All India Radio officials are calling it a soft diplomatic initiative involving the humble radio. But when President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates the Digital Radio Mondiale transmitter in Chinsurah (West Bengal) on June 28, which will broadcast to neighbouring Bangladesh an interesting mix of programmes from AIR’s External Services Division, officials will also be asking who is going to tune into the services on digital mode?
The DRM super transmitter costs over Rs. 80 crore and has found few takers in India as it requires expensive receivers, that cost upwards of Rs. 8,000 to get the signals. “Personally, I think DRM is not a good option as its receivers cost around Rs. 15,000 and people may not buy such expensive receivers. People do listen to FM radio (available on cell phones and car music systems) so it would have been nice to install more FM transmitters if the objective is to reach across to listeners. The only advantage of DRM is that it has a longer range than FM but if people are not going to listen, what is the point?” asks Girish Kumar, professor in the Electrical Engineering Department of IIT Mumbai, whose expert views were sought by Prasar Bharati Corporation, parent body of AIR.
But officials have a response ready. Director General of AIR, F. Sheheryar defends the decision, saying: “DRM has the twin capabilities of anologue and digital transmission, which makes it perfect for simulcast modes.”
While the UPA government did not tap the potential of AIR, the NDA Government has done so effectively with Prime Minister Narendra Modi using it to share his monthly Mann Ki Baat .
Encouraged by the success of the programme, the External Services Division of AIR is reaching out to Pakistan and Bangladesh, with a two-fold objective:
To reach listeners in these countries and counter Chinese Radio International, which has a sizeable audience in both countries.
AIR had installed a 20KW FM transmitter in Fazilka, Punjab, to reach out to those who tune into the Urdu Service of AIR.
A television tower — with a 230 metre tower for FM transmission — is reaching out to Pakistan listeners, where Doordarshan is banned.
Reviving Radio Bangla Engineers in AIR are using both FM transmitters and DRMs to reach out to India’s neighbours. A senior official said Radio Bangla was discontinued in 2010 as the old transmitter had outlived its existence and had to be de-commissioned. With DRM, Radio Bangla will be active again. “This radio transmission had played an important role in the liberation of Bangladesh and we are hoping we will come with specific programmesthat will interest listeners and is in line with our policy of reaching out to our neighbours,” officials said.
The programmes include discussions on the rising fundamentalism in Bangladesh which also poses a danger to India, officials said.
But what has stumped many is the continued use of DRM transmitters — which are powerful, yet being under-utilised as digital receivers are an expensive proposition.
Why not use the cheaper FM option instead?
Two years ago, the Sam Pitroda Committee set up to suggest a road map for the Prasar Bharati Corporation had struck a cautious note in its report: “Digitalise the present AM radio system to a new digital radio transmission after due evaluation subject to cost and availability of DRM receivers. In the transition period, FM may be expanded as per demand”.
AIR, according to officials, has set 2017 as the year to achieve total digitisation.
While senior officials point out to the unused DRM transmitters — more than 30 of them with varying capacities are currently lying underutilised in the Kingsway Camp office of AIR in Delhi — larger questions are bound to be asked about why the public service broadcaster is insisting on transmitting programmes on very expensive transmitters, when the same could have been achieved at lesser cost?
