How easy is it to set up a community radio station? And what does it cost? These are questions that experts will give answers to at an exhibition being organised for radio buffs in New Delhi.
Lamp radio, radio-in-a-box, discless recorder and a host of creatively designed rugged radio equipment suitable to Indian environment will be showcased at the exhibition organised by the UNESCO, in association with some NGOs.
Live demonstration on 'how to set up community radio?' will be given by the experts in the fields at the show.
An open forum on 'Community Radio: Innovation, Low Cost Solutions and Access' will also be in New Delhi where community radio experts, technicians from India and South Asia, broadcast professionals and radio enthusiasts from mainstream and community radio stations will air their views and share experience.
The three-day exhibition on unique low-cost innovations, starting February 1, is a part of BES Expo 2007 -- the 13th International Conference and Exhibition on Terrestrial and Satellite Broadcasting of Indian Broadcast Engineering Society.
The airwaves in the country were unshackled for the public use in December last year as the government announced a liberated community radio policy.
Since then the community radio programming has seen some stunning success such a "Rudi No Radio" of SEWA in Ahmadabad and Vadodara and "Chala Ho Gaon Mein" in Jharkhand.
Serving as a mouthpiece of the voiceless, the community radio has seen instant success in a world dominated by the media behemoths. With the limited reach of television in terms of distance and content, radio still has remained the preferred means for millions of rural folks for news and entertainment, according to the UNESCO.
The popularity of the community radio comes from within the community where its people can voice their concerns and aspirations, it said.
Community radio, as distinct from public service broadcasting, serves to bring small communities together, focuses on the common man's day-to-day concerns and helps in realising local aspirations.
Earlier policy, announced in December 2002, restricted the community radio license only to the educational institutions and certain kind of organisations recognised by the government. But it was revised in December last year and eligibility was extended to NGOs, civil society and voluntary organisations registered under the Societies Act.
