Anna FM @ 90.

4 MHz
India’s First Campus Community Radio

The Rise of Anna FM…from humble beginnings..

•Feb 2004 – February 2007

•3000 hours of Indigenous Programs
•Eleven hours of broadcast everyday
•Ten Media Faculty
•Fifty Media Student Volunteers
•Twenty Community Volunteers
•Hundred Partners in Progress
•Four Regular Staff
•Tons of Enthusiasm
 How Anna FM got here

•Sustainability
•Training
•Social Impact
•Participation
 Sustainability

Partners in Progress

•NGOs
•Government
•Educational Institutions
•Corporate Sector
 Partnering with NGOs

•Spastics Society - Vidya Sagar

•Banyan
•Alcoholics Anonymous
•SCARF
•MOHAN Foundation
 Partnering with NGOs

• Ability Foundation
• St John’s Ambulance Association
• Foetal Care Research Foundation
• CRY
• Nandini Voice for the Deprived
 Partnering with NGOs

•YRG Care
•Relief Foundation
•Voluntary Health Services
•Cancer Institute
•TTK Deaddiction Centre
 Partnering with NGOs

•MSSRF
•Exnora
•Blue Cross
•Women’s Biotech Park
•Mission 2007
 Partnering with NGOs

•Asha Nivas
•SHG Federations
•Consumer Councils
•Women Clubs
•Exnora Youth Association
 Partnering with Government

•DST – NCSTC
•Chennai Police
•Chennai Corporation
•Forest Department
•National Institute for Visually Challenged
 Partnering with Government

•Education Department
•Saidapet Hospital
•Department of Transport
•Birla Planetarium
 Partnering with Government

• Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board

• Women Development Corporation
• TN AIDS Control Society-Red Ribbon Club
• Khadi and Village Industries Commission
 Partnering with Educational Institutions

• Centre for Women Empowerment

•Centre for Entrepreneurship Development
•Centre for Water Resources
•Centre for Environment
•Centre for Disaster Management
•Dept of English and School of Management
 Partnering with Educational Institutions

• Catering College
• NIOT
• CLRI
• Music College
• Anna GEM School
 Partnering with the Corporate Sector

• Apollo Hospitals
• Indicom Software
• Cognizant
• TCS
• State Bank of India.
 Training

• Handicraft Training for Community Women Folk -

Khadi Village Industries Commission – December
2004

• International Workshop for Community Radio Station

Managers-COL-UNESCO-December 2004

• Young Voices - RJ Training for Community Radio

Presenters in Communicating HIV-AIDS Awareness
Messages – INTERNEWS- UNICEF-DEUTSCHE
WELLE-March 2005
 Training

• Workshop for Anna FM Radio Presenters- Veteran

Radio Broadcaster - Vipin Sharma – August 2005

• Workshop on Basic Computer Skills for Community

Women Folk at Anna University – November 2005

• Community Radio Broadcast Skills – Workshop for

Community Folk at Anna FM – December 2005
Students in Action
Community in Action
Community in Action
Community in Action
Community in Action
Community in Action
 Training

• Anna FM RJs benefit from a ‘Writing for Radio’ session

at the Script Writing Workshop - Educational
Multimedia Research Centre, Anna University -
December 2006

• Anna FM RJs attend Workshop for Radio Talk Show

Hosts on HIV AIDS - Local Voices, Internews Network
at Kongu FM, Campus Community Radio Station,
Erode, January 2007
 Training

•Community Radio Workshop for aspiring NGOs

and Educational Institutions – February 2007-
Department of Media Sciences, Anna University

•Over 30 organisations participated in the

workshop to understand the implications of the
new community radio policy.
 Training

• Ecomwel, an NGO participant at the

workshop conducted a participatory
community radio feasibility study at
Chentapenta Village in Chittoor District,
Andhra Pradesh where it works on
NREGA.

