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I&B minister Jaipal Reddy at the inaugural session of the three-day FICCI Frames seminar said that the government has drafted a liberal policy package for private FM
It’s something that has long been overdue. At the inaugural session of the FICCI Frames seminar on Monday, Information & Broadcasting minister Jaipal Reddy indicated that the government was keen on “growing” the private FM sector in the country.
“We have drafted a liberal policy package for the expansion of private FM, which will shortly be tabled in front of the Union cabinet. We would be going in for a fresh round of bidding for more than 300 radio stations in the country, and what we are looking at is a revenue-sharing model,” he said.
The Minister stated that he was open to the idea of “competition” in a sector dominated by All India Radio (AIR). “I know this is not a good news for AIR. But I believe that competition is the only means by which the sector can grow, and our emphasis is on growth rather than revenues,” he said.
For the beleagured private FM industry in the country, the minister’s statements are expected to bring in some cheer. The biggest millstone round an operator’s neck at the moment is license fees, which has resulted in the premature death of players such as WIN 94.5 FM in Mumbai about a year ago, and of course, the general stagnation of the industry.
The Minister also seemed optimistic about community radio stating that the government was devising necessary guidelines for the same. “Technically speaking, there is room for 4,000 community radio stations in the country,” he said. “We would definitely like to encourage this medium.”
The inaugural session at FICCI Frames ’05 saw an array of speakers including cine star Amitabh Bachchan, ZEE Telefilms chairman Subhash Chandra and Sony Entertainment Television CEO Kunal Dasgupta putting forth their views on the ‘Business of Entertainment’.
Chandra, in particular, was rather candid when talking about the hurdles faced by Indian media companies stating that they were at a “disadvantage” as compared to their “foreign” counterparts. “If an Indian producer has to shoot in Mumbai, he needs to get a number of permissions. That is not the case with a foreign producer,” he said.
The pressing need, he reiterated, was to provide a “level playing field” for all. “Open our hands, sir,” he exhorted Jaipal Reddy.
Besides, Chandra also announced that ZEE would soon be launching a global news network that presented the South Asian perspective much the way that CNN presents the “American point of view” or BBC the English.
Another highlight of the session was the announcement of the launch of the FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum, which will be held in June this year in Amsterdam.
© 2005 agencyfaqs!