NEW DELHI: All India Radio officials have told Radioandmusic.com that new AIR FM Broadcasting Stations are being set up at 86 locations in the country including 54 with 100 Watt FM Relay transmitters. These new FM stations are likely to be commissioned within the current plan period (that is, by March 2017).

A total of 91 private FM channels in 54 cities which were issued Letters of Intent after the e-Auction of First batch of FM Phase-III comprising 135 vacant channels in 69 existing cities of FM Phase-II were likely to start operations within 12 months of issue of Letter of Intent.

The sources said this was the first batch of the auctions which will cover 839 new FM radio stations are to be set up in 294 cities.

FM Phase-III Policy extended FM radio services to 227 new cities in addition to 67 existing cities of FM Phase-II having vacant channels.

HT Media has already launched the first of its new radio stations, branded Radio Nasha, in Delhi and Mumbai in March. These licenses were acquired under the first round of phase III auctions by HT Media, which also runs the Fever brand of FM stations in five cities in the country.