First-ever live Twitter conf on community radio Published: Saturday, Feb 9, 2013, 9:30 IST By *DNA Correspondent <http://www.dnaindia.com/authors/dna-correspondent>* | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA
Queries and responses poured in from across the country in the first-ever live Twitter conference hosted by the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) on community radio. The conference which started at 4 pm went on for almost an hour. The participants had to post their queries hashtaging #ComRadio at the ministry’s Twitter handle @MIB_India. This activity gave Twitter users a chance to interact with the ministry officials including secretary Uday Verma directly. While the participants sought suggestions from the ministry if Gram Sabha meetings should happen on community radios, they also debated why news items should not be included in community radio. Many even expressed interest in making a career in the sector and asked for ways to go about it. Though the ministry refrained from allowing political news items to be broadcast on community radios, it said developmental information may be carried by these radios. Regarding incentives, the government said in its 12th plan, the MIB proposes to introduce finance assistance scheme to community radios and Rs.100 crore provision has been kept. In order to ensure that Community Radio Stations are able to sustain themselves, the ministry has empanelled 35 Community Radios with the Department of Audio Visual Publicity (DAVP) to provide them with government advertisements. It has also enhanced the advertising rate from Re1 to Rs 4 per second. “Once approved, the scheme would help to set up 100 new community radio stations every year. Thus 500 or more new community radios would come up in the 12th Plan period,” the ministry said in a statement. Currently 144 community radio stations are operating in the country, remaining are in the pipeline. Last year in September, Sam Pitroda, adviser to the prime minister on public information and infrastructure and innovations had held a similar conference but had failed to gain appreciation as he had left most the questions unanswered. -- FN Land +91-832-240-9490 Cell +91-982-212-2436 [email protected] Goa,1556 titles: http://bit.ly/Goa1556Books2 Links to my books: http://fredericknoronha1.wix.com/fngoaindia
Join the Community Radio Forum. For membership details, please go to www.crforum.in
