GOVERNMENT PLANS TO RAISE ADVERTISEMENT AIR TIME ON COMMUNITY RADIOS TO 12 MINUTES – PRAKASH JAVADEKAR
GOVERNMENT PLANS TO RAISE ADVERTISEMENT AIR TIME ON COMMUNITY RADIOS TO 12 MINUTES – PRAKASH JAVADEKAR WAS ADDRESSING LISTENERS OF ALL COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS VIA SIMULTANEOUS BROADCAST
Prakash Javadekar was addressing listeners of all Community Radio stations via simultaneous broadcast
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Prakash Javadekar on Friday announced that the government will raise air time for advertisements to 12 minutes from 7 minutes on Community Radios, in order to bring them at par with TV channels. The move comes after The Association of Radio Operators for India urged the government to provide Rs 300 crore of relief package. According to the Minister, this will give equal advertisement time to all radio stations, hence, there is no need for them to seek funds and that local advertisements can be relayed more on community stations.
The Minister was addressing listeners of all Community Radio stations in a unique initiative by way of a simultaneous broadcast. The broadcast took place in two equal slots today between 7 PM and 7:30 PM. In his opening remarks, the Minister said Community Radio is a community in itself. Terming them ‘agents of change’, he said that the stations reach out to millions of people every day, and that the Ministry will come out with a plan to increase the number of such Stations soon.
The Minister highlighted the key demand of Community Radio for broadcasting news on their channels. He assured that he will consider allowing news broadcast on Community Radio the same way it is done on FM channels. He prodded such stations to play a key role in combating fake news menace by taking note of such news in circulation and verify it through local sources to act on it. He invited Stations to share it with All India Radio also, so that the reach of the truth can be amplified. He added that the Ministry has created a Fact Check Cell under PIB and the Community Radio can complement the role of Fact Check Cell.
Speaking about ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Package’ recently unveiled by the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Javadekar said it was a comprehensive package which included reforms for various sectors including agriculture and industry, and that package is aimed at reducing imports and increasing exports. He added that the package has been received well and people are happy with the stimulus.
According to Javadekar, 75% of the expenditure during setting-up of Community Radio stations is borne by the Ministry and that comprises a major expenditure, daily operations’ expenditure is borne by the Station.
