NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Manish Tewari feels there is scope for setting up more news agencies in the country considering the growth potential of the media sector and the flow of information in the news segment.

Speaking at the 52nd anniversary celebrations of United News of India (UNI) Tewari said that the potential was tremendous as these agencies facilitated information flow at the sub-regional, regional and national level.

The increase in number of news agencies would not only enable local based news being highlighted at the national level, but also enable such agencies to balance news dissemination at the national and local level, he added.

Taking into account the diversity of information dissemination, such mechanisms would enable local issues being highlighted as prominently as those at the national level.

Tewari also said that there was urgent need to outline sustainable revenue models. Quoting the instance of the digitisation process, the Minister said it was an attempt to bring about transparency and a long term sustainable process in the broadcasting sector which would help all stakeholders.

The revenue models would also have to take into account the parameters that were addressing different audiences with the emergence of new media platforms and instant communication mechanisms.

New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has extended till 24 September the date for comments by stakeholders on its draft amended regulations with regard to advertisements on television channels.

Trai has reiterated in the draft amendments that the advertisement duration ceiling of twelve minutes per hour announced by it on 14 May this year was as mandated by the central government.

TRAI said in a statement on Tuesday that the decision to extend the period for comments was taken at the request of stakeholders. The amended regulations were issued on 27 August and responses were sought by 11 September.

In the amended regulations, while TRAI suggested that the restriction on maximum duration of advertisements carried in the programmes of a TV channel shall be regulated on a clock hour basis, it brought live telecast of sports into the ambit of the regulations.

The draft regulation "Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels) (Amendment) Regulations, 2012" said the provisions in the Cable TV Networks Rules 1994 with regard to the maximum duration of advertisements that can be carried per hour cannot be applied differently for different hours of the day, thereby discriminating the consumers? viewing experience depending upon the hour of the day.

Noting that the duration and the format of advertisements on TV channels were generally not in accordance with the provisions laid down in the advertising code under the Rules, TRAI had on 16 March this year issued a consultation paper, "Issues related to Advertisements in the TV channels", with the primary objective of striking a balance between giving a consumer a good TV viewing experience and protecting the commercial interests of broadcasters.

Based on the views/comments of the stakeholders, including consumers and consumer organisations, analysis of various aspects, facts and available studies, TRAI had notified the "Standards of Quality of Service (Duration Of Advertisements in Television Channels) Regulations" on 14 May 2012.

This had been challenged by several broadcasters in Tdsat and so the regulator decided to review the Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels) Regulations, dated 14 May 2012.

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has extended till 6 January the written comments on its Consultation Paper on "Issues related to prescribing minimum Channel spacing, within a license service area, in FM Radio sector in India".

Stakeholders can also send counter comments by 13 January, a Trai press note said, adding that this had been done on the request of stakeholders. Earlier, the last dates for comments and counter comments were 26 December and 2 January respectively.

With A and A+ cities demanding more FM channel even after the announcement of the Phase III guidelines, Trai had sought the opinion of stakeholders whether it would be acceptable if the minimum channel spacing within a license service area can reduced from the current level of 800 KHz.
 
It had said that if it can be reduced, then stakeholders should suggest what the minimum level should be, justifying their answers with reasoning. Issues such as the viability and desirability of having more number of channels in the interest of the stakeholders, selectivity of FM receivers available with the consumers ( such as mobile handsets, car radios, and other receivers), transmission from a single or multiple transmission setups may please be factored in should also be considered.

The Consultation Paper asked stakeholders to consider the implications of reducing/not-reducing the minimum channel spacing within a license service area. Furthermore, should the reduction of minimum channel spacing be confined to A+ and A category cities or should it be reduced across the country, and how should funding for the modification of transmitting setups be funded.

The Paper says that a second solution suggested by the operators requires a separate common transmission infrastructure (CTI) which includes transmitting tower, combiners, feeder cable, transmitting antenna etc. Effectively there would be two CTIs, one existing and another new one.

NEW DELHI: With A and A+ cities demanding more FM channel even after the announcement of the Phase III guidelines, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has sought the opinion of stakeholders whether it would be acceptable if the minimum channel spacing within a license service area can reduced from the current level of 800 KHz.

It has said that if it can be reduced, then stakeholders should suggest what the minimum level should be, justifying their answers with reasoning.

Issues such as the viability and desirability of having more number of channels in the interest of the stakeholders, selectivity of FM receivers available with the consumers (such as mobile handsets, car radios, and other receivers), transmission from a single or multiple transmission setups may please be factored in should also be considered.

In a consultation paper on "Issues related to prescribing minimum Channel spacing, within a license service area, in FM Radio sector in India", Trai has asked stakeholders to consider the implications of reducing/not-reducing the minimum channel spacing within a license service area. Furthermore, should the reduction of minimum channel spacing be confined to A+ and A category cities or should it be reduced across the country, and how should funding for the modification of transmitting setups be funded.

Stakeholders have been asked to send in their written comments by 26 December and counter-comments by 2 January 2012.

The Paper says that a second solution suggested by the operators requires a separate common transmission infrastructure (CTI) which includes transmitting tower, combiners, feeder cable, transmitting antenna etc. Effectively there would be two CTIs, one existing and another new one.

The combiner designed for 800 KHz spacing could be used as the channel separation within a CTI would remain 800 KHz. However, suitably choosing the new channel frequencies (having channel separation of 800 KHz) in between the existing channel frequencies radiated from the existing CTI (also having channel separation of 800 KHz), would effectively result in channels spaced at 400 KHz for the license area for which these two CTIs are meant.

Trai has pointed out that after the policy for Phase III was declared for 839 new private FM channels in 294 cities in July, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had asked the regulator to study the issue of reducing channel spacing in view of the demand from operators in A+ and A cities which have already been covered in the first two phases.

The consultation paper analyses the issue of minimum channel spacing among the FM channels in light of the factors such as selectivity of the FM radio receivers, capability of combiners to effectively combine closely spaced channels, multiplicity of transmitting sites within the service area, mode of funding in case of up-gradation/creation of transmission setups is required.