158/365 – All India Radio

Type: Government Organization
Country: India
Availability: National
Founded by: Government of India
Motto: “Bahujana Hitaya Bahujan Sukhaya” i.e. promote the happiness and welfare of the masses through education, information and entertainment.
Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India,
Owner: Prasar Bharati
Launch date: 1936
Official website: www.allindiaradio.org

All India Radio (AIR), officially known since 1956 as Akashvani, is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati’s Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster.

All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks in the world. Its headquarters is at the Akashvani Bhavan in New Delhi. Akashvani Bhavan houses the Drama Section, the FM Section and the National Service. Doordarshan Kendra (Delhi) offices are also located on the sixth floor at Akashvani Bhavan.

To Listen AIR: http://www.surfmusic.de/country/india.html

History

In British India, broadcasting began in June 1923 with programmes by the Radio Club of Bombay and other radio clubs. According to an agreement of 1926, the private Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC) was authorized to operate two radio stations; the Bombay station began on 23 July 1927, and the Calcutta station followed on 26 August 1927.

On 1 March 1930, however, the company went into liquidation. The government took over the broadcasting facilities, beginning the Indian State Broadcasting Service (ISBS) on 1 April 1930 (on an experimental basis for two years, and permanently in May 1932).

On 8 June 1936 the ISBS was renamed All India Radio. On 1 October 1939 the External Service began with a broadcast in Pushtu; it was intended to counter radio propaganda from Germany directed to Afghanistan, Iran and the Arab nations.

When India became independent in 1947 the AIR network had only six stations (in Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Lucknow, and Tiruchi); the total number of radio sets at that time was about 275,000. On 3 October 1957 the Vividh Bharati Service was launched, to compete with Radio Ceylon.

Television broadcasting began in Delhi in 1959 as part of AIR, but was split off from the radio network as Doordarshan on 1 April 1976. FM broadcasting began on 23 July 1977 in Madras, and was expanded during the 1990s.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_India_Radio