All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani, is an Indian state-owned public radio broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. It was established in 1936. It is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, an Indian television broadcaster. Headquartered in the Akashvani Bhavan building in New Delhi, it houses the Drama Section, the FM Section, and the National Service, and is also home to the Indian television station Doordarshan Kendra, (Delhi).
Headquarters at Sansad Marg, New Delhi
AIR headquarters in New Delhi
Old Akashvani Bhawan on Sansad Marg
AIR tower in Mangalore, Karnataka
Public broadcasting involves radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing, and commercial financing, and avoid political interference or commercial influence.
Amherst Island public radio
The Gregory Hall on the campus of University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign hosted an important meeting of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters in the 1940s, that spawned both PBS and NPR.[citation needed]
Broadcasting House, the longtime headquarters of RTHK
Doordarshan Bhawan, New Delhi (headquarters of DD)