Commissioned on 26th May, 1963, All India Radio, Sambalpur extended service to the people of western part of Odisha as an auxiliary centre, drawing most of it’s programmes from AIR, Cuttack. Initially, it was catering to the rural listeners with emphasis on Intensive Agricultural Development Programme (IADP). In a phased manner it started broadcasting programmes of information and entertainment for Farm & Home, Youth, Education Broadcast, Industrial and general audience in the shape of Sambalpuri music, Radio Plays and special audience programmes of composite nature. Initially this station transmitted and also recorded some programmes from its transmitting centre located at Maneswar, 10 Kms. away from Sambalpur town.
The permanent type-I Studios along with the office complex was commissioned on 21stSept., 1984. The transmitting capacity of the station was earlier 20 KW MW which was augmented to 100 KW in the year 1998. Transmission-I has been bridged with Transmission-II with effect from 27th November, 2012 and accordingly Transmission-I (Morning Transmission) commences at 5.55 A.M and concludes at 3.00 PM every day. On 23rd November, 2015 the 5 KW FM Transmitter meant for primary channel of the station was inaugurated by Dr.P.K.Mishra, Addl. Principal Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office, Govt. Of India, New Delhi in the august presence of Shri Suresh Chandra Panda, Member(P), Prasar Bharati, Shri A.R.Sheikh, ADG-E(EZ), AIR & DD, Kolkata. Adding another feather to its cap, the inauguration of origination of regional news in Sambalpuri from Regional News Unit of this station was held on 23rd January, 2016 by Shri Pradeep Kumar Pujari, Secretary, Ministry of Power, Govt. of India in the august presence of Shri Sitanshu Kar, Director General(News), News Services Division and Shri N.P.Joshi, Director(Administration), DG, AIR.
Contributed By: K.M.Bibhar, AIR, Sambalpur, airsambalpur@gmail.com