Radioduniya::July 2008 by Anil Kumar

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www.radioduniya.in July 2008 | Vol: I | Issue: 9 Rs. 50/-

Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first radio monthly

Khurafati Nitin

One man entertainment ARMY

Let the Music Play 13

Stub the Butt 14

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editorial

A level playing field!? As the season is changing, and a new breeze is blowing, we also change our viewpoint and take a fresh look at radio. We do some spring cleaning and brush the dust off certain issues. One key issue is that of radio seeking and finally getting a level playing field with television; but does seeking something automatically get translated into fulfillment? No, there has to be a continuous and collective effort by the industry at getting what is required to allow radio to GROW. Another issue for contemplation is the effect of the TRAI recommendations on satellite radio on terrestrial radio operators of the country. With the governmental decision to accept these recommendations, there is a sense of 'missing the bus' among certain players. Now they are seeking a level playing field with satellite radio as well. For radio to really grow as a category, it is essential to identify the bottlenecks and strive to remove them. The industry should organise its efforts towards improving the situation and come together when it discusses issues with the authorities. For this, the industry needs to prioritise and focus on the core issues that need immediate attention. It must not confuse itself and the authorities, with too many issues at once. The attitude of I win will lead to petty competition and in-fighting that tend to plague the industry. We hope that the collective good and an attitude of WE win will ensure that all of us are active participants in the resurgence and growth of radio in the country.

Ravi Gupta Ravi.Gupta@radioduniya.in

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Ravi Gupta President Dr. M P Narayanan Group Directors Maneesh Prasad Sanjay Kumar Marketing Team Bharti Malhotra Sr. Manager Marketing Email: sales@radioduniya.in

Content Team Sanjana Sharma Research Associate

Subscriptions & Circulation Lipika Dutta, Manoj Kumar, Prabhat Tripathi

Ayesha Khanom Research Assistant Design Team Bishwajeet Kumar Singh Chandrakesh Bihari Lal (James) Om Prakash Thakur

Editorial Correspondence Radio Duniya G â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4, Sector 39, NOIDA 201301, India Tel: +91-120-2502180-85 Fax: +91-120-2500060 Email: talk2us@radioduniya.in Web: www.radioduniya.in

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Owner, Publisher, Printer, Ravi Gupta Printed at Vinayak Print Media E-53, Sector-7, Noida, U.P. and published from 710, Vasto Mahagun Manor, F-30, Sector - 50, Noida, UP Editor: Ravi Gupta

It is hoped that Radio Duniya will serve to foster a growing network by keeping the community up-to-date on many activities in this wide a n d v a r i e d f i e l d . Yo u r involvement in providing relevant information is essential to the success of this endevour. Radio Duniya does not subscribe to the views expressed in the publication. All views expressed in this issue are those of the contributors. It is not responsible for any loss to anyone due to the information provided.

contents

July 2008

Policy Talk

Current Licensing Policy is Successful Zohra Chatterji, Joint Secretary (Broadcasting) Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (GoI)

31 26 45 8

Host

Radio WATCH Radio Goes Green

Satellite Radio in India

Let the Music Play

Stub the Butt

Celebrating Fatherhood

Celebration Time

Khurafati Nitin

Listeners Trust Me

Nitin, Red FM

Anuj Gurwara, Radio City

Advertising

Advertisers Warm Up to Radio

Station Talk Radio is Changing Vineet Singh Hukmani CEO, Radio One

Change the Mindset Amritendu Roy Business Head, Friends FM

Manav Dhanda National Programming Head, Big FM

Programme Talk Size Does Matter

Training

Training Radio Journalists Asian College of Journalism

Community Radio

Getting Bangalore Active

Voice of Rajasthan

Radio Active

Radio Banasthali

For your daily dose of Radio News Log on to www.radioduniya.in

Dear Editor,

Hi,

I have gone through the entire content of your magazine and have to say that your work is ultimate!

I am former member of Managing Council of RAPA. This is a nice effort by you all. Will like to get in touch with you guys. Tell me how!

Your magazine will prove to be a powerful platform for all FM stations in India. Wish you grand success.

Waman Bandekar Flaire Films Mumbai

Sunil Goyal Suno Lemon Gwalior

Dear Friends,

Dear Radio Duniya Team, Would like to congratulate the entire team for their stupendous efforts in bringing this magazine to us month on month. This publication will greatly help shape the nascent radio industry by sharing news and information from all corners of the country.

I regularly read the articles in your publication. They give a lot of information on radio to people like me who really want to know more and more about the medium. Keep up the good work!!! Soumen Bhattacharya Kolkata Dear Sir,

Brian Ammanna BIG FM Bangalore Dear Sir, I have been listening to radio for a very long time and am crazy about it. The best part are the jockeys and I too want to become a radio jockey. I got to know so much more about radio jockeying by going through your magazine issues and reading what popular jockeys have to say to budding radio jockeys like me! Thanks a tonne for giving me such an insight into their work and lives.

talk2us@radioduniya.in

Send your feedback to us at

TALK2US

Dipti Toppo Delhi Respected Sir,

I am very happy to read the articles on community radio in the magazine. The message was well covered and was short and sweet. This magazine was given to me by co passenger on a flight and now I have subscribed for the magazine. Since you have covered the subject so well I feel that you are truly the torch bearer of the radio revolution in the country. D.T.Sudhakar

Radio Careers Send information about job openings to

I got your magazine last month and found it very impressive and full of knowledge about the radio world, with articles on people who work hard in the field of radio and achieved their dream and goal. Such articles give a new strength to a person who is following his dreams and that is the best thing about the magazine. Also the design and layout is world class. I really enjoyed it!!! Anurrag Sharma Stairs Icon/ Soham Creations Jaipur

jobs@radioduniya.in

July 2008 | Radio Duniya

news Industry Updates Hello FM partners “Tamil Music Awards 08”

Fever FM launches ‘Mumbai Monsoon Helpline’

Hello FM is co-partnering “Tamil Music Awards 08” organized by Social Media in association with Isayaruvi. This is the first initiative of its kind recognizing the achievements of the Tamil music fraternity exclusively with nominations and votes from the public.

Fever 104 FM launched a public service called ‘Fever 104 Mumbai Monsoon Help Line’ to ease the woes of Mumbaikars who have begun to dread the problems that Monsoons bring – water logging, power cuts, delays, traffic snarls, accidents, diseases, and so on.

As the awards are based on listener’s choice, Hello FM is sponsoring a mobile van that will travel across different cities in Tamil Nadu for listeners to cast votes for their favourite music artistes who have been nominated in various categories. The van will stop at various vantage points in each city for the public to cast their votes in various categories To add to the extravaganza, Hello FM has come up with an innovative contest called the “Hello FM – Song of the Year”, wherein listeners can vote for their favorite song of the year and win prizes. Commenting on these awards, Rajeev Nambiar, CEO, Hello FM said, “We are extremely happy to be associated with the “Tamil Music Awards 08” as it’s a unique awards format that exclusively felicitates music artistes in the Tamil film industry based on listener’s choice.”

Fever RJs will run a ‘Monsoon Update’ everyday on every show, where they will provide the latest information on traffic-jams, accidents, diversions, suitable routes, amount of rainfall, flooding or water logging situations, high tides, flight and train delays, power cuts, emergency numbers to call, precautions to take and so on. The RJs are also asking Mumbaikars to call Fever’s IVRS numbers and record the grievances caused due to heavy rains. These would then be forwarded to local authorities such as BMC, traffic police, power companies, etc. and Fever RJs will follow up on their efforts to address the same.

Chennai’s Radio City works with Chennai Traffic Police Reiterating their duty towards Chennai’s Radio Cityzens, Radio City 91.1FM came together with Chennai City Traffic Police to conduct a ‘Road Safety Awareness Campaign’. Radio City 91.1FM hosted an array of interactive games around Traffic Safety Rules. Joining RJ Anandhakannan and RJ Archana in getting the message across was Sunil Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police, Chennai City Traffic Police. Also gracing the occasion was Lalitha Lakshmi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic).

Sharing his feedback on the activity, Sunil Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police, Chennai City Traffic Police said, “It was overwhelming to see the sea of citizens thronging the beach in response to Radio City’s call! We were quite taken aback with the realization of the impact that an FM station can create for listeners by taking up such a cause. Thanks to Radio City, not only did the patrons enjoy the fun filled contests and activities with Radio City RJs, but also it was an interesting way to impart knowledge and awareness about traffic regulation norms in Chennai city. This is something that we are constantly attempting to promote!” Radio City RJs kept the atmosphere alive, charming the crowds with their fun games and contests. Also as part of this campaign, Chennai’s Radio City invited listeners to share their ideas of regulating traffic. The winning entries bagged Radio City goodies. Sharing his thoughts on this endeavour, Rana Barua, National Head - Programming and Marketing, Radio City 91.1 FM said, “As a radio station that lives each day of the listener’s life, we know that even small and simple things, such as awareness of traffic norms can make a difference to thousands commuting on Chennai’s streets everyday. Our association with Chennai City Traffic Police was an endeavour to get this message across and help our friends in Chennai Traffic Police ensure safe roads in Chennai!”

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policy talk

Current Licensing Policy is Successful the difficulty in regulation that radio stations are presently not permitted to air news and current affairs as imbalanced or sensationalised treatment of news and current affairs could offend the sensitivities of people and lead to law and order situations. The industry is talking about multiple frequencies and the TRAI has also recommended it. Is the government considering this demand and how is it going to be implemented? Awarding of multiple frequencies could promote monopolies and prevent the entry of new players in the FM market which is still an evolving one. However, TR AI recommendations are under consideration in the Ministry. Many in the Industry feel that the current process of issuing licenses, which is by bidding, should be replaced with format licensing. Is the government considering any changes in the process?

Zohra Chatterjee, Joit Secretary (Broadcasting), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (GoI) elaborates on the reasons for not allowing multiple frequencies and the need for radio stations to establish their credibility before allowing them to air news independently among other issues facing the radio industry today There are estimated to be a great number of radio stations in the coming years, would the government be able to regulate these with the present infrastructure and set-up? It is quite clear that at present the Government would not be able to regulate content aired over a large number of radio stations dispersed through out the country. It is a condition of the license that radio stations shall adhere to the programme code of AIR. The radio stations are expected to self regulate accordingly and any violation would attract appropriate action by the Ministry including cancellation of the license. It is precisely because of

No change is contemplated at present as present bidding process has proved quite successful. The TRAI has made certain recommendations about allowing radio stations to broadcast news from certain sources, but most stations feel they should be allowed to do it independently. What is your comment on this demand? As I have earlier explained news and current affairs is not currently permitted. However, in view of a strong demand by the FM operators, the broadcast of news from certain approved sources could be considered for a start. Till the radio stations establish their credibility with respect to treatment of news and the monitoring and security concerns are suitably addressed, it may not be possible to allow radio stations to broadcast news independently. What major recommendations of the TRAI, such as eligibility criteria, period of license, entry fee and annual license fee has the ministry accepted in its policy? The TR AI recommendations are still under consideration and a final view has not been taken yet in respect of these issues. However, there is not likely to be much change from the phase II pattern. July 2008 | Radio Duniya

Media opposition is the main reason for delay of the broadcasting bill.

no intention to either monitor or inspect on a continuing basis as this is not Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role. FM service providers are also not monitored or inspected. However, they are all expected to adhere to the programme code and violations would be punished. TRAI has recommended auctioning the license if the number of eligible applicants exceeds the number of licenses being offered, depending upon the availability of spectrum. Would the licensing model be on the same lines as that of terrestrial radio, especially when the FM radio industry is itself talking about a format based licensing policy? TR AI has recommended that the bidding process will remain the same as envisaged in Policy on expansion of FM radio broadcasting service through private agencies (Phase II) dated 13 July, 2005. The bidding process under Phase II is on the basis of closed bidding system in two stages. Stage-I as pre-qualification bid and Stage-II as Financial bid.

The Broadcast Regulatory Authority Bill has been tabled in the Parliament, but it has not really reached any closer to realization. What is the reason behind the delay? Media opposition is the main reason. Media being the third estate, Government would ideally like to take steps in this direction with the consensus of the media. It is hoped that the media will come around to accepting this measure and arrive at a balanced view sooner or later. They must appreciate that an independent regulatory authority exists the world over backed by broadcast legislation and this country should have one too. In the absence of such a system the public is forced to consume the media diet being served by television channels no matter how unsavoury. The time may not be far when public as well as judicial pressure may force the issue, and broadcast legislation as well as the regulatory authority will have to be put in place. The industry is demanding a level playing field for satellite radio and FM radio in terms of FDI etc. Would the government look into these demands? The TR AI recommendations are still under consideration. How does the ministry intend to do the monitoring and inspection of the satellite radio service providers? Monitoring of satellite radio service is easy as it can be done from anywhere. However, there is www.radioduniya.in

As there is no complaint / representation received about the Phase II bidding process, the same may be retained for Phase III also, as per the recommendations of TRAI. Would the reasons for termination of license and the procedure for settlement of disputes in the case of satellite radio be any different from terrestrial radio? Dispute settlement for all broadcasting services is governed by the provisions of TRAI Act. With respect to the channels carried on satellite radio the reasons for suspension / cancellation of permission / registration for non compliance with provisions of the Programme Code of AIR will be similar to that provided for terrestrial radio. The reasons for suspension / revocation of license of a satellite radio service providers, providing essentially platform services, are concerned those would be akin to similar provisions for the DTH platform service providers. Can you tell us if the Ministry is doing anything about music royalty and copyright, which is a major issue for the industry? We have taken up the issue with the Ministry of HRD and requested them to call a meeting to make necessary amendments in the Copyright Act to enable the Copyright Board to control the rates if they are unreasonably exorbitant. We have also supported different royalty rates for different categories of cities to improve the viability of stations located in different cities.

s e o G o i d a R

! n e e r G

With issues like global warming and climate change gaining attention, World Environment Day has assumed even more signiﬁcance. Doing their bit to spread awareness about protecting our only home , Earth, FM players like Radio Mirchi, My FM, Radio City and Big FM marked the day in a special way. Radio Mirchi embarked on a ‘Going Green’ campaign to observe the special day. This initiative was aimed at spreading awareness about the effects of global warming and encouraging people to realise the importance of ‘Going Green’. It also saluted and acknowledged all the corporates who have taken a step forward to make a difference to the environment and have set precedence for others to follow.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. P.B Ramaswamy, Cluster Head BIG 92.7 FM, TamilNadu said, “India is increasingly being threatened by environmental disparity

