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Tribila
DELHI
TAF TIMES
The gift of the gab: Rjing They are famous, but their faces aren't seen amongst the glitterati of Page 3; they are household names, but for all we know, they probably use pseudonyms. But we listen to them, let them entertain us, talk to us; we make them a part of our lives. We know them by their voices alone. They are the Radio Jockeys or the more recently coined 'Music Jockeys'.
edit it, add sound effects and play it as soon as the song gets done. It's clichĂŠ, but it is a race against time. And it's all live. Psycho caller? Deal with it. RJing is usually a field chosen by people who have been voice-over artistes or anchors. But a little talent, wit and the love to talk to people can make an RJ out of anyone. Over time, as the private FM industry has expanded and matured, radio jockeying is emerging as a much sought after profession. Amongst many others, colleges such as MICA (Mudra Institute of Communication, Ahmedabad), Xavier's and SIMC (Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication) have begun offering degree courses in Radio. All India Radio also conducts a 2 month in-house training programme for broadcasting. With the third phase of expansion in the private FM industry which would allow private FM channels to broadcast news, a major boom is foreseen in this sector making it something it never was a highly lucrative career option.
With the privatization of radio in the 1990s, FM channels came up in a big way and in big numbers. Personified by a young, dynamic, enthusiastic voice, the new age FM channels gained unprecedented popularity unlike their predecessors that catered to a more mature audience. Legends like Amin Sayani and Parvez Ahmed of All India Radio paved way for RJs like Hrishikesh Kannan and Sanket who have helped stylize private FM channels in their initial stages. The music became more contemporary, the language more colloquial, and the listener-ship saw new vistas. With this the 'Radio Jockey' became the new rage. An ear for music and a passion to entertain, getting paid to play your favourite tunes seems easy enough, right? Not quite. The hours are long and frankly, the pay isn't great. To add to this list, the general perception that libels jockeying as an 'all-you-cantalk' profession doesn't seem to budge even after all this time. But it can't be that bleak a future, can it? It isn't. Because despite all this, the number of students enrolling in professional courses to train as Radio Jockeys, is at an all time high. There must be
something more to it that just 'jockeying'? (Ignore the advertisement of the international undergarment franchise that may have popped into your head). Well, the RJs say it's the job satisfaction that gets them hooked, and for them we go down hook line and sinker. We aren't complaining.
Ameen Sayini: The man who started it all
RJ Simran
A Weird Phenomena Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta was born into a conservative Catholic family which was unsuspecting of the uproar she would cause 23 years later as Lady Gaga. She stood out even in her school, Convent of the Sacred Heart, and she claims she was bullied then for being too eccentric. But now her eccentricity and freakish charm make her who she is and she has an amazingly huge fan base she likes to call her 'Little Monsters'. Even though she is severely criticized for her 'antics' by people with stunted imaginations, she still manages to be the most followed person on Twitter. How's that for being an outcast? Gaga made her talent known as a young child when she started performing in front of a live audience and was an avid actor in high school musicals. When she passed out of her school, her mother encouraged her to study drama and performance at the New York University especially CAP21. She gained early admission and lived in an NYU dorm where she studied music and honed her songwriting skills. But by the second semester of her sophomore year she dropped out to pursue her musical dreams. She made a band, the Stefani Germanotta band which became known in the Lower East Side and was pretty popular. She also experimented with Go-Go dancing and drugs. Her big break arrived when she started writing songs for Britney Spears, The Pussycat Dolls, Fergie and New kids on the block. She teamed up with RedOne and Cherrytree Records to make the epic album 'The
By Kaavya Pillai IP College, DU | 2014
Fame' which sold 14 million copies. 'Just Dance', 'Poker Face' & 'Paparazzi' topped charts worldwide and won her a few Grammys. The next album, 'The Fame Monster' did just the same for her, 'Bad Romance' and her collaboration with Beyonce, 'Telephone' won her accolades. And in 2011, she released her third album, 'Born this way' with chart topping hits yet again in 'Born This Way', a gay anthem, 'Judas' and 'The Edge of Glory'. Her success as a singer could be contributed to more than just her voice. Her outrageous fashion sense, read the meat dress, the lace dress that covered her from head to toe, the 'bleeping' high heels with no heels at all and her even more outrageous performances and videos like the Paparazzi performance where she showed herself bleeding, the 'hibernation egg' she lay in before her performance in last year's Grammy awards show have all made her the star she is today. Her support to the LGBT community is appreciated worldwide and her fight against the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy in the US Army has made the necessary ripples it should. She believes that everyone has the right to be who they are and is openly bisexual herself and doesn't mind being called a man as she loves 'androgyny'. Her audience are the free people, mentally, emotionally, socially. And the people who don't like her for who she is sure as hell love her music. Any which way she stays in your heart as the eccentric yet loving free woman that she is 'cause she was born this way baby!
So what is it that an RJ does? With each radio station equipped with a minimum of three studios: a recording studio, a backup studio and a studio for advertisement spots, voice-overs etc: the skill set required to be a good RJ extends far beyond the realms of just the 'gift of the gab'. As the pre decided playlists are played, the RJ must record his own link,
After all that is said, and in this case, spoken, RJing is the 'daredevil' profession it is thought to be. Armed with just software, a playlist and your own talent, you make your voice become your fame. Because it wouldn't even take a minute for most Delhiites to know if it's Anant, Saurav or Sud talking; because before the ignition of our car, we put turn on the FM; because we all listened to Love Guru and thought of calling in at least once; because it is their voices that make our day; because without them, it would've been a very lonely drive back home.
RJ Nitin