Beyond the Transmitter: IVR and Mobile Tools as Extensions of Community Radio for Farmers and Marginalized Voices in India

Abstract Community radio (CR) was introduced in India as a third tier of broadcasting meant to give a voice to groups that state and commercial media routinely leave out. Two decades after the 2006 policy guidelines, the sector has grown to more than 560 operational stations, yet a low-power FM transmitter reaches only a short radius, depends on stable electricity and staffing, and offers listeners little more than a call-in segment as a way to speak back. In parallel, voice-based mobile tools, above all Interactive Voice Response (IVR) forums such as Gram Vaani's Mobile Vaani, have shown that people with basic phones, low literacy and no data connection can record, hear and discuss local stories on demand. This article asks how IVR and related mobile tools extend, complement or compete with community radio's participatory aims, with particular attention to farmers, women and other marginalized groups. Using a documentary, comparative case approach drawn from policy documents, government data and published studies, it examines four cases: Sangham Radio, Radio Tilonia, Radio Mewat and Mobile Vaani, together with the hybrid radio-IVR experiment Gurgaon Idol. It proposes a five-part analytical framework (reach, participation, voice and language, sustainability, accountability) and argues that the strongest model is not radio replaced by mobile but radio and mobile working as one participatory loop. The article closes with policy recommendations and a research agenda. Keywords: Community Radio, IVR; Mobile Vaani, Gram Vaani, Participatory Media, New Media, Mobile Telephony, Marginalized Community.