Broadcasting means the transmission of news, speeches, music, etc. by means of electrical and ionized reflexion waves to all persons who possess receiving sets. The discovery of the wireless or radio goes back to the first decade of the 20th century and Sir Jagadis Bose was one of the pioneer-workers who made valuable contributions to this science. To Marconi of Italy, however, belongs the credit of putting this discovery to practical use, when in 1899 he transmitted wireless messages across the English Channel.
Since 1911, the development was rapid. In 1930, it reached a stage that enabled Col. Lindberg to broadcast the story of his air fight across the Atlantic through a chain of 119 stations. Today there are radio stations broadcasting from almost every big city and millions of people get their news, messages and amusements over their wireless sets. The question now is—how to make the best use of broadcasting for social purpose.
In the main, broadcasting affords a pleasant family diversion. Nothing can be more charmingly domestic than to sit round the radio with one’s parents, brothers, and sisters, and listen to musical programme, theatrical and other interesting topics and relays. One can take the pick of the items from the programme of almost any country in the world. Broadcasting has made us citizens of the world in a very real sense.
In this age, when one has hardly the time, one saves some amount of time listening to the news on the radio while having one is early breakfast. The Newspaper, with its peculiar appeal, can never be superseded, but it can be kept over for a more care-free period of leisure,—on the way to office if one has a car, or in the intervals of the day’s work. It is pleasant to be greeted every morning with that cheering “Hello, everybody” (or its local verification of form) and then to hear the news of the world read out to us: it at once makes us feel friendly with mankind.
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The wireless can be used for educational purpose, besides entertainment. There is so much to be leant these days—progress going on everywhere, in all departments of life, and all over the world. Indeed, it is difficult to remain thoroughly upto-date in this fast developing world. The wireless station helps us in some measure to keep pace with this world of progress. The Radio selects, condenses and gives us important bits of information. It has programmes to suit all types of listeners of all age groups. Thus for the common man, the radio has been a real teacher, a compendium book of knowledge for the ear.
The radio, however, largely is for propaganda by the government. To tell what people should or should not do, to control in an increasing measure the daily life of individuals, the radio is now a handy medium for the government. Under such conditions, the radio acquires an importance of its now, beyond its very wide wartime use.
To think that the radio is meant only for the average and common man is a mistake. Even the intellectual will find much in it to be interested. Great thinkers, great scientists, great poets often speak to us through the radio.
An adjunct of broadcasting is the growth of television in which you not only hear a man speaking but you can see the man live with his words and movements.
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In America, in Ceylon, in Australia and in many other countries like India, commercial advertisements are allowed to be put up in the air for money. Programmes of AIR’s Bividh Bharati earn a lot from advertisements. So the radio has brightened the home; the sickbed it has cheered, the young mind it has instructed, and the trade it has set going. To free the radio from the control of the ruling Coalition Govt. or party in power, the Prasar Bharati bill has been effectively passed to make Radio and TV autonomous. It is now expected that the Radio and TV would henceforward be more impartial in catering to the common public.