DW-RADIO officially launches FM service in Bangladesh

New FM service from DW available in several markets following successful tests in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Khulna, Rajshahi and Rangpur. Listeners and users in Bangladesh can participate in a contest for the chance at winning a scooter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRLog (Press Release) Oct 07, 2010 Deutsche Welle, Germanys international broadcaster, has officially launched DWRADIO/Bengali on FM in Bangladesh, making it available to listeners in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Khulna, Rajshahi and Rangpur daily between 8:00 and 8:30 am and 8:00 and 8:30 pm. DW-RADIO programming is broadcast via Bangladesh Betars FM network: 97.6 MHz in Dhaka, 105.4 MHz in Chittagong, 105.0 MHz in Sylhet, 102.0 MHz in Khulna, 105.0 MHz in Rajshahi and 105.4 MHz in Rangpur. Deutsche Welle offers international and regional news that is up-to-date and reliable, presenting an unbiased perspective for listeners in Bangladesh. DWRadio/Bengali additionally broadcasts current affairs programs, in-depth background reports and 10-minute radio magazines which include topics on youth and campus, health, women, culture, music, science, sports, environment and lifestyle.

DW-RADIO/Bengali reaches a large segment of the population here in Bangladesh. We are receiving great feedback from our listeners as theyre turning to us for useful, reliable information that is relevant to their everyday lives, says Angelika Newel, Deutsche Welles Head of Distribution Asia. With FM broadcasts in prime time and drive time, our audience can really stay in tune with international and regional news and developments.

The youth population in the country is growing quickly and they demand a fast, up-to date and reliable source of news and information, says Grahame Lucas, Head of Deutsche Welles South Asia Desk. With FM on the rise, we can now easily reach these listeners and provide them with a unique, international perspective about the world around them.

DW-WORLD.DE/Bengali is part of Deutsche Welles multimedia strategy to further increase its reach in Bangladesh. Instant updates, news and podcasts are available via digital and mobile services on dw-world.de/bengali, Facebook (facebook.com/dwbengali) and Twitter (twitter.com/dw_bengali). Our website is also becoming increasingly popular especially with the urban youth who embrace new technologies, adds Tobias Grote-Beverborg, Deutsche Welles Distribution Executive for South Asia. It offers quick and easy access to premium content and also offers our users the opportunity to join in on the conversation and contribute themselves.

To promote DW-Radio/Bengali on its new FM frequencies in Bangladesh, Deutsche Welle will also be running a contest for its users and listeners. The grand prize will be a motorized scooter. Runners-up will receive an iPod Nano. Participants can respond via text message (SMS) to shortcode 2777, e-mail or online at www.dw-world.de/bengali. The contest begins on Monday, October 11 and will end on Friday, December 10, 2010. For more information go to http://www.dw-world.de/bengali -End

3.2 Radio Foorti 3.3 Radio Amar 3.4 Radio Today 3.5 ABC Radio 3.6 BBC Bangla

Radio, the latest hype in Bangladesh

October 28, 2008 By Ronnie Siraji The relationship with radio and the people of Bangladesh dates back to the pre liberation war era when Radio Pakistan used to broadcast its transmission in the region now known as Bangladesh, which was liberated on December 16, 1971. In those days the only source of entertainment was listening to the radio, which definitely was not by design though. The broadcasting station Shadheen Bangla Betar reached its pinnacle during the 1971 liberation war being acclaimed as the stool pigeon of war news updates through Chorom Potro. During the war radio had played an important role like transmitting Sheikh