• The NGO is now busy getting its

application papers ready, thanks to the
encouraging response to community radio
from the village folks there.
 Training

•Anna FM Radio Club

•Regular on-the-job training for volunteers from the
campus and community
•M.Sc. Electronic Media - Community Radio
Semester Course
 Training

• Student Projects-Feedforward-Feedback Studies

• Life Style Interviews

• Participatory Radio Magazines - Civic Issues

• Anna FM Signal Strength Mapping

 Training

• Student Projects on Anna FM by

MOP Vaishnav College
University of Madras
National Institute of Fashion Technology

• Educational Visits
• Community Radio Consultancy
 Social Impact

• Samuthaya Nerkanal - Live Phone-In

• Interaction with the Police

• Self Help Groups

• Exnora Youth Club

• Skill Development Training - Handicrafts

 Social Impact

• Sakthi Arivaayadi Project

• Science Communication

• Participatory Approach

• Empowering Communities

• Social Networking
 Social Impact

• Research paper on Anna FM’s ‘Science for Women’

project accepted by WCCD - First World Congress on
Communication for Development (WCCD), October 2006,
organised by UN-FAO, World Bank and Communication
Initiative

• Project showcased at the WCCD Poster Session, FAO

Flag Hall, Rome, Italy, October 25-27, 2006
 Social Impact

• Health Screening Camp

• Environment Awareness Camp
• Computer Basics Training Program
• Community Radio Broadcast Skills Training
• World Earth Day Camp
 Social Impact

Anna FM Musical Talent Hunt Contest May 2006

• To Promote Local Talent among Youth

• Preserve Cultural Heritage
• Provide a platform to perform
• 300 Participants
• Age Groups – 5 to 65
 Social Impact

Anna FM Musical Talent Hunt Contest May 2006

• Majority in the 15 – 25 age group

• Vocal Folk/ Patriotic/Tamizhisai 240
• Instrumental Veena/Violin/ Keyboard 60
• Own Compositions – Health, Environment, Social
Awareness and Women Empowerment
 Social Impact

• Anna FM Volunteers
• Social Responsibility
• Reaching out to less privileged
• Internship at AIR – DD
• Internship with UNICEF, New Delhi
 Social Impact

• Scholarship and Internship with CEFI, New Delhi

Community Enterprises Forum International,
EK Gaon Technologies
• Anna FM goes global on BBC Radio 4
• Anna FM Volunteers win Radio Contest
• Anna FM Volunteers get campus offers with
Commercial FM Radio Stations-Hello, Suryan, Aha FM
 Social Impact

• Community Volunteers
• Independent Production for Anna FM
Scripting
Interviewing
Presenting
Promos & Jingles
Training friends in neighbourhood
 Participation

• Student & Community Volunteers

• Planning Content
• Deciding Resources
• Choosing Formats
• Suggesting Innovations
• Participatory Research & Evaluation
• Program Restructuring
 In the near future…

• MoU with BBC Tamizhosai

• MoU with VOICES, Bangalore
• National Level Exploratory Workshop for Campus
Community Radio Stations - CEMCA & Department
of Science and Technology, Government of India –
March 8-9, 2007
• National Community Radio Forum, Anna University
(CR Training and Resource Centre)
 The Road Ahead

• Strengthen existing partnerships

• Forge new ties with NGOs
• Live phone-in talk shows with NGOs
• Participatory women and youth outreach activities
• Networking with local youth communities – Youth
SHGs
 The Road Ahead

• Establishing Anna FM-NGO Helplines

• Channelise Women and Youth Power through
Community Radio
• Seek higher transmitter power-ERP-for Anna FM
• Explore avenues for sustainability through local
commercials
• Network with other CR stations to learn and share
 Looking Back..
Looking
back
at
the
years
gone
by….
 Anna FM – 90.4MHz
Down Memory Lane
Indigenous software created for Anna FM

Programmes by the community

For the community
Police Community
Interaction
 Police Community Interaction

a Discussion with students

a Discussion with Women
a Discussion with Slum children
a Discussion on Traffic Problems
a Methods of preventing Cyber Crimes
 Women
Empowerment
 Women Empowerment

Interviews with Women Achievers from diverse fields

Opportunities for entrepreneurship

Live Phone-in talk shows

In co-ordination with the Centre for Empowerment of

Women, Anna University
Entrepreneurship
Management
 Entrepreneurship Management

a Interviews with successful entrepreneurs from

various sectors

a In co-ordination with the Center for Entrepreneurship

Development, Anna University
Vazhkaiyin Vannangal

Lifestyle
Programmes

The pulse of the community

 Lifestyle Interviews

ƒ Interviews with the common man

ƒ To ensure total community participation
ƒ Snake charmers, gypsies, maids, street mechanics,
watchmen, rag pickers and a lot more

