Making Waves Ashish Mitra Posted online: Friday, February 09, 2007 at 0000 hours IST
The history of News Broadcasting in India is much older than that of All India Radio (AIR). The first ever news bulletin in the country went on Air from the Bombay station on July 23, 1927 under the Indian Broadcasting Company. A month later on August 26, 1927 another bulletin in Bengali was broadcast from the Calcutta station. Until 1935, two bulletins, one each in English and Hindustani and Bengali were broadcast from Bombay and Calcutta. Tracing the history. Radio owes its development to two other inventions, the telegraph and the telephone, all three technologies are closely related. Radio technology began as wireless telegraphy. Radio can refer to either the electronic appliance that we listen with or the content listened to. However, it all started with the discovery of radio waves electromagnetic waves that have the capacity to transmit music, speech, pictures and other data invisibly through the air. Many devices work by using electromagnetic waves including: radio, microwaves, cordless phones, remote controlled toys, television broadcasts and more. During the 1860s, Scottish physicist, James Clerk Maxwell predicted the existence of radio waves; and in 1886, German physicist, Heinrich Rudolph Hertz demonstrated that rapid variations of electric current could be projected into space in the form of radio waves similar to those of light and heat. In 1866, Mahlon Loomis, an American dentist, successfully demonstrated wireless telegraphy. Loomis was able to make a meter connected to one kite cause another one to move, marking the first known instance of wireless aerial communication. Broadcasting in India had an unique history. In 1935 Radio broadcast began with All India Radio (AIR). Thirty two years later in 1977 the first FM service was launched in Madras. 16 years later in 1993, AIR started selling time slots for private FM radio broadcasting in five cities. The idea was getting bigger by the day. Only six years later in 1999 the Government privatized of FM - Phase I Policy. In 2001 licenses were started to be given to private radio broadcasters while in 2005 announcement of Phase II Policy of privatization of FM was made. Privatization of FM Radio in India Internationally, FM radio broadcasting is the preferred mode of radio transmission due to its high quality stereophonic sound. In March 2000, the Government invited private sector into FM radio broadcasting by opening up the frequencies in the FM band (87.5-108 MHz). In this Phase I Policy of FM radio privatization, private operators were invited to bid for a 10-year license to set-up and operate FM radio stations. The original plan was to set-up 108 FM radio frequencies across 40 cities. 101 bids were received, aggregating to a license fee of approximately Rs.4.25 billion. [Source: FICCI Ernst & Young Report, 2004]. The unusually high license fee structure and year-on-year annual escalations of 15% hampered the FM radio growth. The Governments Tenth Plan stipulates that private operations are to be encouraged to provide FM radio services in metros and small cities. They recently announced Phase II of the privatization of FM radio, which is an initiative in line with the roadmap laid out in the Tenth Plan. A total of 338 channels in 91 cities across the country would be made available for bidding by Indian private companies. Industry Size The radio industry revenues for fiscal 2005 have been estimated at Rs. 3.22 billion, and are expected to grow by 14.3% to Rs. 3.68 billion by fiscal 2006. (Source: Central Statistical Organisation, Advertising Expenditure Forecast, October 2004, Zenith Optimedia.). The state broadcaster - All India Radio AIR) contributed 55% of the industry revenues in 2004, which has decreased from 100% in 2001. (Source: Indian Entertainment Industry- An Unfolding Opportunity, FICCI-PWC Report, March 2005.) Globally, the share of radio in the advertising pie is around 5% in countries where the medium is still in a growth phase and around 10-12% of the advertising pie when the medium reaches a mature phase. Satellite Radio WorldSpace uses its two satellites, AfriStar and AsiaStar, to broadcast digital-quality audio channels to people around the world who want world-class programming that is not available or rarely found on local regional or national terrestrial radio. Each satellite has three beams and each beam is able to send up to 80 channels directly to portable satellite radios. Inside each WorldSpace digital satellite radio is a proprietary chipset designed to lock onto the WorldSpace satellite signal in ones region of the world. No other option provides the variety of programming that WorldSpace offers. Also, each WorldSpace satellite radio is equipped with a data port that transforms it into a wireless modem able to download data to personal computers at rates of up to 128kbps. Thus, the WorldSpace satellite radio can also broadcast multimedia content. The WorldSpace digital satellite signal means no fading, noise or interference. The system delivers high quality digital sound in a coverage area of 14 million square kilometers. As long as youre in line of sight with the satellite, youll never lose the WorldSpace signal. WorldSpace Satellite Radio Broadcast from two satellites- AfriStar and AsiaStar, were successfully undertaken in October, 1998 and March, 2000, respectively. WorldSpace satellites are geostationary, orbiting over the globe in fixed positions more than 35,000 kilometers above the equator. Using powerful spot beams, the satellites transmit