Mujibs important 7th March speech which set the journey toward the independence of Bangladesh. But the post war broadcasting scenario was quite different. By then other entertainment options were available to the general public and radio transmission lost its charm especially on the city dwellers to its rivals like television and tape recorders. People were more inclined into having a wider choice rather than the limited offerings of the state owned radio. But radio was still famous in the rural areas. On those days movie promotions, advertisements of products necessary in day-to-day life, programs for family planning awareness, top songs from favorite movies, were the main attractions. During the Eighties one particular show- World Music gained huge popularity among the youths. In the Nineties special shows were aired on specific times which eventually had to be stopped because of lack of listeners. With the dawning of the new millennium radio broadcasting had become almost a closed chapter altogether. Around the late 90s, most probably from the middle of 1999, a private radio channel named Radio Metro wave came into picture. It started its transmission in Dhaka for a few hours daily. Some of the programs/shows gained a lot of popularity but later, due to lack of enough audiences, they were obliged to shut the station off. In the late 2005, the government gave permission to set up three more new frequency modulation (FM) band radio channels. These are Radio Foorti (franchise of Radio Mirchi of India), Radio Amar, and ABC Radio. These stations added a new dimension in the lives of the Bengalis. Notable among those are, radio Foorti Radio Today, and Radio Amar. The sudden entrance of these private radio channels in our lives has changed the entertainment scene overnight. Various programs from three of these radio channels inspire people now to listen to radio in a new way. Behind the popularity of these radio channels is the mentionable role of the built in FM radio technology in the cell phones. While shopping for cell phones, everyone checks now whether it has a built in FM radio. Radio is in everyones ears, in the buses, tea stalls. Traffic updates are the most popular programs in all these radio channels as traffic woes grew in the Mega city Dhaka. Along with these, there are various kinds of special programs to celebrate major occasions that have become popular. As these radio stations gained acceptance it had been a blessing for the music industry. Record label companies found a bigger platform to promote their singed up artists music . They promote them on these radio channels by airing unreleased tracks or exclusive tracks of the artists. They have introduced a chart system, where a listener can vote for a certain track by sms. With this the record label companies can assess the popularity of that artist vis a vis a particular song. Until recently music label companies advertised using paper media and with 30 seconds clips on TV. Now listeners can listen to all the upcoming, current or old songs on these radios and can pick the album of their choice. According to the record label companies, their cassettes or cds sales have increased dramatically due to the radio promotions.

These days radio stations are very popular among youths as there are participative shows on which they can join by sending sms. The RJs (radio jockeys) read selected sms from them, popular among them are messages for their special ones and dedications of songs, etc. Radio is replacing the trend of listening to car cd players while on the car. Radio has become a part of the daily life of the Bengalis. The coverage areas of these radio channels are limited till now as only the major cities like Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and Barishal have these channels. We hope that these channels will widen their reach by transmitting nationwide in the near future. Ronnie Siraji is a prominent name in Bangladesh Music Industry. He loves to write about music.

REVIEW OF COMMUNITY RADIO POLICY IN BANGLADESH: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES By Kamrul Hassan Monju Executive Director Mass-line Media Centre,Dhaka, Bangladesh Website: http://www.mass-line.org Email: info@mass-line.org The government of Bangladesh has approved Community Radio Policy in May 2008. This has come to be a reality due to a 12 year long advocacy initiative of civil society organizations as well as the willingness of the government. The policy was formulated with the participation of six high-level government officials of the Ministry of Information and two civil society organizations, Mass-line Media Centre (MMC) and Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC). The direct contribution of the civil society campaign and other advocates expedited the whole advocacy initiatives for establishing community radio in Bangladesh. Moreover the continuous support of the development partners like DANIDA, UNESCO and UNICEF and inspiration of World Association for Community Radio finally helped the Community Radio activists to make it happen in Bangladesh. The present policy possesses some strengths and weaknesses. Here an attempt is made to review the Community Radio Policy for further improvement after the pilot phase. The community radio policy of Bangladesh, which is meant for the pilot phase of the medium in the country, contains eight articles along with a brief introduction. The introductory part puts places emphasis on the needs and importance of radio, as well as its potential in the age of proliferation of diversified global media. The historic role of Bangladesh Betar as a public service broadcasting institution is highlighted in the approved policy. It also recognizes the presence of commercial FM radio and criticizes its very commercial and centralized feature and thus justifies the importance of community radio. The definition of community radio is presented in the Community Radio Policy 2008 by emphasizing certain internationally recognized keywords that articulate the unique characteristics of community radio. It states that community radio has to be operated as a non-profit broadcasting service. Its ownership has to rest with the community and voices of the community have to be given expression through its programmes for the benefit of the community, especially the marginalized groups. Community resources should be utilized for its operation and management. It should be treated as a central resource to for communication and democratization. Fundamental Principles and Required Criteria: The policy has specified certain fundamental principles, which should be followed by the interested applicants. Similar principles are followed by neighbouring countries like India and Nepal. The policy requires an applicant to possess five years' of experience in the field of community development and to treat the initiative as a nonprofit venture. Community based participatory management and ownership structure have to be ensured. The contents of CR have been specified as education, social issues, gender, economy, environment and community culture. An applicant organizations must have a legal entity and a clear commitment to disseminate information on disadvantaged rural communities. Moreover,

