TRAI allows private FM Radios to air news for 10 minutes every hour
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New Delhi: In a significant move that could reshape private FM radio in India, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday recommended allowing private FM radio operators to broadcast news and current affairs programmes for up to 10 minutes in every clock hour.
The regulator emphasised that all news content must adhere to the programme code prescribed by the central government.
“Private FM radio operators should be allowed to broadcast news and current affairs programmes, limited to 10 minutes in each clock hour,” TRAI stated.
The recommendations also propose permitting authorised FM operators to stream their radio programmes online simultaneously, though without user-controlled features such as download, playback, or replay.
“The authorised entity shall follow the programme code for news content as prescribed by the Central Government from time to time,” the body added.
These proposals form part of TRAI’s detailed report on “Reserve Prices for Auction of FM Radio Channels,” prepared after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) sought guidance on setting reserve prices for FM auctions in various cities.
Following a consultation paper in August 2024 and an open house discussion in October, TRAI finalised its recommendations. It suggested reserve prices of Rs 0.83 crore for Bilaspur, Rs 1.20 crore for Rourkela, and Rs 0.97 crore for Rudrapur. For category ‘E’ cities in hill states and border regions, the reserve price should be Rs 3.75 lakh.
TRAI also recommended that FM operators in category ‘E’ cities maintain a minimum net worth of Rs 30 lakh, while existing net worth rules for other cities remain unchanged. The annual authorisation fee for these smaller cities should be 2 per cent of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) for the first three years and 4 per cent thereafter, with AGR calculated after excluding GST.
To strengthen the financial health of FM operators, TRAI suggested delinking the annual licence fee from the one-time entry fee and offering flexible payment options similar to spectrum auctions. Additionally, it proposed that Prasar Bharati share its land, towers, and transmission infrastructure with private broadcasters at concessional rentals while fully recovering operational costs.
With IANS inputs