HCJB e-QSL from Australia

e-Governance and e-Broadcasting / DRM in India

"Digitalizing Administration: Challenges and Issues in e-Governance" International Conference were organized by Department of Public Administration, Presidency College, Chennai, India on 17, 18 March 2008 at Hotel Savera. In that conference I presented a paper in the topic of "e-Governance and e-Broadcasting / DRM in India"

For more conference photos..

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/bbcsakthi/PresidencyCollegeConference

AIR pays tribute to a living legend

TIRUCHI: Speakers at a function organised by the Tiruchi Station of All India Radio to mark the release of two compact discs on concerts by noted Carnatic musician D.K. Pattammal recalled her great contribution to the development and popularisation of the genre. They also gave a detailed account of her unique style in handling ‘ragas’ with perfection in rhythm and precision in beats.
Deputy Director-General of AIR G. Jayalal, who released the compact discs, each containing six components in the form of ‘kirtan’ or ‘bhajan,’ said the recitals were selected from Ms. Pattammal’s concerts recorded about four decades ago. The discs contained select and popular ‘kirtans’ of her performances to suit the needs of a large number of listeners. AIR would bring more CDs on her performances, based on the demand from the music lovers and listeners. AIR had planned to bring out CDs of artistes and musicians in the prime of their career. Discount
A special discount of 30 per cent would be offered for a week’s time on the two discs.
Clarinet maestro A.K.C. Natarajan, who received the CDs, described Ms. Pattammal as a great musician. He went down the memory lane to recall his association with Ms. Pattammal for the last six decades and her in-depth knowledge in music.
Deputy Director (Music), AIR, New Delhi, K. Vageesh, specificially referred to the inclusion of the ‘Ragam, thanam, pallavi’ in the CDs — an area where Ms. Pattammal had proved her mastery and ability at a time when it was meant to be an exclusive domain of male singers. The ‘kirtans’ included four composed by Sadguru Thiyagaraja, two by Muthuswamy Dikshitar, besides those by Shyama Sastrigal and bhajans.
Principal of Bishop Heber College M. Marcus Diepen Boominathan was among those who spoke.
The release of the CD formed part of the Spring Festival (Vasanthothsavam) a regional folk and music festival being organised in 10 centres in the country.
The ‘kirtans’ and songs in the CDs included, among other things, ‘Vidulaku,’ ‘Sujana jeevana’ and ‘Paaramugam Eanaiya.’ (Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/16/stories

Active Magnetic Loop Antenna made by Vedaranyam Ragu

Radio Canada International Programme Guides

CRI "The Messenger"

DW Gift pack with Balloons

Mass Media and Development: Challenges and Strategies

P.G. Department of Visual Communication conduct the seminar on "Mass Media and Development: Challenges and Strategies" on 27th February 2008. In that seminar I presented a paper on the topic of "Future of Broadcasting: DRM an Introduction". Most of the research scholars and delegates are very much interested in that topic and also ask lot of questions about the new technology.

RTI Listeners Club Meet Cheenai - 2008

Radio Taiwan International meet held in Chennai on
23-02-2008 in Hotel Ambassador Pallava. 49 active
listeners participate on that event. Most of the
listeners have their RTI ID number. RTI Chairman
Mr.Cheng Yu gave the presidential address. Before that
RTI Host and Foreign Languages Chief Mr. Kasan Carlson
Tjin gave the introduction about the RTI. RTI senior
staff Ms. Hsu Ling-yi were also participate on that
programme. Senior listeners and RTI official monitors
Mr. T.Elampooranan and Mr. Sundar delivered their
speech on experience with RTI.

In the first session all the listeners introduced
themselves with their name, where they from, how far
it is from Chennai and also said their ID number.
After that program Q&A session starts. Most of the
listeners said about the poor reception of RTI to
South Asia. One of the listener Mr. Pallavai
Paramasivam from Erode were also play the RTI three
days reception sample to the RTI delegates.