Srinivasa Shenoy, Cluster Head, Radio Mirchi, said, “Radio Mirchi has always been a step ahead in associating itself with ﬁnding solutions to problems prevalent in Delhi. With ‘Going Green’, we want to make our planet healthy, clean and pollution free. We are conﬁdent that responsible citizens will appreciate our effort and extend their support to it.” My FM, celebrated the day across its 17 stations to make the World Environment Day an occasion to create awareness about preserving the environment’s sanctity and popularise different environment friendly modes of transport. Harrish Bhatia, COO, My FM said, “My FM has been making conscious efforts to move beyond being a pure entertainment station. Our World Environment Day activities are a part of such initiatives. Various My FM stations are doing a lot of activities like bicycle rallies, tree plantation drive, ‘Say No to Plastic Bags’ drive, to create awareness about preserving environment and promoting environment friendly activities in our day-to-day lives.” Radio City’s Jaipur station also observed World Environment Day along with Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) and a Jaipur-based NGO, Nature Club. On June 5, JDA conducted a painting competition for school children with ‘Environment’ as the theme. Apart from this, RJ Ruby presented a special edition of ‘Joyride’ to capture all the action for Jaipur’s radio citizens and speak to those present on environmental concerns. BIG 92.7 FM, in association with Sify championed the cause of the environment, through the BIG 92.7 FM World Environment Day Cyclathon, presented by Sify, across the 6 cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata. The Cyclathon, was an innovative and fun mode of creating awareness among the large youth listener base on the role that each of us can play in reducing pollution levels and making our cities a cleaner and greener place to live in. 10

and climatic changes in the recent past. BIG FM took up this initiative with the aim to further awareness for a cleaner and greener environment by getting listeners involved in this event. We are overwhelmed with the response that we have received and it only encourages us to undertake similar initiatives in the future.” July 2008 | Radio Duniya

Satellite Radio in India The potential of satellite radio in a large country like India is huge. TRAI has come up with recommendations for draft policy guidelines on satellite radio services in the country. We take a look at these recommendations. Satellite radio is a radio service that provides signals directly from satellites. With satellite radio one can get near CD quality sound and coverage of a very large geographical area. In terms of reach, combined AM and FM broadcasts cover about 99.13% of the population in India and about 91.37% of the geographical area of the country. Satellite radio has the potential to reach 100% of the population and so, could help in achieving some of the objectives of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development process, by reaching out to areas that are remote and cannot be accessed by any other media.

As of now, there is no licensing policy in place for satellite radio, and this is causing several problems including the absence of a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;level playing fieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with FM radio operators, regulatory uncertainty on the part of the existing and potential future satellite radio operators and a haphazard development of this important industry as a whole. So, it is very important to establish clear regulations for the growth of satellite radio in a fair competitive environment. To take care of these issues TRAI has given its recommendations on satellite radio services in the country, which are discussed below:

Eligibility According the the TRAI, in order to be eligible, the applicant company must a) own a satellite company, or b) lease the satellite capacity, or c) possess a letter of commitment from Indian Space Research Organization or from a satellite service provider for satellite capacity, through which it proposes to broadcast the registered radio channels for public listening in India

License Policy

With a large number of high quality digital channels available on satellite radio, this medium can help to increase the plurality of voices, provide more choice to consumers through nationwide niche programming and add greater diversity to the broadcasting sector. India with its large geographical size is well placed to benefit from a satellite radio system unlike smaller countries. Satellite radio system can provide instantaneous reach to all corners of the country including remote areas, especially in the hilly regions, which would otherwise have been impossible to cover through terrestrial means. It is therefore necessary for India to keep pace with the merging technologies in the world, as this could have significant commercial spin-offs in the long run.

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TRAI has recommended that there should be only one license for carriage and the licensee would be responsible to the licensor for content regulation. According to the authority, as operators collect content from a variety of sources, within and outside the country, it will be difficult for the government to provide license to each content provider. In regards to the regulation of the programme and advertisement codes, it is recommended that AIR programme and advertisement codes should be used for satellite radio.

Period of License On the issue of period of license the regulatory authority says that license for satellite radio may be given for 10 years, which is similar to FM radio, with a provision for automatic extension for five years, unless there are technical developments, which require no such extensions.

Licensing Procedure and Fee The number of licenses maybe decided by the government and it may opt for auctioning them after deciding the number. TRAI recommends the

auctioning of a minimum of two licenses initially with a base price for one time entry fee (OTEF) as Rs. 5 crore. In case the number of applicants is more than the number of licenses to be issued, then an auction may be conducted. The successful bidder should then be asked to match the highest bid, to ensure a level playing field among the successful bidders. If the number of eligible applicants is less than or equal to the number of licenses proposed by the Government, then no auction would be necessary and each applicant will have to pay only an amount of Rs. 5 crore.

Annual Fee and Revenue Sharing TRAI recommends that there should be no annual license fees as long as terrestrial repeaters are not permitted. Once these repeaters are permitted a revenue share of 4% of the gross revenue generated in India should be imposed, as has already been recommended for FM radio. As recommended by the authority in the case of FM Radio, a limit of 15 per cent could be imposed on agency commission for advertisements or collection of subscription.

News and Current Affairs TRAI recommends that news and current affairs should be permitted on satellite radio as the expected clientèle is less as compared to FM radio and satellite radio subscribers have access to private news and current affairs in both print and television media besides others. Also, satellite radio has addressability and therefore an offending channel can be switched off. Thus, satellite radio will be able to carry the news broadcast of AIR (as mutually agreed to between the service provider and AIR) and channels of Prasar Bharti.

Uplinking TRAI says that the government should encourage uplinking of satellite radio channels from the country. If uplinking is allowed from India it will not only save huge expenditure but will also enable the government to have effective control on these channels in case of any violation. The authority further recommends that a common uplinking and downlinking policy should be evolved for both television and radio, taking into account all aspects including security.

Terrestrial Repeaters TRAI has recommended that a single license may be issued to provide satellite radio service and complementary terrestrial service to the potential service providers to efficiently plan the network in a seamless fashion to deliver quality of service to customers. This license should be issued to the Indian subsidiary only to ensure no legal complications in enforcing regulation and collection of license fees. Another condition to be imposed on the terrestrial repeaters is that they should be permitted only for the re-broadcast of their signal from the satellite and should not be allowed to broadcast locally inserted programmes.

Migration of the Existing Operator TRAI is of the opinion that the existing operator must migrate to the licensing regime after meeting certain requirements. In order to get a provisional license after the notification of these Guidelines, the existing service provider shall fulfill all the terms and conditions, including payment of the base price of Rs. 5 crores as provisional one time entry fee within two months of the issue of guidelines, except compliance with the terms and conditions relating to dilution of foreign investment to 74% and up-linking from the Indian soil (for which it will submit a plan of compliance). The Government shall then issue the provisional license within one month of fulfillment of necessary formalities.

Summary • • • • •

•

Foreign Investment • Operating satellite radio requires huge capital investment. As per the estimates provided by Worldspace Radio, the sole satellite radio operator in India, the capital so far incurred has been about US $ 250 million. Given the high capital intensity of this medium and the number of players in this, restricting foreign ownership could imply restricting likely options and competition in future. Thus, the authority has recommended 74% foreign investment in satellite radio. 12

• • • •

A licensing framework should be provided now to avoid uncertainty in future There should only be one license for carriage AIR programme and advertisement codes should be made applicable to satellite radio The license may be given for 10 years with a provision for automatic extension for five years If the number of eligible applicants is less than or equal to the number of licenses then each applicant will have to pay Rs. 5 crore as one time entry fee. There should be no annual license fee as long as terrestrial repeaters are not permitted. Once these repeaters are permitted a revenue share of 4% of the gross revenue generated in India should be imposed Airing of news and current affairs should be permitted on satellite radio Government should encourage uplinking of satellite radio channels from the country, taking into account all aspects including security 74 % foreign investment should be permitted for satellite radio The existing operator must migrate to the licensing regime after meeting the guidelines Terrestrial repeaters should be permitted only for re-broadcast of signals from the satellite July 2008 | Radio Duniya

Let the Music Play Of the many issues that the radio industry is tackling right now, one is that of music royalty and license fee. The industry says it is bleeding through its nose paying the over charging music industry, while the music industry feels that as it makes up almost ninety percent of the content on radio, it must get its share of the revenue pie. The debate will never settle till the two sides decide to meet half way and work together for the growth of both radio and music.

Radio is an important revenue generator for music companies, along with mobiles because physical sales are not what they used to be two years ago. Also, the cost of acquisitions has gone up considerably and the music industry needs to generate the right amount of revenue to survive. Passion is what drives music and passion is an essential ingredient for radio. Thus, the music and radio industry have to come together and work in tandem to deliver the maximum entertainment to the listeners. Radio compliments music and helps it reach the maximum number of ears, and people cannot imagine radio without music. So the two need to sort out all the issues and realise that both will beneﬁt if they just give one another a fair chance and try meeting mid-way. One can only hope that after the Supreme Court judgment stating that the Copyright Board is a constitutional authority to decide on royalty rates for the industry for automatic licensing, will help all parties involved arrive at a solution that is acceptable all round the table. As once the Copyright Board has taken its decision, there would be no need for the music and radio industry to negotiate on the royalty rates. One argument that often comes up during discussions with the music industry is that since the radio industry is making money from them, so they should be paid too. About 90% of the content on radio is music and the radio industry must pay for that content. The radio players have paid huge amounts to the Government to attain licenses and to hire manpower, so why should they not pay for the music they play? Sources say that the cost of manpower (employee salaries) is much higher that the cost of the raw material (music) in the radio business. So the radio industry needs to introspect. With the ball now in the Copyright Board’s court, the coming days are expected to witness intense lobbying by the music and radio operators with the Board. The core questions that arose for consideration before the Supreme Court in these appeals were – whether the Copyright Board has jurisdiction under Section 31 of the Copyright Act, 1957, to direct the owner of a copyright in any Indian work or a registered copyright society to issue compulsory licenses to broadcast such works, where such work is available to the public through radio broadcast.

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Also, whether in any event such a compulsory license can be issued to more than one complainant in the light of Section 31(2). The final question was what would be the relevant considerations which the Copyright Board must keep in view while deciding on whether to issue a compulsory license to a particular person; and the terms on which the compulsory license may be issued, including the compensation. The implications are that the Copyright Board is the final deciding authority. The battle now shifts to the Copyright Board. What they finally decide no one can predict, but intense lobbying has already started. The Copyright Board’s decision would be final, and so both the radio industry and the music industry are getting ready to present their cases to the board and hope for a decision in their favour. The music industry feels that radio is trying to kill the goose that lays the golden egg by seeking reduction in tariff and thereby stifling the growth of the industry, while the radio industry says it is bleeding through the nose paying the revenue demanded by the music industry. The decision of the Supreme Court has put the ball back in Copyright Board’s court. It is now likely that the Copyright Board would re-examine the royalty rate and consider those applicable internationally, where most royalty rates are about 2-4 per cent of revenue.

Source: www.cartoonstock.com

Stub the Butt FM stations across the country came up with innovative on-air and on-ground campaigns to promote a tobacco free life on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day on May 31. The day was marked by large scale activities to get across the message of the ill effects of tobacco consumption.

high footfalls. Big FM Surat came up with a campaign titled ‘Ab toh tambaku chhodo’ (At least quit tobacco now), the Big FM team dressed in black robes, skull caps and ‘Quit Tobacco Consumption’ signs approached people consuming tobacco and persuaded them to pledge against tobacco consumption.

Red FM joined hands with pharmaceutical company Pfizer, Salaam Bombay, and BMC to organise a Quit Smoking Express campaign. The campaign, comprised on-air and on-ground elements spanning across Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. As part of the on-ground activation, the Red FM Quit Smoking Express comprised private buses that went across these towns propagating the anti-smoking message.

In Delhi, Big FM launched an innovative campaign titled ‘Get high on 100 Chartbusters, Not on Tobacco’. According to an official communiqué, “The campaign was launched to create

My FM organised rallies at Indore and Chandigarh that went through important areas of the cities and targeted smokers and tobacco chewers to inform them about the harmful effects of tobacco. A health check-up camp was held in Chandigarh in conjunction with a local hospital. In Jaipur, a huge ash tray was placed at a main thoroughfare of the city and smokers were encouraged to stub out their cigarettes in it. Books from cancer awareness amongst the youth on the ill effects of tobacco consumption. We drove the message on-air through 100 Chartbuster music and on-ground offering as well.” Radio City, too, launched a number of campaigns marking the occasion. Radio City Jaipur aired a special programmed called ‘Bas Ek Kash Aur’, while Radio City Lucknow launched a campaign called ‘Say No to Tobacco with Radio City’. The station also tied up with the Masiha Cancer Foundation of India and Fun Republic for a contest, wherein winners would get free counseling for a year. Radio City Delhi’s anti-tobacco campaign was called ‘Butt Tere Ki’, where RJs met shoppers and shared tips on how best to cut down on tobacco addiction. patients donated by NGOs were given to smokers, who read from them on air. Print and on-air campaigns invited people to join the rallies. Big FM Bangalore initiated an on-air and on-ground activity titled ‘Dhum Iddiya’ (Do you have the guts), where the team challenged smokers to give up smoking. To create a strong visual impact, a dummy in the shape of a huge cigarette was carried as a dead body across various parts of the city that witness 14

Speaking on these activities, Rana Barua, National Head – Programming and Marketing, Radio City, said, “Our initiatives for World No Tobacco Day are an attempt to reach out and educate our listeners on the consequences of tobacco addiction. Whether it is counselling, spreading the word through our RJs or demonstrating the effects of smoking through stamina tests, the idea was to drive the message home by implementing a lighter approach in a manner that people could relate to.” July 2008 | Radio Duniya

station talk

RADIO IS CHANGING

It’s Quality Vs Quantity Vineet Singh Hukmani, CEO, Radio One, has always had a passion for quality where radio is concerned. He’s been fascinated with audio all through his life, and is one-half of the Bhangra rock band ‘Balle Balle Boys’. His professional journey began at the age of 14 with radio in Kuwait and continued with WorldSpace and Radio Indigo. When private FM made an entry in the country, he was roped in by Tariq Ansari of Mid Day, to establish Radio One as a metro leader.

