PM on FM auctions

IN Media Watch Briefs | 15/08/2015

The ongoing FM radio frequency e-auctions figured in prime minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech. “I came under a lot of pressure. People said to me, Modiji radio is for the poor. There is no income to be had from it. Don’t auction this.” There used to be no income from radio airwaves, he said. Now the bidding from the ongoing Phase 3 e-auctions has crossed Rs 1000 crore and this money will be used for the poor, he added.

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Amazon resisting voluntary censorship

The new term for self censorship is voluntary censorship, as proposed by companies like Netflix and Hotstar. ET reports that streaming video service Amazon Prime is opposing a move by its peers to adopt a voluntary censorship code in anticipation of the Indian government coming up with its own rules. Amazon is resisting because it fears that it may alienate paying subscribers.

Let the games begin

Clearly, the run to the 2019 elections is on. A journalist received a call from someone saying they were from Aajtak channel and were conducting a survey, asking whom she was going to vote for in 2019. On being told that her vote was secret, the caller assumed she wasn't going to vote for 'Modiji'. The caller, a woman, also didn't identify herself. A month or two earlier the same journalist received a call, this time from a man, asking if she was going to vote for the BSP.