Community radio in India issues and challenges

This paper explores the issues and challenges that India's community radio (CR) sector faces today. Section 1 charts the growth of CR in the country since the 1995 Supreme Court ruling to use the airwaves for the public good, and notes that the present number of operational CR stations falls far short of certain optimistic projections made in 2006. Section 2 investigates the reasons for the slow and troubled growth of CR in India. It discusses the problems of spectrum allocation and reservation; the factors that impede the procurement of CR licences; the content and listenership-related issues arising from the absence of distinct mandates for the different types of community radio stations; restrictions on programme content such as the widely criticized ban on news and political reporting; the prohibitive costs of equipment for CR stations and the need to develop and promote low-cost alternatives; the lack of funds for setting up CR stations; and stations’ difficulties in terms of social sustainability and outreach. The paper makes recommendations on each of these issues, and concludes that a combination of vigorous advocacy, capacity building and regulatory change could help India's CR sector live up to its promise and potential.