ENTERTAINMENT
MINISTERIAL PANEL CLEARS 839 NEW F.M. STATIONS
Another 839 FM radio stations for smaller towns and cities would be in the offing by the end of year. A ministerial panel has approved the auction of licenses for the third phase of FM radio channels and Information and Broadcasting Ministry will soon issue auction guidelines. Around 86 Indian cities have FM radio stations and the government aims at extending entertainment facility to most of towns having population of one lakh. This will happen with auction of 860 radio for phase III.
An empowered Group of Ministers headed by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had asked the Telecom Minister to release additional frequency to Information and Broadcasting ministry to allow auction, through which the government wants raise about ! 5,000 crore.
The Government had earned about Rs. 1,700 crore through earlier two phases of auction. For phase-III, the Government is hopeful of rich haul because of success FM radio stations had achieved. Information and Broadcasting secretary Uday Kumar Varma said the ministerial panel had cleared the proposal and sought some changes in request for proposal to be sought from private players. Chidambaram in his budget speech has said FM radio expansion would happen in the financial year 2013-14.
Government officials said the ministerial panel has not accepted the Information and Broadcasting ministry's suggestion to link the licence fee with the percentage of total revenue generated by a FM radio station as is the case with telecom licences. While the auction would happen this year the entire expansion of FM in smaller towns and cities may take up to three years.
An empowered Group of Ministers headed by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had asked the Telecom Minister to release additional frequency to Information and Broadcasting ministry to allow auction, through which the government wants raise about ! 5,000 crore.
The Government had earned about Rs. 1,700 crore through earlier two phases of auction. For phase-III, the Government is hopeful of rich haul because of success FM radio stations had achieved. Information and Broadcasting secretary Uday Kumar Varma said the ministerial panel had cleared the proposal and sought some changes in request for proposal to be sought from private players. Chidambaram in his budget speech has said FM radio expansion would happen in the financial year 2013-14.
Government officials said the ministerial panel has not accepted the Information and Broadcasting ministry's suggestion to link the licence fee with the percentage of total revenue generated by a FM radio station as is the case with telecom licences. While the auction would happen this year the entire expansion of FM in smaller towns and cities may take up to three years.
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