Click to play videoNew Delhi: Radio channel Red FM will not go off air for the moment. The Telecom Disputes Settlement Tribunal has given a stay on the ban imposed on the station by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
West Bengal witnessed violent outbursts last week when the RJ of the radio channel passed a derogatory remark on the ethnicity of Indian Idol Prashant Tamang. The protesters pelted stones on the Silliguri streets a week ago, enraged by the remark that a ‘Gurkha’ has won the Indian idol contest.
The radio station has since apologized and the RJ who allegedly made the remark has been taken off air. Priyaranjan Das Munshi proposed a ban on Red FM for a week as punishment.
However, TDSAT the telecom watch dog, which was to decide on the ban has put the decision on hold. So the Red FM will stay on air at least till the next hearing on November 13. Since there are no existing guidelines the TDSAT will have to rely on the Indian Penal Code to determine whether the remarks were derogatory or not.
But radio broadcasters across the country are up in arms against Ministry’s big ban syndrome. They say that it conveys precisely the wrong signal to a fledgling industry, which is trying to put a code of conduct in place.
“We apologise for what happened but any it's a nascent industry. Any harsh move and the trust deficit with the government will go down,” said AP Parigi, Chairman, FICCI Radio Forum.
FM radio now boasts of over 250 channels across 90 cities in India with 5 being added every month.
Now the ministry might be trying to make an example out of RED FM, but pulling a channel off air because of a tasteless insensitive joke may be taking matters a bit too far.
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