Radio And Its Role In Community Development

Introduction

Radio or community radio is said to be defined as radio service which offers a third models of radio braodcasting in addition of commercial and radio broadcasting geographic communities and its interest are served through community stations, which are non-profitable and envokes a mechanism for enabling groups, individuals, amd communities to share their oint of views and experiences in the media world, to become creators and contributors of media. Radio is used as a major communication tool throughout the world, it has long root of penetration at grassroot level of any society and its major objectives is to provide information, education, and entertainment. Whereas commercial radio and community radio stations are different as day and night. According to UNESCO-community radio is being defined as 'radio run by, for and about community '. This broad principle distinguished between state owned or public service broadcasting, commercial, and community radio. it is non-rofitable and motive behind it is to ensure ubliv participatiok at all the possible levels. They responds the priority set bh the community to facilitate issues, confronting them, and to reinforce their social develoment agenda through communications. Its consists of limited members and community radio fills the air and gaps not only in countried develomeng bit also social develpoment in the western world as well.

A brief history of radio broadcasting in India

In India, the Radio Broadcasting began with the information of a private radio service in Madras (now Chennai) in 1924. The British Colonial goverment approved license to a private company i. e The Indian Broadcasting Company, to inaugrate radio stations in Bombay and Kolkata in the year 1927. However in 1930 news came out that the company was almost bankrupted but the colonial govermemt took away the two transmitters andthe department of labour and industries started operating them as the Indian State Broadcasting Cooperation. However the broadcasting services were established underway since 1921 when the newspaper such as The Times Of India in collaboration with tge post and The Telegraph broadcasted from its a special programme of music atbthe request of the Governor, Sir George Lloyd who tuned in at Poona. A seperate office of the controller of broadcasting was appointed as first controller of boradcasting. On Jan 1, 1936, is marked as an important landmark in the history of broadcasting in inida, and during the same era the name of the Indian Broadcasjng changed to ALL INDIA RADIO (AIR). There were nine Air stations out of which Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Lucknow, and Tiruchi, came to India and the remainings such as -The Lucknow, Peshawar, and Dacca statuons went to Pakistan. Since long the radio broadcasting has expanded bot only in terms of number of radio stations and transmitters whicg has made the reach easier, but also in terms of introduction of programmes to suit he chnaging socio-economic requirements of a developing nations. The Broadcasting in India has become a three-tier systems:

1. National Broadcasts.
2. Regional Broadcasts.
3. Local Broadcasts.

The National Channel was inaugurated on 18 May 1988 and is located at the Jawaharlal Nehry stadium, New Delhi. The capital stations and other major stations is now more than eighty, covers the geographical district in which the stations are located.

Radio broadcasting and early years

The two eminent personalities renamed Guglielmo Marconi and Reginald Fessenden were termed to be the inventors of radio. Earlier it was to be believes that Telsa was the man who invented, but after his death in the year 1943, people believed Marconi to be the first inventor. Supreme court however verdicted the patents of Marconi to be invalid and awarded the patents to Telsa. Few years later Reginald Fessenden used a synchronous rotary spark transmitter for the very first radio program broadcast from Ocean Bluff Brant Rock, Massauchuselts. The radio broadcastinv of music and talk intended to reach a dispersed audience started experimentally around 1905-06 and commercially around 1920-23. Fessendee made his very first two successful translantic transmissions, using his rotary spark, byexchanging Morse code messages between the stations at Brant Rock and an identical one at Machrihanish in Scotland. Till that time he could only achieve one way transmissions, as the transmittors could not bridge the distance during day light hours or in summer so the work got suspended until the next years. Unfortunately the Marchrihanish radio tower collapsed abruptly ending the translantic work. Marconi gave another major demonstration of his new igh frequency alternative-transmitter at Brant Rock showing his utility from point to point wireless telephony by interconnecting his stations at Brant Rock to the Bell Telephone Network. Later he planned to give the two radio broadcasts on Christmas eve and New year eveto test and verify the alternative transmitter and his very first radio broadcasts. Landmark broadcasts of transmission of ordinary speech and music from Brant Rock to ship sailing along the Atlantic Coast. A repeat broadcast was given on the new year eve.

