areas”.

Ever since the arena of radio broadcasting was thrown open for private players in 1999, over 200 FM channels have mushroomed. According to a survey report of Ernst & Young and CII titled “Radio: Poised for growth”, “FM radio sector has grown significantly since its launch and accounts for 4 per cent of the total Indian ad industry. The market size of the industry is estimated to be at around INR 14 billion in 2012-12. The sector has been growing at a CAGR rate of 14% in the last three years”.

According to the PIL filed by Common Cause, even countries like Bangladesh and Nepal which have far fewer radio stations are providing news over the radio to their citizens. The PIL says, “In Nepal, Radio Sagarmatha, run by a body of environmental journalists, broadcasts 10 news and sports bulletins, two news magazines, current affairs, morning show, editorials, and 75 minutes of BBC Nepali service every day, besides regular programmes on good governance, gender issues, environment and other public matters”.

While the apex court’s decision on the issue is much awaited, the government continues its efforts to keep a watch on the content on FM channels. Just a couple of months back the Electronic Media Monitoring Committee was empowered to directly monitor content on private FM channelsAccording to Prasar Bharati, 99.14 % of population has access to AIR. After the Phase III licensing is over FM channels would spread it tentacles across 227 new cities through 839 stations. The internet in comparison is accessed by only 10 percent of the population. To close off such a large audience from listening to news, other than from a government-run media channel, is as close to control and monitoring of information by the State as possible.

Further proceedings on the PIL to allow news on private radio channels will take place only in 2014 – the year we go to polls. By then, the state polls will be over. Till then we must live with this heavily imbalanced political discourse on FM radio.

Since we love spreading good cheer, here are some radio spots you can entertain yourself with. To truly understand what radio audiences in Delhi are going through, imagine these playing on spool every 5 minutes for at least an hour.

AAP radio spot:

 Main Arvind Kejriwal Bol raha hun

Kuch din pehle mujhe ek phool wala mila

Usne kaha ki har 10 me 8 grahak is baar jhadu ko vote dega

Dilli mein is baar kuch adbhut ho raha hain.

70 mein se 47 seats humein hi milegi

Doston ko phone kijiye

Is baar imandaar party ko vote dijiye

Is baar jhaadu ka button dabayiye

BJP radio spot:

BJP ka vaada hain ki jis tarah Dr Harshvardhan ne polio bhagaya waise hi bhrashtachar bhagayenge

Sashak nahi sevak

Badlenge dilli badlenge bharat

Congress radio spot:

Anubhav hain, raftaar hain Congress phir se iss baar hain.

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