Vinod Pavarala, professor of Communications and UNESCO Chair for Community Media at University of Hyderabad, underlined the need for promoting community media being run by grossroot level activists to address the real problems being faced by common people.
Addressing journalism students and PR professionals to mark the 12th Public Relations Education Day organised by the Hyderabad chapter of Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) here, Prof. Pavarala said community media was the third sector media after public radio and commercial radios. It gives voice to the voiceless in the purest form. Prof. Pavarala said 250 community radios were operating in the country and it would become 350 with the government’s decision to provide licences to 100 more last week.
“In fact, we need 3,000 to 4,000 stations. Owned, managed, operated and produced by ordinary people with local content, these stations will reflect the aspirations of the needy at the ground level,” he said.
He highlighted the salient features of Sangam Radio, India’s first community radio in Telangana, and CGNet Swara, a central Gondwana mobile platform to drive his point home.
C.V. Narasimha Reddi, editor of PR Voice, said there was a need for training PR professionals for effective dissemination of information. On the occasion, K. Raja Ram of Telangana University, Nizamabad, was felicitated with the ‘Best Public Relations Teacher’ award and T. Sujatha of Andhra Mahila Sabha as ‘Best PR Counsellor’.
Yadlapudi Venkateswara Rao, editor or Raithu Nestham, was also felicitated for being awarded Padma Shri recently. Venu Gopal Reddy and Mohan Rao, president and secretary of PRSI Hyderabad chapter, also spoke.