Types of Radio

AIR: Its motto – ‘Bahujan Hitaya : Bahujan Sukhaya

AIR’s home service comprises 420 stations today located across the country, reaching nearly
92% of the country’s area and 99.19 % of the total population. AIR originates programming in
23 languages and 179 dialect.

• The National Channel of All India Radio in radio's 3 tier system was originally conceived
as the first stage i.e. National System with a broadcast of an 18 hrs. per day.
• But for various reasons the channel was limited to night time service taking the National
Programmes and covering 65% of area and 76% of population of the country.
• News Bulletins for the entire country from 06.50 PM in the evening to 06.12 AM in the
morning. This is the only channel available after most of the stations closed down.
• The programmes of National Channel are radiated by One Megawatt Transmitter from
centrally located place i.e. Nagpur(Mtrs. 191.6 M - 1566 kHz.), 500 kW, from Kolkata
from 11.00 PM ( Mtrs. 264.5 M - 1134 kHz.) and 20 kW Transmitter at Delhi
( Mtrs.246.9 M - 1215 kHz.) and two SW transmitters at 9425 kHz & 9470 kHz at
Bangalore and Aligarh respectively.
• The languages of broadcast are Hindi, English and Urdu apart from some music from
other Indian languages. National channel's office cum studios is situated at Todapur
(West Delhi).

The different types of radio may be categorized under different Types of Radio Stations and
Transmissions. These may be further classifies as-

• a) On the Basis of Reach: National, Regional, Local and Community

• b) On the Basis of Transmission Technology: AM, SW, FM, Web

a) On the Basis of Reach: National, Regional, Local and

Community
Three-tier Broadcasting System

• AIR has a three-tier system of broadcasting. These three levels of programmes are the
National, Regional and Local each having distinct audiences.

• National programmes are broadcast from Delhi for relay by the Capital, Regional and
Local Radio Stations. Some of these are the National Programme of Talks and Features
in Hindi and English, the National Programmes of Drama and Music.
 • The National Channel of All India Radio located in Delhi broadcasts programmes which
are heard on Medium Wave and also on Short Wave. Started on 18th May 1988, this
channel works as a night service from 6.50 PM to 6.10 AM the next morning.
Broadcasting in Hindi, Urdu and English, the programme composition of the channel has
been designed to make it representative of the cultural mosaic and ethos of the country.
• The Regional Stations in different States form the middle tier of broadcasting. They
originate programmes in the regional languages and dialects.
• Regional Channels are located in the major linguistic-cultural region of every state. 116
Regional Channels are spread over 29 states & 6 Union Territories including the North-
Eastern Service at Shillong that projects the vibrant cultural heritage of the North-Eastern
region of this country.
• The Regional Channels, broadcast largely on the Medium Wave frequency, follow a
composite programme pattern comprising of music - classical, light, folk and film, News
and Current Affairs, Radio plays, features, Farm and Home programmes, programmes on
Health & Family Welfare and programmes for Woman, Children etc
• Local Radio is relatively a newer concept of broadcasting in India. Local radio stations
serve small
• Communities, showcase local culture and broadcast area specific programmes for the
benefit of the community. The transmission is in the FM mode. The programming is
flexible and spontaneous and the stations function as the mouth piece of the local
community. At present there are 86 Local Stations spread across the country.
• Community radio usually is a short-range, not-for-profit radio station or channel that
caters for the information needs of people living in a particular locality, in the languages
and formats that are most adapted to the local context. Community radio stations can be
mobilized for campaigns, for example by announcing campaign events, hosting talk
shows with campaigners, or playing the campaign radio jingle and songs.
• The Community Radio was not legal in India till 2002. There had been a campaign by
free speech advocates, academics and community members across the country to get the
community radio legalized.
• The turning point was a 1995 ruling of the Supreme Court in which the honourable court
said that the “airwaves are public property and must be used for the public good”. This
1995 ruling was the foundation stone of community radio in India. Immediately after the
ruling came out, the civil society groups formulated and adopted a Bangalore
Declaration, in which the need for a third tiers of broadcasting, i.e. community radio was
articulated.

