HISTORY OF RADIO

 

Historically speaking, Marconi started radio broadcasting in 1896 with the invention of first wireless telegraph link. It took ten years since then for the first demonstration of radio broadcasting to establish.  But it was hard to distinguish words from music.

 

Another successful demonstration took place from the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 1908.

A New York Station transmitted the first radio news bulletin in 1916 on the occasion of the election of US President.

 

By 1927, broadcasting services were started as a major medium of information.

 

Radio broadcasting in India began as a private venture in 1923 and 1924, when three radio clubs were established in Bombay, Calcutta and Madras (now Chennai).

 

The Radio Club broadcast the first radio programme in India in June 1923. The daily broadcasts of 2 to 3 hours consisted mainly of music and talks. These stations had to close down in 1927 for lack of sufficient financial support.

 

In India in July 1927 on an experimental basis at Bombay and a month later at Calcutta under an agreement between the Government of India and a private company called the Indian Broadcasting Company Ltd. 

 

Faced with a widespread public outcry against the closure of the IBC, the Government acquired its assets and constituted the Indian Broadcasting Service under the Department of Labour and Industries. Since then, broadcasting in India has remained under Government control.

 

In 1936, a radio station was commissioned in Delhi. In the same year, the Indian Broadcasting Service was renamed All India Radio (AIR) and a new signature tune was added. The Delhi station became the center of broadcasting at the national level.

 

 

When India became Independent, the AIR network had only six stations at Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Lucknow and Tiruchirapalli

 

Radio broadcasting assumed considerable importance with the outbreak of World War II. By 1939, During this period, news and political commentaries were introduced and special broadcasts were made for the people on the strategic north eastern and north western borders.

 

 

After independence, the broadcast scenario has dramatically changed with 198 broadcasting centers, including 74 local radio stations, covering more than 97.3 per cent of the country‘s population. Presently, it broadcasts programmes in a number of languages throughout the day.

 

 

Mostly the broadcasting centers are full-fledged stations with a network of medium wave, short wave and FM transmission. Besides, the external services Division of AIR are a link with different regions of world through its programmes in as many as 24 languages for about 72 hours a day.

PRESENT SCENARIO OF RADIO AND TELEVISION:

Presently, AIR is utilizing satellite services for transmission of its programmes throughout the country with a radio networking.

With the introduction of Radio Paging Service, FM transmitter has become the landmark of AIR.

 

Today, All India Radio counts among the few largest broadcasting networks in the world to serve the mass communication needs of the pluralistic population of India.

 

 

3- TIER BROADCASTING: All India Radio has evolved a three-tier system of broadcasting, namely, national regional and local. It caters to the information, education and entertainment needs of the people through its various stations spread over the length and breadth of the country.

They provide news, music, talks and other programmes in 24 languages and 146 dialects to almost the entire population of the country.

 

 

NEW SERVICES: “This is all India Radio. The News, read by.........." These words ring all over the country every hour, day and night, broadcasting news bulletins in Hindi, English and 17 regional languages.

 

 

The bulk of AIR news comes from its own correspondents spread all over the country It has 90 regulan correspondents in India and has seven special correspondents/reporters and two hundred and forty six part-time correspondents stationed in different countries.

REACH OF RADIO: 

 

All India Radio and Doordarshan are now part of the Praser Bharati the autonomous broadcasting corporation of India through an Act of Parliament in 1990.

The Prasar Bharati Board took charge of the administration of All India Radio and Doordarshan with effect from 23rd November 1997.

 

All India Radio presently has more than 200 Radio Stations including 183 full-fledged stations and nine relay centers and three exclusive Vivldh Bharati Commercial Centers.

 

 

In all AIR has 310 transmitters and provides radio coverage to a population of 97.3 per cent spread over 90 per cent area of the country.

 

 

All India Radio is broadcasting in 25 languages. Of these 16 are foreign and 9 are Indian languages.

The National Channel of All India Radio came on air on 18th May 1998. This Channel works as a night service from 6.50 pm to 6.10 a.m everyday, covering 64% area and almost 76% population.

FUTURE OF RADIO

In a developing country like ours, a special function of broadcasting should be

·         the coverage of development its significance, achievements and problems.

·         People‘s participation in development activities should be highlighted as also significant work being done by voluntary agencies.

·         The style and methods of news reporting should reinforce the fundamental principles on which national policies are based.

The primary purpose of the current affairs programmes should be to enlighten the people on various aspects of political, economic, social and cultural developments.

 

 

FM and Privatization of Radio: 

 

Two very important developments have taken place in the field of radio broadcasting in India.

With the advent of television the importance of radio had gradually diminished.

 

But it seems that radio is reappearing once again in the form of FM transmission.

 

The FM transmission stations are working as local stations catering to the local needs of the listeners:

 

The partial privatization of FM broadcasting has also made the radio an important medium of mass communication.

The programmes broadcast on FM are becoming very popular with the urban youth as the programmes cater specifically to them.

 

Moreover, FM broadcasts are also becoming popular in cars and other vehicles.

 

They provide necessary information regarding the roadblocks, traffic, and weather etc. to the motorists.

 

FM broadcasting has gained a lot of popularity in last few years.