A few Glimpses here…

English Language
Programmes
Mind your language
 English Language Programmes
(Sunday - 8:30 pm)

a Programmes for enhancing spoken and written English

a Sessions for
Communication Skills
Etiquette
Improving Vocabulary
 Samudaya
Nerkaanal
Face-to-Face with the Community
Live Phone-in Interactive Talk Show
 Samudaya Nerkaanal
¾ A platform for the marginalised
¾ Programme by the community, for the community
ƒ Saturday – 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
ƒ Hour-long live phone-in interactive talk show with
the community
ƒ Interaction through a WLL phone
ƒ Completion of 150 successful episodes
ƒ A team of media faculty and students interact live
with the Community at the OB spot
ƒ Studio RJs anchor the show from the Anna FM
studios.
 Samudaya Nerkaanal

Interaction with people from

¾ Perumbakkam
¾ Chitalapakkam
¾ Moovarasampet
¾ Madipakkam
¾ Pallikaranai
¾ Kannigapuram
¾ Velachery
¾ Saidapet
 Samuthaya Nerkaanal
Field experiences
• Anna FM OB team reaches its community by 5 pm
every Saturday evening
• Briefs the residents of the Anna FM mission
• Sets up the WILL phone and positions the radio sets
at vantage positions
• Seeks community participation and voluntary
support
• Decides on the issue of the day with the folks
• Initial apprehension from community
• Five minutes to go and anxiety is up
• Children, Youth, Women and Menfolk start trickling
in to the venue
 SAMUTHAYA NERKAANAL
Field experiences

• Its 5.30 pm and the first participant is on air

• The talk show gets initiated - a frank outpouring of problems
and inaction
• Numbers swell and the scene gets noisier
• Anna FM team finds it a challenge to bring in orderliness
• As enthusiasm grows out of bounds its time for a break
• Programme resumes and Amul makes a request
• She triggers a chain reaction
• A craft training programme begins and ends amidst fanfare
• Another training session round the corner
 Samuthaya Nerkaanal
Field experiences

• A self help group is all set to crystallise

• And the mission continues
• Its amazing – Every Samuthaya Nerkanal winds up at
630 pm
• Leaving behind a trail of people waiting to go on air
• Anna FM team promises to be back the next
Saturday
 Music
Programmes
 Music Programmes
Local Talent Promotion

a Folk Music
a Instrumental

Expression of latent talent by the differently-abled

a Students from St. Louis School for Visually Impaired

a Students from the Spastics Society of India
 Science
Programmes
Promotion of year of Scientific Awareness
 Science Programmes

¾Meet the Scientist

¾ Song highlighting Year of Scientific Awareness
¾ Programmes focusing the importance of ‘Year of
Scientific Awareness’
¾ Science Quiz
 Consumer
Awareness
Know your rights and protect yourself
 Consumer Awareness

¾Programmes highlighting consumer issues

¾Focus on Consumer Act, rights and
responsibilities
¾In co-ordination with the Consumer associations of
Chennai
 Career
Guidance
 Career Guidance
(Tuesday – 8.30 pm)

¾ Programmes featuring various courses in

Anna University
¾Job opportunities for various courses
¾ Interaction with HODs and students from various
departments
Management
Matters
Understanding Management
 Management Matters
(Friday – 8 pm)

¾ Interviews with eminent management personalities

¾ Highlight on various aspects of management
¾ Wide coverage on
ƒ HRD
ƒ Communication
ƒ Motivation
ƒ Marketing, Finance and so on
 Natchathira
Nerkaanal
Interviews with lesser known stars
from the community
 Natchathira Nerkaanal
(Thursday – 7.30 pm)

¾Interesting series on
ƒ History
ƒ Career
ƒ Literature
ƒ Science
 Muyarchi
Thiruvinayakkum
Where there is a will there is a way
An effort to include the differently - abled
 Muyarchi Thiruvinayakkum
(Saturday – 8 pm)