sources of funds should be clearly mentioned in the proposal. Eligibility Criteria: Only government research institutions and development organizations, on-government development organization, ICT-based media organizations possessing legal entities or registrations are entitled to apply. The policy limits the scope of individuals, partnership firms, political parties, profit making organizations, foreign broadcasters, channels and organizations banned by the government. Some interested parties may feel that the eligibility criteria are too restrictive and limit the scope for promoting multidimensional community based information. These may be seen also to limit the creative exposure of various social groups. Some educationists have noted that the policy does not give government and non-government educational institutions any opportunity to establish community radio stations. As a result, campus radio cannot be introduced in Bangladesh unlike in other developing countries. A provision for campus radio in the CR policy could provide an opportunity to introduce distance education for the community. Critics have also suggested that the policy provide for the introduction of campus radio in all agriculture universities. These suggestions should be taken into account when the government prepares a full-fledged policy after the pilot phase. Licensing Process: To avoid undue pressure and to maintaining a transparent licensing process, the policy requires applicants to use prescribed forms and has to wait for the application is to be assessed by the regulatory committee and technical sub-committee, and clearance given from the Ministry of Home Affairs. It lays down that the license is to be given for two years and one year for installation. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Board is responsible for frequency allocation. License fees: The winning party to deposit $ 286.00 equivalent to Tk20, 000 as license fee and $1429.00 equivalent to Tk.100000 as security deposit?. It is felt that the license fees are not a burden for the community radio entrepreneurs. A successful applicant is required to install the equipment and start broadcasting within one year. Failure to do so makes the operator ineligible for a refund of the deposit. Under the policy the government reserves the right to revise the fees when it is required. Technical Structure: The CR policy has also laid down certain technical parameters, but with some flexibility. Generally the coverage of a CR should not exceed 17 kilometers, requiring a 100-watt transmitter. In the case of ERP the power of the transmitter would be in between 100 watts and 250 watts. The antenna gain would be 6DB and transmission frequency would be in the FM Band. Areas Restricted: The policy restricts the dissemination of information which may offend decency, endangers friendly relations with other countries, is obscene, defamatory or false. It takes a strong position against any information that may incite violence, or cause instability in the law and order situation. Dissemination of information that shows a lack of regard for women, children, the disabled, ethnic minorities, and religious beliefs has been restricted. Equal respect to all community members has been encouraged through program planning and broadcasting. The policy requires advisory committees to be formed with the participation of upazila and government officials and other promoters of development advertisements, for monitoring and evaluation of community radio operations. This provision presents a dilemma on the one hand, the government may take advantage of it to manipulate political information through CR, but on the other hand, it may create opportunities for

CR entrepreneurs to receive development advertisements, which would make their operations financially sustainable. Challenges: Tax policy: There is no specific indication regarding the tax rate for import of community radio equipment from overseas. The existing tax policy implies 70% of cost for imported electronic goods. But were to be treated as ICT tools, the tax would be only 5%. If such an exemption policy is not followed a high rate of dropout can be expected. As for income tax, failure to treated community radio as a nonprofit sector and subjecting it, instead, to normal income tax rules and rates would also hamper its sustainability. Political interference: Some critics are apprehensive of possible interference from local political pressure groups while the next government will take over. They feel that local politicians and their bureaucratic alliances may exert pressure on CR entrepreneurs to ensure that their preferred content is broadcast. However, it is felt that the adoption of a clear and transparent in-house policy prepared with the participation of the community may reduce such tensions. Ownership: Critics say point out that though the issue of licences for community radio is an important step, not many community-based organizations may be able to obtain licences, as the CR policy only gives this opportunity to the government research institutions and NGOs rather than communities. The justification for this policy could be that, the CR project is currently at the pilot stage. The licensee organizations are expected to learn the operation of CR at this stage, so that they may handed over the facilities to the communities in future. Capacity constraints: The critics believe that the community radio initiatives may face some constraints of capacity due to non-availability of trained manpower at the community level. This may be true as Bangladesh is new to community radio, but the experiences of neighboring countries could be utilized through experience-sharing and training programmes. On the other hand, NGOs are expected to play a vital role in capacity building. Sustainability: Critics have raised the sustainability issue as a serious concern. Low coverage, restriction on commercials and its community-based public service broadcasting nature, they feel, may hamper community radio's sustainability. Existing tax laws would also have a negative impact on the sustainability. Others point out that the present policy provision for broadcasting advertisements related to development services, would help CR receive government advertisements and NGO campaign messages. Also, some research and exchange programmes could be developed wherein the development partners may might contribute financially. Political news coverage: Political news has always been popular with media consumers. Critics say that the community radio in Bangladesh may losse the credibility and audience interest on account of restrictions on political news. Some stress that these restrictions are an interference in the peoples freedom of expression. Others argue that though it there are restrictions on the partisan political programmes, there is no interference in the politics of development. There are no restrictions on messages about the empowerment of the poor and bottom-up information dissemination concerning the rights of marginalized and disadvantaged communities. These issues are rarely touched upon by the mainstream private sector media. Power supply: Lack of a regular power supply may be a serious constraints for