How has your advertising experience helped shaping up things at Radio One?

money rates’ and we charge a healthy premium for innovations.

As a result of holding senior positions in advertising firms such as Grey Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi, Mudra Communications and Cheil Samsung I knew that there were two sides of the same coin, one was the business side and the other was the creative side. Also, any business with such a mix has to be decentralized for it to move at a certain pace. When I joined Radio One, the task for me was to do justice to all three. During the first six months of this stint my sole concern was to put the business on the right track and ensure that business yield was increasing at a high rate. My team has been instrumental in making the business progress at a healthy pace.

Advertising also taught me that no matter how big the size of the industry is, it is very important for one to carve out a niche. One has to be either very big in size or be large in one’s creative aspirations to be distinctively different. I believe creativity leads to fame – after all, all famous people are rich, but all rich people are not famous. So, we have positioned Radio One as the metro innovator as compared to the bigger, high-reach stations and we are and will always be the most creative.

I also realised that business from spot sales was actually lower than the sale of innovations; this had to change. I decided that we would show clients more value and better targeting using RAM and we set a target for ourselves to be a part of all major media plans and today we have reached healthy levels of inventory at ‘higher but still value for www.radioduniya.in

How has your year long journey as CEO of Radio One been? I am really grateful for the kind of freedom that has been given to me at Radio One. Tariq and the board of directors were clear on the outcome and result required and felt, “Here’s a person who understands radio, so let him go ahead and decide how to do things”. I work according to a hundred day plan and my team has progressed immensely from one 100 day plan to the next. 15

In the 3 quarters that have gone by I have ensured my team meets its hundred day plans. The first hundred days were focused on getting the business fundamentals right, the second hundred day plan included the launch of new cities and de-centralisation of all the stations and the third hundred day plan, which is going on now, is focused on getting our creativity in top most gear.

In the case of radio, a person who tunes in to a station knows within five minutes whether he likes the station or not. People do not have loyalty towards the channels or station, they are loyal to the programmes or the content. Some radio brands have tried to create perception without creating a product. This does not work in the long run and also adds huge costs to their already flimsy bottom lines.

One cannot judge the pulse of the listener in Mumbai or Bangalore from an office in Delhi, so the station head, programming head and sales head of the respective cities work on how to make their station more profitable. My work, was and is, as a coach to make them understand the game and the targets they need to achieve.

We believe that brand loyalty happens in three stages: familiarity, favourability and loyalty. Currently we are in the process of perfecting familiarity and favourability, Once we are confident that we have built these two, then we will move ahead in creating loyalty towards our station using content driven communication.

All radio channels are trying to develop a brand identity. What is Radio One’s brand strategy?

Radio One says it is the ‘Station for the fatafat generation’, how do you deliver this promise?

At Radio One our vision is very clear and that is to be a ‘metro innovator’. We want to constantly innovate and sound distinct. I firmly believe that there cannot be a good brand without a good product. My advertising experience tells me that 95% of the products in the market have no real differentiation, and whatever little is there, is created out of perception. As an example…. all mobile service providers give you incoming and outgoing calls, SMSes etc., so there is no product differentiation, but 100s of crores are spent on building the brand.

Our strategy is very simple, we are the station for the fataafat generation. We target young people. Our sweet spot listener is a 24 year old, single and ready to mingle, earning good money and someone who enjoys his/her independence. This is a metro phenomenon; this confidence makes these young people do things fataafat (quickly). It is this fataafat generation that is driving metro consumption now. In demographics our station caters to 18-34 SECAB which is a sizeable and discerning audience in the metros. When we say that “we are the station for the fataafat generation”, we are basically promising to deliver everything of interest to our audience in fataafat fashion. The radio medium is the only fataafat medium, you can connect quickly, conveniently and economically. Radio is always live and fataafat. We have taken this category truth about radio and merged it with an insightful truth about our audience and our brand idea is based on this powerful combination. We are targeting a youthful spirit and our station is more peppy and energetic. Our RJs have a particular style of delivery and we are definitely catering to the more educated and better exposed population of listeners. So, we play well-known, friendly, hit music. We have the metro city attitude and we call our audience “Masstige”; they are mass in their reality but their hopes and dreams are prestige seeking. What makes advertisers come to Radio One? We have segmented ourselves very well in the market, and the advertisers that come to us are the ones who want to talk to the metro fataafat generation. These are brands who do not want to

July 2008 | Radio Duniya

dilute their association and do not want to pay for the spillover into crass mass audiences. Our service levels are therefore strategic in intent and we execute keeping client solutions in mind. Any brand that is targeting the young ‘masstige’ population in metro cities is coming to us and we are helping them reach the right ‘ears’. Also, we have ‘value’ advertising rates, and this is because we don’t charge for the spillover. Other stations end up charging these brands for SEC C, D and E spillover. Most image conscious brands don’t want their brands rubbing shoulders with the wrong audience. After all the medium too is the message. What would you say are the major issues facing the industry right now? Radio in India is getting a dual face. It is, as we speak, divided into two important groups. There are radio companies who are focusing on the metro cities and are definitely more creative, innovative and focussed, and then there is another group targeting greater reach and focusing on quantity. The biggest issue is how the government and the industry will recognise this change and formulate policies differently for more demanding metro markets in the form of format licensing versus the smaller cities that get governed by frequency licensing. The government we are sure has already begun to realise this difference. The metro game is different and requires a different policy, business and brand approach. The other major issue is a level playing field with the TV industry. The third is that of news where we feel players in the metros at least, which are better poised should be allowed to air news, of course, keeping in mind the government’s concerns. Last but not least is the issue of networking, where again we feel metro players should be allowed to use this, as markets have already matured and costs are high. What is your take on the music royalty issue, being a performer yourself and heading a radio brand? My first take on this as a radio person is that radio is promoting more music than any other medium. Songs are aired constantly and artists are heard again and again by a huge group of listeners through radio. So, radio should be given special treatment by the music companies. Again we need a level playing field with TV. From an artist perspective, I can say that music companies never pay the royalty to artists on time. Whatever money they are collecting from radio stations, they should pay the amount due to the www.radioduniya.in

artists as well. According to me, the music industry is the smart one here, on the one hand they collect money from the radio stations and on the other hand, they do not pay the artists. Music companies are going through their own share of problems, and that is mainly because they have not figured out their revenue model. My point is that the music industry’s lack of vision and planning in generating greater revenues should not result in the penalisation of the radio industry. Do you feel there is a lack of differentiation between radio stations? All radio stations in India are doing what I like to call the supermarket differentiation, where everyone offers the same thing with momentary edge. It is just that one day one supermarket decides to lower their shelves just to show that they are different, and launches a nationwide campaign saying “we are different”. The next day everyone else follows suit and lowers the shelves. The differentiation has to be long lasting and meaningful to the listener and not just something that is done momentarily and is ‘manufacturer driven’. Frankly speaking, there is no major differentiation among the stations. But having said that, I will also add that perhaps our differentiation lies in better segmenting and a clear metro masstige vision. Format licensing is the only way stations will be able to differentiate. What are your views on the debate that private FM be allowed to do news on their own and not be satisfied with taking news from approved sources? I think, it is not the sense of responsibility of private FM channels, that is being questioned here. The government just wants to know whether private FM wants to make a beginning with news or not. I think we should be willing to make a beginning and start with broadcasting news from approved sources nationally and be able to generate our own news locally. At a later stage, if we feel that any changes are required, we can address them gradually. But at least lets make a beginning. 17

news Industry Updates Shailja Naqvi joins MY FM as National Programming Head Synergy Media Entertainment Limited has appointed Shailja Naqvi as the National Programming Head of 94.3 MY FM. Prior to

joining MY FM, Shailja has had more than twelve years of corporate media experience. Last, she served as the National Programming Head at Dhamaal 24 and was responsible for the successful launch of 9 stations under the banner. Shailja has had stints with many TV channels and production houses in past , including India TV, BAG Films (Dhamaal 24) Broadcast Worldwide, HTA and is quite excited to work with MY FM “I’m looking forward to my association with MY FM, as it is a brand that embodies the passion and zeal of the masses. It will be exciting to plan programming for a mass audience along with the challenge of sustaining the local ﬂavour”, she said. Welcoming Shailja to the MY FM Team, Harrish M. Bhatia, COO – Synergy Media Entertainment Ltd. said “94.3 MY FM is pleased to welcome Shailja Naqvi into the ranks and we are conﬁdent that her experience and insight of the industry will take MY FM further in terms of innovative and exciting programming which has been the key to MY FM’s success.”

Catch the Money Mantra on Fever FM

Radio Mirchi helps students in Delhi

Fever 104 FM, brings back its hugely successful promotion Fever Bolo to Delhi in a brand new avatar - Fever Money Mantra! Its quirky, its fun, its simple and the winners of the contest walk away with a cool Rs.1.04 Lakhs. There are no catches and no tricks. Winning is as easy and simple as… (not) saying hello but answering the phone with the money mantra of the hour. The money mantras will be topical, interesting and whacky trivia which will be announced on air, listeners need to stay tuned to Fever 104 to catch the mantra. Fever 104’s Money Mantra is part of the brand’s overall strategy and ongoing efforts to forge a greater connect with its listeners and make radio more interactive. The contesting mechanism is being shared on air. This contest potentially offers upwards of Rs. 60 lacs as prize money to its listeners. Speaking about the promotion and Fever 104’s latest initiative to reach out to the listeners in Delhi, Fever 104 FM’s Station Head, Neeraj Chaturvedi said, “Radio is no longer a passive medium. The intention of these initiatives is to increase participation and involvement of the listeners, increase the excitement levels, and give our listeners a chance to get rewarded for their loyalty and participation on the station.” Commenting on the contest, Chaturvedi added: “Fever Money Mantra takes off from Fever Bolo. We have taken the contest to the next level by making it more exciting, involving and engaging”.

Radio Mirchi commenced the Return to Fachcha campaign from June 2. The initiative is aimed at easing the admission procedure for students seeking access into Delhi Univeristy. As a part of the 14-day campaign Radio Mirchi organised Volvo buses that was available daily from 8 am to 2 pm to transport students between colleges. There was also a Mirchi unwind zone, where students won coupons to campus eating joints. “Radio Mirchi is an intrinsic part of its listeners’ lives, we are here to connect (with the listeners) at one of the important cross roads in their lives,” says Srinivasa Shinoy, cluster head, Radio Mirchi. Shinoy adds the Return to Fachcha initiative is another platform to make “the stepping stone of their career easier and more comfortable.”

July 2008 | Radio Duniya

station talk

Change the Mindset Amritendu Roy, Business Head, Friends 91.9 FM, launched the station with the promise of offering Kolkata a differentiated listening experience. Based on the adult contemporary format and playing music to take listeners back to the days of their youth, the station promises to be the friend you always had. Here, he talks about the need to befriend the audiences and advertisers to allow the medium to grow.

Friends 91.9 FM was launched in February 2007, how has the journey been so far?

What is the brand positioning of Friends FM?

In a cluttered market like Kolkata, Friends FM has established itself as an important player. The reason for this is very clear – we are the only pure ‘adult contemporary music’ station, and the ‘evergreen hits’ angle that we have taken is unique to this market. Thus, the clear product differentiation has enabled us to become a major player in the Kolkata market.

Friends 91.9 FM is positioned as “the friend you always had”. This emanates from our music content, which plays the kind of songs our listeners “grew up with”. Adding to the music content are the “mature” RJ’s on our station and the high interactivity with the segment of the target audience we have chosen. Our station is positioned to connect the Bengali young adult to his cultural roots, in this case the strong music heritage, and give him the confidence to take on the world.

Have you been able to reach your target group and connect with them at all levels? Our objective is to become the most preferred station among Bengali’s Sec ABC, 25 + years, living in Kolkata. The listener’s feedback from this segment is very positive and we are sure this will translate into favourable figures for us when Kolkata comes under the audience measurement radar.

www.radioduniya.in

What is the kind of content and music line-up offered by your station? We’re the only pure ‘adult contemporary music station’ in the market and our TG is 25+ listeners. We believe that the music one loves is the music one grew up with. So, we play music from what we believe are the best days of one’s life – generally

the time when our target listeners were in their teens and early 20s. Therefore, the music that we focus on is from the 80s to early 2000s – and we don’t play any latest numbers during our regular day parts. We are not a retro station, but yes, we are all about nostalgia.

want them to see what is happening on the ground and try radio to see how well it works. Anyways, the money invested in radio is not as high as it is in TV, so keeping all the factors in mind I am just asking advertisers to give radio a chance, a chance it deserves.

How is Friends FM different from the other players in the market?

What can radio do to help advertisers understand the true value of the medium and how profitable it can be?

