Shillong, Nov 11: All India Radio (AIR), Shillong on Saturday organized a seminar on the eve of the Public Service Broadcasting Day and as part of the 20th anniversary of Prasar Bharati which was founded on November 23, 1997.

The Public Service Broadcasting Day is observed every year on November 12 to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s first and last visit to All India Radio studio on November 12, 1947.

The seminar was held at the State Convention Centre, here.

AIR Director General, Fayyaz Sheheryar in his keynote address stated that All India Radio is the inheritor of a great legacy and congratulated Prasar Bharati on its 20th anniversary.

He said that AIR is the largest news gathering and disseminating apparatus in the world and its sheer enormity of its output is mind boggling. A modern and vibrant democracy needs an informed citizenry capable of knowing the various options available in which people could debate and act upon, he added.

Sheheryar informed the gathering that All India Radio would soon have its services on Amazon’s Echo Dot in the next three to six months time.

Echo Dot is a hands-free voice controlled device using Alexa voice service to play music, set alarm and timers, weather and sports scores, manage to-do and shopping among others.

He said that All India Radio was working to provide Virtual Private Network which would provide seamless broadcasting service to any part of the country. “Websites of AIR has been developed which will have all stations across the country incorporated. Mobile app of All India Radio is being developed to utilize the existing platforms with over 20 live streaming channels,” Sheheryar said.

He also informed that AIR has diversified its IT initiatives to meet the demands of the diverse audience. Some of the initiatives which he mentioned were upgradation of webcasting infrastructure for live streaming of all channels of AIR available on DTH platform including state of the art audio encoding and streaming of infrastructure at par with international broadcasters, provision of content delivery network for professional delivery of audio streams and detailed user statistics along with Cloud storage for audio-on-demand streaming services and development of AIR Website having provision for micro-website of all stations of AIR.

The AIR Director General also acknowledged AIR news bulletin, current affair programmes and other genre of programmes broadcast both in general and special audience segments have been strengthening the country’s democratic fabric.

“In keeping with modern trends in the broadcasters of repute, AIR is serving its effective tools of radio plus, and the social media platforms have amazing followers and a quick public response specialty that attracts Indians, Indians abroad and non-Indians with deep interest in Indian affairs”, he added.

In the seminar, the topics include “Impact of potentialities of oral media wedded to the cause of service in tribal and remote areas,” “Hybrid radio for topographically lopsided terrains,” and “Civil disturbance and war reporting vis-a-vis radio news” were deliberated upon by resource persons which include Dr Desmond L Kharmawphlang, Professor and Head, Cultural and Creative Studies, NEHU; Dr Lalthansangi Associate Professor, Department of Education, Government Aizawl College; KV Ramachandran, DDG (E) AIR, Kohima; Amit Baruah, Resident Editor, The Hindu and Padmashree Patricia Mukhim.