community radio as the frequent failure of power has come to be a regular feature in Bangladesh. Generators, UPS units or solar energy could be utilized to avoid interruption. Local power supply units may be persuaded to treat the CR operations as a VIP areas. Opportunities: 1. The government is ready to use CR to promote of the peoples right to know. 2. The governments willingness to work with the civil society as well as community radio activists is very high. 3. The level of awareness about the rights of women, marginalized and indigenous communities are very high at the community level and a high level of empathy is found with development programmes on in radio and television. 4. NGOs experiences on grassroots communication are found to be a supplementary support for future advocacy to broaden the policy. 5. The willingness of government to support CR entrepreneurs is very high. 6. The policy ensures the promotion of development advertisements of different government institutions. 7. SME market is flourishing at grassroots level, which would ensure access to development related private advertisements. 8. Governments willingness to consider the CR equipments as ICT tools that may reduce the tax ratio at minimum level.

Fm Radio - Analysis

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Fm Radio - Analysis
1) XM Overview a. Financial overview b. Operations c. Products and services d. Strategic alliances e. Current crisis: 2) Market Analysis: a. Market share b. Market size and trend c. Target customers and Segmentation d. Future and forecast e. International market growth opportunities 3) Distribution channels Analysis: The most useful segmentation of the satellite radio market is by the channel through which the subscriptions are obtained. Net subscriber additions refers to the total number of subscriptions acquired in a given period of time and deducts all non-renewed subscriptionsincluding expired promotional subscriptions that were not converted to normal subscriptions. XM segments it market through three channels. i) Distribution through OEM: Satellite radio subscriptions that come in through the OEM auto maker channel are frequently attached to a promotional period in which XM or Sirius receives approximately half of the subscription revenue as Is this Essay helpful? Join OPPapers to read more and access more than 460,000 just like it! get better grades it would with a non-promotional subscription. Depending on the satellite radio providers' role in the promotion, the revenue amount received for a promotional subscription may be higher or lower. The OEM promotional periods typically range from three months to a year and are paid for, in part, by partner manufacturers. Consumers who obtain their satellite radio with the purchase of a newor recently manufacturedcar simply activate their service through one of the broadcast providers. These radios are specially designed for individual car models. In a new car, the satellite radio is an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) component that is either pre-installed in all of the models or is an optional upgrade. In an increasing number of models, the radios are AM/FM/SAT, which receive both satellite and traditional radio broadcasts. Figure 7: Net OEM subscriber additions for XM, 2002-2004

Year Net subscriber additions # % change from previous year

Term Paper On Fm Radio Of Bangladesh

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Term Paper On Fm Radio Of Bangladesh

