| However, the government made light of Win's threat
to go off the air from tomorrow. Pointing out that the I&B ministry
was trying to resolve the matter, the ministry official said such
posturing by Win was "unwarranted" as it was the FM radio
station's wish to close down.
Meanwhile, all private FM players, on condition of anonymity, rue
the lack of unity within the community. Publicly, they all swear
eternal allegiance to the cause of FM radio in the country.
With the Radio Mirchi petition turned down by the High Court, one
of the few flickers of hope for the industry has died. Individually,
each player is struggling to find a solution to the impasse or getting
ready to shell out the hefty license fee. Win 94.6 has decided to
go off the airwaves from 11 pm tomorrow. It is trying to drum up
public support for this initiative through announcements on the
station today, but among its counterparts in the industry, there
is only tacit support. "If only all the players would get together
and collectively close down, even if for a short period, it would
focus government attention on the issue," says one player.
For now, the Millennium Broadcast backed Win is fighting its lone
battle in the manner best known to it. Win resorted to the same
strategy in May 2003, when its license fees were due and it refused
to pay for over a month. This time, again, it says the closure will
be indefinite, till the powers that be, see reason and rationalise
the license fee structure or temper it with a revenue sharing model.
Time, or the Election Commission, should tell.
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