COMMUNITY RADIO
Local broadcasters register in droves

Plans to prosecute unregistered stations
By: KOMSAN TORTERMVASANA
Published: 16/06/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business

More than 1,000 community radio broadcasters registered to operate in an
hour at the Impact Muang Thong Thani exhibition hall yesterday, when the
National Telecommunications Commission opened its registry for the first
time.


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n-droves>


It is expected that a thousand more community broadcasters will have
registered when the commission's deadline ends in a month.

NTC's chairman of the working panel on community radio, Col Natee
Sukolrat, said more than 2,000 community radio operators attended
yesterday's briefing on community radio regulations and licensing.

The NTC is to hold similar briefings in Chiang Mai on June 22, Khon Kaen
on June 29 and Songkhla on July 2.

The NTC requires broadcasters register to legalise their operations.

Once registered, they would be allowed to hold trial broadcasts for 300
days when the community radio station regulation becomes effective early
next month. The local stations can sell advertising during those initial
300 days.

However, he warned that any community radio stations failing to register
by the deadline could face legal action for illegal broadcasting.

To maintain a licence, broadcasters must comply with community radio
regulations and be non-profit and without advertisements.

Col Natee said he expected the existing 5,000 community radio stations
operating without a licence would dwindle to only a handful for public
service and business purposes.