- A journey from 2002 to 2024
ITANAGAR, Feb 13: Terming radio as a very powerful medium of mass communication, Rajiv Gandhi University assistant professor (mass communication) Sunil Koijam spoke on challenges confronting radio in present digital era. With fast development of technology, internet has been offering almost everything at the finger tip, he said, adding that radio too has to accept the changes to move ahead and sustain for posterity.
Prof Koijam as chief guest was addressing on World Radio Day, celebrated by Itanagar All India Radio (AIR) here on Tuesday with great enthusiasm along with the rest of the world.
The Day, celebrated in tune with decision of UNESCO’s Executive Board on 03.11.2011 to celebrate it annually on February 13 which was requested by Spanish Radio Academy on 20.09.10, aims at raising mass awareness about the importance of radio and encourage people to access information through radio and this year’s theme was “Radio: A century informing, entertaining and educating”.
AIR retired programme executive and head of programme J B Nabam shared his experiences and journey of AIR in Arunachal Pradesh.
Itanagar Radio City, a community radio station CEO Tollum Takar said that community radio has a vital role to play in interior places of this hilly state dissemination of information for socio-cultural promotion. He exhorted educational Institutions and NGOs of the state to set up community radio stations in their respective places for the benefit of the people.
AIR head of office N Ramanjanappa shared his experience in technological changes and advancement made by the AIR during last 30 years to the applause of head of programme Bengia Gooma, AIR station Pex-Co Telien Tanziang, AIR regional news unit head and Itanagar DDK’s Rakesh Doley and all AIR staff present ofn the occasion, according to an official release.
AONS adds: The invention of radio communication was preceded by many decades of establishing theoretical underpinnings, discovery and experimental investigation of radio waves and engineering and technical developments related to their transmission and detection. The discovery of electronic waves, including radio waves by Heinrich Rudlof Hertz in 1880s came after theoretical development on the connection between electricity and magnetism in early 1800s. This work culminated in a theory of electromagnetic radiation developed by James Clerk Maxwell by 1873, which Hertz demonstrated experimentally. However, these developments allowed Guglielmo Marcni to turn radio waves into a wireless communication system and set up British Marconi Company in 1987.
Interestingly, Itanagar AIR FM started broadcasting in 2002 in New Delhi with a frequency of 103.1 MHz. It was difficult to listen to AIR due to interference of powerful Chinese radio waves. However, state’s IPR and P & Land Management Minister Takam Sanjoy (1999-2002) had moved the Union I&B Ministry to facilitate its upgradation followed by expansion with establishment of stations in various places of the state.
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