MUMBAI: A committee has been constituted to visit the selected Community Radio Stations (CRS) across India in order to understand challenges faced by CRS and their sustainability plan. This visit across stations will be instrumental in deciding whether or not there will be a change in air-time rates.

In October, a letter was circulated stating that the MIB (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) has formed a committee to revise the airtime rates and guidelines for duration of sponsored programmes on CRS.

CRA vice president N A Shah Ansari said, “During the meeting for revision of air time rates, it was decided that a committee will visit Community Radio Stations. But the road block to Community stations is the failure on receiving the licenses from WPC, despite paying the license fee. DAVP requests licenses before giving public service adverts to air on the community radio stations.”

DAVP communicates important social advertising messages in an effective manner across various mediums. It is an agency for the advertising needs of all Central Government bodies all over the country.

MIB had issued the guidelines for empanelment of Community radio stations with DAVP and sponsored programmes along with the rates of advertisements way back in May 2012. The rates of advertisement on air were fixed at Rs. 4 per second then.