I have already mentioned the music mix we play – that is the biggest differentiating factor we have, other than our jocks being comparatively mature. At a time when all other stations in the market are concentrating on regular Bollywood hits, we have differentiated by being the only station that takes the people of Kolkata not only back to their roots but brings out a sense of nostalgia in them. Have you managed to “befriend” the advertisers successfully? Who are the prime advertisers on your station? We have had good responses from advertisers in Kolkata in our first year, and national advertisers are increasing their spends in our station, especially in the last 6 months. We have a very good brand profile on our station which includes the telecom operators, financial institutions, consumer durable brands and major retail chain. Most advertisers still see radio as a reminder medium. What is Friends FM doing to change this mindset through its offerings to clients? At Friends 91.9 FM, we are convinced that this is a major issue facing the whole industry. We strongly believe that radio can become a lead medium in certain brand requirements. We have invested in a team of communication experts who work out radio based solutions for clients in both creative and media investment areas. However, this “mindset” change will not come overnight and a sustained effort over a major period of time is required. Advertisers are not really giving radio a chance, are they? Some change is happening now, but the mindset problem is the basic issue, which I am trying to highlight. The truth is the radio has grown very fast, it has become huge over a very small period of time, but we are still looked upon as small media. We are treated as poor cousins because we don’t have the kind of figures that television does and it will take a long time for the figures to come, because to collect the necessary data from more than 90 cities is a huge task. The issue is that all big advertisers want figures, but I want to tell them to go by their gut feel. I 20

I think the only way advertisers can understand the medium and its value is by trying it out themselves. I can make a thousand presentations about the benefits, but unless they invest a little money and be innovative they cannot know the amount of profit they can make. We always talk about innovation in radio, so why can’t media planners be innovative and try radio. They can do some investment in radio and see how it works as radio results come pretty fast. Unless they try it out for themselves, how will they really know? What is your view on the present state of radio in the country? A fundamental issue for all players in this industry is a “mindset” issue. We have suddenly leaped from a very small media to a huge media which reaches about 80 cities and over 40 crores of listeners. Thus, radio has become a serious player, which delivers huge reach nationally and also has local connect to cities and towns. I feel that radio operators, clients and media agencies have to adjust their mindset to this sudden growth. They have to take this industry seriously and once this is done, a lot of obstacles, which are actually trivial issues, will be solved and help the industry to become solid and profitable. What ails commercial FM in the country? In addition to the mindset problem, other major concerns at the present are the absence of a robust listenership measure and the manpower issue. The radio industry requires to work out an established listenership measure as soon as possible, this will give clients the confidence to invest in the medium and make our businesses profitable. The other major issue is the lack of trained programming and technical manpower which is affecting the quality of programming and thus limiting the popularity of radio. Other factors are the present government policies which limit us to entertainment and the music royalty rate which is sure killing off many smaller radio operators. A lot has to be done in basic radio programming and radio operation. Churning out innovation and creativity on a daily basis is a huge challenge that the industry is facing right now. I feel that as an industry we have forgotten that our basic job is to provide good radio content everyday. July 2008 | Radio Duniya

We are a new industry and we should on focus the job at hand and not get swayed away by the other stuff that are not so important. We have a huge responsibility on our shoulders, to deliver good radio content everyday and that is what we should focus on! How seriously is music royalty issue affecting the industry? Frankly speaking, paying the high amounts of music royalty is killing the industry. Music companies should realise that if a station closes down, they will also lose out in the long run. They should look into the royalty factor and invest in our struggle by reducing the royalties on music. AROI is also taking up the issue very seriously, and I feel unless the royalty is reduced or some understanding is reached, radio stations, specially in the smaller towns and single station broadcasters will be badly hit.

out. Differentiation can really happen if news and current affairs is allowed by the government. Truly speaking, I feel even if news and current affairs is allowed on radio, for the next ten years, music will be the main conent, because I feel the genre has not been exploited properly. A whole lot of differentiation is possible in music, which has not been done till now but it will appear gradually. Like, we are an adult contemporary music station, someone will start a youth station, another will move away from Bollywood and go into other forms of music. So, definitely, there will be other stations and experimentation will happen within music. I feel content differentiation is very crucial and when some stations try marketing differentiation and positioning differentiation, with the same content, it really does not work. I think music will be the main stay of FM radio in the times to come, the same way it has been the main stay for radio around the world. What are the kind of stations you see growing in the times to come? The opening up of news and current affairs will definitely bring in some diversity and differentiation in the programming content. However, I feel that FM radio will remain primarily an entertainment medium where music will be the predominant content for the next 10 years. Of all the frequencies available in India, I think 80-90 percent will be music stations in the years to come. What are your views on the future of radio audience measurement in the country?

There is some discussion about allowing private FM stations to broadcast news taken from certain agencies. Would you like to comment on this? I think, if news is allowed on radio, it should be allowed like any other media. If the government allows radio stations to air news, then they should be treated at par with the other media and the principle of freedom of the press should be applicable to radio. Permitting news will definitely help the industry to add more variety to the programming content that it offers to listeners, so it will be a good move. What is your view on the need for differentiation in terms of content? We all talk about differentiation, but the problem is the government policy that limits us. At present we can only do entertainment, and within that, there are only two genres available, one is music, which is what 80-85 percent of radio stations are doing. The other is talk, which some stations are trying www.radioduniya.in

Even in Australia, its only the middle cities that have a weekly RAM, the smaller cities have RAM once in six months, or once in a year. I think at least the top 10 metros in India will have the weekly RAM and the other cities will have it once a year or maybe twice a year. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; think it is physically possible to have RAM in all the cities in the next one to two years, because the cost and effort involved in getting RAM done is huge. After Kolkata, which is is set to have RAM soon, I think RAM will come in another three or four major cities in the country. Are you satisfied with the diary method being used for RAM at present? The diary method is an established method used all over the world. This is the only method available for radio measurement as of now. There is an electronic method which has recently been tested in Australia, and they are not very sure about it right now. So, worldwide there are no new methods available, and I think the cost of other methods would be higher than the diary method. 21

Celebrating Fatherhood

Radio stations across the country came up with innovative and fun ways to celebrate the bond that kids share with their fathers. Radio City, MY FM and Fever FM celebrated the day with great pomp and fervor with special shows and contests to celebrate Father’s Day. Wholeheartedly promoting the idea of bringing families together, Radio City 91.1FM, commemorated ‘Father’s Day’ on June 15, by felicitating fathers across the cities of Bangalore, Delhi and Ahmedabad. Bringing an exhilarating ‘Whatte Fun’ spin to this special day, the station hosted a range of interactive, fun-ﬁlled activities to celebrate this cherished father-child bond.

Speaking on the occasion, Rana Barua, National Head – Marketing and Programming, Radio City 91.1 FM said, “It’s the simpler things in life which allow us to make a difference! Commemorating Father’s Day is our way of getting our listeners to know us better while enabling a fun interaction. It gives us a chance to play an active role in the family lives of our listeners, bringing us that one step closer to them.”

94.3 MY FM celebrated the day in a big way across its 17 stations. MY FM’s Raipur station lined up a unique programme ‘Ek Duje Ke Liye’, which consisted of narration of emotional bonding of the father with his children. MY FM Chandigarh ran informative capsules on “Papa Kehte Hain” which included advise and expectations of the father and children duo whereas the Amritsar station had a “My Ka Lal” Father’s Day special. The Jaipur station arranged surprise lunch or dinner for a few lucky fathers and their best friends. Harrish M. Bhatia, COO, 94.3 MY FM says, “Radio being a mass media has an important role in social events and Father’s Day is the right occasion to establish close connect with listeners. MY FM has always deeply associated itself with the listener’s emotions and to further that tradition we decided to pamper fathers on this important day.” Starting 9th June, Fever RJs asked Mumbaikars questions from the times when their fathers used to hang out in the college canteen, stuff that they talked about with their friends, jammed about, and argued over. Mumbaikars who could crack these ‘baap ke zamaane ke’ questions, won ‘baap ke zamaane ke’ prizes to make their daddy proud of his bachcha. On 15th June, Fever RJs celebrated Father’s Day by taking the winners and their fathers for a drive in Baap Ke Zamaaney Ki Gaadi (a vintage car), helping revive fond memories of their youth. Fever 104 also gave out DVDs of Dev Anand and Rajesh Khanna’s movies, CD compilations of hit songs of yesteryears, antique rotary-dial telephones and pocket-watches – all of which made these lucky fathers feel extremely special that day!

July 2008 | Radio Duniya

programme talk

SIZE DOES MATTER

WE ARE THE

gest

Manav Dhanda, National Programming Head, Big 92.7 FM, has over ten years of experience in the ﬁeld of media. Manav has many accomplishments to his credit and has conquered quite a few feats at BIG FM. Prior to joining BIG, Manav was with Miditech Ltd. where he piloted widely viewed shows such as ‘Fame Gurukul’. Manav has also been the Programming Head at Radio Mirchi, Mumbai and was instrumental in the station’s rapid advancement to the number one position. He has been instrumental in the launch of Big FM’s 45 stations and has ensured that it reaches out to almost 30 million people today. You have handled both television and radio, which has been more challenging and why? Both the mediums have their own unique challenges. Perhaps radio is a little more challenging than television because the scale of operating in 45 markets is extremely large. When we launched our brand BIG FM in the smaller cities of the country where people had not heard of FM before, we had to educate them, we had to set up offices, find manpower and train them. We could not give ourselves the liberty or discount of being a late entrant in the field, where other stations were about six to seven years old. We had to bridge the gap really fast in all the key metro cities, and the good thing is that we managed to do that. Before we started off, we were told that it will be difficult to catch up with the existing operators, but we just told ourselves that we do not have to get influenced by all the this. And now, I can say that there are many things that are yet to be achieved, while there are many things that we have already www.radioduniya.in

achieved in this short span of time. The challenge that we set for ourselves when we started just made the task all the more interesting. Did your experience of television help you in working for the growth of radio, if so, how? The experience of television definitely helped me and it happened at many levels. One thing that television taught me was that understanding the consumer is the key to success. Obviously in radio the understanding needs to be done at a far higher and at the same time a very local level. Another thing that TV gave me was an opportunity to work with fresh talent, from actors to anchors and that was a great opportunity, which was extremely handy for me in radio. TV allows you to work on really huge shows and it’s about getting projects right in a short span of time, without compromising on quality and also moving a mass of people towards achieving one dream and goal. 23

in the form of spikes or programming bursts. The first major differentiation is that we are the only large network in the country that has localised programming for every station. Most broadcasters have one standard programming schedule for a city and it is replicated across all stations. Only the RJs vary from city to city. In our case, before entering any market we do a detailed analysis of the likes and dislikes of the people and the day clock they follow. Radio being a local medium revolves around the day clock of the local listener, so a nationalised programme schedule does not make any sense. The other aspect is the programming innovation that we offer to our listeners. We recently organised the Sonu Nigam concert, Cheepak Ke Jeeto, RJ marathons for 100 hours non-stop and so on. We have given a chance to our listeners, through our programmes to sample us at a much superior level in a short span of about two years. We cater to the global Indian, it is the aspirational youth that we are focusing on and our content reflects that positioning. The nature of both the mediums is similar; in TV we had to set up shows and over here we had to set up stations and get people ready to work. It is very important to get the right people, because without our teams we are incompetent, whether it is radio or television. Why the brand name BIG FM? BIG is a promise at various levels, its a promise to the consumers, that when we deliver entertainment it will be big and comprehensive. It is a promise to us and our company that we have a big goal to achieve, not just in scale and size but also in quality. It is this promise that keeps us conscious and aware, of what we have to achieve. We are confident and sure that BIG will be the biggest brand for entertainment in the country in days to come. Where would you rate BIG FM among other private FM channels in terms of listenership? In cities were Radio Audience Measurement has been done, we are a close number two and growing. Once the measurement begins in other cities as well, we are sure that we will do better. We are the largest network and have the biggest reach, but at specific city levels, listenership varies. All radio stations now claim to be different and innovative. How different is Big FM? Differentiation is ensured at two levels in radio, one is in the essence of programming and the other is 24

What role does content innovation play in keeping ahead of the competition? I think innovating just to stay ahead of competition is a very insecure approach. Innovation must be done to keep listeners excited, and to give them a high quality product. As radio broadcasters, we must give our listeners high quality content. If we do not put our heart and soul into the content, the category will start stagnating. So, differentiation is about giving good content to the listeners so that the category as a whole can grow. In radio, somebody has to lead from the front and help the medium grow. People expect entertainment from radio; the scale at which they want it might vary. I am not sure that radio is ready for serious or hard core talk format right now. However, the content broadcast should not be irrelevant and flippant, and should cater to specific day parts and target groups. Why follow the celebrity route to differentiation? Endorsement by celebrities is a critical aspect of giving a brand identity to the station. The brand ambassadors we have, like Abhishek Bachchan, Asin and Upendra personify our brand Big FM. At the same time, we are investing in the medium or category and helping it grow. I think, in order to get noticed you have to invest in the medium, as it establishes the station very well and gets people talking about it.

July 2008 | Radio Duniya

What is the strategy of BIG FM in terms of deciding the content for each city? The key aspect of radio is to understand the consumer, his likes and dislikes, then comes the aspect of audience availability by age and sex. It is also very important to understand the day clock of the listeners, like in Mumbai the day starts really early and our breakfast show reflects that, while in Delhi the day starts later and the shows are designed accordingly. So, a whole lot of aspects are looked at when we design the programme line up and the kind of content for each city. What is the extent of regionalisation that is done in the content? Language makes a big difference in ensuing connect. We were the first players who went local in different cities, Bangalore being one such example. Before we went local there, most of the stations used to be totally Hindi. After we went totally Kannada, most of the stations relaunched themselves as Kannada stations. It is an education that we brought to the category itself-of going regional. What are the shows that you are extremely proud of? There are lots of shows and events done at BIG that I am extremely proud of. The one event that will always be special was when our Udaipur RJ campaigned for cleaning the Udaipur lake. He placed himself on a boat on the lake and didn’t move from there till the authorities assured him that they will take necessary steps; it was a huge movement in the city.

I am extremely proud of Cheepak Ke Jeeto and the Sonu Nigam concert as it was something that radio industry in India had never seen before. Another moment I am proud of is when our RJs in Mumbai helped a girl suffering from cancer and collected money for her treatment through a concert. There are some regulatory restrictions in operation as of now. What kind of changes in these regulations would you welcome? There are quite a few changes that will be welcome. We need News to be permitted on FM to allow the category to grow, the way radio can deliver live, local and immediate news, nobody else can. The market needs to be opened up a lot more, I am not sure if the 15% cap is something which is essential at this point of time. From long term perspective, it should be multiple stations per city, per player. This will help us bifurcate specific genres and carve out stronger niches. What are the kind of different news reportage that radio can offer to listeners? Lots can be done with news, there are so many television news channels and each is carving out its niche, whether it is with good, bad or differentiated content. It is kind of premature to talk about the type of different reportage that radio can offer. What do you think are the major challenges for the industry? The biggest crunch is certainly of talented people, what I would call lack of trained manpower. This is certainly a major challenge, other than this I don’t see any challenge. Manpower crunch was a big challenge two years back, but now it is not such a huge issue. It will stabilise as we go along. What is your vision for radio in the country and what are you doing to achieve the same? The first vision is that radio should reach its stage of maturity as it has been happening in many developed radio markets, both from listenership and revenue perspectives. The growth of radio in the country has been hit badly as satellite, cable and television came into play before private FM. Another vision is to see radio carve out its own strong niche in the consumer’s mind. This is already happening, so it’s just a matter of time before we reach there. Once that happens the beauty of radio will itself shine and come through, because I think that it is the most personal, powerful and intimate medium at the local level. It is irreplaceable.

