The private FM players may be getting all the publicity at the moment but good old All India Radio is not going to be left behind.

At today's meeting of the board of Pubcaster Prasar Bharati, which manages both AIR and national broadcaster Doordarshan, it was decided that AIR's ad rates were to be revised.

The decision follows a good performance last year by AIR. In a year that has been acknowledged as a bad year for business, AIR raked in revenues of Rs 970 million, the highest in the last 10 years, deputy director general, AIR, MS Rukmini has been quoted as saying.

And Rukmini shows no worries that there will be any drop in revenues what with the plethora new FM channels coming up, because of one fundamental reason. These channels are essentially city-centric, while AIR is still an effective media in the rural sector. Towards this end AIR has been effecting drastic changes in its programmes.

This is certainly an area where private operators are unlikely to take an active interest and so if managed well, there is no reason why AIR shouldn't continue to do well.

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