I&B Ministry
MIB: Set up cable TV regulatory panels, Century, Chinar & Pan India among 6 FM licences revoked
NEW DELHI: The information and broadcasting ministry has issued directions to states to set up district-level and state-level monitoring committees to regulate content telecast on cable TV/FM radio channels/community radio stations to ensure adherence to the AIR Broadcast Code.
Meanwhile, the licences of a total of six FM radio channels being operated by six companies in different parts of the country were revoked under FM Phase II. The six are — Century Communication, Chinar Circuits, Kushal Globalo Ltd. Pan India Network, Positive Radio Pvt Ltd, and Singla Property Dealer Pvt Ltd.
According to ministry sources, a total 312 private FM radio channels are being operated by 44 Indian companies.
The sources told Indiantelevision.com that during the last three years and the current year, the ministry issued four show-cause notices to 93.5 Red FM, Hit 95 FM, 94.3 FM Radio One and Radio City 91.1 FM on 23 January 2015, 17 February 2016, 2 September 2016 and 1 August 2016, respectively, for airing allegedly vulgar, obscene and objectionable content in violation of the provisions of GOPA and programme and advertising code as followed by All India Radio (AIR).
Action was taken eight times on violation of provision of GOPA and Programme and Advertising Codes as followed by AIR by private FM radio channels by airing of obscene, vulgar and objectionable content during the last three years and the current year. These include two advisories to all channels and one only to Tamil Nadu-based FM channels. The channels that came under the scanner were ENIL Patna (Radio Mirchi), Malayala Manorama Kochi (Radio Mango), Digital Radio Broadcasting (Delhi) Ltd (Red fM), Clear Media (India) Pvt Ltd (Hit 95 FM), and Next Radio Delhi (94.3).
Private FM Radio broadcasters have to follow the rules and regulation prescribed in the Grant of Permission Agreement (GOPA) signed by them with the Government. Private Satellite TV channels are required to abide by the terms and conditions as mentioned in the Policy Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Private Satellite TV channels in India.
Only Indian companies registered under the Company’s Act, 2013 are eligible for bidding and obtaining permission for FM radio channels. The conditions are elaborated in the Policy Guidelines for expansion of FM radio broadcasting through private agencies Phase-III.
GOPA provides that FM Radio Channels should follow the same Programme and Advertisement Codes as followed by All India Radio. These codes contain a whole range of parameters to regulate content on FM channels.
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I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati opens AIR to private content under new policy
NIPP introduces revenue share, sponsored and gratis models
MUMBAI: Radio may be the oldest voice in the room, but it’s learning some very modern tricks. In a bid to stay tuned to changing listener habits, Prasar Bharati has opened the doors of All India Radio to private players under a newly rolled-out content framework. The initiative, titled Notice Inviting Programme Proposals (NIPP), marks a significant shift in how the public broadcaster approaches programming moving from a largely in-house model to a more collaborative, market-aligned ecosystem. Issued by Akashvani’s Directorate General in April 2026, the policy invites private producers, content owners and aggregators to pitch programmes across formats, from radio dramas and documentaries to quiz shows, storytelling and music-led content.
At the heart of the framework lies a three-pronged participation model designed to balance creative freedom with commercial viability. The most prominent route is revenue sharing, where advertising and sponsorship income generated by a programme is split between the producer and the broadcaster. The structure tilts in favour of creators offering a 70:30 split when producers bring in advertising, and 65:35 when monetisation is handled by Prasar Bharati.
Alongside this sits the sponsored model, where producers fully fund and monetise their content, subject to compliance with advertising norms and the AIR Broadcast Code. For those less commercially inclined, a gratis route allows content to be submitted free of cost, with Prasar Bharati retaining all monetisation rights effectively turning the platform into a national distribution channel for diverse voices.
The move comes as legacy media grapples with intensifying competition from private FM networks, streaming platforms and digital audio ecosystems. By repositioning AIR as both a public service broadcaster and a content marketplace, Prasar Bharati appears to be recalibrating its role in a rapidly evolving media landscape.
Importantly, the framework does not dilute editorial control. All submissions must adhere to the AIR Broadcast Code, and proposals are evaluated through a layered process that weighs storytelling quality, production capability, audience appeal and revenue potential. Only proposals crossing a defined threshold move forward, signalling that while access has widened, the bar remains firmly in place.
Operational discipline is another cornerstone of the policy. Producers are required to maintain broadcast-ready content, deliver episode banks in advance and navigate a structured approval process. Crucially, all production costs are borne by the content provider, reinforcing Prasar Bharati’s positioning as a distribution and oversight platform rather than a commissioning entity.
What elevates the initiative further is its scale. The framework spans multiple clusters and stations across India, covering both metro and regional markets, with specific language mandates and submission channels. This not only expands the content pipeline but also deepens linguistic and cultural representation, an area where AIR has historically held an advantage.
In effect, NIPP signals a quiet but meaningful transformation. AIR is no longer just broadcasting to the nation, it is inviting the nation to broadcast with it, blending legacy reach with contemporary content economics in a bid to stay relevant in an increasingly fragmented audio universe.