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KHURAFATI itin Nitin is the one man entertainment army at the absolute fun station Red FM. He wants to entertain people all around the clock and loves to bajao, but he is getting bajoed by people around him as well. An aspiring Ravana, he got into radio by chance and not by choice, but has come to rule the airwaves now!

What made you choose radio as a career? Radio was not meant to happen, I never really wanted to get into radio. I was always interested in acting and theater. But people started suggesting radio to me, because of my bass voice. My brother’s friends used to confuse my voice with my dad’s voice. I was always interested in music and played songs all day, which really irritated the aunty living next door. Plus, I was a total chatterbox so radio looked like the one place where I could do all that and more! I gave it a shot right after graduation. That is how I started with radio, but it’s not like I don’t want to do anything else, I want to act and be a super successful villain. Radio is my ‘passion’ but my ‘love’ is acting! How has your radio journey been so far? I started my radio journey in 1999 with All India Radio, as a part time radio jockey. I was on air for half an hour every week. I tried my best to take my name as many times as possible, during that short period of time so that people would know my name by heart! I was known as Jonathan Brady then and the fan mail I used to receive, had people addressing me as Jwala Singh, because they could not understand my name. My full name is Jonathan Phillip Nitin Brady, and when this problem started occurring I figured it was better to use my middle name. So when I moved to private FM I decided to use Nitin, because I realised Jonathan probably wasn’t working How was the radio scene when you started off? I started with English programmes in the Western music section on AIR and it was fun to play the request songs for people who used to call in with false names like Raja Moonchhwala. Many a times CD’s used to get stuck and I used to cover up saying, “Mera mood nahi hai yeh gaana chalane ka”

July 2008 | Radio Duniya

It was a very uncertain time for radio then, private FM had not begun and one could not survive on radio alone because you were on air for a very short period of time. So, I was confused and ended up doing a whole lot of odd jobs, I was a dance teacher, credit card executive, cargo agent, profiler for an airline company and a call center executive. What was your first on air link like? My first on-air link was on AIR and it was a total disaster! Spool tapes were used at AIR which had the jingle of AIR and I didn’t know how to put the tape properly. My mentor was with me and I was doing the link, and I said “Hello! You are listening to All India Radio, this is RJ JB,” and I clicked the button for the spool to play and it went phathaak! the spool just rolled off and fell on the floor. Now imagine, woh tape saari roll rahi hai phrrrrrrrrr and I am just staring at my mentor! I’m stunned, speechless, and frozen! My mentor is telling me, “hurry up man, roll it back” and both of us are rolling it with pens and this went on for like 2-3 minutes. And imagine at 1 or 2 in the night, during the “Wicked Hour” the radio link was going blank and we were rolling back the spool, then finally we put the spool back and the jingle was played! What has been the funniest on-air moment? It was not just a funny moment but also something that was very embarrassing. It was Karvachauth and I was doing the show when a girl called up and said, I’ve written a poem and I want to recite it for you. I put her on-air and she said, “I’ve kept a fast for you on Karvachauth.” And I was like “Whaatt??? Madam!!! What are you saying?” I tried handling the situation saying you haven’t seen me, but she was really serious, and she said your picture is in my heart. And I was like what am I supposed to do now!!! So, just closed it with - Ok! I’ll be back on Friday! Keep listening!!! What has been your biggest goof-up on air? I actually fell down while doing the show once! There was a revolving chair in the studio and I was doing the show and saw that a bulb in the studio was flickering. So I thought, let me get up on this chair, which had wheels, and take out the bulb. I got on the chair and I fell; to make matters worse, while falling down I managed to switch the mike on!!! So the link stopped and I had to talk, so I shouted from the floor, “If you feel the sound is coming from far away, its because I’m on the floor, I just fell from the chair!” What do you love about radio? I think radio is the most magical medium, it is more magical than cinema and it is bigger than TV. The possibilities are endless and there are just no limits www.radioduniya.in

to it. If I’m on TV or in cinema and I want to do a show from amongst the clouds I can’t, because it is not possible. But on radio I can! All I have to do is use effects and talk in a manner that will create the ambiance. That is why radio is called the theater of the mind. Also, radio is very personal, do people call up Amitabh Bachchan to say, “Sir, I’ve had a big fight with my wife, please help us sort things out!?” No, they do not! They call me up.... why? because they feel so close to me and that is just magical. People don’t discuss a whole lot of issues with their family and friends, but they call us up and open up totally! How does one get to establish that kind of connect? I really don’t know how it happens!? I haven’t done anything consciously to make the connect. I think, it is because I am a very honest person and that honesty is probably reflected in my voice through my show. I feel that radio is a very transparent medium and if you frown it shows, if you smile it shows, if you don’t like a song and you play it saying you love it, the listener can make out that your heart is not in it! The more honest you are, the better the connect with the listeners. What has been the most fun prank / band bajao experience? It was this one time when I played a prank and bajaoed two restaurants together! I called up a restaurant and placed an order, and then I told him to hold the line for confirmation, just then I called up another restaurant and placed a different

order and then put him on hold and then I put both lines together. So, there were two people, going crazy over the orders I had placed, not one item on the two lists were same and they were so irritated, saying you ordered this and the other saying the order was this.... it was so funny and so maddeningly weird! Logon ka band bajaate-bajaate, kabhi khud ka bhi band baja hai?

My bosses bajaoed my band once. I was not well and I was at home with really high fever and the All India Creative Head called me up and blasted me, saying, “You jocks are not at all serious about your work and I don’t care if you are not well, come to work now”. I was like, I’m gonna lose my job today, and I said, ‘Okay boss I’ll just take a cab and come to work’. Then he told me Abbey tera band baj raha hai! (I was just pulling a fast one on you man) Actually, it has become a bit too much now, because people just call me up and play pranks and then say “aapka band baj raha hai!” You won’t believe the fast food restaurant close to my office, doesn’t take my order because whenever I call up to place the order, I tell them my name and address and they are like ‘Aap hamara band baja rahe ho na!’ (you are joking right!) and bang the phone down! Every time I call, they do this and someone else has to help me order food! How do you prepare for every show? I’m not alone in preparing for the show, there is a creative team which is at work and that team includes me and my producer. Both of us sit down and discuss what should be the topic. Usually we watch news till late in the night and decide on the topic. If some new development is there by the morning, we focus on that. We don’t do hard core news, but just get a feel of what Delhi is thinking about. There is no script, we just decide what all we will cover in the show and then go with the flow. What are the pros and cons of the job? The pros are that people have started recognising me and from the days of me being Mr. Brady’s son, now my parents are known as Nitin’s mama and papa! That feels good. The cons are that relatives surround me at weddings and I can’t get to eat any food at all. Another hassle is that when I go to marriages, people are like “Aap Nitin ho, chalo hass ke dikhao, achha chalo phir iska band bajao! People don’t understand that I can’t laugh on cue or just bajao somebody’s band like that! Another problem is that people get really sad when I don’t play the prank they send in a request for.

July 2008 | Radio Duniya

Snapshot Queries 5 most important things in life..... My parents, god, money, cars and perfumes When not on-air.... I’m either watching a movie or I’m partying somewhere Live by the mantra..... I can, I shall and I will Will never forget..... My teachers at St. Columbus Love listening to..... Bollywood music, trance and soft rock Love watching..... Films! I’m a total movie buff Dream about..... A crime free society and for me I just want to be happy! My epitaph would read..... I would prefer - here lies a good man People would write - at last he is quiet One word that describes you Khurafati! It is just so me!!!

Plus, I do a morning show, for which I get up at like 3.30 in the morning and leave my house at the crack of dawn! I start the show at seven and one part of my brain says, ‘is anybody listening?’ Is there anybody with whom would you like to host a show? I would love to do a show with Isha Koppikar, give me four hours to talk to her and I will win her heart! Also, I’d love to do a show with APJ Abdul Kalam, I really admire him. Par dono ek saath nahi haan..... alag alag!! Where do you see yourself a decade from now? I’ll be in Bollywood, maybe Hollywood! I want to act, I want to be the best villain the film world has ever seen! Since childhood, I always wanted to play Ravana and I auditioned once for the local Ramlila without telling my parents and the next day my mom was like, “Where have you been? What role have you been auditioning for?” And I was totally quiet and my mom said, “They want you to play www.radioduniya.in

Ravana”. I was so happy! But my parents were like “Are you out of your mind, there is no way you are doing this role!” I remember, once my school teacher Abha Verma was doing my make-up for a school play and she told me, “Whenever you play the role of Ravana, I’ll do your make up.” And I was thrilled, she became my favourite teacher after that and I said, “Ma’am, you saw Ravana’s reflection in me!?” (dikha na ravana aapko mere andar) I really want to get into films and be the darkest, most dreaded villain in cinema, but no matter what happens in the future, radio will always be a part of my life. A radio host is “born” or “made”? I don’t think a radio host is “born”, but yes, you need to be born as a presenter or orator. There should be that inherent quality inside you. Andar woh keeda hona bahut zaroori hai. Heere ko tarash sakte ho aap, koyle ko tarash ke heera kaise banaoge? I feel all MC’s, presenters, call center executives can be radio hosts, because when you are on air, you are talking to one person only, not to a crowd. 29

event

Voices of Kerela

Thousands thronged the mobile studios to get a chance to be a star. All they needed to do, was step in, sing and step out. Tapes were vetted on a daily basis by a panel of experts. Adding to the entertainment was the presence of the speakers. The contestants were heard by hundreds of people who would turn up at each location wondering where the cacophony (mostly) or melody (rarely) was coming from. It was great fun for all – everyone was cheering, booing, dancing all at the same time” says Shaju V Baby, Promotions and Activation.

adio Mango 91.9 concluded Naatile Thaaram (Star of the State), a music reality show in grand style. The reality show had a unique twist to it. As part of the show, a fleet of air conditioned transparent mobile recording studios with state of the art speakers was dispatched across an incredible 500 panchayats in the search for Kerala’s best male and female singer. Naatile Tharam attracted over 20,000 contestants and an incredible 15 lakh plus eyeballs especially in far flung areas where ordinarily, people do not get an opportunity to showcase their talent. The shortlisted contestants performed in star studded stage show at the capitals of the respective districts. A bevy of celebrity judges and performers held the crowds in thrall at each high tension final. The winners in each town eventually went back to Kochi for the grand mega finale. The final winners – Lekshmi Benson and Jayakrishna. won the opportunity to cut an album with Kerala’s best music directors and a hefty cash prize. The mega final held on June 4th was all that it promised. Star judges KS Chitra, Shankar Mahadevan, Deepak Dev, Jassie Gift even took to the stage with their favourite tunes in front of the awe struck crowd. “Our proposition was simple, we will come to you and the ultimate reality show will be played out at your doorstep! 30

July 2008 | Radio Duniya

Anuj

‘Listeners

TRUST Me’ Anuj Gurwara of Radio City 91.1 FM is one of the most loved radio hosts of Hyderabad City. He believes his unlimited energy and positive attitude make people tune into his shows and his honesty ensures that they treat him as as a friend, while his fantastic sense of humour, makes them smile with him. He has a huge reserve of energy which is beautifully reﬂected in his show “Whattefun Weekends”.

How does it feel to be judged as the Best Radio Host at the Radio Duniya Awards? Well for starters, it’s not something that comes by very often and it’s certainly an honour! It feels good to have your work recognised, and it reaffirms my belief that if you are true to your work, there’s nothing that can stand in your way! What is the best thing about being a radio host? The power to connect to thousands of thoughts! And it is a huge responsibility. The ability to address www.radioduniya.in

a city that has millions of thoughts, ideas and ideologies and to run a common thread amongst them is quite a task. It is important to give all these people a value addition to their lives. Is there any aspect of the job that you don’t enjoy? Well the only aspect that I can say I don’t enjoy is that the radio host cannot be seen. Sometimes expressing everything through your voice doesn’t seem enough. You want to literally reach out to the listener and continue the conversation. This is something which happens each time we (hosts) 31

go out among the people to interact with them. The love and adulation the listener gives us is simply overwhelming and at the same time, humbling! Describe your most memorable radio moment? The award, for one of course! Apart from that, it was the Christmas-New Year season in 2007, when we did a unique week long celebration, where we shifted the entire studio to a popular mall and set it up in the lobby. Everyday we would host our shows live from the mall and through the glass walls of the studio the shoppers would watch and get a feel of how a real studio works.

What is your USP?

I would reach there at 6 am to do my show from 7-11 am. It was amazing to see how many people actually woke up early, just to come and meet us at the mall before going to their offices, colleges and school. We’d do fun games and contests and give out hundreds of prizes. In that one week, we witnessed how much of a connect Radio City had built with the city. It has been one of the best weeks of my life and a memorable radio moment!

It has to be my unlimited energy and positive attitude! I don’t put on an attitude. When you do a daily show that is so personally connected with lakhs of listeners, you can’t put on an act everyday. You have to be what you are and leave it open for people to like you or not. I’m honest and fun to interact with. I have a huge reserve of energy at any time of the day and I make sure my show reflects the same qualities.

How do you establish connect with listeners?

What are the essential requirements for being a radio host?

I believe that I reflect my positive attitude through my show. My listeners love the energy I exude and my show is never patronising or offensive. I believe they think of me as their friend and a part of their family. They trust me with their time and attention. I make them smile, have harmless fun and make sure I provide them with truckloads of information in between witty oneliners. This has always worked for me! What inspired you to take up radio as a profession? All credit for that goes to Radio City! I had no idea I could ever be a radio host. I was hopping through television, cinema and the stage, before I came into the field of radio in 2006. I knew I could entertain and here was an opportunity to be a part of the 1st generation of radio hosts in Hyderabad – the city where I grew up! Radio City was one of the first private FM stations in the city and it gave me an opportunity to explore a facet of myself, I never knew was there. If not radio hosting, then what? Something in the entertainment industry for sure! I have done cinema, theatre, MC-ing, VJ-ing, I still do that, but without radio, now I’m sure all that would be so incomplete!