After the tea brake Quiz were starts. Mr. Carlson
conducts it. Then Chairman answer to the listener’s
questions. In his speech he said about the new
technologies like DRM and DAB. Most of the listeners
were very much interest to listen his speech. Then we
give the memoranda to RTI Chairman to start the Tamil
section.

Afternoon delicious lunch was provided by RTI. All of
the listeners are very happy to discuss with the
delegates. After the lunch mementos were given to all
the listeners who attend the meeting. Then all of them
took a photograph and dispose. Highlight of the meet
is RTI officially start the RTI Chennai listeners
club.

-Jaisakthivel, Chennai

Mamallapuram Ham meet - February 9 & 10, 2008

We hope you enjoyed the 2008 Mamallapuram Ham meet. We will leave informatiion on the 2008 event up here until we start firming up plans for '09 so you can see what you missed. The Mamallapuram Ham meet is held every year on the second FULL weekend in February. Come join us at the Hotal Veeras in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, India for one of the best ham meets in the India.

Mamallapuram or Mahabalipuram is a tourist town 60 km south of Chennai made famous by its stone carvings. The most famous monument is the Shore Temple: when lit by moonlight, it is one of the most beautiful locations in the region. The best time to visit is November to March.
It is an important tourist attraction close to Chennai (Madras), along with the temples of Kanchipuram and the colonial buildings of Pondicherry. India's fourth largest city. The East Coast Road has made it easily accessible - just about an hour from the city. Unfortunately, the entire strip is now a mess of restaurants, resorts, amusement parks, people, discarded plastic and chaotic traffic. At one time you could see the Bay of Bengal almost all the way to M'puram, but, there is so much development that the ocean is glimpsed only as you get close to M'puram.
Mamallapuram itself was getting run down over the last decade with very patchy efforts at keeping the monuments preserved. This has changed in the last few years with the Shore Temple being included in the UNESCO heritage project. The surroundings have been made much nicer, but, there has been a lot of wind and water erosion on the temple carvings with many of them having undergone loss of detail over the years. Sort of too little. too late, but still, better than nothing. Be prepared to fight you way through clutches of gypsies, beggars, guides, snakes charmers and so on, all of which is an essential part of the experience and not to be frowned upon. The whole thing would be bland without them. A nuisance, but harmless.
It is a nice two-hour detour on the road to Pondicherry, by far and away a more interesting place to visit.

Marconi Calendar published by Worldspace, India

Worldspace 2008 Calender Front page

Worldspace 2008 Calender back page

Back Page

Thanks to World Space, Anand V Raman

Dxers Guide Jan - Mar 2008

Want to read this issue, then click the following link

http://vaanoliulagam.googlepages.com/DGjan-mar2k8.pdf

AM receiver in the new Sony Ericsson ‘R300i’ & ‘R306i’

Sony Ericsson has launched two entry-level handsets in the Indian market.
The newly launched handset models ‘R300i’ and ‘R306i’ has been priced between Rs 3,500-5,000. The company claims that both handsets are designed to deliver a"credible" radio-listening experience.

The R300i Radio phone includes a VGA camera while the R306i has a 1.3megapixel camera. However, both phones feature Bluetooth, GPRS and radiorecording.
The unique radio interface and the addition of an AM receiver in the newhandsets show a specific focus on the Indian market especially rural areas andwill help us provide customers with an even better radio and entertainmentexperience,” said Sudhin Mathur, general manager, Sony Ericsson MobileCommunications (India).

Additionally two more models, T270 and T280 were also launched by thecompany, but the prices of these handsets were not disclosed. The company, a joint-venture between Japan's Sony Corp (SNE) and TelefonAB LM Ericsson (ERIC) saw mobile subscribers grow by over 8.2 million lastmonth.

All the new phones would be available in the market from January- March quarter this year.

Radio Jackie - A Very English Struggle

On a cold February evening in 1985, over a thousand people gathered outside the studios of Radio Jackie. They were defying the authorities who were trying to close them down.Why were so many people so passionate about, what after all was a pirate radio station?

Radio Jackie - A Very English Struggle is a book written by Colin King that details his personal view of a momentous battle to bring Local Radio to South West London and North Surrey.Hilarious situations, larger than life characters and a band of young people utterly determined to succeed against all the odds.There are moments of 'Milliganesque' lunacy.