Most radio broadcast historians asserts that radio broadcasting began in 1920 with istoric broadcasts of KDKA. Few people heard the voices and music which are produced because the death of radio recievers at that time. Families gathered around the radio for night time entertainment. The broadcast radio cost $75 but a custom built radio could cost upto $495. According to and agreement on 23 July 1927, the private Indian Broadcasting Company Ltd CBC was authorized to operate two radio stations: The Bombay Stations which began on 23 July 1927, and Calcutta Station which followed on 26 August 1927. The Golden age of American Radio period lasting roughly from 1930 through the 1940s when the medium of commercial broadcast radio grew into the fabric if daily life in the United States, providing news and entertainment to a country struggling with evonomic depression and war. June 17, 1936 FM radio was demonstrated to the FCC for the first time on Jan 5 1940 Edwin H Armstrong, demonstrated FM broadcasting in a long distance relay network, via five stations in five states. FM radio was assigned the 42 to 50 MHz band of the spectrum in 1940. Transistors invented in 1948 extended the life of radio braodcasting. During the late 1940s and early 1950s TV began to displace radio from its role as the primary chanenl for broadcasts family entertainment. But by 1955, 95% of US homes had radios and average US families owned 5 radios in 1990.

Inception of community radio in India

Community radio is a service radio which provide a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities of interest. Only popular contents and the news that are locally relevant and broadcasted but these are often overlooked by commercial or mass media broadcasters. Community radio stations are owned, operated and influenced by the communities they serve. They are said to be non profitable and provide mechanism for enabling groups, communities to convey their own stories, to share their perspective, experiences, and in media rich world to become creators and contributors. In many parts of the world community radio acts as a vehicle for the community and voluntart sector, civil society, agencies, NGO, and citizen to work in patnership to further community development aims n addition to broadcasting. In many Countries such as France, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and Ireland it acts as legally defined broadcasts stations. Legislation included phrases for social benefit such as social objectives and gain to define their agendas. Community radio has developed diffrently in different countries and the term has some what different meanings in UK, Ireland, US, Canada, Australia, where freedom of speech laws defacto realities differ. With high hopes and expectations community radio movement in India ushered in the decades of 90s of last century. It was faressenned as convienent and comprehenssive instruments og development of masses at grassroot level.

In Annamalai University the very first community radio was established with the community radio movemnent materialization in India. Though it is well established part of development communication strategy world wide to voice the concerns of the marginalized especially under developed and developing societies it is quite recent in India that the agenda of CR is being purchased vigoursly especially after the Supreme Court landmark judgement about declaring the airwaves as public property. At first an NGO operated community radio which was Sangham Radio licensed to Deccan Development Society in Pastapur village Medak District, Andhra Pradesh and currently about 150 radio stations have already established in India. It is to be believed that the compaign of community radio started in the mid 1990s. In february 1995, goverment declared that 'airwaves are public property'and the first radio in the campus of community radio was Anna FM which was launched on 1 February 2004 and it was run by Education and Multimedia Reaeaech Centre. Some Pioneer organizations such as Voices and Drishti Media have been done during that era and the editing and audio production was done in a small studio. According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, 47 community radio stations were operational in India by 1 November 2009, which issued Grant of permission Agreements for 62 community radio stations. The idea was to set up a community radio stations was suggested by Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan founder Aruna Roy and late journalist Ajit Bhattacharya and its set up was facitilated by Digital Empowerment Foundation Founder -Director Osama Manzar. The thought behind it was to share the rich collection of audio visual archieve and social message to drive and social message to drive all over the world. Most recently on Jan 12 2016, a special event was organized were several activists were invited to give views on pension, ration and NREGA. The agenda behind this was Abki Baar Mera Adhikaar. However India has played a vital role in the establishment of community radio stations.

Role of radio in social service

Community radio is usually for the people, run by the people, and owned by the people. It enhances the capacities of local people to work together to tackle social problems including poverty, exclusion. This is a medium of expessing, sharing views, thoughts, ideas, problems, and prospects of rural, disadvantaged, vulnerable, to reach population with mainstream population. It helps to avail utilities and amenities for various developments aspects of our societies like education, health, water, sanitation, protection from natural disaster, address social issues at the community level. It may also be useful for the development of particular target such as elderly women, children. Even radio provide special attention on the fields of education, spreading of literacy, agriculture, rural development, environmental, health and family welfare as well as science and technology fields. By socialising they covered diverse culture, language of various regions of country by broadcasting appropriate programs. The service just not rely to this much but the platform stretched over games, sports, to encourage healthy competition and spirit of scholarship. They did this keepinh in their minds and views of youth. The social issues such as as combating exploitation, inequality, and untouchability also been said to have justice on such issues.