I believe there is nothing called a good voice or a bad voice. It is how you can pleasantly communicate your thoughts to you listeners. A radio host must have a mix of maturity, presence of mind, command over thoughts and language, healthy humour and respect for the world around him. And then, there is something I like to call the “X” factor. Each individual has that one unique quality, it could be related to humour, knowledge, tone of voice or simply, the smile in that individual’s voice. And this is one quality that is unique to that individual - a quality that nobody else on this planet has had or will have; a quality that makes the individual dear to those around him. Does hosting a particular prime slot matter to you? I started off doing a late evening drive time show. It was a good time for me to connect with my listeners after they returned home from a long day at the office. The show was titled ‘Recharge’ and I’d recharge their batteries and make sure they smiled before they hit the sack. Once they smiled, my job was done, it felt really good to have made that difference. But then, I also did the early morning show, where I made sure that people started their day on a happy

July 2008 | Radio Duniya

and fun note. I took away the “Oh God, I have office/college” attitude and changed it to a “Hey, it isn’t such a bad day”. It felt really good to be a part of the sunshine. So, I can say that I love mornings and evenings. What is that one most important factor that makes listeners connect to a radio host? A radio host holds the power to bring the entire city together, to synergise a million thoughts! That one moment when the host switches on the microphone to voice his thoughts, he holds the responsibility of each and every person listening to him for those couple of minutes. Those minutes lay the foundation for the connect between the host and the listener. A foundation that is based on a singular word, a word that is above all else, a word that precedes every emotion, every bond, TRUST. My listener trusts me with his time, his self-esteem, his emotions, with his un-asked questions and himself. I like to believe that all my listeners trust me. That’s a nice feeling! Who would you like to do a show with? There are many people Shahrukh Khan - I admire his knowledge, wit and absolute unlimited energy. Ameen Sayani Sahib - I’d like to sit beside him and just watch him talk and make his listeners fall in love with him. My bunch of school friends - people I’ve grown up with. We studied almost 10 years together.. and we’re such a crazy circus when we get together. It’ll be a riot on-air.

with. This potential allows him to freely express his thoughts, enables him to grasp his environment, be a good observer and have the ability to entertain, that is the root of a radio host. The potential, once identified, can be shaped into making the individual a radio host. Entertainment is an art that cannot be taught to someone, who doesn’t have the in-built ability to entertain. If you are “born” with potential, you can be “made” a radio host. What would be your message to the budding radio hosts? Be comfortable with who you are. Aping others will only make you more insecure about yourself and ultimately you’ll be a mish-mash of different people. Identify and shape your positive skills and be confident of yourself. Hosting might look very cool on the outside but it is a job of utmost sincerity and immense responsibility, you need to be sure you can handle it.

And of course, my father, he is a treasure house of thoughts and my idol. Where do you see yourself a decade from now ? I see myself very successful and very satisfied with my success; raring to do more, because there is always so much to do! I see myself as an integral part of the entertainment industry. Radio, cinema, television - this is my true calling, and this is where I belong. A radio host is “born” or “made”? Both. Every entertainer needs to have inbuilt potential, a spark that he is born

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ueri Q t o apsh

Sn As with every profession, finish your education first. Get a sound educational backing and then experiment. The avenues are endless! And then answer these simple questions • Do you love music? Regardless of language, region, mood, etc.? Do you unconditionally love music? • Do you know something about everything? Are you aware of your surroundings, current affairs, your city? (A radio host should never be at a loss for words!) • Love everyone around you. And here’s the tough part, make them all love you. It’s an art. And you have to find your own way to success. • Can you blend all these together in verbal expression, adding the elements of energy, humour and wit? Have you ever faced a difficult caller? How do you handle such callers? Aaah, I wouldn’t use the word ‘difficult’ but yes, a caller once proposed marriage to me on the show and my wife was also tuned in to the show. Haha! My throat was ridiculously sore and I was struggling to talk. Nonetheless, I was doing the show because that day traffic was really bad due to some diversions and the updates had to be done. So, in between the show, I decided to give my listeners a chance to be the radio host for a few minutes. I’d take the caller on-air after approving what they would talk for a couple of minutes. A girl called up and she wanted to talk about how much she loved the show. I said okay, and put her on-air, and somewhere in between her lines, she asked, “Will you marry me Anuj?” There was a moment of absolute silence as I was taken aback and then I told her, “Can I please ask my wife and give you the answer?” We had a good laugh and it was all fun! I got some very cute messages from listeners that evening. It still puts a smile on my face! As for my wife - we had a good time laughing over it! 34

The 5 most important things in life Fun, integrity, loyalty, mobile phone, internet .. haha! When not on-air, I am.... Acting, singing, mc-ing or spending time at home. I live by the mantra ........ We all die, the idea is not to live forever, but to create something that will… Will never forget ....... All those who have stood by me through thick and thin Can’t stand ........ Arrogance, wannabe attitude and closed-minded existence Love listening to...... Everything from Hindustani Classical to Pink Floyd .. Bollywood to Jazz Love watching...... I love cinema unconditionally. There are good and bad ﬁlms, but everything is worth watching at least once. Everything!! Can’t stop talking about.... My work! I’m in love with my work! Heheh! (Ssshhh, don’t tell my wife!!) Dream about..... I hardly sleep! But when I do, it’s actually crazy - I dream about everything that is left incomplete. If any part of my day is left incomplete, work or otherwise, it comes in my dream! My epitaph would read..... Here lies Anuj... he did what he loved, and he loved what he did! My Dream Date.... Angelina Jolie, Drew Barrymore, Kate Hudson, Kate Beckinsale, Priyanka Chopra! One at a time please, I have a weak heart :)

July 2008 | Radio Duniya

advertising

Advertisers Warm up to Radio With the coming in of measurement of radio audience, advertisers are warming up to the idea of investing in radio. They now have a proper method to gauge the effectiveness of a campaign that they run over a period of time

The radio industry in India has grown by leaps and bounds, especially in the last few years. The airwaves are buzzing with activity, framing of new policies and guidelines is being discussed, newer players are entering the field of broadcasting and now there is talk of FM phase III licensing as well. There has never been any doubt about the potential of the medium, but the lack of a methodical study about its reach has been the major factor for detering advertisers from investing in radio. Advertisers are of the view that in the absence of a proper measurement system, it was impossible to calculate the return on investment (ROI). Thus, radio as a medium was neglected for a long time by the advertising fraternity. Even as investors say that radio is the best business to be in, as it is better organised than films and better regulated than TV, and in 2007 radio advertising grew to 6 billion from 3.6 billion,

radio has not been able to attract advertisers. One reason for this, despite the obvious advantages of the medium is that the media boom in the country is happening at the same time, unlike the other markets in the world. Among its competitors, radio is the latest medium vying for advertisers attention and that is one reason why advertisers have been slow in warming up to the medium.

Why are advertisers shying away from radio? FM stations are trying to woo the advertising fraternity by putting their best foot forward and with the coming in and acceptance of Radio Audience Measurement (RAM) by both the parties, things definitely look better. Advertisers often complain that broadcasters have not been able to explain to them the full benefits of the medium and that is the main reason for the step motherly treatment that is meted out to radio. Both the broadcasting and the advertising communities agree to the view that there is a need to change mindsets, of preconceived notions to help advertising in radio to grow. L V Krishnan, CEO, TAM Media Research (India) says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Migration of audience must be made resourceful, the audience just wants entertainment, and it could be through RJs or music.â&#x20AC;? Studies have indicated that the FM reach in India is almost neck to neck with other forms of communication. In fact radio reaches out to the local audiences in a better way than others and this is where advertisers can really get their moneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth. It is now time for advertisers to realise the true potential of the medium and make the best use of it for promoting their products.

RAM to the rescue The introduction of Radio Audience Measurement commonly known as RAM in September 2007, has given the industry an entirely new dimension www.radioduniya.in

radio as a medium is being used properly. A minute by minute analysis of a programme can help the broadcasters sell radio in a better manner. This will give advertisers a clearer idea about what daypart they would like to sponsor so that they can reach out to the maximum people. Also this study can give an indication to the advertiser to identify the programme and slot where they would want to put their money, depending on the target audience. Today radio has about 3.5 per cent of the total advertising pie, and it will not take long for the share to increase to about 6 - 7 per cent. to sell itself as a medium to advertisers. This measurement system has been acknowledged and accepted widely by both the broadcasters and the advertisers as a parameter for measurement. There have been debates about the method used for assessing the reach and effectiveness of radio, but gradually almost all the major FM players in the country have come to acknowledge and accept the radio audience measurement system. After RAM went live, radio stations and agencies now have access to weekly radio data for the cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Smaller broadcasters and advertisers are now demanding that RAM studies be done in their cities as well, so that they can find out how they are faring in their areas of operation. RAM is slated to target category A, B, C and D in the coming days. Local connect is paramount for all radio stations, and to ensure this, it is vital for operators to have local advertisers on board. It has been seen that broadcasters who have invested significant amount of time and resources in educating the local advertisers have come up with wonderful results, despite not having a proper method for measurement. Now, the main thing that broadcasters and advertisers need to see, in light of this, is whether the measurement system has helped attract advertisers or not? “All major broadcasters have agreed that RAM is a credible measuring system, so radio can now be sold as a medium to advertisers” says Anuj Singh, National Marketing Head, Red FM. He stresses on the fact that it is a very critical time for radio as a medium, so it is vital for broadcasters to ensure the development of the medium collectively, instead of competing with each other. With the data available to the industry, both the broadcaster and the advertising fraternity have very effectively been able to use RAM to ensure that 36

As of now audience measurement analysis and data are available only for the cities of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Pradeep Hejmadi, Vice President TAM Media Research says that studies in Kolkata should be complete by the end of June. The data that is available now, is not appropriate for the study of radio listenership trend in the entire country where broadcasting is done in about 90 cities. The urgent need of the industry is to ensure that audience measurement analysis is done extensively so that all broadcasters, irrespective of the size of their operations can utilise the benefits of this study properly. Some of the benefits of the Radio Audience Measurement Systems are mentioned below Benefits of RAM for advertisers: • • • • •

Which station has maximum listeners? Which station is suitable for my brand and target audience? Which daypart is perfect for my target audience? What will be the reach if I use station A v/s Station A + B v/s Stations A+B+C? For how many days do I run the promotion on air to reach my target audience?

Benefits of RAM to broadcasters: • • • • •

Do all stations reach the same set of listeners or are the profiles different? How much time do people spend listening to radio? Which daypart should be treated as a priority? Are there dayparts that are key for some target groups v/s others? What type of programmes do listeners prefer? July 2008 | Radio Duniya

Top Categories Cellular Phone Service

Share (in %) 9

TV Channel Promotions

LIC

Properties/Real Estates

Unwanted - 72

Independent Retailers

Reliance Life Isnurance

Life Isurance

www.24x7guru.com

Social Advertisements

Tata Sky

Internet/SMS Services

BSNL Cellular Phone Service

Publications/Books

Reliance Mobile Prepaid

Corporate/ Brand Image

Reliance Power

Cars/Jeeps

Vodafone Cellular Phone Service 1

Period - January - March 2008

Top Brands Reliance Mobile

Share (in %) 3

Source: AdEx India - A Division of TAM Media Research

Building radio as a brand is something that the FM stations in India need to focus on, to sell this successfully to the advertiser. Brand building is an on going process of creating innovation measured by passion, connection and involvement of the listeners. Ideally in the broadcasting scene in India, in a 60 minute programme about 45 minutes are reserved for music, 5 minutes for ads, another 5 for weather and traffic announcements which leaves out about 5-6 minutes of scope for RJ talk/station talk. The format of radio programming by stations does not permit one to go beyond the usual programming trends. So, broadcasters will have to try out differentiation in terms of content and treatment, in some way or the other and come up with something unique. As of now advertisers will have to invest their money in the existing formats of radio programmes.

Top advertisers on radio Some of the top brands that advertise on radio with a high percentage of share include Reliance Mobile with 3%, LIC with 2%, Unwanted 72 with 1%, among other brands including Vodafone, Tata Sky, Reliance Life Insurance, www.24x7guru.com and the like. Surprisingly, television channel promotions count among the top categories for advertisements on radio. Some of the other categories include cellular phone services, properties and real estates, life insurance, SMS services, publications among various others.

www.radioduniya.in

At present RAM is the only tool that is available for measurement in the radio industry and perhaps it is the best method available as of now. It answers most, if not all of the questions related to radio listenership in India, both from the broadcasters and the advertisers point of view. The potential of radio in India is huge and with RAM slated to study the medium in other cities, it will only aid in helping the industry reach greater heights.

Celebration Time!

All the time I spend every Thursday evening interactive with the people through radio is worthwile. Its an awareness and education even for myself.” Anil Srivatsa, COO, Meow says, “Completing one year feels really good, I am thankful to the management for allowing me to do this. It was a huge risk, when we started off and I hope it pays off financially very soon. In this one year we have launched six stations” On being asked if he was ever scared of venturing into an unknown territory of radio in India, Anil Mehra, MD India Today said “I had full faith and positive thoughts about the whole thing. If you have one positive thought, it is enough to to quell seventeen negative thoughts” Radio Mantra Gorakhpur, turns one Meow celebrates ﬁrst anniversary The cattiest and the sweetest came together to celebrate the 1st anniversary of India’s only just for women’s radio station Meow 104.8 FM. The anniversary celebration was marked by the traditional cutting of the cake, performance by Rock Band Prithvi and a performance by Vandana Vadhera’s dance troupe. The Meow hosts revealed themselves to their listeners through an act which was followed by cocktails and dinner.

It was time for a gala party in Gorakhpur as Radio Mantra 91.9 FM celebrated its first anniversary in a unique way with its listeners on the 3rd of June. The jubilation echoed intensely in the city as the station organised a host of on-air and onground activities to celebrate the special day.