Chapter One This report is based on the survey on the opinion about FM revolution in Bangladesh. As our course requirement was to prepare a term paper based on survey so we have selected FM industry as our project area. FM industry has taken a different look in our country now-a-days with the launch of three private FM stations. So the recent craze or popularity of FM stations is a very contemporary issue and can be referred as FM revolution. Therefore, we decided to conduct a survey to find out which is the most popular FM station and why? As Radio Today, Radio Foorti and Radio Amar are mostly listened so all of our questions for survey were asked regarding these three private FM stations. We surveyed 25 people aged from 15 to 27. Our questions were set in a manner so that we can find out which is the most popular FM station among Radio Today, Radio Foorti and Radio Amar and reason behind its popularity. We believe studying the popularity issues of FM stations would give us a comprehensive understanding of the current communication Is this Essay helpful? Join OPPapers to read more and access more than 460,000 just like it! get better grades pattern in the media and it will expand our learning of this course of Business Communication. We have divided the objective of this report into two parts. One is general and the other is more specific. These objectives are stated below: General Objectives General objective of this report is to conduct a survey to find out which is the most popular FM station and why. To meet this goal we conduct a survey on 25 people aged

from 15 to 27. According to the result of the survey we have developed this report. During our survey we aimed to understand some specific criteria which can be regarded as our specific objective. These are as follows: Specific Objectives To find out the most popular FM station and reason behind its popularity we specified our questioner to the criteria as follows: Rating of popularity Major criteria for popularity General complains of listeners Suggestions We have collected...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Media penetration in India has seen enormous progress in the recent

years with advancements in technology and coverage, catering to a wide range of media audience in terms of language, region, religion and content. A robust economic growth, growing literate population and consumer spending power have contributed to an expanding consumer base of various forms of mass media newspapers, radio and television. The new media such as the internet and mobile phones have also made significant inroads since the early 2000s. However the outreach is not uniformly distributed as this base is more urbanbased and large swathes of rural and remote segments across the country still have no adequate access to any form of media. Two such regions are the North-eastern states and Jammu and Kashmir in the North-western part of the country, most often characterized as regions with impregnable and difficult physical terrain. These states have witnessed a turbulent period due to insurgency, infiltration from neighboring countries and sporadic terror attacks. These factors have negatively impacted the reach of developmental programmes and limited the growth of media as well. The neighboring countries of Nepal, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Pakistan border the NE region and the state of J&K. All these neighboring countries have a vibrant media that keep a close watch on India for various reasons. In order to assess the reach and impact of national and cross border media, these two regions are the focus of the present study. The media under survey were local and national newspapers, national radio (All India Radio), national TV (Doordarshan) and foreign channels like Arirang (Korea), Pakistan TV (Pakistan) and Bangladesh TV (Bangladesh).

Media penetration was assessed in 7 selected states - Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Manipur in the North Eastern region and J&K (Srinagar, Leh and Jammu) in the North-West. The study sought to assess peoples choice and use of mass media, preferences for types of programmes and their influence on the local culture and society. ii The specific objectives were to:

i. explore the region-wise reach of National and local media and choice of programme content, ii. assess the penetration of Cross Border Media and differences in its use based on factors like gender, age and education, iii. discuss the extent of coordination between AIR and DD stations in NE and J&K region and ascertain the scope for increasing the effectiveness of Government media especially Television and Radio. In total, 9 districts and 7 states were selected as the field sites in NE and J&K region. These field sites were representative of 2 distinct regions: the Northeastern and the North-western part of the country. Being major cities in their respective region, these sites also had the advantage of availing new developments in media technology. A sample survey was conducted in the 7 states of NE region and 3 regions in J&K state by selecting a district each from these areas, the state capitals in NE states and the regional headquarters in J&K. A sample of 2000 respondents was selected for the survey (200 respondents from 10 districts) which comprised of an equal number of urban and rural respondents. Research tools, comprising of questionnaires and Indepth interviews specially designed to meet the objectives of the study, were

administered. The descriptive analysis was used to analyze the data which was tabulated with frequency distribution. Focus Group Discussions were conducted with the AIR and DD officials using structured FGD guidelines. Major Findings of the Study: I (a) An assessment of mass media penetration in the NE and J&K regions, such as TV, Radio, Newspaper, Magazines and New media like internet and mobiles was done on the basis of access, frequency of use and preference for
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programme content. This provided a picture of differences in penetration, use and preference of mass media among NE states and the three regions of Jammu, Srinagar and Leh of J&K. I (b) Penetration of Cross Border Media: Exposure to CBM In all the selected states, 39.1% (781/2000) respondents were exposed1 to some form of cross border media, which included TV, Radio, newspaper and magazines. 1. Among the exposed, more males (52.2%) than females (35.7%) were accessing media for news. 2. Exposure to cross-border mass media varied from state to state in the same region. A large number of people in Mizoram (84.5%) were exposed to at least one or more media whereas in other states the media exposure ranged from 59.0% in Manipur, 44.5% in Srinagar and 42.5% in Nagaland to a minimum of 15.1% in Tripura and 11.5% in Jammu. 3. Highest proportion of exposure to cross border media was through TV (38.5%). TV channels and programmes from Korea, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Afghanistan were viewed and among

