Collaboration To ‘Inform And Empower’: I&B Ministry Allows Private FM Players To Broadcast AIR News For Free

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has decided that All India Radio (AIR) News can be broadcast with private FM channels. AIR news and bulletins will be shared free of cost, on a trial basis, till 31st May 2019, reports Television Post.

The AIR News bulletins in English and Hindi will be broadcast as per the list of bulletins in the News Schedule according to certain terms and conditions by private FM Radio broadcast players.

The private player will have to register on http://newsonair.com, and the AIR News bulletins should be carried in toto, in unaltered form.

The commercials should be carried too in toto with the credit given to AIR for sourcing the news. The news also should be carried simultaneously, that is, not deferred by more than 30 minutes. If it's deferred live, an announcement saying that it is a deferred live broadcast must be given.

I&B Minister Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore congratulated all officials of the ministry for the initiative and said that it's in line with the government priority to ensure awareness of people, and thus, this service has been made free of cost. He termed this as a collaborative effort to bring all of India’s Radio Stations together to inform and empower citizens.

A. Surya Prakash, the Prasar Bharati chairman, defined the step as important in today's collaborative world. The President of the Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI), Anuradha Prasad, extended thanks to the Government for agreeing to their long-standing demand of private radio broadcasters to present news on their platform. The Director General of AIR, Mr Ira Joshi termed the initiative ‘historic’.