MUMBAI: Having organised the awards for the past 33 years, Rapa (The Radio and TV Advertising Professionals Association of India Ltd) awards are likely to be cancelled this year, according to the Rapa managing committee. Initiated in 1974, this would be the first year that the awards have been cancelled.

Rapa president Viresh Chaddha confirmed the development saying, Rapa awards won't be held this year and would continue the practice next year. However, the organisation hasn't decided if it would conduct the awards cumulatively for two years or just skip a year and continue from next year....

Sources mention that Rapa would hold the next award in May 2010 cumulatively for two years and the organisation might host a two day function for each year respectively.

Sources further state that internal issues in the organisation lead to cancellation of the event this year. Issues began when the limited company was converted into a trust and conflict of ideas erupted in the managing committee. Although the organisation was formed in 1974, Rapa operated from the ruling president's office and didn't have a place of it own for the past 35 years. It was this year that Rapa set up its commercial office in Mahim and also registered itself as a trust in June 2009 from being a limited company for financial transparency.

Rapa which earlier represented �The Radio and TV Advertising Practitioners Association of India Ltd' was changed into �The Radio and TV Advertising Professionals Association of India Ltd' this year.Rapa revises its committee every year and elects new members on board. But in an Annual General Meeting dated 29th July, it was resolved that the same committee headed by President Viresh Chaddha be continued for another year to sort out impending issues in the organisation.

The radio industry has expressed its displeasure over Rapa skipping the awards this year. Radio Mirchi chief programming officer Tapas Sen expresses disappointedly, Rapa had developed a credibility having conducted the awards from the past 33 years but skipping it a year reduces its prominence. The organisers of the award should work in tandem with the industry to ensure that the credibility is retained....

One of the significance of Rapa awards has been recognizing talent in the regional pockets. Sen agrees, One of the main attractions of Rapa was it also focused on the regional markets unlike other radio awards which are metro centric....

Big FM Senior Vice President – Marketing Anand Chakravarthy expresses, Rapa is an integral award for recognizing talent in radio industry and it is an opportunity for regional markets to showcase their talent  It is unfortunate that Rapa awards will not be held this year as it has specific radio categories to showcase our work....

Radio Mirchi radio jockey Jeeturaaj who grabbed the �Male RJ of the year' Rapa award last year states, Rapa awards are a yardstick for radio jockeys to prove themselves and measure their merits. Awards like this provide positive insight to RJs to achieve excellence and it comes as a disappointment that Rapa won't be held this year....