to three overlapping coverage areas approximately 14 million square kilometers each. Back on the ground, each satellite is supported by three major components: the Regional Operations Center (ROC); Telemetry, Command and Ranging (TCR) Stations; and Communications System Monitoring (CSM) Stations. Each component plays a major role in ensuring the best possible digital signal is received throughout the WorldSpace System. Twenty-four hour monitoring by a dedicated team of professionals further ensures uninterrupted signal quality. WorldSpace Earth Stations WorldSpace satellites use on-board processing to enable program reception from many stations. Content providers on the WorldSpace system can uplink their programs via the traditional hub method, sending broadcast signals to a central location for transmission to the satellite. A second mode enables use of smaller, more mobile Feeder Link Stations (FLS). On-board processing technology converts these multiple signals at the satellite, combining them into a single downlink signal before transmitting them back to earth. WorldSpace has engineered the entire infrastructure with redundant systems to ensure consistent and reliable service for our customers. WorldSpace Satellite Radio WorldSpace is the only satellite radio service outside of the USA, Japan, and South Korea. Through its subscription-based service, WorldSpace broadcasts news, sports, music and educational programming to satellite radios throughout a global area that includes more than four billion people. WorldSpace is also credited with creating the evolution of satellite radio. WorldSpace was the first to create and broadcast programming via Company owned and launched two satellites to deliver 100% digital audio and exclusive WorldSpace created programming to satellite radio receivers throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. WorldSpace was also one of the principal founding shareholders of XM Satellite Radio in the U.S. and is responsible for some proprietary technology and original programming and format structure, which is currently used to broadcast to over 6.5 million subscribers across the U.S. The WorldSpace Global Content and Programming department provides approximately 10% of the original content music programming heard in America on XM Satellite Radio. WorldSpace satellites provide coverage to areas across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle-East. Each satellite has three beams, East, West and South. Different channels are carried depending on the beam one receives. Working of WorldSpace: WorldSpace uses its two satellites, to broadcast more than 100 digital-quality audio channels to people around the world who want worldclass programming that is not available or rarely found on local, regional or national terrestrial radio. Each satellite has three beams and each beam is able to send up to 80 channels directly to portable satellite radios. Inside each WorldSpace Satellite Radio digital audio receiver is a proprietary chipset designed to lock into the WorldSpace satellite signal in your region of the world. Difference between WorldSpace and conventional radio: Choice: WorldSpace provides over 100 channels of 100% digital quality music, news, and sports, many previously never available via radio throughout the WorldSpace coverage area. Clarity: Listen to radio the way it was meant to be heard, in full digital form that can be heard via built-in speakers in portable receivers or run through computer and in-home systems to provide sound quality that cannot be found from terrestrial AM & FM radio. In-car receivers allow you take your favorite WorldSpace channel with you across town or across countries. Also, each portable WorldSpace receiver is equipped with a data port that transforms it into a wireless datacast modem able to download data, streaming video and multimedia content to personal computers at rates of up to 128kbps. Coverage: The WorldSpace digital signal means no fading, noise or interference. The system delivers digital quality sound in a coverage area of 14 million square kilometers. As long as youre in line of sight with the satellite, youll never lose WorldSpaces high-quality sound. WorldSpace broadcasts in the frequency 1467-1492 MHz of the L band. Depending upon where you are located and how much ones ship or boat shifts direction, one may need to re-aim the receivers antenna periodically to maintain a direct line-of-sight to the satellite.The number of channels you receive depends upon which satellite you are accessing and which beam(s) of the satellite cover your location. You will be able to access over 40 audio broadcast channels. Via http://www.screenindia.com/fullstory.php?content_id=14872 Regards & 73s Mukesh Kumar The Cosmos Club Muzaffarpur INDIA. __________________________________________________________ Yahoo! India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something new http://in.answers.yahoo.com/ ---[Start Commercial]--------------------- Preorder your WRTH 2007: http://www.hard-core-dx.com/redirect2.php?id=wrth2007 ---[End Commercial]----------------------- ________________________________________ Hard-Core-DX mailing list Hard-Core-DX@hard-core-dx.com http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/hard-core-dx http://www.hard-core-dx.com/ _______________________________________________ THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE IS FREE. It may be copied, distributed and/or modified under the conditions set down in the Design Science License published by Michael Stutz at http://www.gnu.org/licenses/dsl.html