¾Interaction with differently – abled children, their

parents and special educators
¾ Programme in association with Vidyasagar, formerly
‘The Spastics Society of India’
Community
Matters
‘Success and Ability’
 Community Matters
(Friday – 8.30 pm)

¾Audio version of the print magazine ‘Success and

Ability’
¾ In co-ordination with Ability Foundation
 Programmes for
Visually challenged
 Programmes for Visually Challenged
(Daily – 6.30 pm)

¾In association with NIVH (National Institute of

Visually Handicapped)
¾ Radio lectures by faculty of NIVH on various
subjects
Arokiya Vazhvu
Health is wealth
 Arokiya Vazhvu
(Monday – 8.30 pm)

¾Interview with health experts

¾ Focus on Naturopathy and Ayurveda
¾Coping with Lifestyle Diseases
 Campus Events
Anna FM – India’s first campus community radio
Need we say more?
 Campus Events

¾ Programmes in magazine format

¾ Produced by the students of Anna University
ƒ Campus Buzz – What’s hot and What’s not?
ƒ Arivukku Virundhu – General knowledge series
ƒ Illuminati Quiz – Quest for the enlightened!
 Bouquets for Anna FM
• Government acknowledges that Anna FM is a success
• Community Radio aspirants look up to Anna FM as a model
to emulate
• Inquiries pour in from across the country

Manakula Vinayagar College of Engineering,

Pondicherry
Kongu Engineering College, Erode
College of Engineering, New Delhi
School of Communication Studies, University of
Hyderabad
Vidya Pratishtan College of Engineering, Baramathi,
Pune
 Bouquets for Anna FM
• Mudra Institute of Communications,
Ahmedabad
• Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
• Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New
Delhi
• St.Xavier’s College, Mumbai
• Auroville, Pondicherry
 Anna FM Partnership Meet
• Anna FM celebrates
PARTNERSHIP MEETS every year
on its anniversary
• To acknowledge the valuable
contribution of its partners in
progress
 Recurring
Expenditure
Money Matters…
¾ Capital Expenditure – 12 lakhs of rupees (US$30000)
¾ Recurring Expenditure
¾ Maintenance
¾ Honorarium to presenters
¾ Travel
¾ Refreshments
¾ Printing
¾ Stationery

¾ Expenditure for Anna FM per month – Rs. 70,000

(US$ 1500)
 Volunteers
Ms.S.Shanthi Ms.Bandita Panda
Faculty Mr. Dilli Babu
Ms.V.Revathy
Ms.P.Umamaheswari Mr. Saravanan
Mr.R.Subramani Mr. Surendran
Mr.A.Raja Mr. A. Muppal
Mr.C.Kannan Mr. Kolappan
Mr.S.M.Hussain Ms. Neeraja Prabhakhar
Mr.K.Vijay Sarathy Ms. Venkatalakshmi
Mr.M.V.Venkatesh Mr. V. Subramanian
Mr.D.Vinodh Rajesh Ms. Meenakshi
Ms.Malini Ms. Mangalam
Mr.Balamurugan Ms. Karpagam
Ms. Malathi Mr. Basumani
Ms. Jayanthi Mr. Madhavan
Ms. Radha Mr. Kumar
Ms. Meenakshi Ms. Kavitha
Ms. Uma
 Student Volunteers
T.I.Laksala Janani
Mohana Priya
P. Yuvarani Anitha
Joseph
J. Julia Jennifer
Manivannan
P. Chitra Tilak
Prem Kumar
Sai Sudha Ganesh
Dipak Krishnamani
Nadhiya Hari Shankar
Hari adarsh
Lakshmi Vijay Kumar
Christy
Meera Meenakshi Ramesh
Kamalakannan
Archana Madhubala Bhavani Shanker
Vishal
Alifya Yunus Gowri Shanakar
Ashwath
Harini Simon Felix
Shyamala
Hema Ponnuswamy
Jayanth
Vani Prabu Subramanian
Amudha
Saleem Vinay Sekhar
Sathish
Priya Radha shree
 Last few words…
To quote Jon Van Zyl, ABC Ulwazi

“ Let
The
People
Broadcast “
And may I add,
‘ Let the Government Listen….for a change.”
Thank You