There are moments of abject despair.But through it all there is humour and determination.This is the story behind the highly popular Radio Station - 107.8 Radio Jackie - The only truly independent station in Britain.

Source: http://jackiebooks.com/

Radio Talkshows for Peacebuilding: A Guide

Author
by Ross Howard and Francis Rolt

Summary
According to this guide, radio talk shows are becoming the most influential form of media and a great many of them risk doing more harm than good by using conflicts and disagreements to attract listeners. They can intensify the conflict under discussion, and rather than inform listeners, leave them angry or fearful, or with the sense that the conflict will go on forever. They can make destructive conflict seem the inevitable response to all disagreements and destabilise communities. This guidebook is designed to help talk show presenters and producers learn some new skills to deal with conflict effectively on air. According to the authors of this guide talk shows require diversity, spontaneity and flexibility, so there are no absolute rules about how to discuss conflict in a more constructive manner. The guide offers techniques and skills to enable presenters to talk about conflict in a way which is interesting and informative, which offers positive alternatives, and which holds an audience.

Overall the guidebook includes:
a how-to guide to analysing conflict;
tools and examples of how radio professionals can help build a peaceful society; and
descriptions and definitions of the different types of talkshows and their various strengths and Weaknesses.
The guide contains examples which are drawn from African countries, however, the issues, discussions and skills are also relevant to a much wider spectrum of countries. The guide was developed at a workshop organised by the Radio for Peacebuilding, Africa project in Bujumbura, Burundi in April 2005 which was attended by twenty-one sub-Saharan African talk show presenters and producers from commercial, state, public and private radio stations.
This second edition of the guide was developed out of a series of focus group meetings with broadcasters and experts in Sierra Leone, Burundi and Belgium. Their recommendations led the publishers to make several changes to the structure of the guides - notably to add a section on conflict.

Languages
English and French

Number of Pages 36

PDF Link
Click here to download the guide in PDF format in English.
Click here to download the guide in PDF format in French.


Publisher
Search for Common Ground
Publication Date
2006

Contact
Search for Common Ground
ICT for Development

Source
Radio for Peacebuilding Africa website on April 4 2006.

New Media Technology Training Workshop Online Radio Broadcasting

Opportunity to Participate in New Media Technology Training Workshop Online Radio Broadcasting

Training Workshop PSA willrespond ONLY to selected applicants by 22 February 2008.

Panos South Asia (PSA) is a part of a family of Panos Instituteworldwide that encourages and facilitates public discourse on a widerange of issues, particularly those that have a direct impact on theleast privileged and most marginalized sections of society. Panosworks through media to bring neglected subjects to the fore indevelopmental debate, so as to give a platform for voices andperspectives, which are often rendered voiceless in the public sphere.

In this endeavour, besides other activities, Panos facilitates thecapacity building of media and other communication practitioners touse new media technologies to raise marginalized voices andperspectives in development. The Internet as a 'new media' has becomea major arena for traditional broadcast media. Internet based radio isproving an attractive field for traditional electronic broadcasters.Despite bandwidth limitations in South Asia, the Internet alreadyenables radio stations and other communication practitioners todistribute their radio programmes in broadcast quality beyond theirimmediate geographic confines.

Panos South Asia (www.panossouthasia.org) is organising a 5-day SouthAsian regional 'Online Radio Broadcasting Training Workshop' for mediaand other communication practitioners in South Asia, from 17-21 March2008 at its Media Centre in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The workshop aims to provide know-how on the potential the Internetoffers to radio and point them to ways of incorporating it in theirrespective media outlets' strategy. Based on hands-on training indigital technologies, the workshop curriculum will cover the issues ofdistributing material online and the techniques of streaming contentto global audiences. Trainees will become acquainted with the latestreal-time on-line broadcasting technologies, as well as with thefundamentals of digitisation of multimedia input, encoding,compression standards and online audio streaming.

