radio · 2018-10-17 · preface radio and television are the positive most inseparable mediums of...

Radioand

Television(As per the Syllabus 2015-16 of Mumbai University

for S.Y.BMM, Semester – IV)

Prof. Survi AgarwalMBA (Marketing), M.Com. (Mgmt),

Diploma in PR & Advertising, BMS Topper,Academician, Trainer and Counsellor.

BMM Course Coordinator,Chetana College, Bandra (East).

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Preface

Radio and Television are the positive most inseparable mediumsof the evolution of any society. Media is the mirror of society’sdemand, culture, political scenario, history, and emotions,adaptations and good and bad times. This book will give an insightinto the two most powerful mediums to both advertising andjournalism students.

The writing of this book has been an epic journey, helped alongby many hands. My first set of thanks goes to the book distributorswho come and inspire us with new books in the market. My gratitudegoes to the cyber in charge who bore with me, for tolerating myresearch, number of months, for number of hours through the eveningto late at nights. I am grateful to my sister Anchal, my Mother and myFather, and number of friends like Vishal Mehta, Nivyata Batavia,Chintan Patel, Swanand Sreerame, Sagar Gupta and others forinspiring in me the creativity and desire to author. A quota of specialthanks to S.K. Srivastav for appealing to the confidence andcontinuous follow-up through inspirational messages!

I hope that this book ignites the spark of curiosity to understandour Idiot Box more, and to get into the mysteries of our old Radio.India is a diaspora’s land and needs to be offered media withversatility and transcultural appropriations have become a call of theday across various mediums globally and this topic gives me a chanceto grow myself as a thinker as I understand and research into depthsof these Communication Mediums.

Also I would be grateful if any mistakes or errors in this bookare bought to my knowledge through my email ID [email protected] is my baby and it has its own features as I have worked on everyword pronounced by it.

Author

Acknowledgements

Writing this book has been an epic journey, helpedalong by many hands. My first set of thanks goes to thebook distributors who come and inspire us with new books inthe market. My gratitude goes to the Cyber Incharge, fortolerating my research, for number of hours through theevening to late at the night. The net comes to rescue when areference book is not easily available. I am grateful to mysister Anchal, my Mother and my Father, and number offriends like Chintan Patel, Swanand Sreerame, SagarGupta for inspiring in me the creativity and desire to author.A quota of special thanks to S.K. Srivastav for appealing tothe confidence and continuous follow-up throughinspirational messages!

I hope that this book ignites the spark of curiosity tounderstand our Idiot Box more, and to get into the mysteriesof our old Radio. India is a Diasporas land and needs to beoffered media with versatility. Transcultural appropriationshave become a call of the day across various mediumsglobally and this topic gives me a chance to grow myself asa thinker as I understand and research into depths.

Author

SyllabusRadio and Television

Objectives

To acquaint students with the working of two powerful media, i.e.,radio and television. The content is useful for both advertising andjournalism students in order to further their careers in their respectivefields.

Sr. No. Topics No. of Lectures

1 Introduction

– A Short History of Radio and TV in India– All India Radio– Doordarshan– Prasar Bharti – Main Points– Convergence Trends

6

2 Introduction to Sound for Both TV andRadio

– Types of Sound: Natural, Ambient andRecorded

– The Studio Set-up– The Sound Equipment: Mixer, Control

Panel– Tape Recording– Digital Recording– Outdoor Recording– Types of Microphones– The Editing Suite

10

3 Introduction to Visuals

– The Power and Influence of Visuals– The Video-camera: Types of Shots,

Camera Positions, Shot Sequences andShot Length

– Lighting: The Importance of Lighting– Television Set-up: The TV Studio,

Difference between Studio and On-location Shoots

6

4 Introduction to Radio Formats

Broad Guidelines – Classifications– News– Documentary– Feature– Talk Show– Music Shows– Radio Drama– Sports Broadcasting

4

5 Introduction to Television Programming

Broad Guidelines and Classification– News– Documentary– Feature– Talk Shows– TV Serials and Soaps– Sports– Reality– Animation

4

6 Different Roles

– Community Radio – Role andImportance

– Contribution of All India Radio– The Satellite and Direct to Home

Challenge

6

7 Other Requirements

– Storyboard– Online Editing– Educational TV with Reference to

Jamia-milia, etc. Virtual Classrooms

6

8 Broadcast Production

– Pre-production– Production– Post-production

6

Paper PatternDuration: 2½ Hours Maximum Marks: 75

N.B.: 1. All questions are compulsory.