them, Arirang TV channel (187) of Korea was the most popular. Bangladesh TV Channel (96), Nepal TV (26), PTV of Pakistan (59), QTV (46), Al Jazeera (9), Peace TV (11) etc were some other Cross Border TV channels viewed. Quality of programmes: 4. Visual clarity and good reception (15.6%) was the major reason for accessing cross border TV and Radio. Clarity of TV visuals was an important reason among the TV viewers in Mizoram (42.0%), Nagaland (35.1%) and Manipur (26.5%)
The term Exposed has been used for those accessing/ using any one or up to four Cross border media ( TV, Radio, Newspaper and Magazine )
1

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as compared to Cultural similarity mentioned by the exposed in Manipur (20.0%), Nagaland (17.5%) and Srinagar (16.5%). 5. In Srinagar the most important reason for preference of CBM was cultural similarity, easy accessibility and familiarity with the language. There was a perception among the viewers that Cross Border Media supported the Kashmiri struggle for freedom which made it more popular. Besides, a perception that people across the border were their brothers and sisters and they knew more about Islam or Quran made a psychological bonding with the CBM as well. II (a) Penetration of National Media: Out of the total sample of 2000 respondents in all the regions, majority (1984) were using at least one form of media (Media covered were TV, Radio and Newspaper) which indicated a strong presence of media and its use in these states. An assessment of the effectiveness of media showed that majority of people (78.8%) found TV very effective in imparting information and in educating masses. Majority of people (93%) in Tripura and half the people (50%) in Manipur held the same opinion for TV programmes.

Making a choice between the foreign (satellite channels and Cross Border Media) and national media, people found that the National media provided more up-to-date information than the foreign media. However, among the internet users, the foreign news portals/web portals provided latest information than the Indian internet sites. II (b) TV Viewership TV was viewed by 92.8% of the population surveyed thereby making it the most popular mass medium among all other media. Access to TV channels was largely through Cable connection (69.4%), followed by the Direct to Home service (15.3%). Among all states Mizoram was the leading state with 96.8% cable viewers followed by Jammu (91.6%) in the J&K region. DTH
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had gained a ground with 21.3% subscribers in J&K as compared to 11.5% NE region. DD Viewers Out of 1855 TV viewers among the surveyed population, 1223 watched DD, with Manipur having most number of DD viewers (95.9%) followed by Leh, Tripura and Mizoram. From the J&K region, Jammu had the lowest number of 32.4% DD viewers and Arunachal Pradesh in the NE region had a low of 47.4% DD viewers. Time spent on DD Programmes Out of the total time spent on watching DD channels, majority of viewers (41.2%) spent less than an hour, followed by 33.4% who watched DD for 1-2 hour and 21.3% who spent 2-4 hours. It is significant that youth consumed

more media and it could influence their views and perceptions regarding socio-political issues. Preference for Types of Programmes News-based programmes were the first preference among the DD viewers. Majority watched news and current affairs programmes (93.5%), followed by general information based programmes other than news (87.7%). Radio Listenership Out of the total sample, 68.2% listened to Radio, with some states like Manipur (99.0%), Srinagar (94.0%) and Leh (92.0%) having largest segment of radio listeners followed by Assam (72.0%), Tripura and Jammu (67.0%). However, radio listener ship was less than 50% in Mizoram and only 25% listened to radio in Arunachal Pradesh. Time and Duration Evening time was the most preferred slot and time spent was more than 2 hours during that time. 33.1% preferred to listen to radio during late evening hours followed by 30% who liked to listen during morning hours and 25% who preferred listening during the day time.
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Type of Programmes In both regions, radio was tuned in for news/ current affairs programmes by as high as 93.4% in NE and 91% in J&K. Listenership of AIR programmes was high (81.7%) though more listeners tuned to FM channels and for longer duration. Newspaper Reading Habits The state wise distribution of newspaper readership showed higher newspaper reading habits in states of Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Manipur

