All India Radio’s national channel will seize to exist from now on as Prasar Bharati has ordered an immediate shut down of the 31-year-old channel. The reasons attributed are ‘rationalisation and cost-cutting’. The channel hosted a variety of programmes and news bulletins since 1987.

Deccan Herald quoted the order issued on behalf of the AIR Director General as saying, “In order to rationalise the AIR services and keeping in view the cost-cutting measures, it has been decided by Prasar Bharati to close down the national channel of the AIR and RAMBs with immediate effect.”

The channel received about three crore rupees in funding every year for it to be operated. Apart from the regional channels, listeners can now tune into AIR’s Delhi channels until 11:15 pm.

Deccan Herald quoted the Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati as saying, “Rationalisation of terrestrial broadcasting is a continuous process. We have been reviewing areas that have not been effective and where technology is getting obsolete. This is an ongoing exercise and will continue. Technology is forward-looking like digital. As far as a national stream goes, it is our desire that we should have a 24x7 news stream. We are working towards it.”

One of the main reasons speculated is that the superpower transmitter is fading out of its capacity, since it had been installed in 1987 at Nagpur.