2. Figures to the right indicate full marks.

Sr. No. Questions Marks

Q. 1 Question without internal choice (15)

Q. 2 Answer any one of the following sets

(a) (7)

(b) (8)

OR

(a) (7)

(b) (8)

Q. 3 Answer any one of the following sets

(a) (7)

(b) (8)

OR

(a) (7)

(b) (8)

Q. 4 (a) Long Answers (15)

OR

(b) Long Answers (15)

Q. 5 Write a short notes. Attempt any three of thefollowing

(15)

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

Contents

ChapterNos.

Description PageNos.

1 Introduction – A Short History ofRadio and TV in India

1 – 19

2 Introduction to Sound for Both TV andRadio

20 – 36

3 Introduction to Visuals – The Powerand Influence of Visuals

37 – 56

4 Introduction to Radio Formats 57 – 64

5 Introduction to TelevisionProgramming

65 – 78

6 Different Roles 79 – 87

7 Other Requirements 88 – 94

8 Broadcast Production 95 – 98

9 Current and Future Trends of Radioand Television

99 – 112

1Introduction – AShort History ofRadio and TV in

India

A History of Radio

All India Radio

A History of Television

Doordarshan

Prasar Bharti – Main Points

Convergence Trends

Radio and Television is an automated day dreaming!

A History of Radio – Growth andDevelopment of Radio

Radio is definitely one of the wonders of the lastcentury. Around 1900, inventors like Guglielmo Marconiworked on conquering the airwaves. He and others thatbuilt on the groundwork of Heinrich Hertz ultimately wereable to transform sounds into electronic pulses that couldbe decoded thousands of miles further away – the principleof sender and receiver. Really magic, when you think of it!

India is the world’s largest democracy. Its mass mediaculture, a system that has evolved over centuries, is

2 Radio and Television

comprised of a complex framework. Modernisation hastransformed this into a communications network thatsustains the pulse of a democracy of about 1.1 billionpeople. The media in India represents a confluence ofparadoxes: tradition and modernity; anarchy and order;diversity and unity; conflict and cooperation; news andviews; feudalism and democracy; the free market andmonopoly.

In 1924, British government gave license to the IndianBroadcasting Company, to launch radio stations in Mumbaiand Kolkata. The government took over the broadcastingfacilities, beginning the Indian State Broadcasting Service(ISBS) on 1 April 1930 (on an experimental basis for twoyears, and permanently in May 1932). Sardar VallabhaiPatel was the first Minister of Information and Broadcastingof independent India. There were ambitious plans ofexpanding the broadcasting service through the loudspeakers,across the country as radio was heard by the masses.

Akashvani and Doordarshan were sister services of AllIndia Radio, which covered entire India, with one of thelargest network globally. After Independence, Indian radiowas regarded as a vital medium of networking andcommunication, mainly because of the lack of any othermediums. All the major national affairs and social eventswere transmitted through radio. Indian radio played asignificant role in social integration of the entire nation.Thus, political enhancement and progressive nationbuilding efforts were aided by the transmission of plannedbroadcasts.

Uses of Radio

It is a simple technology as it is quickest and fastest.

It is a sound medium that has been connecting tothe masses since decades.

3Introduction – A Short History of Radio and TV in India

It also educates blind and illiterate people and alsothe rural people as radio reach is higher in thevillages.

It is inexpensive, reliable and easy to carry.

There is no distance barrier as the radio catchesfrequency across hills, oceans and continents.

It has a good variety of content including songs,interviews, news, talk shows, health tips, sports,current affairs, etc.

It is one of the most convenient mediums, can beused in cell phones, and connected in the televisiontoo.

It is of great use to military and marinecommunication soldiers and even the police. In thetimes of distress, war updates are easier on radio.

There is an emotional connect with radio jockeys,hence listeners relate to it.

Radio as a Means of Edutainment and Information

Radio has tie ups with Universities. Some of them arementioned below:

MAST (Mumbai University Students Transmission)

NCERT (National Council of Educational Researchand Training)

CIET (Central Institute of Educational Technology)

AIR education programmes with IGNOU (IndiraGandhi National Open University)

YCMOU (Yashwant Rao Chavan Maharashtra OpenUniversity)

Radio as a Means of Entertainment

Variety of music.


