A New Wavelength

After RJ-ing for five years in Delhi and Mumbai,Chaturvedi has moved to Dubai on a new assignment. “The business of voice in India is very demanding because it has become much more than just entertainment,” he says,adding,“We have to keep up with current affairs — people depend on us to give them their daily dose of ‘what’s hot and what’s not’.” As one of the oldest mediums of broadcasting — which started in India in the early ’20s — the radio is also considered to be the most powerful. The penetration of FM channels in Delhi and Mumbai has grown to a phenomenal 88 per cent and 70 per cent respectively,as opposed to 59 per cent and 51 per cent respectively in 2007,according to TAM India’s Radio Audience Measurement Survey 2011. Advertisers also find it lucrative to use the radio to reach their target audience.

As per TAM’s Radio Advertising data,there has been a nine per cent growth in the volume of radio ads in 2012’s first quarter.

With a growing reach,has radio content changed over the years? “Of course it has,” says popular RJ Meenakshi,who hosts two shows on Chandigarh’s My 94.3 FM. The city’s two private FM stations like Big 92.7 FM and My 92.7 FM roll out content that ranges from playing games to playing agony aunt. “Radio is now an intrinsic part of people’s lives. The content is no longer about songs. In fact,my morning show Salaam Chandigarh is based on a newsy,local format. The aim is to not only give out information but also make it topical and easy to comprehend. From where to shop to the local adalat timings,we try and include any news of use to the listeners,”says the RJ.

The programming on Big FM,Chandigarh’s other private FM station,too,steers between popular music,including a chunk of Punjabi songs,and infotainment that goes beyond incessant chatter. “The two-way communication between the radio and the listener is what goes in the favour of FM stations. Residents even get to air their grievances and expect something to be done about it,” feels Dr Ravi Arora,a city-based physician who is a regular caller on the various shows.

Industry experts say that the process of finding appropriate radio content is a scientific one. From the kind of music the channel plays to the kind of jockeys it hires — everything is decided after thorough research. Simran Kohli,a Delhi-based RJ with Radio City 91.1 FM,who founded the Academy of Radio Management in the Capital,says,“Most radio stations do a periodic test — every three months — called the Auditorium Music Test,wherein a sample number of target listeners are made to listen to a collection of almost 700 (new and old) songs and are asked to rate them. The most popular songs are the ones that are played most often on the channel.”

Apart from music,there are contests,talk shows on issues that young people are interested in,as well as shows where listeners call in to express an opinion or make a request. So what are the dos and don’ts of a radio channel? “We only have one rule: stay away from sex,politics and religion,” says Karan Singh,a 38-year-old Mumbai-based RJ on Fever 104 FM,adding that occasional checks by the authorities also result in regulating and controlling the information that is shared on air by private radio channels.