Broadcasters, radio producers/reporters, editors, web masters, webeditors, bloggers, pod-casters and other communication practitioners,especially, but not necessarily associated with radio media from SouthAsian countries wishing to attend this training workshop may apply by15 February 2008 by e-mail http://www.panossouthasia.org/

PSA will cover all related costs ofparticipation, including travel, for selected participants from theregion. Your application should contain a brief resume and less than300 word write-up stating your experience on 'new media'. Alos, how byparticipating in this workshop it will enable you or your organizationto enhance your work to give a platform for voices and perspectiveswhich are often rendered voiceless in the public sphere. PSA willrespond ONLY to selected applicants by 22 February 2008. Telephone andother solicitations shall not be entertained.

Hello FM, S FM, Radio Mirchi, My FM launch new stations in week gone by

Four FM radio players – Hello FM, S FM, Radio Mirchi and My FM – announced the launch of their stations in various cities across India last week. The stations were launched in Trichy, Raipur and Rajamundry.
With Radio Mirchi’s launch in Raipur last week, the total number of stations the player operates in has now reached 30. Mirchi will roll out two more radio stations to complete the total number of 32 stations in India.
My FM has also announced its launch in Raipur during the last week. This was My FM’s 15th launch nationally and second for the state of Chhattisgarh. The Group has two more launches planned after this, which will complete its launch plans for all 17 circles it has license to operate in.
Hello FM has begun its transmission in Tiruchy with the launch of its radio station last week. Tiruchy would be the fifth centre in Tamil Nadu, after Madurai, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Coimbatore.
Sun TV Network’s S FM has also launched in Tiruchy and Rajamundry, through its subsidiary Kal Radio, taking the total number of stations to 20 across India for the player. Sun TV will launch 25 stations to become operational in 45 FM stations all over India.
Source: © exchange4media 2008

‘Radio has changed to match public interest’

“The culture of radio listening has changed drastically in the last five years in the country. More than 95 per cent of radio broadcasting consists of film music,” G. Jayalal, Deputy Director-General (South) All India Radio (AIR), said here on Sunday.
Speaking at the ‘Kaithari Thiruvizha’ organised by All India Radio and Rainbow FM Neyar Peravai at Perks Matriculation Higher Secondary School, he said that while the FM listenership had gone up significantly, that of conventional radio had plummeted.
The nation was in the grip of FM fever. People even identified the radio through FM. The AIR had a presence in the country for over 80 years and it had evolved from its earlier mode of transmission to keep pace with the changing world. Earlier, the radio was not just taken as a medium of entertainment. It also bore the responsibility of educating the masses. It had a prominent role in the nation building process and was a harmonious mix of education, information and entertainment. In the face of stiff competition, the AIR had also taken to the ‘FM technology,’ Mr. Jayalal said. The popularity of Rainbow FM service of the AIR was an example of the changing interests of the public. “Modernisation of technology is required to survive competition,” he said.
Catering to all segments of society, the AIR took pride in its qualities of the best use of language and the culture of presentation.
P.V. Ravi, Chairman of Park Educational Institutions, said the AIR and Rainbow FM had touched the lives of the weaver community in particular. J. Kamalanathan, Station Director, All India Radio, Coimbatore, said the AIR and Rainbow FM had been able to feel the pulse of the listeners through the ‘Neyar Peravai,’ a forum of the listeners of the AIR.

Source; The Hindu

Communicating Disasters: An Asia Pacific Resource Book

Communicating Disasters: An Asia Pacific Resource Book (Edited by Nalaka Gunawardene and Frederick Noronha with a Foreword by Sir Arthur C Clarke) was published in December 2007. It is a multi-author book that discusses how information, education and communication can help create disaster resilient communities across the Asia Pacific region, home to half of humanity. It also takes a critical look at the communication lessons of the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, and explores the role of good communications before, during and after disasters.
The book comprises 160 pages (17.3 cm x 24.4 cm) and contains 19 chapters authored by 21 contributors, plus 7 appendices. It is co-published by TVE Asia Pacific and UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok.
Read TVEAP news item on the book's release (14 December 2007)
Communicating Disasters – contents at a glance