Classical, Bollywood, Hollywood, Western Pop,Regional, Folk, etc.

Radio as a means of information on cultural aspects.

Public affairs, art activities, business opportunities,jobs, traffic updates and weather updates.

Environment, pollution, safety of women, children,senior people, rural development, importance ofcleanliness, garbage disposal, electric power,agricultural schemes and arrival of foreigndignitaries.

Radio acted as an agent of social change in thoughtsand beliefs of people

Types of Radio Transmission

Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmissionover radiowaves intended to reach a wide audience.Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast acommon radio format, either in broadcast syndication orsimulcast or both. Audio broadcasting also can be done viacable radio, local wire television networks, satellite radioand internet radio via streaming media on the Internet. Thesignal types can be either analog audio or digital audio.Additionally, it is used for two-way internationalcommunication by amateur radio enthusiasts for hobby,educational and emergency purposes.

AM Broadcasting: Amplitude Modulation (MediumWave and Shortwave Length) was the first method ofimpressing sound on a radio signal and is stillwidely used today. In many countries, AMbroadcasters have specialised in news, sports andtalk radio, leaving transmission of music mainly toFM and digital broadcasters.

FM Broadcasting: Frequency Modulationbroadcasting is a VHF (Very High Frequency)


broadcasting technology, pioneered by EdwinHoward Armstrong, which uses high-fidelity soundover broadcast radio. FM broadcasting began afterWorld War II. This period is known as the “GoldenAge of Radio”. Today, all others compete with FM, aswell as with various digital radio broadcastingservices distributed from terrestrial and satellitetransmitters.

SW Broadcasting: Shortwave radio uses shortwavefrequencies, generally 1.6-30 MHz, just above themedium wave band, by means of sky wave or skippropagation, in which the radiowaves are reflected orrefracted back to Earth from the ionosphere,allowing communication around the curve of theEarth. Today, long-distance communication to shipsand aircraft, or to remote areas out of reach of wiredcommunication or other radio services is done bySW.

Satellite Radio: Satellite radio is a radio servicebroadcast from satellites primarily to cars, with thesignal broadcast nationwide, across a much widergeographical area than terrestrial radio stations. It isavailable by subscription, mostly commercial free,and offers subscribers more stations and a widervariety of programming options than terrestrial radio.

Community Radio: Community radio is a radioservice offering a third model of radio broadcasting inaddition to Commercial and Public Broadcasting.Community stations serve geographic communitiesand communities of interest. They are generally non-profit and provide a mechanism for enablingindividuals, groups, and communities to tell theirown stories, to share experiences and, in a media-richworld, to become creators and contributors of media.

Internet Radio: Internet radio (also web radio, netradio, streaming radio, e-radio, online radio, and


webcasting) is an audio service transmitted via theInternet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usuallyreferred to as webcasting since it is not transmittedbroadly through wireless means. Internet radioinvolves streaming media, presenting listeners witha continuous stream of audio that typically cannotbe paused or replayed, much like traditionalbroadcast media. In this respect, it is distinct fromon-demand file serving. Internet radio is also distinctfrom podcasting, which involves downloading ratherthan streaming.

All India Radio

Sound broadcasting started in India in 1927 with theproliferation of private radio clubs. The operations of AllIndia Radio began formally in 1936, as a governmentorganisation, with clear objectives to inform, educate andentertain the masses. There is a long tradition ofdocumentary features on AIR as well.

All India Radio entered the realm of externalbroadcasting shortly after the outbreak of the Second WorldWar on 1st October, 1939. When India attainedIndependence in 1947, AIR had a network of six stationsand a complement of 18 transmitters. The coverage was2.5% of the area and just 11% of the population. Rapidexpansion of the network took place post-Independence.

The Indian languages are Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi,Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Seraiki, Sindhi, Tamil,Telegu and Urdu. It has five major services namely, Urdu(12 hrs. 15 mts.), GOS/English (8 hrs. 15 mts.), Hindi (5hrs. 15 mts.), Bengali (6 hrs. 30 mts.), and Tamil (5 hrs. 30mts.) Urdu service is also available 24 x 7 in DTH. In 1956,AIR was officially called Akashvani.


