KOZHIKODE: Call it the state’s obsession with ‘nostalgia’, reluctance to change or politics. All India Radio is paying a heavy price, Rs 40 lakh monthly for power bills alone, to keep the outdated medium wave (MW) transmission alive at its three stations --- Kozhikode, Thrissur and Alappuzha.
While Kozhikode and Thrissur shell out Rs 10 lakh each, Alappuzha pays Rs 20 lakh. Of the 483 AIR stations in the country, a majority have switched to FM, Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) or digital live streaming after completely doing away with MW or combining MW with DRM. The audio quality of digital streaming is far superior to the MW mode, yet Kerala continues with the age-old technology used for Amplitude Modulation (AM) broadcasting with Alappuzha station using 200kw MW transmitter, and Kozhikode and Thrissur using 100kw transmitter each.
The country has only 12 stations having 100kw MW transmission now. The three stations use obsolete valves to run the MW transmitter and if they are damaged, new valves are not available to replace them.
“In the last two years, we brought three valves to Kozhikode from stations outside the state where MW was decommissioned. These valves were used in those stations for years,” said Rameshan V R, AIR Kozhikode station head (office).
But then, why is technology not updated at these stations? In Alappuzha, the move to decommission AM transmission was widely perceived as a prelude to shutdown the station and hence it was resisted tooth and nail.
‘Too much obsession with old mode’
“When there was a move to decommission MW in Alappuzha in 2020, local MP A M Ariff intervened and the decision was put on hold. Another Rajya Sabha MP raised the issue that AIR stations in Kerala are being shut down. Strangely, the switch to a new technology is portrayed as an attempt to shut down the station. Politics plays a major role.
Also, there is too much obsession with the old mode,” said a top AIR officer who requested anonymity. Except in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, no station in south India uses 100kw MW transmitter. A member with the AIR employees union said DRM was sanctioned to neighbouring states, but Kerala did not get even one.
“We don’ t mind switching to the new technology, but that decision has to come from the Centre. If DRM is costly, AM transmission can be shifted to FM mode which can cover almost the same area as that of AM. Live streaming will not be available to those listeners who do not have internet access,” he said.
Rameshan said DRM receivers are expensive and not easily available in the market. “Now everybody is going digital, so is AIR. A listener can hear AIR programmes broadcast from any station with greater clarity by sitting in any part of the world, thanks to internet. Prasar Bharati’s app ‘NewsOnAir’ has been a huge hit in a brief period of time,” he said.