Ever-active Tiruchy All India Radio turns 80 today

The Tiruchy AIR, which completes 80th year on Thursday (May 16), is still active in providing information on education and entertainment besides sharing required details on welfare, happiness, health, etc., to listeners spread across the delta region and even to a few neighbouring districts.

Another feather in the Tiruchy AIR’s cap is that it is the second broadcasting unit in the State. One of the memorable moments in Tiruchy radio history was that when the whole of India was following the historic moon landing on 21 July, 1969, listening to Voice of America, the AIR Tiruchy translated several interesting features of the event in Tamil.

The radio station, one of the six pioneer stations in the pre-Independent India, started functioning from a rented building on Williams Road in the Cantonment area in Tiruchy city with a 5 KW medium wave transmitter at Tiruverumbur, and on January 1, 1961, it was upgraded to 100 KW and relocated to Inamkulathur along Tiruchy-Dindigul highway and on November 2, 1962. The station was shifted to its present premises on Bharathidasan Salai

The library in AIR Tiruchy is a treasure preserving several thousands of rare speeches of great leaders, their interviews, photographs of film stars, popular singers and programmes.

Regional Tamil news ‘Maanila Seithikal’ is broadcast from RNU Tiruchy every day at 1.45 PM. This is relayed by all stations in Tamil Nadu. The primary channel targets urban as well as rural listeners and regional news focuses on activities in delta, southern and coastal districts.

The issues of delta farmers, Mettur dam storage, Cauvery river water sharing issue get priority in our bulletins, say officials at the AIR. Fishermen issues, problems faced by them at sea and arrests by Sri Lankan Navy near international maritime boundary line are also given instant coverage.

The headlines programme that was started in Rainbow FM from August 15, 2006, with just eight news gradually increased and today the number has increased to 17. The programme is broadcast from 6 am to 10 pm. The 10 KW transmitter of Rainbow FM caters to more than 25 lakh listeners in the central districts of Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Karur, Namakkal, Diniugul, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam.

“We have been quietly supporting the people to get to know the credible news updates and continue to get appreciations from people of all walks of life”, said Dr K Parameswaran, Deputy Director (News) AIR, Tiruchy.