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FM broadcasting in India

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The FM broadcasting in India began in 1977; growing popularity after 2001 when the privatisation of FM broadcasting began. AIR's FM LRS (Local Radio Station) was inaugurated on 1 July 2000 at 06:00 in Kodaikanal relaying Madurai programs in the frequency 100.5 MHz. 100.5 was so popular that LRS was upgraded to an FM Channel in just two months. The channel covered a radius of about 200 km (120 mi) due to its location at 2200 meters above MSL at Kodaikanal. KODAI FM is popularly known as it is the biggest individual FM channel in India, in both area coverage and listenership.

As of December 2018, there are more than 369 operational private radio stations in more than 101 cities and towns across India.[1] The Government of India-owned All India Radio which has about 470 FM stations covering 92% of the area and 99.19% of the population of India. AIR originates programming in 23 languages and 179 dialects.[2][3]

History

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FM broadcasting began on 23 July 1977 in Chennai, then Madras, and was expanded during the 1990s, nearly 50 years after FM broadcasting grew in the United States.[4] India first experimented with private FM broadcasts in Goa and the large metropolitan areas of Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai. These were followed by private stations in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Lucknow.

Until 1993, All India Radio, a government undertaking, was the only radio broadcaster in India. The government then decided to privatise the radio broadcasting sector.[citation needed] It sold airtime blocks on its FM channels in Indore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Vizag, and Goa to private operators, who developed their own program content. The Times Group operated its brand, Times FM, till June 1998. After that, the Indian Government decided not to renew contracts given to private operators. Instead, in 2000, the Indian Government announced the auction of 108 FM frequencies across India, opening up the FM broadcasting industry to private competition.

Radio City Bangalore, started on 3 July 2001, is India's first private FM radio station.[5] It launched with presenters such as Vera, Rohit Barker, Seetal Iyer, Jonzie Kurian, Geeta Modgil, Suresh Venkat, and Chaitanya Hegde and Priya Ganapathy on the weekends.[6] The Times Group rebranded its radio operations, establishing the Radio Mirchi brand. The first Radio Mirchi station began broadcasting on October 4, 2001 in Indore.

Indian policy states that the broadcasters are assessed a one-time entry fee (OTEF), for a license period of 10 years. Under the Indian accounting system, this amount is amortised over the 10-year period at 10% per annum. The annual license fee for private broadcasters is either 4% of revenue share or 10% of reserve price, whichever is higher.

India's earlier attempts to privatise its FM channels ran into rough weather when private players bid heavily and most could not meet their commitments to pay the government the amounts they owed.[citation needed]

Content

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Nationally, many of the current FM broadcasters, including the Times of India, Hindustan Times, Mid-Day, and BBC are established media institutions in India and are making a strong pitch for news on FM, which is currently limited to nationalized stations only. Private FM stations are allowed to rebroadcast news from All India Radio, as long as they do so without any changes or additions.[7] The Supreme Court of India on 17 October 2013 issued a public interest litigation to the central government requesting that the rules should be changed to allow FM stations to broadcast news reports.[8]

Radio stations by location

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See also: List of FM radio stations in India

National Capital Region

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Name Frequency Language
Radio Jamia (see Jamia Millia Islamia) 90.4 MHz Multilingual
RADIO 7 90.4 MHZ Hindi
Delhi University Community Radio 90.4 MHz Multilingual
Radio SD 90.8 90.8 MHz Hindi
Radio City 91.1 MHz Multilingual
Big FM 92.7 MHz Multilingual
Red FM 93.5 MHz Multilingual
MY Fm 94.3 MHz Hindi
Radio One 94.3 MHz Hindi English
Hit95 FM 95.0 MHz Hindi
Apna Radio (Indian Institute of Mass Communication) 96.9 MHz Multilingual
Radio Mirchi 98.3 MHz Multilingual
AIR FM Gold 100.1 MHz Multilingual
FM Rainbow Lucknow 100.7 MHz Hindi
All India Radio JAIPUR 101.2 MHZ Hindi
Amit Bharti 101.6 MHz Hindi
AIR FM Rainbow 102.6 MHz Hindi
AIR AlWAR 103.1 MHz Hindi
Fever 104 104.0 MHz Hindi
104.8 Ishq 104.8 MHz Hindi
Gyan Vani 105.6 MHz Hindi
Vividh Bharti (All India Radio) 105.4 MHz Hindi
Radio Nasha 107.2 MHz Hindi
Sawai Madhopur FM 101.5 MHz Hindi
Noida FM 107.4 MHz Hindi
Gurgaon Ki Awaz 107.8 MHz Hindi

[9][10][11]

Kolkata, West Bengal

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Asansol, West Bengal

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Siliguri, West Bengal

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Bolpur Santiniketan, West Bengal

