News Broadcasting
Campaign urges government to review Community Radio policy
BANGALORE: A petition signed by the national campaign group cr-India has urged the union government to immediately clarify its stand on Community Radio.
The group feels that community radio should be expanded to other sectors in order to unleash potential of radio for community development and empowerment of marginalised groups in rural areas.
This would create a three-tier system of broadcasting in India, with clearly demarcated public, private and community sectors, as in many other democracies, the group points out in an official release.
Though the government of India, in 2003, announced “guidelines for community radio”, it was limited to “established educational institutions”. Now a draft policy on community radio in India is awaiting approval by the Union Cabinet. In early October, the Cabinet referred it to a Group of Ministers (GoM) for further discussion.
More than 50,000 people from around the country, including academics, activists, civil society organizations, and rural communities, have joined hands in the campaign to form Cr-India. The group is now seeking an appointment with the prime minister to submit a petition requesting an immediate solution.
The community radio movement draws its inspiration and legitimacy from the landmark judgement in 1995 by the Supreme Court of India that declared the airwaves to be public property, to be used for public good and in public interest. In a highly selective interpretation of that judgment, the government embarked on a path of privatisation of airwaves allowing private FM radio stations to be set up by corporate entities.
Even as this process is continuing unabated, the Government is hesitating to open up the airwaves for grassroots communities on the basis of unfounded concerns about the security and sovereignty of the nation, states the release.
While waiting for a legal framework to be put in place by the Government, rural communities in Karnataka Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Jharkhand India have been running highly successful community radio projects, by either narrowcasting or using limited space available on All India Radio. Other grassroots organizations are waiting eagerly for a community radio policy so that they can initiate similar projects in their regions, the release adds.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
