AIR eyes Rs 440 crore this fiscal

Revenues for the broadcaster come from various sources, including government, public sector units, and private establishments

Public broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) expects its revenues to grow by around 18 per cent to touch Rs 440 crore in the current financial year, up from Rs 376 crore it clocked in the 2012-13 fiscal.

In the present fiscal till date, the revenues of AIR stood at Rs 307 crore. For it, revenues come from various sources, including government, public sector units, and private establishments.

From the Union government’s Rs 3,500 crore budgetary allocation for Prasar Bharati, AIR was allotted Rs 800 crore for its operations in 2012-13. In the Union Budget 2014-15, it expects allocations to be on the higher side, R Venkateswarlu, director general of AIR, said.

AIR, which has 22 FM Rainbow channels and 4 FM Gold channels in metros, plans to introduce Vividh Bharati on the Internet soon besides launching new FM channels in the metros.

 Currently, AIR operates 407 radio stations and 585 broadcasting centres. The private sector operates 242 radio stations in the country.

“In the yet-to-be launched Phase-III of FM waves auction, we expect the private sector to set up 839 FM stations,” he said.

Quoting a Ficci PwC report on Indian entertainment and media industry, he said, AIR listenership figures in the country were up 30 per cent this year, when compared with last year. This was primarily due to increased outdoor listeners for FM radio services.

As part of its annual affair, AIR will hold a multi-lingual national symposium of poets in Hyderabad on January 9. The event would see participation from 66 poets representing 22 languages from across the country. The theme of the event is to promote national integration.