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Suri, West Bengal

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  • Gitanjali Radio (90.4 MHz Cultural radio station opened in 2024) (Bengali)

Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

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sp;MHz)
  • Red FM (93.5 MHz)
  • Fever 104 FM (95.0 MHz)
  • Radio Mirchi (98.3 MHz)
  • AIR FM Rainbow (102.2 MHz)
  • Vividh Bharati (103.7 MHz)
  • Mirchi Love (91.9 MHz)
  • News Channel English (105.6 MHz)
  • Radio City (104.8 MHz)
  • Gyan Vani (106.4 MHz)
  • AIR FM Gold (736 MW)

    • Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh

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    Rajasthan

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    Ahmedabad, Gujarat

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    • Radio Mirchi - 98.3 FM (Times Group)
    • My FM - 94.3 FM D B Corp Ltd.
    • Red FM - 93.5 FM (Sun Group
    • Radio City - 91.1 FM (Music Broadcast Limited)
    • Radio One - 95.0 FM (Only Bollywood Retro Station of Ahmedabad)
    • AIR Vividh Bharati - 96.7 FM (All India Radio)
    • Micavaani - 90.4 FM (Mudra Institute of Communications)
    • AIR Gyan Vaani - 105.4 FM (All India Radio)
    • Mirchi Love - 104 FM (Times Group)
    • All India radio - 100.1 FM
    • Radio Nazariya - 107.8 FM (Drishti)

    Hyderabad

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    Name Frequency (MHz) Language
    Bol 90.4 FM 90.4 Multilingual
    Radio City 91.1 Telugu
    Big 92.7 FM 92.7 Telugu/Hindi
    Red FM 93.5 Telugu
    Fever Fm 94.3 Hindi
    Mirchi 95 95 Hindi
    Radio Mirchi 98.3 Telugu
    All India Radio (AIR / AIR / Twin Cities FM Rainbow) 101.9 Telugu
    All India Radio (AIR / AIR / Vvd Bharti) 102.8 Hindi
    Kool 104 104 English
    Gyan Vani 105.6 Hindi
    Magic Fm 106.4 Telugu
    Radio Charminar 107.8 Telugu/Hindi
    Deccan Radio 107.8 Hindi

    Mumbai, Maharashtra

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    Bengaluru, Karnataka

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    Chennai, Tamil Nadu

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    Source:[9]

    Kerala state

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    Market view, Jaipur

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    Traditionally, radio accounts for 7% to 8% of advertiser expenditures around the world. In India, it is less than 2% at present.[citation needed]

    The ministry of broadcasting in India is setting up more (86) FM Radio to all parts of India by March 2017.[16]

    List of FM Stations in Jaipur:

    1. 98.3 Radio Mirchi (Listenership; 11 lacs plus)
    2. 94.3 MY FM (Listenership; 16 lacs plus)
    3. 104 Mirchi Love (Listenership; 10 lacs plus)
    4. 93.5 Red FM (Listenership; 8.6 lacs plus)
    5. 91.1 Radio City (Listenership; 6 lacs plus)
    6. 95 Tadka (Listenership; 1.4 lacs plus)

    Current allocation process

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    In FM Phase II — the latest round of the long-delayed opening up of private FM in India — some 338 frequencies were offered of which about 237 were sold.[citation needed]

    References

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    1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). mib.gov.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    2. ^ "All India Radio | Prasar Bharati". prasarbharati.gov.in. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
    3. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). allindiaradio.gov.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    4. ^ "Mile Stone". allindiaradio.org. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012.
    5. ^ Sen, Biswarup (26 August 2014). "A new kind of radio: FM broadcasting in India". Media, Culture & Society. 36 (8): 1084–1099. doi:10.1177/0163443714544998. S2CID 143785018.
    6. ^ Radio City (Indian radio station)
    7. ^ "Control freakery". The Indian Express. Oct 19, 2013. Retrieved Oct 19, 2013.
    8. ^ "Why not let private radio stations air news?". Hindustan Times. October 17, 2013. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
    9. ^ a b "FM Radio Stations in". trace.bharatiyamobile.com. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
    10. ^ "Delhi Radio Stations on FM, mediumwave and shortwave". www.asiawaves.net. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
    11. ^ "Listen FM Radio Stations Online - Radio Mirchi, DevotionalFM Stations". www.onlineradiofm.org.
    12. ^ "Community Media: SRFTI 90.4 F.M., Kolkata, West Bengal | profile by CommunityVoices.in".
    13. ^ "Welcome to Jadavpur University website".
    14. ^ "Home".
    15. ^ "Tune into Radio Mirchi 95 FM for the latest Bollywood music | Bengaluru News - Times of India". The Times of India.
    16. ^ "86 new AIR stations to come up by March 2017".
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