There are sixteen radio stations in Mumbai, twelve ofwhich broadcast in the Frequency Modulation (FM) band.Two of these are broadcast by All India Radio, 12 channelsof FM Rainbow and 4 of FM Gold. It truly lived up to itsmotto – ‘Bahujan Hitaya : Bahujan Sukhaya’; well-beingand happiness of all. The programme content of thesechannels is mainly popular Indian and Western music,compered in a vivacious and contemporary style andtherefore highly popular with the urban youth. Theprincipal ingredients of AIR’s programme output are music,spoken word, dramas, features. news and current affairs,commentaries and discussion, Vividh Bharati and itscommercial service, farm and home broadcasts, topicalprogrammes for special audiences (like youth, women,children, industrial workers and tribal population), andprogrammes for overseas listeners broadcast in the externalservices.

One of the largest broadcasting organisations in theworld in terms of the number of languages of broadcast, thespectrum of socio-economic and cultural diversity it serves,AIR today has a network of 229 broadcasting centres with148 medium frequency (MW), 54 high frequency (SW) and168 FM transmitters. The coverage is 91.79% of the area,serving 99.14% of the people in the largest democracy ofthe world. AIR covers 24 languages and 146 dialects inhome services. In External Services division, it covers 27languages, 17 national languages and 10 foreign languages.

Today, The External Services Division of All India Radioranks high amongst the External Radio networks of theworld, both in reach and range, daily in 55 transmissionswith almost 72 hours covering over 100 countries in 27languages, out of which 16 are foreign and 11 are Indian.The foreign languages are Arabic, Baluchi, Burmese,Chinese, Dari, French, Indonesian, Nepali, Persian, Pushtu,Russian, Sinhala, Swahili, Thai, Tibetan and English.


The popular Vividh Bharati Service of All India Radiowas conceptualised to combat ‘Radio Ceylon’ in 1957.Within no time, it proved to be a popular channel of everyhousehold. The service provides entertainment for nearly15 to 17 hours a day. It presents a mix of film music, skits,short plays and interactive programmes.

AIR has offered a debut ground for artists. In its womb,it preserves the cultural and intellectual wealth of thecountry: recordings of eminent musicians, men and womenof letters, political figures, intellectuals, leaders, statesmen,etc. needless to say that the archives are an importantnational resource for historians, scholars, musicenthusiasts, etc. Recordings, both on CDs and cassettes,have been developed for the masses at large to let thenational feeling sprout among them.

A History of Television – Growth andDevelopment

The function of broadcasting paved a way for the surgeof modern concepts. Later, with the modernisation of thecountry, television was introduced and broadcastingachieved new status. But by then, radio had become aveteran medium in India. Can we imagine a world withouttelevision? No sitting together, news channels or cricketmatches. Will it not be a boring world? Today, televisionhas become an integral part of our lives. The television setbecame one of the important mediums of entertainmentwith the advent of several popular shows. Televisiongradually matured as a medium during the next twodecades. From being “radio with pictures”, it acquired aunique style of its own.

John Baird is generally regarded as the father oftelevision. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) ofBritain began the first television service in 1936. If there is


a satellite or cable connection, BBC, the world’s oldesttelevision broadcaster is available on TV. By 1939,television broadcasts began in the United States also. Thesetwo countries were clearly ahead in the race. Othercountries began television broadcasting on a wide scaleonly by the 1950s. The early television broadcasts were allblack and white. The first successful programme in colourwas transmitted by Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)in USA in 1953. As a result of this, this phase is oftencalled the “Golden Age” of television.

However, the history of television in India startedaround later fifties. In 1955, a Cabinet decision was takendisallowing any foreign investments in print media whichhas since been followed religiously for nearly 45 years.Under these circumstances, television in India wasintroduced on September 15, 1959 in Delhi when UNESCOgave the Indian Government $20,000 and 180 Philips TVsets.

The history of film in India begins with the screening ofAuguste and Louis Lumière moving pictures in Bombayduring the July 189. Raja Harishchandra—a full-lengthfeature film—was initiated in 1912 and completed later.Alam Ara (released 14 March 1931) —directed by ArdeshirIrani was the first Indian movie with dialogues.

The programmes were broadcast twice a week for anhour a day on such topics as community health, citizens’duties and rights, and traffic and road sense. In 1961, thebroadcasts were expanded to include a school educationaltelevision project. The early programmes on theseexperimental broadcasts were generally educationalprogrammes for school children and farmers. Severalcommunity television sets were set up in Delhi’s rural areasand schools around Delhi for the dissemination of theseprogrammes.


