Mumbai: National Broadcasting Day is celebrated in India on 23 July to make people aware of the importance of radio. On this day, the journey of All India Radio started in the year 1927.

Why do we celebrate National Broadcasting Day? Let us dig into the details!

This was the day when India got its first radio broadcasting company. A private company named Indian Broadcasting Company Limited (IBC) started its journey as India's broadcasting company. The Indian broadcasting company started broadcasting radio from Mumbai's station.

History of National Broadcasting Day

The history of broadcasting in India goes back almost thirteen years to the beginning of All India Radio (AIR). In June 1923, the Radio Club of Bombay in the British Raj broadcast for the first time in the country. Five months later, the Calcutta Radio Club was established but the Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC) came into existence on 23 July, 1927.

All India Radio launched

All India Radio has come a long way in India. But broadcasting started in 1927 with just two privately owned transmitters in Bombay and Kolkata. In 1930, the government took these transmitters under its control and started running it under the name of Indian Broadcasting Service. In April 1930, the Indian Broadcasting Service under the Department of Labor and Industrial started its operations on an experimental basis. In May 1935, a private radio station was set up in All India Radio, Mysore.

On 8 June 1936, the Indian State Broadcasting Service known as All India Radio (AIR) was established. In 1956, it was called by the name Akashvani. In 1957, the Vividh Bharati service was started, which created a stir among film and music lovers & became very popular among the public.

What is AIR?

All India Radio or All India Radio (AIR) is India's domestic national radio broadcasting service reaching millions of homes across the country. AIR is a division of Prasar Bharati which was earlier under government control but is now an autonomous body, established by an Act of Parliament.

India's public service broadcaster, Prasar Bharati is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in the world. Prasar Bharati has four hundred seventy broadcasting centers across the country, covering about 92 per cent of the country's area and 99.19 per cent of the total population. It has a reach across 150 countries through medium and short wave services. All India Radio originally broadcasts programs in twenty-three languages and one hundred seventy-nine dialects. As digital takes a lead, the oldest radio broadcaster has turned no stones unturned to stay relevant even in today's world. It has its online and digital applications too. Prasar Bharati's NewsonAIR mobile app has more than one million subscribers.