Opinion | The Voice That Is Going Silent: What India Loses When Radio Dies |
Opinion | The Voice That Is Going Silent: What India Loses When Radio Dies
Updated: May 23, 2026 20:50 pm IST Published On May 23, 2026 20:47 pm IST Last Updated On May 23, 2026 20:50 pm IST
Published On May 23, 2026 20:47 pm IST
Last Updated On May 23, 2026 20:50 pm IST
We have all experienced this in the early morning commute. A voice cuts through traffic noise with a local reference, something specific, a forthcoming event, traffic update, a joke about the weather, and then a song you had forgotten you loved. For two decades, that voice was FM radio. It knew your city. It talked to you as if it lived there too.
Now, that voice is going quiet.
Several major private FM operators in India have begun surrendering broadcast licences. Expansion plans have halted. Local programming is shrinking. The industry that once placed itself at the heart of urban India's daily rhythm is retreating. Sun TV Network, Music Broadcast Limited and other listed radio entities have reported sustained revenue pressure. India's radio advertising market, once growing at double digits, has been contracting in real terms against digital's explosive rise.
At first glance, this makes no sense. India's appetite for audio content is growing unabated. Music consumption is at an all-time high. Podcasts are growing rapidly. Earphones are ubiquitous. Commutes still happen, and people spend hours in transit. Audio, as a medium, has never been more central to Indian daily life.
So why is FM radio weakening to near collapse even as audio consumption........