MASS MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION

R adio Radio broadcasting which commenced in India through amateur ‘ham’ broadcasting clubs in Kolkata and Chennai in the 1920s matured into a public broadcasting system in the 1940s during the World War II when it became a major instrument of propaganda for Allied forces in South-east Asia. At the time of independence there were only six radio stations located in the major cities catering primarily to an urban audience. By , there were , , radio licences all over India. Ask anyone you know from a generation that grew up in the first two decades after independence about the documentaries that were routinely shown before the screening of films. Write down their recollections. R adio In , AIR’s programmes could be heard in two-third of all Indian households in languages and dialects, over some million radio sets. The advent of privately owned FM radio stations in provided a boost to entertainment programmes over radio. In order to attract audiences, these Soap opera Soap operas are stories that are serialised. They are continuous. Individual stories may come to an end, and different characters appear and disappear, but the soap itself has no ending until it is taken off the air completely. Soap operas presume a history, which the regular viewer knows – he or she becomes familiar with the characters, with their personalities and their life experiences.