Talking exclusively to Radio Duniya, celebrity host on Meow, Kiran Bedi said, “Radio a very powerful medium, the best for instant communication. I have always believed in this power of communication and now there is no going back. Shows like Top Cat should be expanded across all stations of Meow. 38 38

July 2008 | Radio Duniya

BIG celebrations BIG FM celebrated the completion of one year of its stations in Rajkot and Bhopal with a great programming mix. The Rajkot Station was the second to be launched in the Gujarat cluster. The celebrations saw colourful celebrations full of fun games and music across the two stations. The celebrations in Bhopal involved a wholesome mix of entertainment and CSR initiatives. The team of BIG RJs spent some quality time with ‘Special Children’ of Digdarshika Foundation where the RJ Nirvikar and RJ Shivani played games with the kids and took them on air in different programs. The Special Children were then taken for a special joy ride, Bhopal Darshan on Madhya Pradesh Tourism Bus. At Rajkot, the station marked its first anniversary with ‘Ek School Ho Sapno Ka’ initiative wherein it helped in the adoption of 10 government school children by the most prestigious school in Rajkot – Pathak School. The students were selected on the basis of their performance in an exam conducted by the Station on class VII syllabus.

An on-air contest was organised, focusing on the feeling of listeners when they experienced anything in their life for the very first time, like when they first drove a car or the first time they were proposed. In return, the caller’s won fabulous gifts and some fortunate ones were invited to Mantra’s birthday party. Mantra also offered a special cake for listeners who shared their birthday or anniversary with the radio station.

Another CSR activity involved tying up with the Wild Life Trust Unit in promoting their work for saving Asiatic Lions from falling into the borewells by creating barricades around the wells. The Rajkot station has started on air promotions, inviting people to donate for the cause.

According to Kanwar Sameer, Programming Head, Radio Manta, “Gorakhpur has certainly responded brilliantly in terms of listenership and as well as clientage. Being the only private FM station came with the responsibility of making our way to the listeners’ heart and giving them a platform to share their thoughts and views on Radio Mantra, clubbed with some great music and talk. I am happy that we were able to live up to their expectations and we will continue to do so in the future as well.”

www.radioduniya.in

news Industry Updates Red Mike goes to Kolkata

Radio One turns Fastrack FM for a day

After testing waters in Mumbai with its Red Mike campaign, Red FM has taken the initiative to Kolkata, inaugurated onair by popular Tollywood actor Parambrata on 9 June. The campaign communicates the two-fold meaning - Bajaao Music and Bajaao Issues.

In a partnership that could lay the precedent for bigger things to come, Fastrack and Radio FM embarked on an innovative exercise on June 3 that saw the former ‘owning’ Radio One and its six FM stations in various metros for a day. As part of the exercise, Radio One changed its name to Fastrack 94.3 FM for a day.

Red FM COO Abraham Thomas says, “The Red Mike empowers listeners to decide what they want to hear on the station. It is the ﬁrst attempt by a radio station towards creating listener generated content, through true interactivity which actually goes beyond SMS and telephones and results in the brand being embedded in the listeners minds.” Commenting on the initiative, Red FM Kolkata station head Jimmy Tangree says, “Bajaate Raho! - Stands for super hit music and raising relevant issues that affect people on a daily basis. Staying true to the local ﬂavor of the city, Red FM has emerged as the ‘Station for Expression’ constantly Bajaaoing issues that effect the common man. With the launch of ‘Red Mike’ we extend the same attitude by placing the power to bajaao in the listener’s hands.” The Red Mike will also give listeners a chance to win gold coins and other exciting prizes, every hour, by answering simple questions, bajaaoing issues or by simply requesting songs on the Red Mike. Listeners will be eligible for the coveted title of a Red Mike Jockey by simply coming forward to express themselves on the radio station. Radio City completes all 20 station launches In the Phase II expansion of FM radio, Radio City 91.1FM had won licenses to operate in 20 cities, the FM brand recently completed its 20-station launch with the launches of Jalgaon and Nanded in Maharashtra. This marks the completion of Radio City’s robust Maharashtra Network with 9 FM stations. The station is now accessible to listeners in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Vadodara, Surat, Sholapur, Nagpur, Sangli, Coimbatore, Vizag, Ahmednagar, Akola, Nanded and Jalgaon. Infusing a refreshing wave of ‘Whatte Fun’ in Nanded and Jalgaon, Radio City has introduced a fresh and lively radio 40

Bhaskar Bhat, Managing Director, Titan Industries, said, “Fastrack is a brand that allows the youth to experiment with many provocative identities without having to commit to anyone. From product design to the way it communicates, Fastrack enjoys exploring new boundaries. Fastrack FM 94.3 is one more step in this direction.” Vineet Singh Hukmani, CEO, Radio One, said, “We are a station for the ‘fatafat generation’, whereas Fastrack, too, is targeted at the ‘move on’ generation who believe in this mantra, be it in love, fame or money. When an opportunity came to align with Fastrack, we thought that it is the perfect ﬁt.” He further said, “The alliance with Fastrack is a ﬁrst of its kind and to enable it meant changing our name in addition to integrating the brand and its theme with our programming. It is just a showcase of what radio can do for a brand.” The entire procedure began with teasers four days prior to the actual event , when Fastrack ‘took over’ the FM station. As part of the association, Radio One’s content, including on-air contests and promotions, was integrated seamlessly with the Fastrack theme of ‘Move On’ – all of which led to Radio One FM 94.3 becoming Fastrack 94.3 FM, the station for the ‘Move on Generation’.

listening experience for the people here. Radio City will delight Radio Cityzens in Nanded and Jalgaon with a host of programmes along with an interesting Hindi music mix. This will ultimately give advertisers a great value for their money spent. Commenting on the completion of the 20city network, Apurva Purohit, CEO Radio City 91.1FM said, “With all our 20 stations set up and a focused, crystal clear strategy – 2008 is the year of growth for us. We are looking at aggressive growth based on the pillars of some outstanding entertaining content, differentiated and melodious music, ability to provide extremely creative and innovative solutions to advertisers and a unique brand positioning!” July 2008 | Radio Duniya

training

Training Radio Journalists Asian College of Journalism How and when did Asian College of Journalism decide to enter the field of radio training? ACJ started the radio stream in 2006 and two batches have already passed out from our institute. We thought that the government would allow private FM stations to broadcast news and current affairs, and there would be a bigger need for trained radio journalists. Radio journalistic techniques do not exist in India, all we get from All India Radio is straight radio bulletins and some discussions as current affairs programmes. We intend to change this.

Prof. Sampath Kumar

sian College of Journalism teaches students to develop an ear for sound and, in particular, for sound-bytes, which become meaningful information. The institute teaches students to write news for radio with complete editorial discretion. Radio Duniya spoke to Prof. Sampath Kumar, who looks after the Radio Stream at ACJ to know more. www.radioduniya.in

What kind of radio training does Asian College of Journalism offer? At ACJ we have devised the course on the lines of BBC World Service and Public Broadcast Radio of the United States. A typical radio bulletin has interviews, live field reporting, recorded reporting, live telephonic updates and sound bites. We train the students in the use of latest softwares in editing, recording, effective use of sounds etc. to produce radiogenic packages. At the end of the course, students produce interesting news and current affairs programmes like BBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s News Hour and News Night. We teach them how to write for radio, to write news with editorial

knowledge of the types of radio journalism and production. Students of the programme learn to develop an ear for sound and, in particular, for sound-bytes that become meaningful information. They alternate between studio and field work, producing daily features that are web-cast for peer and expert evaluation. In the present scenario job-guarantee is a major factor for students when they enroll for a course.

discretion, compiling bulletins and so on. They also produce a half an hour composite programme at a fixed hour of the day and get used to working with deadlines. What sets Asian College of Journalism apart from other media training institutes in the country? We are the only institute that trains people for radio journalism. We are very clear in our training approach and syllabus and we do not give training for radio jockeying. The radio stream at ACJ is designed to prepare the new generation composite radio professional who combines the roles of news gatherer, scriptwriter, interviewer, anchor, and producer. At ACJ hands-on, deadline-driven exercises are matched by lectures and workshops aimed at a deeper appreciation of the history and evolution of the medium. The transition from analogue to digital technology and its impact in terms of reach and accessibility, commercial and public interest models, and the impact of corporate consolidation on radio journalism and ethics.

What is the kind of placement opportunities that Asian College of Journalism offers to its students? As for placements, none of our radio students are without a job so far, though no one is working in radio. In my opinion a radio student can easily adapt himself or herself to television. When government permits news on FM channels our students will have a bright future. What is the present size of the batches? Can you tell us more about the faculty at the institute? We take twelve students in the radio stream. There is a professor who has been with the BBC World Service, trained by the BBC in broadcast journalism and has a practical experience in production and presentation of news and current affairs programmes. He has also been a radio reporter to the BBC from South India. We have technical staff who teach audio techniques and use of different types of microphones, editing tools, mini disc recorders and flash recorders to the students.

What is the focus of the training programme at ACJ?

Are there any plans of expansion to other cities? Do you have any plans to set-up your own community/campus radio station?

Specialised and intensive modules at ACJ take students through the essentials of writing for radio, exercises in voice culture, structuring radio features and evoking sound portraits. They gain a quick understanding of the immediacy and influence of radio as a medium and develop a working

Frankly speaking, the expansion plans depend on the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policy on private radio players and the governmental nod to news on radio. As far as community radio is concerned, we have applied for a community radio station of our own and are awaiting a license.

July 2008 | Radio Duniya

What is your view on the radio industry in the country?

had to shed off its lethargic and dull programming approach in view of the competition.

Radio industry in the country is in for big expansion. Already there has been a radio revolution with the licensing of FM channels and I am sure it is bound to expand further. It is already playing a significant role in the field of entertainment and economic development through advertisement and commercials with its massive reach.

What are your views on the growth of radio training institutes in the country, with the growing number of FM channels?

Private FM stations have made radio a popular medium and you can see that even All India Radio has

The radio stream at ACJ is designed to prepare the new generation composite radio professional who combines the roles of news gatherer, scriptwriter, interviewer, anchor, and producer.

www.radioduniya.in

At present the FM stations air only pop and film songs. There is need for training in production techniques and presentation. I am not sure whether there are enough training institutions in the country for radio. Perhaps some radio stations have in house training facilities, which helps to get trained people for various radio jobs. Do you feel there should be greater synergy between the industry demands and the kind of training given to students? Radio stations should send their staff to training institutes to learn the latest techniques in production, effective use of sounds, audio equipment and modern editing tools. This is the only way the industry can get quality manpower for the radio operations.

news Industry Updates MY FM spreads safe driving message with car rally After a rocking birthday bash in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh witnessed another feast from MY FM in Indore – The MY FM Car Treasure Rally. MY FM Indore, which recently won the Best Station Launch at the India Radio Forum, organized a Car Rally on 1st June. The rally was an exhilarating, fun-filled activity aimed at creating awareness among people about road sense and importance of driving sensibly. The rally showcased that Indoreans were ready to help themselves as well as the authorities by being considerate about the environment and traffic. Listeners were registered after an on-air contest about sensible driving and 50 winners were invited to take part in the car rally which was flagged off by the City Mayor Uma Shashi Sharma. The participants had to follow all traffic rules and reach the destination on time, the listeners present en route and at destinations cheered up the treasure rally participants. Speaking about the event Harrish M. Bhatia, COO – Synergy Media Entertainment Ltd. Said “MY FM has always created innovative ideas to involve its listeners in meaningful yet fun activities like the Car Treasure Rally. We wanted to address the issues of sensible driving in a way that was fun so we decided to do something that was exciting yet drove the point home. The participation from Indoreans proved that there are enough concerned people and that they can make a difference if provided with the right platform” RAM begins up gradation; to enter more cities Radio Audience Measurement (RAM), has taken some key steps to upgrade itself. Apart from software updates, RAM is in the process of amalgamating AdEx data with listenership data to assist radio executives at the planning level. RAM is also looking at conducting a pilot in India in the last quarter of 2008 with phone meters to gauge how conducive this technology would be in the Indian media environment. This move would enable digital measurement in India and bring in minute-to-minute data for the radio medium as well. LV Krishnan, CEO, TAM Media Research, said, “When we began measurement eight months back, we indicated that we would work with the industry to trail electronic measurement soon. We are just trying to live up to the promise”. He added,

Radio One closes “Mumbai Ki Awaz Ka Raaz” with a bang Jackie Shroff, Mashhoor Amrohi, Prem Chopra and Shahzad Khan stars of soon-to be-released Bollywood movie “Hum Se Hai Jahan” met the winners of Radio ONE FM 94.3’s contest “Mumbai Ki Awaz Ka Raaz”, a three week activity that invited listeners to identify secret sounds of the city. The three week contest saw over 30,000 people call in to participate and 120 won prizes and cash rewards. The stars met with the delighted winners, took photos, signed autographs and even joined them for delicious ice creams at Mumbai’s hot new dessert lounge Hokey Pokey Ice Creams. The contest began on May 5, 2008 and ran for a period of three weeks on Radio ONE. Unusual and mundane sounds of Mumbai were recorded and played on air once every hour. Examples included the sounds of the Siddhivinayak Temple Aarti, the Mount Mary Church Bell, a BEST bus horn or a cold drinks vendor advertising his wares by running a bottle opener on the bottles he had for sale. Radio ONE RJs invited callers to dial into the station at twenty minute intervals, and identify the sounds they heard. One of these callers was randomly selected to be on air every hour to guess what the sound was. Says Raj Gopal Iyer, Station Head-West, Radio ONE, “Radio ONE is positioned as the station for the fataafat generation. Bollywood is a huge interest category for our audience of urban professionals and having celebrities participate in our ground activities enhances the value of the property for the station.”

“We’re trying our best to make the data as useful to users and based on feedback received in the coming months. There are software upgrades planned as well as Radio AdEx data integration with RAM. This is tailored along with educational programmes on radio RAM data usage.” Krishnan, however, informed that the phone meters, though more expensive than the diary, were cheaper than any other electronic meters. He informed that the pilot would be conducted in either November or December 2008, a ﬁnal decision on that would be taken later. Meanwhile reports indicate that Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad will soon come under the RAM radar.

