[greenyouth] An analysis on Licencing Rs.50 FM

[Anivar Aravind]

>Patna, March 30 (IANS) It is now the turn of Indians living abroad to
>pledge their support to an enterprising man in Bihar whose popular
>radio station has been shut down after failing to pay license fee to
>the government.

All the people who have come forward to help Raghav Mahto and his now-defunct Mansoorpur 1 FM channel have their hearts in the right place, but they need to take a reality check. To put it succinctly, neither Raghav nor the good people of Mansoorpur are going to get their 'radio station' back until hell freezes over, or our antiquated broadcast policies are radically revised, whichever comes first.

Reporters Without Borders say that "the closure of Radio Raghav FM Mansoorpur 1 underlines the fact that India was the last country in south Asia to accept independent news broadcasts on FM. We urge the Bihar state government to grant this radio a temporary licence…" Well, Reporters Without Homework should know that India still doesn't 'accept independent news broadcasts on FM', and that broadcasting is a Central (federal) subject, not a state subject. No, Bihar cannot offer this radio anything except its deepest sympathy.

1.     So, 'members of the Indian diaspora', 'affluent farmers and contractors' and 'middle class families and the poor' are willing to chip in and raise the 'annual license fee' for a radio station in Mansoorpur, which, according to some unnamed 'officials' could "cost over Rs.400,000." This is ridiculous. There is no such thing as an annual license fee for a hypothetical radio station in Mansoorpur, because no government is going to offer a commercial FM license in a village like Mansoorpur. There are, however, three fully licensed FM radio stations coming up in nearby Muzaffarpur  run by BAG films (which paid Rs.15.10 lakhs), South Asia FM (Rs.11.01 lakhs) and Adlabs (Rs.5.58 lakhs).

There is still one unclaimed FM license in Muzaffarpur, and if Raghav's well-wishers are serious about running a licensed FM station which covers Mansoorpur, they should form a company and bid for the remaining license, as and when the bidding happens. And no, Raghav doesn't stand the slightest chance of qualifying for a commercial FM license himself.

2.     Raghav is lucky to get away with a rap on his knuckles – he could have been jailed for 3 years and fined under the provisions of the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 or Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933 (take your pick). The IANS story says that he was broadcasting "local news and views" and playing Hindi songs. Add another year in jail and about Rs.15 lakhs in royalty and IPR payments to PPL and other rights-holding companies for broadcasting recorded music/film songs for three years. I am not joking; and by the way, that's a conservative estimate.

3.     As Frederick Noronha has pointed out in his postings, the only way Mansoorpur could have its own radio station is for all of us to push for a community radio policy which allows community-owned and run radio stations to come up in places like Mansoorpur. (What Frederick hasn't pointed out, however, is that it just isn't possible for an individual like Raghav Mahto to apply for a radio license, not even a community radio license. Everyone who's rushing in to help Mahto should ask themselves about the wisdom of allowing individuals – however well-intentioned – to run their own radio stations. And then help this good and talented man to find a suitable outlet for his skills. No one is doing him any favours by leading him on with hollow promises about buying a license and reviving his station).
 

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