Radio waves were first identified and studied by German physicist Heinrich Hertz in 1886. The first practical radio transmitters and receivers were developed around 1895–1896 by Italian Guglielmo Marconi , and radio began to be used commercially around 1900.Radio, the oldest broadcast medium, is in transition. The overall amount of listening remains as high as ever and listeners are benefiting from a rapid increase in the number and range of stations they can choose from, including new community stations, additional local and national services and stations from around the world via the internet. All of this choice is available across a wide range of platforms from traditional AM and FM radio, to digital radio via DAB, digital television and the internet. There will be other new technologies to come.For established radio broadcasters this explosion of choice brings new challenges through increased competition for listeners and revenues. Broadcasters also face increased costs from having to invest in new platforms and must deal with increased competition from an ever wider range of media. All of these changes create significant pressures on the traditional pattern of local radio, which has emerged as a result of deliberate public policy by successive governments and regulators.This situation presents challenges to broadcasters and to regulators. There is evidence that the changes in listening habits, together with emerging new technologies have had a more rapid and profound impact on the radio industry than was foreseen just a few years ago when the existing legislation was put in place. As a result, the familiar ways of regulating radio, designed for a largely local analogue radio system, which have served listeners and the industry well, may be ineffective and disproportionately costly in the digital era.The goal of this document is to outline an approach to regulation which is capable of delivering radio's agreed public purposes as healthy radio industry makes its transition to a digital world. Radio still has a vital role in fulfilling a range of public purposes - a role shared between the BBC, commercial radio and the new community radio sector – and regulation should be focused squarely on ensuring that those public purposes are met in the interests of listeners as citizens and as consumers. Ofcom has clear statutory duties and regulatory principles. We have previously set out how we will combine these with our analysis of the rationale for intervention and potential public purposes to produce a set of strategic aims for regulation in radio.
• to enhance choice, diversity and innovation for consumers at the UK, national, regional, local and community levels;
• to secure citizens' interests through the provision of radio designed to meet public purposes; and
• to do this with as little intervention in the market as possible, consistent with meeting our objectives.
This report sets out a comprehensive vision for the future regulation of commercial and community radio. Its proposals, taken individually, may not at first sight appear significant but, taken together, we believe they would create the framework for radio to remain a strong and vibrant medium in the 21st century. Because there is still a great deal of uncertainty about the future shape of the industry, the proposals set out here aim to provide the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances.
So long as the majority of listening remains on analogue platforms, Ofcom does not propose to change this situation, but as the proportion of listening on digital platforms increases, the current approach to regulating analogue radio will become increasingly anomalous. At that stage, we envisage a significant simplification of the amount of detail required in formats, along with standardisation of the requirements for local material in programming, based on the size of station. This will ensure that local programming is maintained at those times of day when listeners tell us they most value it and help to ensure the viability of the stations providing that programming by allowing broadcasters to share some programming across a number of stations.
What about the possible switch-over from analogue to digital radio? On current trends, by 2017, 90% of all radio listening will be via digital platforms. It is essential that we do not rush the question of analogue switch-off, but it is also important that we are ready to address the questions raised by digital migration in the right way at the right time. If and when that time comes, there will need to be a full and detailed review of the costs and benefits involved.
To allow for this possibility, we highlight areas that are properly the domain of Government and Parliament with regard to the current licensing regime. Under the present system, as commercial radio licences expire, the licence is re-advertised for a period of up to 12 years, with the possibility for some of further renewal beyond that. Currently-held licences begin to expire in 2009 in a rolling process that will take many years to complete, with the result that the UK will be unable to achieve analogue switch-off, even if it is decided that this is the correct course of action . In this document, we seek to make the case for new legislation which would allow greater flexibility in planning for the future by amending the commercial radio licensing process.
Radio Colombo Ceylon's first radio station Radio Colombo started regular broadcasting on 16 December 1925. The station was taken over by the British military during World War II who renamed the station Radio SEAC which broadcast across South Asia from October 1944.
Several international broadcasters operate radio stations aimed at Sri Lankan audiences but broadcasting from outside Sri Lanka:
• All India Radio
• BBC World Service Sinhala Service (Sandeshaya)
• BBC World Service Tamil Service (Tamilosai) • China Radio International Sinhala Service
• China Radio International Tamil Service
• Radio Veritas Asia
MAPT/19/B1/38
A.W.A.H.T.Abesekara
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