The first major expansion of television in India began in1972, when a second television station was opened inBombay. In 1975, the government carried out the first testof the possibilities of satellite based television through theSITE (Satellite Instructional Television Experiment))programme. For the first 17 years, broadcasting oftelevision spread haltingly and transmission was mainly inblack and white.

By 1976, the government found it running a televisionnetwork of eight television stations covering a population of45 million spread over 75,000 square kilometres. As thegovernment faced the difficulty of administering an extensiveproject that off television system, as part of All India Radio, itconstituted Doordarshan, the National Television Network,as a separate Department under the Ministry of Informationand Broadcasting. By the 1970s, television centres wereopened in other parts of the country also. In 1976,Doordarshan, which was All India Radio’s television armuntil then became a separate department.

Commercials were introduced with effect from lst April,1982 on the Primary Channel. However, with effect from26th January, 1985, commercials were introduced over 55Primary Channel Stations. Commercials were introduced inDoordarshan from 1st January, 1976 from its Delhi Kendraand were extended to other kendras.

Indian Television in Recent Times

There are currently 748 Permitted Private satellitetelevision stations in India. In addition, numerous regionalchannels are available in throughout India, oftendistributed according to languages. Also the DD providestelevision, radio, online and mobile services throughoutmetropolitan and regional India, as well as overseasthrough the Indian Network and Radio India.


In 2012, India produced 1,602 feature films. Indianfilm industry reached overall revenues of $1.86 billion (INR93 billion) in 2011, films in various languages of India. Atotal of 204 Hindi films were released in 2015 (includingdubbed versions). Hollywood also gained a foothold in Indiawith special effects films such as Jurassic Park (1993) andSpeed (1994) being specially appreciated by the localaudiences. Indian cinema found markets in over 90countries where films from India are screened. There arecurrently 1148 permitted private satellite television stationsin India. As of 2nd December, 2013, there are also morethan 100 government channels. Hindi language televisionchannels have the highest market share. Numerousregional channels are also available throughout India, oftendistributed according to languages.

The provision of 100% foreign direct investment hasmade the Indian film market attractive for foreignenterprises such as 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, WaltDisney Pictures and Warner Bros. Indian enterprises suchas AVM Productions, Prasad’s Group, Sun Pictures, PVPCinemas, Zee, UTV, Suresh Productions, Eros Films,Ayngaran International, Pyramid Saimira, Aascar Films andAdlabs also participated in producing and distributing films.Tax incentives to multiplexes have aided the multiplexboom in India.

Today, motion pictures continued to have formulaicstory lines, expertly choreographed fight scenes,spectacular song-and-dance routines, emotion-chargedmelodrama, and larger-than-life heroes. Present-day Indiaproduces the most films of any country in the world. Majormedia investors in country are Yash Raj Films, DharmaProductions, Aamir Khan Productions, UTV Disney andReliance Entertainment. Most of these productions arefunded by investors since there is limited banking andcredit facilities maturity in India for motion picture industry.


Many international corporations such as Disney (UTV),Viacom (Network18 Studio), and Fuse Global (AKP) haveentered the nation’s media industry on a large scale.

Journalists cover businessmen, filmstars and otherintentional topics more for TRP. Disturbed by corruption,Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal suggested on 3 May,2015 to have public trial of Indian Media. On 8 May, 2015,I & B Minister, Arun Jaitley echoed similar saying “Flood ofchannels but dearth of facts”. Of late a lot of mainstreammedia channels have been accused of printing andtelecasting unverified and biased news which they retractedlater. In few instances, content from Twitter’s parodyaccounts were cited as a source. Indian mainstream mediahas often been accused of showing sensationalised newsitems.

Doordarshan

Very few homes had television sets some fifty years ago.Also, till the 1990s, Doordarshan was the only channelavailable to a vast majority of Indians. In 1959, Televisionbegan in India on an experimental basis. On 15 September2009, Doordarshan celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Doordarshan programmes through its network. Fromits humble beginning as a part of All India Radio,Doordarshan has grown into a major television broadcasterwith around 30 channels. This includes Regional LanguageSatellite Channels, State Networks, International Channeland All India Channels like DD National, DD News, DDSports, DD Gyandarshan, DD Bharati, Loksabha Channeland DD Urdu.