July 2008 | Radio Duniya

Radio Active

Getting Bangalore Active! Radio Active 107.8 MHz is Bangalore’s first and only community radio station. Just like its parent company JGI, the radio station has been a trailblazer, scoring many firsts and setting trends for both Bangaloreans and other educational institutions to emulate. Sri Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain College, under the flagship of the Jain Group of Institutions (JGI), comprising of about 30 odd educational institutions across India operates Active Radio, Bangalore’s first and only community radio station. There was a lot of skepticism and curiosity during the station’s launch as it was an entirely new concept in Bangalore, which had only seen the boom of commercial FM radio. The station came into existence as a result of the initiative taken up by Prof. Karthik, Faculty, Department of Mass Communication. “In my experience of having worked for Community Radio in India and abroad, I feel it is the ideal platform to bring both, the educated classes and illiterates, informed and uninformed masses, to a common purpose. This can serve for their betterment and development with their participation and involvement, and the entire process can be very interesting, instead of just mindless, drab fare. Community radio in India should open up for public debates which would generate increased participation and listenership throughout the country regardless of its location anywhere in India,” says Prof. Karthik. www.radioduniya.in

JGI LIFE, a CSR initiative of the Jain Group, is proactive with community and developmental activities, and has been functioning since 1997. Since it’s inception, Radio Active has been complimenting several community related activities by bringing together students and the community to use radio as an interactive medium. As R Chenraj Jain, Chairman, JGI puts it, “Community Radio apart from its own identity, is presently collaborating well with our CSR, which serves society and also creates welfare, well being in society and socially responsible and active citizens.” Radio Active celebrated the completion of its first year of operation on 25th June 2008. “The station is dedicated to providing programmes involving the community, in areas such as empowerment of the marginalised, health awareness, good parenting, traditional cures and medicines, hygiene and sanitation issues, concern for animal life, environmental awareness, conservation of resources, etc. In the coming year, we plan to extend our outreach to include other areas,” says Ramya, coordinator, Active Radio.

Initially, broadcasts included programmes made by students and NGO tie-ups serving the community. They acted as links, with various communities of Bangalore, bringing them together on the common platform of community radio. “The students here are the community radio’s strength and potential, which gives them the best hands on experience for the future. It makes them more sensitive to reality and gives them a sense of responsibility as journalism students,” says Dinesh Nilkant, Principal SBMJC- CMS.

This was the first step that aided in creating awareness about community radio and the beginning of community involvement for the station. After a capacity building workshop with CEMCA and VOICES, a Bangalore based NGO, the station arrived at a listenership pattern through a survey. Active Radio took the initiative to work in several areas like Goripallya, JJ Nagar, Azad Nagar, Banaswadi and Kaglipura. Now newer areas are being explored and focused upon. The staff and community volunteers are collecting listener’s profile, other demographics and educating the community and the community in turn is gradually accepting the concept. The programmes being aired by the station range from fitness, health and nutrition, insights for living, neighborhood watch, community insights, focus on family, good parenting, women empowerment, and a range of programmes for the disabled. Active Radio has partnered with NGOs like Vimochana to focus on educating the illiterate and economically backward women and minority 46

communities on legal empowerment, women and family rights and self-help opportunities. Madhu Bhushan of Vimochana says, “Community Radio helps the process of collectivisation within the community and can bring about a critical awareness among listeners”. Anita, an active social worker liaises with the men and the women in the

io has Active Rad th NGOs like wi partnered cus on o f o t , a n Vimocha illiterate e h t g n i t a educ mically o n o c e d n a en and m o w d r a backw munities m o c y t i r mino ent, m r e w o p m on legal e d family n a n e m o w self-help d n a s t h g ri ities. opportun communities to address their issues. Active Radio with the help of Vimochana, makes women aware of their rights and empowers them with legal counseling and emotional support by the formation of groups. In collabaration with SICHREM (South India Cell for Human Rights, Education and Monitoring), Radio Active has initiated a series on human rights education in schools, legal clinics in slums. Reclaim India and MES Builders have partnered with the station to make programmes for children of migrant construction workers and labourers on health, hygiene, nutrition, AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, alcoholism and other problems, including settlement in fixed area and to prevent child labour and disruption of education and nomadic movements. Radio Active also plans to assist in the creation of a special school for the children of the community and organise health camps regularly. In the pipeline are two long term series on environment and science for women’s health. The Science for Women’s Health programme will be done under the auspices of the DST, GoI. The first part of the project will air 104 episodes on health July 2008 | Radio Duniya

and hope to increase it further after RJs from the community come on board. They would be giving our listeners more original program content,” says Ramakanth, Transmission Executive.

issues, hygiene, nutrition, family welfare, dispelling prevalent superstitions and myths in a scientific and educative method. Revive is a community based environment restoration project undertaken by Radio Active, that seeks to work at the grassroot level, to educate, sensitize and encourage the protection, preservation and sustainability of the urban environs of Bangalore, which is facing an ecological imbalance. The project will address the concerns of citizens on problem solving and revitalisation of their basic life-sources like water, air, energy, soil, food requirements, etc. In this project, school children will be trained on the same issues and will serve as ambassadors and work actively with the radio station in producing radio programmes and social action initiatives for a cleaner, brighter and greener Bangalore. The aged and the elderly have not been left out by the station. The Nightingales Elders Enrichment Center in Malleshwaram and Helpage India has helped the station in making programmes on caring for the elders, their entertainment and emotional needs. A unique aspect of Radio Active is its Animal Welfare programmes aimed at sensitising children and the youth to love, protect, and nurture animals as pets and in their environs. Art, music and culture is not being left behind; musicians, folk artists, singers, theatre groups, dancers, artists and young budding musicians have a dedicated slot in the art and culture program. The highlight of the weekday transmission is Neighbourhood Watch - Community Insights, which is a programme for the community, where every issue from inflation, civic amenities, price hikes, national and local events are discussed. Very soon, Radio Active plans to allot a slot to each geographical area and programmes will be exclusively produced for them by the people. “When we started, we were airing 8 hours of programming and now have increased it to 12 hours www.radioduniya.in

P i n k y C h a n d r a n , M a n a g e r Tr a i n i n g a n d Development, Corporate Communication – JGI adds, “I work actively in presenting the concept of education with corporate social responsibility and community radio and am amazed at the youthful energy and responses of our students and the other youth in terms of the environment, economic and social backwardness that they see around them. They are unable to act in a responsible manner but have the willingness to bring about a change. Awareness of making a change through community radio gives them a sense of direction and will to make a difference.” Many listeners have, however, complained about the signal interference and thus, the inability to receive programmes on their sets. Stations like Gyan Vani, which is located at a very close frequency i.e at 107.2 MHZ cause interference, but hopefully the issue will be sorted out soon. As Ekta Mittal of Maara, an NGO that works at the grassroot levels says, “Many times, when we tune in, it says that the frequency 107.80 is invalid. Further, it clashes with Gyan Vani and the programmes cannot be heard clearly. The fluctuations on the frequency will reduce listenership considerably. We strongly recommend that the frequency be shifted to enable community ownership, participation and management.”

Opinion

R. Sreedher Director, CEMCA I have been interacting with Shri Bagwan Mahaveer Jain College from day one. The radioactive CR waves are being transmitted from down town Bengaluru. The radio offers excellent opportunities to the students of mass communication to understand the problems of urban poor. The station is also trying to work out a partnership with many NGOs and particularly with ‘Voices’. But somehow results are not forthcoming. I agree with the representative of the NGO, that the signals of Gyan Vani clash with Radio Active CR. It is for the WPC to look into the matter seriously and sort it out. I am not sure about the efforts of the station in understanding the nature and size of its audience based on the reach of the signal. Unless the station comes out with a massive and comprehensive survey, all the efforts in producing good contents will go waste. I wish Radio Active CR comes out with such studies and emerges as one of the model CR stations. CR waves reach people whom we may not know and want to reach. The limitation of such a low power FM transmission is that it may not reach the intended people.

Radio Banasthali

Voice of Rajasthan The first Community Radio Station of Rajasthan was established in the campus of Banasthali Vidyapith in December 2004. It was christened Radio Banasthali and is broadcast on FM band 90.4 Mhz. Radio Banasthali was formally inaugurated on 9th January 2005, by Prof Diwakar Shastri, President, Banasthali University. The audio waves of Radio Banasthali went air on FM band 90.4 Mhz, with the signature tune of Radio Banasthali. At present it broadcasts programmes for twelve hours daily. The sequence of fresh programmes starts from 7 in the morning and ends by 11:00 am. Rest of the broadcast from 12 noon to 4:00 pm and 5 till 9:00 pm is the repetition of the morning capsule. 48

With the initial infrastructure, a tower of 30 meter height was established to hold the FM antenna tuned on 90.4 Mhz on FM band so that RF power could be radiated in the coverage area of Radio Banasthali. With this a transmitter shelf was equipped with transmitters each of 50 watt and the other necessary devices required for the transmission. A control room was designed to record the programmes digitally on the operating system with the help of microphones, audio consoles and other July 2008 | Radio Duniya

Recorded programmes like Kavyanjali, Radio Celebrities, Nanhe Sitare, Prashnottari, Mehekte Moti etc. are produced according to the interest of the students and the staff of Banasthali University. Apart from these, there are some programmes like Aanmol vachan (Thought for the day), Aaradhana (Devotional Song), Prerna (story), Humare Aapaji Ki Seekh (Teachings of Late Pandit Heeralal Shastri in the form of songs written by him) etc. are produced commonly for both the communities. All the above mentioned programmes are made af ter proper research of the community needs and necessities.

such equipments. Attached to this, there is a studio which is acoustically treated for good audio recording. Apart from this an editing suit, a rehearsal room, an audio library are maintained in order to get a good output. Radio Banasthali covers more than 50 villages and the Vidyapithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campus within the range of 8.5 km radial distance and reaches to the homes of more than 80,000 listeners. According to a survey it has been revealed that 60.5% of the people have access to radio whereas remaining 37.3% are still inaccessible. Radio Banasthali has basically two types of target audience. One is the rural community and other are the students and staff of Banasthali University. The villagers generally like to listen to folk music and agriculture based programs, whereas the others in the community are more interested in educational and song based programmes. Keeping the interest of both the communities in mind, Radio Banasthali produces all its programmes accordingly. Programmes like Algoja (folk song based), Mile Sur Mera Tumhara (recorded songs of community people), Aao Gaon Chalein, Mahri Panchayat, Badal Rahi Tasveer Gaon Ki, Sunane Walo Ki Suno, Kam Ki Bata etc. are some of the recorded programs, whereas Gramin Jagat, Aao Seekhein, Swasth Pashu Khushal Kisan are some of the live broadcasts dedicated to the rural community.

www.radioduniya.in

It was a big achievement for Radio Banasthali to start the live programmes last year, when a one hour daily live broadcast was started on 30th July 2007. Af ter launching these programmes it is ensured to get more community participation and connecting with them directly on air through various live phonein-programmes. The weekly live phone-in-programmes are Aao Seekhein, Swasth Pashu Khushal Kisan, Gramin Jagat, dedicated to the rural community, whereas Parvarish, Pehla Sukh Nirogi Kaya, Udan, Aapki Farmaish are some of the live programs, produced commonly for both the communities. With the help of these live programmes Radio Banasthali has made it easier to get the solutions of various day to day problems directly, by talking to experts in the studio. These programmes have also made it easier for Radio Banasthali to understand the tastes and needs of the people of the community and cater to them. Community participation is one of the key factors behind the success of any community radio station. Keeping this in mind, Radio Banasthali deeply focuses on increasing the community participation in all its programmes. Participation is ensured in both studio and outdoor recordings. 49

were conveyed through plays, jingles, and various other programmes. Revolutionary changes can be observed in the nearby places since the launch of the community radio station in Banasthali University. It has provided a platform for community people to express their views and ideas by means of radio.

Village youth volunteers are trained though various workshops for different activities of radio production. After being trained these volunteers utilise their talent in studio as anchors and also by working as journalists to get the outdoor recordings from the nearby villagers. This activity ensures the participation of both the volunteers and the villagers. As a result of the keen interest and participation of the community, many villages have formed their own Listener’s Club, where they get together and listen to the informative and entertaining programmes of Radio Banasthali. Similarly interested students and the staff of Banasthali University are also trained for the same activities. Through community participation Radio Banasthali has increased the listener ship to a large extent. Having a dedicated team of professionals, Radio Banasthali has at its disposal remarkable expertise that guides the radio operations. Being established in the campus of Banasthali University, the station has a wide provision of guests for different recorded and live programs. Various musical recordings are done in the studio of Radio Banasthali with the help of the Music Department of the University. In the same way it gets good resource persons from Aapaji Aarogya Mandir in the form of doctors, agricultural scientists and researchers from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, professors from different educational departments and other similar expertise. Thus, Radio Banasthali ensures to have good content of all its programmes in order to have a developed and healthy community. Radio Banasthali has recently completed a project of UNICEF working for the growth and development of children. Various programmes were designed to achieve the desired target of UNICEF i.e. making people conscious of child survival and development, basic education, gender equality, AIDS and child protection. Strong messages regarding these topics 50

The people of the community have started interacting with the masses by means of the community radio station. With this they have also started getting solutions to their problems as all the programmes are designed after proper research of the community needs. It has also generated awareness against various superstitions and provided proper knowledge to the people. After the launch of Radio Banasthali the term ‘media’ has became popular among the villagers and moreover they have come to know how it works for the betterment of the people. Ultimately achieving all this Radio Banasthali has changed the lifestyle of the developing masses and enhanced their overall personality.

Opinion

R. Sreedher Director, CEMCA Radio Banasthali is an ideal example of a CR station administered by an educational institution. Its location is ideal, it is surrounded by 50 villagers and is heard in an area of around 25 kms. I remember initiating the UNICEF project on Millennium Development Goals at Radio Banasthali. While it serves the community and facilitates participation of a large number of youngsters from the community in its functioning, it has got its own limitations. Being a radio station situated in a women’s university in rural Rajasthan, men folk are not allowed inside the station. Their participation is limited to field based recordings only. Moreover, the interaction between the students and the community is minimal. I wish the station involves more NGOs and enters into a partnership for content production so that its impact is felt by all sections of the community.

July 2008 | Radio Duniya

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