AIR plans tower for pvt FM players in Mumbai

Nivedita Mookerji in New Delhi

Even as private FM radio licencees have started making their own tower arrangements in Mumbai, All India Radio (AIR) is making a last-ditch attempt to tap the Mumbai stations. AIR Resources head HO Srivastava told The Financial Express that a new proposal to build a tower will be presented to the private FM licencees for their Mumbai stations. The proposal is expected sometime this month.

Just after the signing of MoU between Prasar Bharati and private operators on sharing AIR towers in three metros—Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata—and two non-metros—Indore and Vishakapatnam, for 16 private radio stations here on Monday, Dr Srivastava indicated that AIR may still bag the Mumbai project. Earlier, Prasar Bharati had clearly stated that its AIR tower in Mumbai did not have the capacity to carry any additional load.

But at a time when private players have begun looking for other options to locate their stations in Mumbai, in the absence of AIR tower-sharing facility in that city, AIR is once again getting ready with a brand new proposal. As per this proposal, AIR would build a tower for the private players in Mumbai, and also offer them its land and resources for the FM stations.

According to Dr Srivastava, the Mumbai tower can be built in another two years. As for its cost, he said: ‘‘We have to negotiate on that.’’ Meanwhile, Prasar Bharati has made a business worth Rs 3.5 crore for offering its towers to private licencees for 14 metro stations and two non-metro stations this year. Earlier, it had garnered Rs 14 crore for its deals with Ignou and Music Broadcast Private Ltd. The annual tower-sharing fee for Delhi is Rs 25 lakh per annum per broadcaster and Rs 13.36 lakh each for Kolkata and Chennai. Plus, there will be additional fee for land, roads and security. Although the deadline for putting up the FM towers is December 29, 2001, the government is expected to extend the same. As per estimates, it may take around four to five months to put the FM operations in place, if installation work begins right away. Mumbai, however, is a different story altogether.