Radio Kashmir, etc.
From a meagre 18 transmitters in 1947 AIR acquired 46 by the end of First Plan, 59 by the
end of Second Plan, 110 by the end of Third Plan and 433 by the end of 11th Plan and hence
forth by March-2018 total number of transmitters went up to 662, consisting of 139 mw, 48 sw
and 475 FM transmitters. The number of radio stations went up from six in 1947 to 469 by
March, 2018.
Software
AIR has evolved, over the years, a three-tier system of broadcasting namely national,
regional, and local. It caters to the information, education, and entertainment needs of the
audience through its stations in this country of continental dimension with plural society. They
provide news, music, spoken words, and other programmes in 23 languages and 176 dialects to
almost the entire population of the country which crossed 1 billion mark recently.
The entertainment channel of AIR named Vividh Bharati was started on October 3, 1957
and since November 1, 1967, commercials were aired on this channel. The first Radio Sangeet
Sammelan was organised in 1954, which has since become annual feature. Akashvani Annual
Awards to promote excellence in Programme, Engineering, News and Audience Research were
instituted in 1974. Doordarshan was separated from AIR on April 1, 1976. The first broadcast by
political parties before Elections went on the air in 1977 from different stations of AIR. The
North Eastern Service was commissioned on January 3, 1990 at Shillong in the campus of AIR,
Shillong. The public service broadcasting initially in the evening transmission for about five and
a half hour daily has since been extended to three transmissions. The programmes are beamed
through a 50 kw SW transmitter in Hindi and English besides music programmes in different
languages/ dialects of all the states of the North East. Phone-in-Programmes were introduced.
Channels and Programmes
The phenomenal growth achieved by All India Radio through eight decades has made it one
of the largest media organisations in the world. Now, it has 469 stations and 662 transmitters. To
serve the communication needs of the plural society that India is, the network expanded
gradually imbibing new technologies and programme production techniques. All India Radio’s
services are being digitalized.
Objectives
To provide information, education and entertainment, for promoting the welfare and
happiness of the masses (Bahujana Hitaya Bahujana Sukhaya), All India Radio strives:- (a) to
uphold the unity of the country and the democratic values enshrined in the constitution. (b) to
present a fair and balanced flow of information of national, regional, local and international
interest, including contrasting views, without advocating any opinion or ideology of its own. (c)
to produce and transmit varied programmes designed to awaken, inform, enlighten, educate,
entertain, and enrich all sections of the people; (d) to produce and transmit programmes relating
to developmental activities in all their facets including extension work in agriculture, education,
health and family welfare and science and technology; (e) to serve the rural, illiterate and
underprivileged population, keeping in the mind the special needs and interest of the young,
social and cultural minorities, the tribal population and those residing in border regions,
backward or remote areas; (f) to serve the rural population, minority communities, women,
children, illiterate as well as other weaker and vulnerable sections of the society; and (g) to