I&B Ministry
Only 188 community radio stations operational even after a decade of this sector
New Delhi, 25 November: Even as 235 entities have signed the grant of permission agreement (GOPA) for setting up community radio stations in the country, the actual number of operational CRS is only 188 after more than a decade of launch of this sector.
This shows an increase of only eight community radio stations since the last list issued in May this year.
A total of 960 applications for CRS had been either rejected or withdrawn as on 15 November.
However, another 323 applications are still under the consideration of the government from educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, Krishi Viguan Kendras and State Agriclture Universities. Some of these date back to 2011.
The operational stations include 105 by universities and private and government educational institutions, seven by NGOs, seven by Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and five by State Agricultural Universities.
State-wise, Tamil Nadu has the hghest number of CRS with 27, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 23. Maharashtra has 17, Madhya Pradesh has 15, and Karnataka has 14 stations. Uttarakhand, Haryana and Odisha have nine each; Kerala and Rajasthan have eight each; Delhi and Gujarat have six each; Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Telangana have five each; Assam, Chandigarh, Chattisgarh, Puducherry, Punjab, and West Bengal have three each; Himachal Pradesh has two and Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand have one each.
Thus, there are only three CRS in the northeast, and only one in J and K.
Though the scheme was launched around a decade earlier, the outreach of the Community Radio Stations was enhanced in 2006 to include non Governmental and Community based organizations with at least three years of legal existence.
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.