Radio as informative medium

Over 90% and above households do have radio service in Africa. Community radio air in local languages are in most cases the one and only way for illeterate citizens to access information about health, education, environmental policies. it is listened also through mobile phones (650 million of sims cards in 2014), mobile phones represent the vast majority of the inteenet conncetions in a continent where good conncetions are rare.

Radio for social change is a three tier project

• Training program – As the media is a fast growing field of work the training program focuses on production and fundraising subject in order to sustain professionally.
• Distributive platform – Factual reality based content available on the radio circuit national, local, and community radios on internet via social network.
• Network of skilled media professionals – Working on national and international markets, working to exchange good practices, policies, and methodologies.

Role and functions of radio in society

Radio stations play a critical role in modern society and form a part of ceitical communication channels that basically works to consume information. During the era of evoluting, communication haa been an important source of vision that fueled our environment. Through critical thinking and exchanging of information, society is built, living source of standard increased and communication also facilitates the next inventions. Some major functions of radio in society are:

• Information
• Education
• Entertainment
• Agenda setting
• Behavioral change agent
• Mobilization of society towards comman goals.

Community radio and rural development

On 15 August, 1947 India became independent and since then tremendous changes have become notified in many fields but abbreviations were needed much more for a developed nation. Problems like poverty, illiteracy, unemployment are increased by the mode of time, though the goverment is spending million of rupees in the name of rural development but no desired results have been found. The major reason turned out to be the communication gap between goverment devised policies and common massss as people largely remain ignorant regrading it. According to such policy local community media should be promoted to enhance community development. Goverment has proved to play a vital role in strengthening the Right to Freedom, Speech and Expression. As the community radio is still evolving the possibilities were nearby more that various new forms will be more superior as well as user friendly. However community radio has proved to be one of the best medium of communication at the grass root level. From the major point of view development refers to the changes from simple form if organization to complex modern ones. Originally men and women lived in small, self-sufficient communities, and they completely depend on things which are found in their environment. One of the significant socila and technological development was the transition from the nomadic way of life to agricultural cultivation in settled communities. So this phenomenon can be concerned as a wholesome economic growth but also the social, spiritual and moral enhancement of entire nation.

Economists point of view on rural development

Economists defined development as the growth on terms of structural and technological advancement. In the early stages of development economies have most of their production and labour force in agriculture. Later the service sectors became wider and larger. This service sectors include goverment defence, construction, transport, finance, insurance, banking as well as work for people who do not produce physical objects such as cars or radios. Thus the accountants, lawyers, teachers, and hairdressers are considered to be a part of service sectors. Another key feature of development is to eradicate poverty. Entire economies can be poor or they can still grow but in large sections the people are living their life in poverty. In the second half of the twenty century development policy makers became accurately aware of the difficulties a large number of countries in the developing world facing most of them were the former colonies of the industrial nation. Situation in the 21st century has been totally changed and denying the fact will be wrong as the media has played an important role in fighting with the social evils, illeteracy as well as poverty. Previously the Prime Minister of India Pt. Nehru gave his essence and full confidence in it and took all his possible measures to make Press free from any authoritorian control. Remembering Nehru'sbcottibution to the nation, M. Chalapati Rau once said that'In the period after independence Nehru played a larger part in shaping or thinking about the Press as Gandhi ji has done before independence'. He was opposed by a powerful section of the Indian Press but he stood for intolerance and accepted that a vigorous, critical press is a vital part of democracy. Media has played a pivotal role in spreading knowledge in traditional societies where education was just a dream. By regularly broadcasting programs on agricultural issues and on various social and moral evils, media had contributed a lot in bringing multifarious development in the Nation.

Goverment initiatives in community development through community radio

Goverment and goverment officials has played a vital role in the contribution of development through the community radio. They supported the community radio by providing funds and this was highly profitable for digital broadcasting across those period. The Australian goverment since 40 years has been commercially committed with the braodcaat platform and for 2 years this was initiated. The funding assisted to maintain the Metropolitan digital radio services and planned extension of the digital radio to Canberra, Darwin and Hobert. More support of funding was way needed for regional expansion of digital radio and this directly affected 803-960 MHz radio frequency band. This support was critical for regional and rural community stations in maintaining essential infrastructure.