All Doordarshan Kendras generate programmes in theirrespective regional languages. The Regional LanguageSatellite Services and Regional State Networks broadcastwide spectrum of programmes covering developmental news,


serials, documentaries, news and current affairsprogrammes to communicate with the people in their ownlanguage.

In 1975-1976, Satellite Instructional TelevisionExperiment (SITE) was an important step taken by India touse television for development. The programmes weremainly produced by Doordarshan which was then a part ofAIR. The telecasts happens twice a day, in the morning andevening. Other than agricultural information, health andfamily planning were the other important topics dealt within these programmes. Entertainment was also included inthese telecasts in the form of dance, music, drama, folk andrural art forms. In 1976, Doordarshan, which was AIR’stelevision arm, becomes a separate department.

A major milestone in the history of Indian televisionwas the coverage of the Ninth Asian Games in 1982. Alsocolour transmission started after that for the first time.There was a huge increase in the live coverage of sports byDoordarshan through national coverage. In 1983,Government sanctioned a huge expansion of Doordarshan.Several new transmitters were set up throughout thecountry. Thus, towards the end of 80s, around 75 per centof the population could be covered by the transmitters.Many of the programmes of Doordarshan like Hum Log,Buniyaad and Nukkad were immensely popular. In additionto the domestic transmission, Doordarshan was alsoproviding content for the broadcasters of many othercountries.

The second spark came in the early nineties with thebroadcast of satellite TV by foreign programmers like CNNfollowed by Star TV and a little later by domestic channelssuch as Zee TV and Sun TV into Indian homes. When thesolitary few soaps like Hum Log (1984), and mythologicaldramas like Ramayan (1987-88) and Mahabharat (1988-89)were televised, millions of viewers stayed glued to their sets.


Fifty years after it switched on, Doordarshan, India’s publictelevision broadcaster, continues to face the trinity of thethree Rs that haunt such broadcasters worldwide: Revenue,Relevance and Reach.

Mass Communication, Globalisation andInformation

Now, more than 90 per cent of the Indian populationcan receive Doordarshan (DD National) programmesthrough a network of more than 1416 terrestrialtransmitters. There are about 67 Doordarshan studiosproducing TV programmes today. On 26th May 2015Honarable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched atelevision channel DD Kisan dedicated to farmers, whichwould provide information about best agricultural practicesrelated content, farming techniques, water conservationand organic farming etc.

During the last 50 years television, one of the greatestinventions of the scientific world has contributedimmensely to the development of mankind. It has broughtpeople of different countries and regions closer to eachother, enabling them to learn about the culture andtraditions flourishing in different parts of the world. It isperhaps the most powerful means of mass communicationfor education and entertainment.

Nonetheless, mainstream media for most seeminglynews-hungry Indians today is TV. TV news is India’svicarious new reality. When urban Indians learnt that itwas possible to watch the Gulf War on television, theyrushed out and bought dishes for their homes. Othersturned entrepreneurs and started offering the signal totheir neighbours by flinging cable over treetops andverandahs.


According to an IRS survey, there were 67 TV channelsin 11 Indian languages devoted only to news-way above anycountry in the world. TV viewership for news went up from333 million in 2000 to 437 million in 2007.

Prasar Bharati – India’s Public ServiceBroadcaster

In 1997, Prasar Bharati, a statutory autonomous bodywas established. Doordarshan along with AIR wasconverted into government corporations under PrasarBharati. The Prasar Bharati Corporation was established toserve as the public service broadcaster of the country whichwould achieve its objectives through AIR and DD.The Prasar Bharati Act grants autonomy to All India Radioand Doordarshan, which were previously under governmentcontrol.

Main Points

The major objectives of the Prasar Bharati Corporationas laid out in the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990 are as follows:

To uphold the unity and integrity of the country andthe values enshrined in the Constitution;

To promote national integration;

To safeguard citizens’ rights to be informed on allmatters of public interest by presenting a fair andbalanced flow of information;

To pay special attention to the fields of educationand spread of literacy, agriculture, ruraldevelopment, environment, health and family welfare,and science and technology;

To create awareness about women’s issues and takespecial steps to protect the interests of children,aged and other vulnerable sections of the society;


To provide adequate coverage to diverse cultures,sports and games and youth affairs;

To promote social justice, safeguarding the rights ofworking classes, minorities and tribal communities.

To promote research and expand broadcastingfaculties and development in broadcast technology.

