Rendezvous with Red FM: How the FM radio Could Expand Our Awareness Levels

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed us through the All India Radio (AIR) recently it came as a surprise to the unsuspecting ‘coach potatoes’ and geeks glued to their iphones, ipads and what not. We suddenly had to sit up and listen instead of lazily watch or surf channels.

New Delhi: The PM is not the first leader to use this far-reaching mode of conveying messages. The Frequency Modulation (FM) radio has been around since long. Invented by Edwin Armstrong in the 1920s, it is a technique for wireless transmission of information where the frequency of a high frequency carrier is changed in proportion to message signal which contains the information, say Engr. Dr Chukwu Chima O, in a seminar report written by him recently.

I had been an avid listener of almost all radio stations on AIR since a teenager. Music filled the void in my mind throughout the day while I did other things. Now the choice is unlimited with a number of FM channels delivering messages, music and latest info 24×7.

Standard FM broadcasts are based in the 88 - 108 MHz range. Though FM is not a new concept, it is essential to a wide gamut of radio frequency wireless devices and therefore worth studying. The traditional appeal of the mass broadcast through radio has lost its listeners. But listeners want different things now. Their choice of music and the messages they would like to hear is highly individualized. Accordingly, the number of FM channels cater to the various commercial needs.