Community Radio Stations in INDIA

Following table mentions community radio stations in INDIA along with frequency used by
radio transmitters.
Community Radio Station
Frequency used Description
(CRS)
 Educational Multimedia center,
ANNA 90.4 MHz
Anna University, Chennai

Aditanar college of Arts and Science,

SIVANTHI 90.4 MHz
Tamil Nadu

Banasthali Vidyapeeth,
APNO Radio 90.4 MHz
Rajasthan

Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College,

Radio Active 107.8 MHz
Bangalore, Karnataka, INDIA

City Montessorie School,

CMS Radio 90.4 MHz
UP

School of Open Learning,

DU CRS 90.4 MHz
Delhi

Guru Nanak Girls College,

GNGC CRS 90.4 MHz
Punjab

Holy Cross College,

HOLY CROSS CR 90.4 MHz
Tamil Nadu

Indian Institute of Mass Comm,

APNA Radio ARI 96.9 MHz
New Delhi

Jamia Millia Islamia,

JAMIA CRS 90.4 MHz
New Delhi

Jagan Institute of Management,

JIMS CRS 96.9 MHz
New Delhi

Kongu engineering college,

KONGU CRS 90.4 MHz
Tamil Nadu

NILA CRS 90.4 MHz Sri Manakula Vinayagar Engineering college

MOP Vaishnav College for Women,

MOP 107.8 MHz
Chennai

MICAVANI 90.4 MHz Mudra Institute of Communication

Department of Communication Studies,

VIDYAVANI 107.4 MHz
Pune, Maharashtra, INDIA
 PSG college of technology,
PSG CRS 107.8 MHz
Tamilnadu

Radio FTII 90.4 MHz Film & Television Institute, Pune

Vasundra Krishi Vahini 90.4 MHz VIIT, Pune, INDIA

VIVEK 90.4 MHz Vivek high school, Chandigarh

Directorate of extension, Dharwad,

CRS Dharwad 90.4 MHz
Karnataka

Shri Vishnu Engineering College for

VISHNU CRS 90.4 MHz Women,
AP

The Government Policy towards Community Radio in India

• In December 2002, the NDA Government approved a policy for the grant of licenses for
setting up of Community Radio Stations ONLY to well established educational
institutions including IITs/IIMs. Thus, eligibility to own and operate the community radio
was restricted to only the educational institutions.
• On 1 February 2004, Anna FM was launched as India’s first campus “community” radio
station by the students of the Anna University. However, by that time, the marginalized
and voiceless communities remained outside of the community radios.
• The civil society kept working towards convincing the government to expand the
mandate of the community radio sector to include communities living in rural, remote
and hilly areas of the country.
• In 2006, the government released a new community radio policy which allowed the
agricultural universities, educational institutions and civil society institutions such as
NGOs to apply for a community radio broadcasting license under the FM band 88–108
MHz.
• By 2008, some 40 Community Radio Stations started in India owned either by the
educational institutions or by the NGOs. First NGO operated community Radio was the
Sangham Radio, licensed to Deccan Development Society, in Pastapur village, Medak
district, Andhra Pradesh.
• Currently there are around 150 Community Radio stations in India.

Advantages
 • As community radio is usually run by volunteers using low-cost technology, it tends to be
easy to obtain free or inexpensive air time. It offers an opportunity for contributions by
people whose voice is not much heard on national radio – e.g. “ordinary” women and
youth – which can be highly empowering. Community radio reaches a large section of
the locality it covers, as listeners tend to be interested in local issues. It is also an
excellent way to communicate with communities whose main language is not the official
national language.

Eligibility to apply for a Community Radio Station

As per the 2006 policy of the Government, an organisation desirous of operating a Community
Radio Station (CRS) must be able to satisfy and adhere to the following principles:

 It should be explicitly constituted as a ‘non-profit’ organisation and should have a proven

record of at least three years of service to the local community.
 The Community Radio Station should serve a specific well-defined local community.
 The ownership and management structure should be such that it reflects the community
which it serves
 It should only broadcast programmes that cater to the educational, developmental, social
and cultural needs of the community. (Entertainment is not banned explicitly. News
Programmes are banned in Community Radio as well as FM Radio in India)
 The organization must be a Legal Entity i.e. it should be registered (under the registration
of Societies Act or any other such act relevant to the purpose).
 Regarding the content, the two important provisions made are as follows:
 At least 50% of content shall be generated with the participation of the local community,
for which the station has been set up.
 Programmes should preferably be in the local language and dialect(s).
 The CRS license thus given by the government entitled them to operate a 100-watt
(Effective Radiated Power) radio station, with a coverage area of approximately a 12-km
radius. A maximum antenna height of 30 meters is allowed.

