Plurality and diversity of voices in community radio: A case study of radio brahmaputra from Assam

Abstract

Community radio is a powerful medium, which serves to voice the voiceless and is at the heart of communication and democratic processes within societies. Considering the diversity of the northeastern region of India, it is not possible for state-run broadcasting agencies to reach all the communities through its programming content. Radio Brahmaputra, located in Dibrugarh, eastern part of Assam, is the first and only grassroot community radio of Northeast India. Radio Brahmaputra produces content in various languages and local dialects, which create impact in the community engagement of the respective areas. Radio Brahmaputra assists in production of plural voices from the margins of the country against the backdrop of the politics of community radio in India. This chapter will also deal with the process of selecting themes for the radio program by the community reporters and the importance of narrowcasting over broadcasting for a visible impact of the stakeholders.