Kerala: Radio station facing closure

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The union information and broadcasting department’s decision to phase out the MW transmitters will hit the Alappuzha radio station as its medium wave transmitter’s  power has been reduced from 200 kilowatts to 60 kilowatts.  Nine staff members there fear that they might be redeployed leading to their replacement.

A total of  273 low power transmitters under Doordarshan all over the country will soon become obsolete. Kerala will lose 13 transmitters. The drawback of  MW transmitters is that they require larger area and high voltage resulting in huge power bills. Hence, the  I&B ministry wants to go in for FM radio stations which would not cause any interference in its transmission. The MW station at Alappuzha is a relay station of Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur radio stations.
“The Alappuzha station staffers are apprehensive that  their jobs will be affected. They have urged the authorities not to   shut down the transmitter without a replacement,”  said a government official.

As many as 1,000 employees  at Doordarshan Kendras across the country would be affected by the government’s decision to opt  for digital technology.  The digital technology would enable  transmission of five programmes simultaneously from a single transmitter.