Tuning into news

Allow news on private FM radio, with effective self-regulation

The recommendation of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to allow news bulletins on private FM radio is a forward-looking move in serving the interests of the people. With many of the 388 operational private FM radio channels having the reach to rural and remote areas, such a step would ensure a medium for communication and establish strong connections in local languages. Besides regular bulletins capturing current affairs and infotainment, private FM radio could act as a tool in disaster management through news capsules when other mediums of information dissemination, such as the internet, phone connectivity, and satellite television, may experience a breakdown. Currently, private FM radio stations are permitted to broadcast only news from state-owned All India Radio (AIR) without any alteration and are debarred from airing anything other than sharing information on local issues like traffic blockade, utility services, and examination updates in between other programmes. The information and broadcasting ministry must accept the Trai recommendation and allow news and current affairs across private FM radio stations to fill in the long-pending gap between private television and radio as well as end the monopoly of AIR in broadcasting news on radio.

While allowing news on private FM stations is expected to make the media landscape more pluralistic, there should be a mechanism to ensure it does not become a free-for-all platform. News and current affairs, if presented in a distorted manner, can result in flared tempers and societal disharmony, especially ahead of elections. Therefore, putting in place an effective self-regulatory framework for content would be critical. Trai has rightly suggested a code of compliance similar to that for television and digital platforms. The code is meant to ensure adherence to ethical standards, accuracy in reporting, and impartiality, and avoiding content that may provoke violence, hatred, or misinformation. The regulator has also proposed that news content should be capped at 10 minutes per clock-hour in the initial implementation phase. But how the self-regulatory code is executed will be the key in making FM radio robust.

Long years ago, when the matter was on the table, the internet was just about starting, satellite TV had few channels, and streaming services were not around. Things have changed drastically in the intervening years. According to the latest count, there are 759 million active internet users in India — more than half the country’s population. By definition, it means these people access the internet at least once a month. This number is expected to grow to 900 million by 2025. Against this, the radio listeners totalled 226 million in 2019, the last year when such data was collected. The data shows that information and news consumption on the internet is likely to be more even when news is permitted in private FM radio, thereby rendering a news ban on any platform meaningless.

Some of the other issues underlined in the Trai recommendations, such as a change in the licensing-fee regime, financial support, and enabling FM radio on smartphones, must also get government attention. That will help in reviving a sector dented by the pandemic and other things such as the rise of streaming services and popularity of over-the-top platforms.