History of Indian Radio

Indian Radio history dates back to late 1930s when All India Radio was established in 1936. As the Indian Radio got itself established, it paved the way for the Indian Television in the upcoming years.

How it All Began

History of Indian Radio is interesting. It all started when the broadcasting began in India in 1924 in Chennai when a private radio service came into existence. As India was under the British rule at that point of time, the then government approved a license to a private company, the Indian Broadcasting Company. With the granting of the license, two radio stations at Mumbai and Kolkata came into existence.

The company went bankrupt in 1930; however it was supported by the colonial government as it took the Indian Broadcasting Company under its control. It was in the year 1936, the corporation was renamed All India Radio (AIR). It also went in the hands of the Department of Communications. And when India got its independence in 1947, All India Radio went under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

History of Radio Broadcasting in India

The broadcasting in India is controlled by the Government of India. The entire exercise of broadcasting works under the Directorate General of All India Radio. Established in the year 1936, it was in the year 1957 the All India Radio was renamed as Akashvani.

Akashvani – A Government Owned Semi Commercial Operation

Although, Akashvani is a government owned semi-commercial operation, its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is controlled by both the sectors, public and private. As there were only six radio stations in India at the time of independence, the network expanded substantially thus giving further impetus to the overall exercise.

What’s more, from 6 stations, when the radio started, the mid-1990s witnessed a whopping increase to 146 AM stations along with a National Channel. With five regional headquarters for All India Radio, All India Radio reigns supreme, especially in today’s context.

Government Owned Programmes

The government owned network of Indian radio is responsible for providing both national and local programmes in Hindi language, English, along with 16 other regional languages. Commercial Service started way back in 1967 with Vividh Bharti channel headquartered at Mumbai. The channels increased 31 AM and FM stations during the mid-1990s to substantial amount. In 1994, the radio carried almost 85 FM stations and 73 short wave stations.

Increase in Radio Receivers

The number of radio receivers in the wake of increasing channels went almost five times high from 1970 to 1994. Initially it was around 14 million that rose to nearly 65 million. Interestingly, in the year 1994, there came 70 hours of news, entertainment programmes and many more features thus taking All India Radio further ahead.

Radio Reigns Supreme

There is no dearth of radio receivers, which is increasing with passage of time. In fact, that is what has lead to enormous growth of All India Radio. As we are witnessing the advancements in the technology, there are ample of radio channels, which have come into existence providing wide ranging entertainment. Major credit goes to FM channels, which have become enormously popular in both the urban and rural areas.