wherein more than 90% respondents read newspaper. Lesser proportion (8090%) in Srinagar, Assam, and Tripura read newspapers whereas in Leh only half the people (52%) read newspapers. People in NE region were more comfortable with the use of English as the language of the newspaper. III (a) Rural and Urban Differentials in Media Use: In J&K the number of TV users was largely in urban areas. Radio listenership was concentrated in rural areas in both the regions (J&K and NE) whereas newspapers were read more in the urban areas than in rural areas, though this gap in newspaper readership was much wider in J&K. Exceptions to this trend were states like Nagaland, Tripura and Srinagar, where newspaper readership in rural area was high. (b) Gender Differentials in Media Use: Across the states more men watched television, listened to radio and read the newspaper. The trend reiterates the national pattern of higher access to media by men than women with wider disparity in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Jammu Division in J&K state. Manipur had the highest number of male radio listeners and TV viewers. Nagaland had the higher number of male newspaper readers; Srinagar had higher number of women TV viewers and radio listeners; in contrast Mizoram had the highest number of women newspaper readers.
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(c) Income Differentials in Media Use: A composite picture of NE showed that majority of the people from the middle income group were inclined to watch more TV & read newspapers while those in the lower income group used more of radio.

(d) Age and Education Differentials in Media Use: The younger age group (20-29) was the primary user of the three media (Radio, TV and Newspaper) across the states and those in 30-39 age group were the second largest group in use of media. Those with higher education (graduation and above) were the key consumers of all the three major media (Radio, TV and Newspaper). With every increase in level of education, from primary to high school and to graduation, the use of media (TV, Radio, Newspaper) showed a corresponding increase. Hence, there is a positive corelation between media use and education, especially in the case of Newspaper readership. (e) Media Use by Religion The use of media by people belonging to different religions or faiths indicated that in Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram, Christians were the major users of media. In Srinagar largest numbers of media users especially of TV were Muslims (97.8%), whereas, Hindus were found using various media in Assam, Tripura and Manipur. In Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, media use among the tribal groups varied from 20.6% to 10.2% for TV, 22% and 10.6% for Radio and 25.8% and 10.2% for newspaper, respectively. IV Impact of Media: A maximum of 61.7% in NE and 57.6% in J&K were of the opinion that the lifestyles of the present generation had become westernized due to the exposure to such media programmes. On the issue of gender equality, 55.3% in J&K and 45.3% in NE mentioned that media had a role in encouraging

girls education with more girls getting educated in schools. Similarly, 43,4%
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in NE and 45.7% in J&K were of the opinion that media created awareness, positively impacted womens empowerment and encouraged women to take up professional jobs. 44% in J&K and 40% in the NE believed that a positive media exposure boosted tourism industry. V Suggestions for Improving Programme Quality and Content It was suggested by the media users that the news content of TV, Radio and Newspapers needed improvement and quality enhancement in terms of up-todate coverage of actual incidents and events after thorough research. News must be credible and clear to avoid any exaggerated stance. It was also suggested that the entertainment programmes should provide and project real-life situations rather than making them purely filmbased. A limited numbers of programmes that projected the actual social and cultural issues were produced. The viwers felt that the programmes usually portrayed one-sided issues and hence needed more analysis, explanation and evaluation. Time for such issue-based programmes must be extended and made participatory i.e. having representation of people from different streams to make the programme more effective. Economic issues were superficially and briefly dealt with, except only when some case of corruption was revealed. The cause of economic crisis in NE region such as lack of employment opportunities needed more attention. Mainstream media generally covered economic issues of national interest that

were often corporate industry oriented or that which interested the upper class. The economic difficulties of the common man needed more space in media.
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VI Conclusion The study highlighted certain trends in media usage and access in these two regions: Peoples access to any type of media was significantly high although there is a skewed ration in favour of males who form a larger consumer base for any media type. This could be due to the fact that literacy rates among males are higher and women, usually limited by social and economic means, have limited access. Education is a key determinant that influenced media access in all the surveyed states. Higher the education levels, higher the level of media consumption. This could explain why a higher percentage of media usage is accounted for in urban areas and amongst the youth. The rural-urban differential is more pronounced in the case of radio listenership with a higher concentration in the rural areas. Another interesting corelation is with the income differentials lower income groups accounting for more listernership while higher income groups accounted for more TV viewership and newspaper readership. The impact of media on the social and cultural lives of the people is noteworthy. This aspect could be capitalized upon to improve the existing programmes, devise new channels through which outreach can be expanded to include local needs and sensitivities.

