Chikkamagaluru: Radio listeners across Chikkamagaluru, including those in hilly areas where FM and mobile connectivity often remain weak, will get wider coverage as the Centre approves a full-fledged 10 kW FM station at Dattapeetha, the district’s highest point.Confirming the approval, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Srinivas Poojary said the project has been cleared and civil works will be taken up at the earliest.The proposal to set up the station at the elevated Dattapeetha region was submitted to the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and the concerned ministry, citing its strategic location and wider coverage advantage.The high-power transmitter will ensure uninterrupted FM coverage across the hilly terrain, where private FM and mobile connectivity often remain weak.Once operational, the station will serve Chikkamagaluru city, the hilly regions of Koppa, Sringeri and Mudigere, and the plains of Tarikere and Kadur. Neighbouring districts, including Hassan, Shivamogga and Dakshina Kannada, and parts of Udupi will also benefit.For local listeners, the station is expected to provide a platform for local news, agriculture information for coffee and areca growers, education, weather alerts during monsoon and disaster management updates. It will also promote Malnad culture and tourism.The approval fulfils a demand raised by local residents, the media fraternity and various organisations for over a decade. At present, listeners depend on stations from Mangaluru and Hassan, which have limited reach in the ghat sections.Poojary said department officials have responded positively to the request. Sringeri currently has only a low-power 100-watt FM Relay Transmitter, which covers about a 10km radius.A 20-kW MW transmitter (675 kHz) at Akashvani Bhadravati provides radio coverage to most parts of Chikkamagaluru, while areas bordering Hassan district are covered by Hassan’s 10-kW FM transmitter.A new 10-kW high-power FM transmitter is needed to cover the entire Chikkamagaluru district, which is the proposal now approved for Dattapeetha.
