The wonder that was Radio!

Chennai:

It was a celebration of eighty-six years since electricity crackled through the capacitors and amplifiers of Indian Broadcasting Company’s Bombay transmitter station on July 23, 1927 bringing to life the first radio station in Bombay.

Tributes poured in highlighting the glorious era of Radio when it was the sole medium of entertainment before the advent of television at a function here.

Addressing a gathering here on the occasion to mark the anniversary, former Supreme Court Judge S Mohan walked down the memory lane highlighting how it was the only mode of entertainment for all the classes and also an effective communication tool.

He said that radio has provided a platform for many aspiring youngsters wanting to earn name and fame. He also highlighted how the death of Mahatma Gandhi was broken through the radio. Mohan said that radio would surpass all the competition.

During the occasion a platinum jubilee special postal cover was also released. Interestingly, it was Merwin Alexander, post master general, Chennai region who highlighted how both postal department and All India Radio are slowly losing their relevance. “We both had a glorious past but uncertain future,” he said.

He said that both the departments are trying to catch up with the evolving technologies with innovation in their services. S K Aggarwal, additional director general of All India Radio said that AIR is going in for digitization in a big way.  “We have adopted Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) standard for transmitters. This will help in improving reception, quality and providing multiple programmes on a single frequency. He said that All India Radio Chennai is proud to be one of the first stations to have Digital MW transmitter. The old transmitter has been replaced with new 20 kW DRM transmitter and the replacement of other transmitters are on the anvil, he added.