In a move to bring FM radio to rural India, the government will consider allowing small towns with population of about 1 lakh to have FM stations with a limited footprint. The cost of frequency for these non-news channels will be just Rs 50 lakh.
The ministry of information and broadcasting plans to auction 839 channels in 249 cities in phase III of the bidding, Union I&B minister Ambika Soni said.
The ministry of information and broadcasting plans to auction 839 channels in 249 cities in phase III of the bidding, Union I&B minister Ambika Soni said.
The cities have been divided into four groups — A,B,C and D — according to their population. Cities under category D are the ones with maximum population of one lakh like Ambala in Haryana, Bharuch in Gujarat, Bharatpur in Rajasthan and Bokaro in Jharkhand. To bid for a station in such cities, a sum of just Rs 50 lakh is required as mininum net worth, in addition to the bidding price which starts from a minimum reserve price of Rs 5 lakh.
"The objective is to bring the creative best in young boys and girls of small towns. Let them have their voice and tell rest of the people. Let them hold their microphones and become radio jockeys of small towns. This is different from community radio," said Soni. To create more channels for individuals hoping to have their own FM station, Soni said she has also forwarded a proposal to the Cabinet to reduce the minimum channel spacing for FM.
"The additional spectrum means we could auction more channels, bids for which could be made as low as the reserve price of Rs 5 lakh," she said. However, for this, an individual must own a company which is registered under the Company's Act, 1956.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Now-pay-Rs-5-lakh-and-have-your-own-FM-station/articleshow/14923191.cms
