KOZHIKODE: They started at a time when the 24X7 news channels were not there, and the only sources of information were newspapers and the radio.
All India Radio Kozhikode division started its regional news bulletin exactly 50 years ago on a Vishu day, on April 14, 1966, and most familiar newsreader Ramachandran read the first bulletin.
The AIR has planned a year-long programme to commemorate the golden jubilee and on April 13, a special bulletin would be aired between 6.30 and 6.45 pm. “The technology had not developed like what we enjoy today. There were no computers and they purely depended on teleprinters. Ministers’ press conferences, ministry announcements, and other communiques were the primary sources of news. The new generation would never be able to imagine such a period when the locals were entirely dependent on the radios,” says AIR Kozhikode assistant director, News, N. Vijaya.
There were also community radios in open spaces like Mananchira Square, where people gather in huge number. The regional news bulletins were very popular there. Another range of listeners were homemakers who enjoy its portability.
They calculated time according to the programmes on the radio and scheduled their working hours accordingly. The Kozhikode station's 6.45 am bulletin has the maximum number of listeners, says Ms Vijaya. After the 1966 bulletin, noon bulletin was introduced in 1972 and the morning bulletin in 1974.
The Kozhikode station has only limited staff now, one assistant director, one correspondent and two newsreaders though they have part-time correspondents in all the districts. Their biggest challenge now is competition from private radios and channels. “Private radios can’t broadcast news. But we can’t compete with the television channels,” says Ms Vijaya.
