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Certain developments towards the second half of the 1990s offered one more chance to radio to remain a significant player in the media scene. The most significant development among them was the landmark judgment of Supreme Court in the ‘Ministry of Information and Broadcasting v/s Cricket Association of Bengal’ writ petition. In its historic pronouncement the Supreme Court ruled that air waves constitute public property which must be utilized for advancing public good.
In 1999 the government approved the establishment of 150 private FM radio stations in 40 Indian cities, and in principle allowed nongovernmental organizations, educational institutions and citizens groups to establish community radio stations. Following this number of fm radio stations, which include Radio Mirchi, Big FM ,SFM and Radio city.
Any medium has to reflect the culture, heritage, socio-economic and political concerns of a society. The way radio function varies from nation to nation. Scholars have identified certain unique qualities of radio for development communication. In the Indian situation, unlike the press, radio reaches an illiterate population. Compared to television or film, radio is relatively cheap and portable, so radio broadcast can be localized to each community, thus appealing to local people. Radio can also effectively reach individuals with less formal education and lower socio-economic status, these individuals are usually the priority audience segment for rural development; family planning and public health, it is still the most effective channel for reaching the vast audience of the rural and urban poor.
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