[Reader-list] fm station @ rs. 50

[Rakesh]

Dear All

Below is an interesting news, raises some questions of creativity and 
licensing.


r*


Man sets up FM station for Rs 50 at Muzaffarpur*
Posted on Feb 19, 2006 by Sudhir <mailto:kumar at bhojpuria.com>

Have you ever heard of a FM station launched with just Rs 50? Well, 
there's one running at Muzaffarpur in Bihar. Though the owner, Raghav 
Mahto, earns little money from it, his station is growing in popularity.

It started with the repair of radio sets, from where Raghav picked up 
the tricks and since then, Raghav FM Mansoorpur 1, as his FM station is 
called is a household name.

Raghav has no license to run a FM station and thus, technically this 
station is illegal, but who cares? As long as his audience loves him and 
he is able to feed his family of five with the Rs 2000 that he earns 
from the station every month, Raghav is a happy man.

"CD nikala to dekhe ki agal bagal main catch kaar raha hai. Cordless 
mike dekhe, issi ko soch kaar apna banaye. Isme 50 rupiya laga hai. 3-4 
part laga hai, Rs 50 rupaiya kharcha hai. (When we took out the CD, we 
realised that the radios in the neighbouring areas were also catching 
the frequency. Then we saw cordless mike and replicated it. The cost 
came to Rs 50 and required about three-four parts)", explains Raghav.


Raghav at his Radio Station


Within a 15 kilometer radius, nothing but FM Raghav tops the popularity 
chart. And the cost of setting up this station is unbelievable. Rs 50 is 
all he has spent to start his own FM station and it runs flawlessly.

"Welcome to Radio Raghav FM Mansoorpur 1, one stop entertainment 
solution for all. Tune in not only for your favourite filmi numbers, but 
also for information, which we think is crucial for you. Over to the 
anchor," says a voice on the radio.

The buck then passes on to the anchor of the Raghav radio FM station, 
Sambhu. "Namaskaar, main apka dost Sambhu. Aap sun rahe hain, FM 
Mansoorpur 1. Aap logo ko suchana dena chahate hai, aids chune se nahi 
failta, saiyam aur surakcha, aids se rakcha," ( Namaskar, this is your 
friend Sambhu. You are listening to FM Mansoorpur 1. We want to inform 
you that AIDS does not spread through your touch. Control and and 
safety, protects you from AIDS) he says.

An ardent fan of the FM station, Ashok is all praises for the radio 
station: "Ye manoranjan karta hai bada sundar, jaab jo gana chahiye kaah 
dijiye baja deta hai. (This is a very good means of entertainment. Which 
ever song you want, you tell them and they play it for you.)

For Raghav, this station earns little money, but he gets the love of his 
satisfied audience and he truly enjoys being their voice for free.

http://www.bhojpuria.com/samachar/news.php?a=329

-- 
Rakesh Kumar Singh
Sarai-CSDS
29, Rajpur Road
Delhi-110054
Ph: 91 11 23960040
Fax: 91 11 2394 3450
web site: www.sarai.net
web blog: http://blog.sarai.net/users/rakesh/