NEW DELHI: All India Radio (AIR) does not have any FM station in 160 of the cities included in the Phase III FM radio license auctions. In Phase III, auctions for a total of 839 FM radio channels in 294 cities will be conducted.

According to the ?Poised for Growth: FM radio in India? study by Confederation of Indian Industry and Ernst & Young, Prasar Bharati proposes to provide FM transmitters with programme production facilities in 20 of these cities.

This scheme has been proposed in the Twelfth Plan, subject to availability of funds. Consequently, AIR FM Radio requires more than 500 transmitters to increase its coverage to more than 80 per cent of the country.

AIR stations broadcast from 267 transmitters that are installed at 246 places across India, and its FM stations reach around 42 per cent of India?s population.

Furthermore, 248 new FM transmitters are being installed in the country under various schemes approved under the Eleventh Five Year Plan to further augment AIR?s FM terrestrial coverage.

AIR is expected to reach around 54 per cent of India?s population on implementation of this project.

In the Phase III, auctions for a total of 839 FM radio channels in 294 cities will be conducted.

Referring to the role All India Radio can play, the report says community radio stations should be provided content relating to local welfare programmes by the pubcaster and the local government to spread awareness of this.

AIR or media institutes need to conduct training courses to build a pool of skilled people who are competent to operate radio stations. Roll out of FM Phase III will also require a large number of professionals.

Meanwhile, the report says two-thirds of the persons surveyed by it feel that permission to broadcast AIR news bulletins subject to conditions and other non-news content will increase listenership and stickiness.

But the report suggests that there is need to provide flexibility in news generation and dissemination, as has been permitted to television channels and internet media, with the requisite guidelines and monitoring mechanisms.

NEW DELHI: Both the FM radio channels of All India Radio ? FM Gold and FM Rainbow ? have been given a completely new face this month with several new programmes and other changes.

These changes came into effect from 12 November, which is observed as the Public Service Broadcasting Day in India to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi?s maiden and only visit to AIR studio. In a broadcast on 12 November 1947, Gandhi had addressed refugees from Pakistan stationed at the camp at Kurukshetra.

The most major change in AIR Rainbow has been the rationalisation of western music vis-?-vis Indian music.

On FM Gold, five new shows have been introduced without touching the main programmes that are already popular with listeners.

Realising that long news bulletins were irritants to viewers who were keen to listen to golden melodies for which the channel is known, English and Hindi bulletins are being broadcast for five minutes alternately every hour instead of both being broadcast together. However, the bulletins are being broadcast together four times a day.

Thus, the time for music had been increased substantially.

Long discussions on economic subjects have been reduced to a maximum of 15 minutes once a day. The ?Sports Scan? programme which is broadcast at 8 pm will now be a 15-minute programme that will be broadcast from 8.30 pm to 8.45 pm.

Greater attention will be paid to interviews with personalities, and to listeners? requests.

NEW DELHI: All India Radio proposes to set up 385 new FM transmitters in the Twelfth Plan in the country to increase the FM coverage to 90 per cent population.

However, this is subject to allocation of funds and approval of the Planning Commission, Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources said.

At present, AIR FM reaches out to 41.43 per cent population and 29.18 per cent area. This is part of the total AIR coverage of 91.87 per cent area and 99.19 per cent population.

Even prior to the 12th Plan scheme, FM Transmitters of varying capacities are being installed in 224 more places throughout the country by AIR, apart from 40 MW transmitters. This will take the coverage to 38.75 per cent area and 53.53 per cent population including villages and hamlets.

In addition, the power of 12 MW transmitters is being increased and 40 new MW transmitters are being installed under the 11th Plan. At present, 432 AM/FM transmitters are installed in the country.

New stations are being set up in 225 places, and a total of 62 new Akashwani kendras were set up in the past three years.

A total of 276 AIR radio stations are functional in the country at present. A total of 278 more stations will be set up under the 12th Plan if the budgets are approved.

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology has said it is ?unhappy to note that out of the planned allocation of Rs three billion for upgradation of studios and transmitters of All India Radio in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, only Rs 18 million had been spent.

The Committee was not convinced with the reasons cited by the Ministry that delay in approval of Schemes only on 27 April 2010 delayed procurement and implementation of the project resulting in low expenditure.

The Committee was "of the considered view that when the budgetary provision had already been made for the project, the Ministry should have set the physical targets, closely monitored the progress of physical targets and ensured full utilisation of funds in the Island".

The Committee took serious note of the above underspending and recommended the Ministry should take adequate measures during 2012-13 so that projects are expedited and funds utilised optimally during the current Financial Year.