Role of Community Radio for Society

 Community radio serves as a development tool, addressing issues of local concern.

 Community Radio can also help in taking initiatives such as spreading the education,
discuss on local maters and to take on the corrupt authorities. Example is a story
published in adjacent box sourced from Frontline.
 Community Radio is often called “People’s radio, For people, By people”
 Community Radio is a radio service for geographically bound communities, where
infrastructure is poor and mainstream national and regional media may not reach.
 The service is usually run and managed by local people and addresses issues relating to
the community in the local language.
  It has great potential to serve as a development tool in rural India in terms of creating
awareness, spreading information and facilitating communication.
 However, India is yet to see a full-fledged community radio movement or process as
government policy, governed by the Telegraph Act of 1885, does not permit such
broadcasts.

Problems of the Community Radios

The first major problem for the Community Radios is the funding and payments of the spectrum
fees. Every community Radio needs funds to run it smoothly. Nevertheless, those who have
taken up the cause go from village to village and mountain to mountain with a small recorder
player, helping people to communicate. In April 2012, the Government had hiked the spectrum
fee from 19700 to Rs. 91000. This fivefold increase in the license fee provoked widespread
protest from functional community radio stations. The matter is still under consideration of the
government and would be reconsidered by September 2013. The second problem is that many
girls are active in the community Radios and when these girls get married, the group comes to a
standstill.

Analog Radio

• Analog radio consists of two main types: AM (amplitude modulation) and FM (frequency
modulation).
• Analog radio station frequently feeds only one transmitter and referred to as an AM
station or an FM station in the U.S. But it is quite possible for a station to feed both
transmitters in a similar area, or to feed more than one transmitter covering different
areas. In either case, AM or FM refers only to a particular transmitter and not to the entire
station. The latter arrangement is becoming widespread throughout the U.S.
• AM radio uses the long-wave band in some nations. This long-wave band comes with
frequencies that are fairly lower than the FM band, and having slightly different
transmission features, better for broadcasting over long distances. Both AM and FM are
in use to broadcast audio signals to home, car, and moveable receivers.

b) On the Basis of Transmission Technology: AM, SW, FM,

Web
AM broadcasting

• AM broadcasting is a radio broadcasting technology, which employs amplitude

modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio
 radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known
as "AM band") transmissions, but also on the longwave and shortwave radio bands.
• The earliest experimental AM transmissions were begun in the early 1900s. However,
widespread AM broadcasting was not established until the 1920s, following the
development of vacuum tube receivers and transmitters. AM radio remained the
dominant method of broadcasting for the next 30 years, a period called the "Golden Age
of Radio", until television broadcasting became widespread in the 1950s and received
most of the programming previously carried by radio. Subsequently, AM radio's
audiences have also greatly shrunk due to competition from FM (frequency modulation)
radio, Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), satellite radio, HD (digital) radio and Internet
streaming.

FM broadcasting

• FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM)

technology. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is
used worldwide to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is
capable of better sound quality than AM broadcasting, the chief competing radio
broadcasting technology, so it is used for most music broadcasts. FM radio stations use
the VHF frequencies. The term "FM band" describes the frequency band in a given
country which is dedicated to FM broadcasting.

Based on the above information, some of the key differences between AM and FM are as
follows:

AM (Amplitude Modulation) FM(Frequency Modulation)

The amplitude of the carrier wave is The frequency of the carrier wave is modified in
modified in order to send the data or order to send the data or information.
information.

It works in a frequency range of 535 to It works in a frequency range of 88 to 108

1705 Kilohertz (KHz). Megahertz (MHz).

It has two sidebands. It has an infinite number of sidebands.

In this method, the frequency and phase The amplitude and phase remain the same.
remain the same.

Its modulation index varies from 0 to 1. Its modulation index is always greater than one.

It can transmit over long distances, have a It cannot transmit over long distances, have a
large range. smaller range.

AM based signal transmission consumes FM based signal transmission consumes more

power than an equivalent FM based signal power than an equivalent AM based signal
 transmission. transmission.

It is more susceptible to noise, has poor It is less susceptible to noise, has better sound
sound quality. quality.

It is more prone to signal distortion and It is less prone to signal distortion and degradation.
degradation.