FM Radio in Bangladesh: Half a Decade of Success

Weekend Independent Friday, 15 July 2011 Author / Source : Nazmus Saquib It all started in 2006 when Rafiqul Haque managing director of the countrys first FM radio station -- Radio Today FM 89.6 made an attempt to popularise FM radio in Bangladesh. When he first floated the idea many were skeptical about its success because of the enormous popularity of satellite TV channels. Moreover radio as a medium was already suffering because of a lack of interesting programmes. But Haque was determined and was able to start his dream project on 15 September, 2006. And the rest, as they say, is history. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the FM channels have revived radio in the country. FM radio industry has come of age in the country. Nowadays everyone knows what a FM radio station is all about. opined Rafiqul while talking to Weekend Independent. He continued, My target was to popularise FM radio as a medium. I was certain that FM radio would become popular. My initial target was to give my station a concrete shape within two years. It has opened a window of opportunity for the young generation. The country now has four FM radio stations. Moreover there are several online radio stations as well. The competition is indeed getting very stiff. Haque said, Radio Today is the trendsetting radio station of the country. We know that we are the leaders and we are sure that we will remain at the top. Healthy competition is always good and I believe listeners will only tune in to those stations which satisfy them. As far as FM 89.6 is concerned, we believe in innovation and we know that innovation should come from the youth. 90 per cent of our RJs are undergraduate students. Their educational background is very strong and they underwent rigorous training. Im satisfied with the way they are showcasing their inherent talent to improve the quality of our programmes. Radio Today is not only about entertainment, it is infotainment as we call it. We are very careful about the news we broadcast. When asked about the neutrality of their news, Haque said, We are thoroughly impartial. We present our news the way it should be presented. Perhaps thats why our news is so popular with the listeners. FM radio stations often face criticism regarding poor pronunciation of Bangla and English words and their inappropriate blending (Banglish). Haque said I do not know about other FM stations but at FM 89.6, when our RJs have to speak English or a Bangla

word, he or she will pronounce it the way it should be pronounced. We follow the standard practice of pronunciation. Nobody can allege us of distorting our mother tongue. About the long standing dispute on royalty issues, he said, We are willing to pay royalty to the artists. But unfortunately in our country we do not have any set of rules in this regard. Once this whole royalty issue is brought into a legal framework, then definitely we will comply with that. The emergence of private FM channels has widened the reach of radio considerably. It is no more confined with the urban populace, but has also reached the rural areas. The entire outlook of radio programmes that are relayed these days has undergone a vast change. When it comes to innovative programmes, Radio Foorti the second private FM radio station of the country has been popular with the youth. Since its establishment on 21 September 2006, the station has been producing entertaining programmes targeting the young generation. Of late, their weekly paranormal show Bhoot FM has become phenomenally popular. Vocalist of the Aurthohin band Sumon, popularly known as the BassBaba and one of the hosts of this widely listened show talked with Weekend Independent. Actually the reason why I feel Bhoot FM is loved by the listeners is because we feel fascinated to hear about paranormal things. Moreover in this show, we are not telling any fictitious story to the listeners, rather it is a show where we share our personal experiences related to paranormal things. The FM radio stations can be credited for bringing in fresh new ideas and thoughts. The interactions of RJs with the listeners have gone through enormous change due to the live shows. The monotonous style of talking has also changed to more spontaneous and crispy way of chatting. ABC Radio the latest among all the four FM stations that are operating has already carved its own niche in the field because of the sheer flamboyance the RJs. Since its inception on 7th January 2009, the emphasis of this station has been promoting proper and accurate style of talking in Bangla. The news of ABC radio has also become quite popular. Ehsanul Huq Tito, programme producer of ABC radio believes they still have a long way to go. I think there is always room for improvement. Some of our experimental shows are already in the pipeline. If the government supports us and gives us more freedom, then Im sure you will see a lot of improvement in our news. I feel that we have already got our fare share of listeners because of the authenticity with which we present our news. We always work tirelessly to come up with creative ideas to enrich our shows. Radio Aamar is another popular FM radio channel that has come to the scene. Entertaining radio drama shows, weekly special show Aamar Bhalobasha, etc. are some of their popular programmes.