I&B Ministry
I&B ministry announces 8th National Community Radio Awards
MUMBAI: The ministry of information and broadcasting has invited entries for the 8th National Community Radio Awards to encourage innovation and healthy competition amongst Community Radio Stations (CRSs). The ministry had instituted National Community Radio Awards in the year 2012 which were conferred to CRS every year. So far, seven Awards have been given.
The 8th Community Radio Awards for the year 2020-21 announced by the I&B ministry will be divided into four categories: thematic award, most innovative community engagement award, promoting local culture award, and sustainability model award. Each category will have first, second and third prize of Rs 50,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively. The last date for receipt of entries is 31 October 2020.
Details of Award Category
A: Thematic Award: This award will be for the programmes having thematic focus, relevant to community. This implies that the program should be a series of at least 13 episodes on a particular theme that has relevance to the community. It could be sponsored or an initiative of the station. It should be addressing any issue pertaining to the need or interest of the community. It can focus on any sector- social, cultural, historical, financial or any other. The entries will have to clearly elucidate:
a) Number of episodes produced
b) Why the theme was chosen?
c) How was the programme executed?
d) Was the community involved?
e) Details of the format used
f) What was the local relevance of the programme in terms of impact and visible change?
g) How was it sustained?
h) Way forward
Any case study or report on the program would help.
B: Most Innovative Community Engagement Award: The basic objective of the community radio is to serve the cause of the community by involving members of the community in the broadcast of their programmes. By adopting new formats of programme, inclusion of traditional communication formats to convey development concerns to the community can bring greater impact. The program should be novel, original and innovative. It should have an element of community participation and relevance to community. Entries for this award must reflect engagement of community in the planning, content, production and broadcast of the programme. The entry should reflect the processes involved in bringing the community together for a broader engagement. The community should have been at the centre of this engagement process. The program should have enabled a collective change and helped create a movement within the community. It should have created a momentum to address any local concern. Entries accompanied with a list of outcomes achieved and solutions provided to community needs will be given preference. The entries should clearly explain following:
a. Define the community it was targeted at
b. How many episodes were produced?
c. How was the engagement sustained?
d. What innovative methods were adapted to make a programme?
e. What was the level of participation of the community?
f. How many people did the programme reach out to? What were the outreach activities undertaken?
g. Documentation, if any
h. Did it run in a campaign mode? Was it a onetime effort?
i. How did you link the programming with the community?
j. Impact on the community- how did you measure the same?
C) Promoting Local Culture Award: (Preservation and promotion) Entries must incorporate local talent and tradition. Entries can be in any language but must be accompanied by a description of what efforts were made to promote local culture and a brief summary be provided in English/Hindi. The entry in this category should reflect the program's effort in improving local well-being. The program should have provided a sense of identity to the community. It could be based on common understanding, local traditions, and values and should have influenced the confidence of the local community. The effort of the program should have encouraged preservation and promotion of culture. For example, it could have revived a dying art, preserved a local monument, helped in architectural preservation of old buildings and Havelis, or use of local culture to mobilise the population, revival of traditional handicraft or culture-based entertainment etc. The program could be on cuisine, folk music, festivals or other cultural activities which have a sustained impact on the community. The entry should address following points:
a. What was the focus of the programme?
b. Why was it important?
c. How did the programme help in reviving/ promoting the local culture?
d. How many episodes did you produce?
e. How was it sustained? How has the revival/preservation been visible?
f. What was the impact or consequence of the programme?
g. What was the format?
h. Who will take responsibility in the community for taking the same forward?
D: Sustainability Model Award: The purpose of this award is to encourage CRS to adopt innovative models to generate revenue for self-sustenance. Sustainability means that the station should have sustainability on four different counts: a. content b: human resources c: technical and d: financial. Audio clips need not to be submitted for this category, but documentary proofs will be required such as audited balance sheets of the organization/CRS etc. Sustainability will be measured on various parameters as given below:
a) Content sustainability- new programmes introduced
b) Hours of broadcast and how does it compare to the previous year?
c) How much is fresh broadcast and how much is repeat broadcast?
d) Training and exposure of the team- has the team (community members) travelled or participated in any workshops/conferences?
e) What is the Staff composition?
f) Status of equipment sustainability/any breakdown etc
g) What has been the engagement of the community?
h) List of projects implemented
i) Financial sustainability- sources and resources
j) Total turnover
k) Media coverage
Any other documents- if relevant
Community Radio is the third-tier broadcasting along with public and private radio broadcasting. At present, there are a total 302 Community Radio Stations (CRS) in the country. These CRS stations are playing a very important role in disseminating information especially in those areas where other media presence is limited.
I&B Ministry
Digital radio, D2M tech set to reshape broadcasting and public messaging
Govt pushes next-gen delivery while TRAI tightens grip on spam ecosystem
NEW DELHI: India’s broadcasting and telecom landscape is undergoing a quiet but significant upgrade, with digital radio and Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) technologies emerging as powerful tools for mass communication, while regulators step up efforts to tackle spam calls.
According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, digital radio and D2M are poised to transform how content reaches audiences by making more efficient use of spectrum. In simple terms, multiple channels can now be delivered over a single frequency, opening the door to a wider range of free-to-air content.
D2M technology takes this a step further by enabling video, audio and data to be broadcast directly to mobile handsets without relying on SIM cards or mobile data. The result is a resilient and cost-effective data pipe that can deliver everything from entertainment and education to critical emergency alerts, even in low-connectivity scenarios.
At the same time, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is tightening its grip on unsolicited commercial communication, better known as spam calls. The regulator has deployed a distributed ledger technology platform to bring transparency and accountability into the system.
Through this blockchain-based setup, consumers can register their preferences on receiving promotional messages, while businesses and telemarketers must also sign up and operate within defined rules. The platform also includes a complaint mechanism that allows users to report spam, with complaints shared across telecom operators for coordinated action.
The government’s broader push is being supported by infrastructure upgrades under the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development scheme. Implemented through Prasar Bharati, the initiative focuses on modernising networks such as Akashvani and Doordarshan, including digitisation and adoption of next-generation broadcast equipment.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting minister of state for information and broadcasting L. Murugan said these steps are part of a larger effort to promote emerging technologies and strengthen the country’s broadcasting backbone. The response came to a query raised by member of Parliament Rao Rajendra Singh.
Together, these developments point to a dual-track strategy: expanding access to reliable, low-cost content while cleaning up the communication ecosystem. As digital pipes get smarter and spam filters sharper, India’s airwaves may soon feel a lot less noisy and far more useful.
