TRAI recommends extending duration of ads on community radios to 12 minutes per hour

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday recommended that initial permission to operate community radio (CR) stations should be increased to ten years from the current five years. It has also recommended that advertisements per hour on CR stations be increased to 12 minutes per hour of broadcast from the current eight minutes.

The recommendations have been given to the I&B Ministry who made a reference seeking TRAI’s views on certain issues pertaining to community radio stations (CRS).

In its recommendations, TRAI said, “Not-for-profit companies established under Section 8 of Companies Act 2013 are already covered in the extant eligibility criteria for CR stations. The existing criteria prescribed in MIB guidelines barring certain type of entities for setting up community radio stations are equally applicable to Section 8 companies also.”

The regulator however reiterated that religious bodies should not be be allowed to own broadcasting channels including CR stations.

It added that the “initial period of permission” should be increased from five years to ten years, at a time, while adding that present policy guidelines for extension renewal of CRS license are adequate and should continue to be the same. “ Community Radio Stations will be required to obtain continued service report from the SDM of the concerned District for grant of license extension,” it added. With regards to the permitted duration of ads, it added that the ad duration should be increased from seven to 12 minutes per hour of broadcast. “ Not-for-profit organizations, operating in multiple districts, should be allowed to set up multiple CRS in their area of operation. An organisation should be allowed to set up a maximum of six CRS throughout the country. (x) An organisation seeking to set up multiple stations should submit an undertaking confirming that the programs will be prepared locally and not sent from other CRS,” it added.

TRAI also suggested that I& B Ministry may actively pursue with Central and State Governments to sponsor more programmes on CRS for supporting their sustainable operations. “ All the universities of Central and State governments may be provided budgetary support to establish and operate Community Radio Stations. MIB may actively pursue providing license spectrum for such universities,” it stated.

Recommending single window system for approval, the telecom and broadcast regulator added that all the processes for granting permission to CRS should be made online through a single window system and the SACFA clearance should be granted within one month of application. “Grant of WOL license should also have a prescribed period preferably within one month of application,” it added. The Hindu Business Line