Digital Broadcasters | Perth | New Radio Licenses

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has advised Digital Broadcasters Vendor News Asia (DBVNA) that it is calling for local non-profit organisations to apply for two community radio station licenses up for grabs in the Perth, Western Australia marketplace. Deadline is August 16, 2007. The two FM frequencies being offered are 100.9 MHz and 90.5 MHz. 100.9 MHz became available after the ACMA cancelled the licence held by the Western Australian Aboriginal Media Association - WAAMA for breaches of its licence conditions. 90.5 MHz is currently shared by several groups on a temporary basis. Perth and neighbouring Fremantle with a population of over 1.5 million is a radio broadcast market with some 30+ radio stations. Most are commercial including horce racing, ethnic, Aboriginal news and tourist radio. A handful of community stations are operating already in Fremantle or Perth, including 89.7 Twin Cities FM, RTR-FM and Radio Fremantle. Tags:

Digital Broadcasters | India | Bhubaneswar Adds Two FM stations

Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa state, and popularly known as the
"Temple City of India" adds two 24/7 private FM radio stations from
this month. Adlabs' BIG 92.7 FM will have an effective radiated
power that distributes its signal for a 60 kilometre radius that also
takes in the city of Cuttack with a program diet of entertainment and
"serious" information. Serious means updates to the supply of
vegetables in the markets, where there are power cuts, other utility
problems and government announcements. Music content is being split
in a ratio of 70% Hindi to 30% Oriya.

The second station is Eastern Media Ltd's Choklate 104 FM Superhit
Music. Its broadcast area includes Cuttack and Rourkela and areas
smaller cities of Athagarh, Chandaka, Gopinathpur, Raghunathpur,
Salepur,Jagatpur, Tangi, Deogaon, Gondia, Dhenkanal, Barhachara,
Haridashpur, Manda, Khurdha, Balipatna, Kapilespur, Pipli,
Jagatsinghpur, Patkura, Ratnagari, Udaigiri, Jenapur and Bhuban.

The two broadcasting network stations were issued the licences in the
second batch of 250 stations issued last year.

The introduction of the commercial FM stations is prompting All India
Radio's AIR Cuttack to upgrade its FM Rainbow Channel locally.

Digital Broadcasters | India Terrestrial TV Reach

In India, terrestrial TV coverage by Doordarshan still only covers 79 per cent of the country reaching 91 per cent of the population. For All India Radio the figures are better at 91.78 per cent and 99.14 per cent respectively. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are covered through Doordarshan’s free to air DTH satellite service.

Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri P. R. Dasmunsi in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha (Parliament) March 20 said that as part of India's Eleventh Five Year Plan, subject to funds availability more AIR FM radio stations would be set up to fill gaps in coverage while DTH for DD was the considered route. (Digital Broadcasters Vendor News interpretation.)