FTII's radio network set to widen listenershipLaxmi Birajdar, TNN, Aug 1, 2010, 04.01am IST
PUNE: Radio FTII, the community radio station operated by the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), is hoping to captivate more listeners with radio capsules on a variety of subjects that it has been presenting on a daily basis since June 1. The community radio, formed three-and-a-half years ago under the aegis of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, is managed by the film school and runs on an annual budget of Rs 5 lakhs. Students of the institute, as well as the general public, are being encouraged to give creative inputs to these radio capsules, said Sanjay Chandekar, who heads the radio and is the station in-charge. Aired from 10 am to 6 pm on 90.4 Mhz within a 16-km diameter, the radio airs programmes on different topics, right from art, culture and entertainment to socially-relevant issues and career opportunities. Live broadcasts of all musical and academic programmes held at the FTII, have also fetched the radio station good listenership. "We also do webcasts. But now, we want to widen our reach and involve more people and organisations from society to make radio programmes with us on a consistent basis," says Chandekar. "It's a radio for the community, to give voice to the people at the grass-root level. People from different sections of society make and present their programmes here," Chandekar elaborated. Members of All India Students' Association (AISA) spoke on the students' movement in the country, women from the city slums were trained to prepare, edit and present a capsule on their challenges, and city-based musicians and artistes presented their recitals on the radio. "Most of our programmes are in Marathi, and the rest in Hindi and English. On the occasion of Bengali new year this year, we aired a small capsule in Bengali. A MoU signed between FTII and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) allows students of IGNOU's six-month course on community radio, to intern with us," says Chandekar. Earlier this year, a state-level consultation on community radio was organised at FTII that was attended by officials from the I & B ministry and community radio representatives from different parts of Maharashtra. "The central government is encouraging people to start community radio. The two-day seminar gave a lowdown to organisations and individuals on how to start a community radio and the stipulated norms," explained Chandekar. What is noteworthy, is that school children too have been initiated into radio programming at the radio station. "We've screened documentaries for them, provided them books on concerned topics and asked them to prepare a script and then present it. This process is helpful in developing their writing, speaking and presentation skills," Chandekar opined. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/FTIIs-radio-network-set-to-widen-listenership/articleshow/6242021.cms -- Nookaraju B
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