Private FM Radio Channels To Broadcast News Bulletins Soon (Image: Pixabay)

The central government is reportedly working on a proposal permitting private FM radio channels in the country to broadcast news. The New Indian Express reported that this significant proposal is currently under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), and it will be submitted soon to the Cabinet for final approval. Currently, private radio operators in India are not allowed to broadcast news independently. However, they have permission to broadcast All India Radio’s news bulletins without any alterations.

The report, citing senior officials, also said that the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry had accepted the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI’s) recommendations to news and current affairs programmes on FM radios. Also, the Cabinet is expected to consider this proposal during the upcoming winter session of Parliament. In September 2023, TRAI released a set of recommendations concerning FM radio broadcasting.

According to these recommendations, private FM radio operators in the country should be permitted to broadcast news and current affairs programmes for 10 minutes every clock hour. TRAI also mentioned that the programme code of conduct, which is applicable to All India Radio for news content, may also be applied to private FM radio operators. TRAI also recommended that the annual license fee should be de-linked from Non-Refundable One Time Entry Fee (NOTEF).

“The license fee should be calculated as 4% of the Gross Revenue (GR) of the FM radio channel during the respective financial year. GST should be excluded from Gross Revenue (GR),” TRAI mentioned in its recommendations, released on September 5, 2023. It should be noted that almost 390 private FM radio channels are functioning in India currently.