In AM, if two or more signals are received In FM, if two or more signals are received at the
at the same frequency, both are same frequency, the receiver captures the stronger
demodulated which causes interference. signal and eliminates the weaker one.

It has simple circuit design. It has complex circuit design.

It is a less costly method. It is more costly than AM.

It requires low bandwidth in the range of It requires high bandwidth in the range of 200 kHz.
10 kHz.

It operates in the medium frequency (MF) It operates in the upper VHF and UHF range where
and high frequency (HF). noise effects are less.

Wastage of power is more as a major part No wastage of power as all transmitted power is
of the power carried by the carrier wave carried by the information signal.
does not contain the information.

The received signal is of low quality. The received signal is of high quality.

Note: FM is less prone to interference than AM. However, FM signals are impacted by
physical barriers. FM has better sound quality due to higher bandwidth. ... In AM radio
broadcasting, the modulating signal has bandwidth of 15kHz, and hence the bandwidth of an
amplitude-modulated signal is 30kHz.

Shortwave Radio

• Shortwave radio lies in a range of frequencies from 1.7 to 30 megahertz, just above the
AM radio band in the U.S. Because of the way its frequencies interact with the Earth's
ionosphere, shortwave broadcasts can travel thousands of miles -- under some
circumstances, listeners can tune in anywhere on Earth. Government and commercial
stations broadcast on shortwave frequencies to provide news, information and other
content. For example, the U.S. government runs WWV, a station that gives accurate time
information, at 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 MHz.
 • It is radio transmission using shortwave radio frequencies.

• There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high
frequency band (HF), and generally extends from 1.7–30 MHz (176.3–10.0 m); from the
high end of the medium frequency band (MF) just above the mediumwave AM broadcast
band, to the end of the HF band.

• Radio waves in the shortwave band can be reflected or refracted from a layer of
electrically charged atoms in the atmosphere called the ionosphere.

• Therefore, short waves directed at an angle into the sky can be reflected back to Earth at
great distances, beyond the horizon. This is called skywave or "skip" propagation.

• Thus shortwave radio can be used for very long distance communication, in contrast to
radio waves of higher frequency which travel in straight lines (line-of-sight propagation)
and are limited by the visual horizon, about 40 miles (64 km).

• Shortwave radio is used for broadcasting of voice and music to shortwave listeners over
very large areas; sometimes entire continents or beyond.

• It is also used for military over-the-horizon radar, diplomatic communication, and two-
way international communication by amateur radio enthusiasts for hobby, educational
and emergency purposes, as well as for long distance aviation and marine
communications.

Web Radio

• Internet radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, online
radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet
is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted broadly through wireless
means. It can either be used as a stand-alone device running through the internet, or as a
software running through a single computer system.

• Internet radio is generally used to communicate and easily spread messages through the
form of talk. It is distributed through a wireless communication network connected to a
switch packet network (the internet) via a disclosed source.'

• Internet radio involves streaming media, presenting listeners with a continuous stream of
audio that typically cannot be paused or replayed, much like traditional broadcast media;
in this respect, it is distinct from on-demand file serving. Internet radio is also distinct
from podcasting, which involves downloading rather than streaming.

• Internet radio services offer news, sports, talk, and various genres of music—every
format that is available on traditional broadcast radio stations.[3] Many Internet radio
services are associated with a corresponding traditional (terrestrial) radio station or radio
 network, although low start-up and ongoing costs have allowed a substantial proliferation
of independent Internet-only radio stations.[citation needed]

• The first Internet radio service was launched in 1993. As of 2017, the most popular
internet radio platforms and applications in the world include (but are not limited to)
TuneIn Radio, iHeartRadio, and Sirius XM.

• Punjabi Singer Guru Randhawa launches the 47th Web radio Station - Radio City
Punjabi

• Radio City 91.1FM, India's leading radio network, today announced the expansion of its
digital platform and added a Punjabi tadka to its bouquet of web-exclusive radio channels
with the launch of Radio City Punjabi. The web radio station was launched by Punjabi
singer Guru Randhawa along with RJ Yuvi, Rj Harshit and RJ Rohit Vir.

• The 47th web radio station to be launched by the network. With a blend of up-tempo,
dance and pop music by popular Punjabi singers Diljit Dosanjh, Hardy Sandhu, Juggy D,
Baadshah, Indeep Bakshi and many others, Radio City Punjabi promises to be the one
stop entertainment hub for Punjabi music lovers worldwide