All India Radio now under Prasar Bharati has thedistinction of being one of the major broadcastingorganisations in the world. The News Services Division (NSD)of All India Radio disseminates news and comments tolisteners in India and abroad. From 27 news bulletins in1939-40, it today puts more than 510 bulletins daily around52 hours in 82 languages/dialects in the Home, Regionaland External Services.

Out of these, 89 bulletins are broadcast daily fromDelhi in the Home Service in English, Hindi and otherIndian languages. The 44 Regional News Units (RNUs) putout 355 daily news bulletins in 67 languages. This includesnews bulletins mounted exclusively on FM ‘Gold’ channelfrom 22 AIR stations.

Convergence Trends

It’s no secret today’s media landscape is evolving at afast and furious pace. Ever since the pre-independence era,India has had separate laws to govern the communicationschaos and confusion as different laws prescribe differentprocedures of regulation and control of communicationsservices.

In the year 2001, the Government of India introduced aproposed Communication Convergence Bill (the“Convergence Bill”). As its name indicates coming together,the objective of the Convergence Bill is to establish a newregulatory framework to promote and develop thecommunications sector. A visual convergence of media has


become more pronounced over the decades as theacceleration of information has increased over time.

The Convergence Bill proposes to achieve the objectivesby establishing a new regulatory body to be known as theCommunications Commission of India (“CCI”). CCI wouldreplace TRAI, and would become the sole regulator of thebroadcasting, telecommunications and multimedia sectors, inan environment of increasing convergence of technologies,services and service providers. Media convergence is morethan simply a technological shift. Convergence alters therelationship between existing technologies, industries,markets, genres and audiences.

The main objectives of the Convergence Bill are:

(a) To facilitate development of a national communicationsinfrastructure, in order to provide a wide choice ofservices to consumers.

(b) To establish a regulatory framework that addressesthe convergence of technologies, and defines thepowers and roles of a single regulatory and licensingauthority for broadcasting, telecommunications andmultimedia.

(c) To establish a basis for codes and standards forbroadcasting content.

The Convergence Bill has been pending in India’sParliament for a number of years. It is unclear when theGovernment will move forward with its implementation.

Future

It is evident that radio and televisions are companions,bringing people together by connecting with them. Thesemediums can now be seen in public places too, e.g., Metros,buses, stations, etc. However, recently, augmented realityhas moved from the world of science fiction to our everydaylives. The spread of smartphones and tablets gave rise to


the spread of location-based augmented reality applications,and now everyone from retailers to healthcare providers haveembraced augmented reality. And even TV and Radio willhave to find ways to merge with newer mediums.

Activities

Identify three television programmes which haveincreased your awareness about social issues.

Create a Radio Programme schedule of an hour, withyour team and present it while sitting behind thepodium, or at the back of the class, so that thestudents are facing the opposite side and listening,then the class can rate each team with the teacher.

Questions

Radio

1. What is the history of Radio? How has it evolved overthe period of time?

2. What are the benefits of Radio as a medium? Whatis its future?

3. Describe Radio as Edutainment and Information.

4. What are the types of Radio transmission?

5. Write short notes on the following:

(a) AM

(b) FM

(c) SW

(d) Satellite Radio

(e) Community Radio

(f) Internet Radio

6. Write in brief about All India Radio and its role inthe history of the medium.


Television7. Explain the history of Television and its growth and

development in India.8. Indian Television in recent times are achieving the

perspective to understand the global needs forinformation.

9. Write short notes on the following:(a) Prasar Bharati(b) Doordarshan(c) The Convergence Bill(d) Future of TV(e) TV vs Radio

Reference Links and Sources1. http://www.ddindia.gov.in/pages/Home.aspx2. http://prasarbharati.gov.in/Corporate/Mission/

Pages/default.aspx3. http://www.pressreference.com/Gu-Ku/India. html

# ixzz44BYF2JZf4. http://www.slideshare.net/sonalmane5/history-of-

radio-in-india5. http://www.indianetzone.com/37/history_indian

_radio.html6. http://www.indiantelevision.com/old-html/indian

brodcast/legalreso/Chapter 2.html7. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract _

id = 22855458. http://ww2.frost.com/news/press-releases/

connectivity-and-convergence-innovation-transforms-indias-economy/

9. https://www.kpmg.com/IN/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/Documents/Six-Converging-tech-trends.pdf