radioduniya::February 2008

fm stations

public broadcasting

community radio

technology

www.radioduniya.in February 2008 | Vol: I | Issue: 4 Rs. 50/-

India’s first first radio radio monthly India’s

Celebrating the Audio Reach Expansion Jayalakshmi Chittoor 12 Radio Duniya Person of the Year

14 Get Addicted To Radio Tarun Goyal 25 Host Talk Meghana, Radio Indigo

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EMDI: Developing The Radio Professional Abhijit Dabhade 33 Guru Nanak Girls College, Community Radio Charanjit Mahal 43

Editorial Creating a Harmonious Momentum In this month, the Radio Duniya 2008 conference would bring together the think tank of the radio industry and decision makers of the government, to build a community of multiple stakeholders to exchange ideas, deliberate on issues that still confront the industry and predict the economic and market scenario for the private sector radio industry.

Community radio is emerging as a new group of entrants with a development perspective, and would also be participating in this mainstream industry conference.

How do we address the issues of sustainability and appropriate mix of content and entertainment; the intellectual property issues; and human resources and technical capacity building required to ensure that we have ubiquitous reach of the medium.

Radio is indeed an empowering tool and could play a crucial role in bridging the last mile connectivity issue and provide valuable and locally required knowledge and appropriate content to the people who need it the most, and who can improve their quality of life and assert their citizenship rights.

The stakeholders are not just the content providers and programming teams, but also the marketers and advertisers who are re-looking at radio as a direct reach medium for their clients. The growth opportunity for the radio industry is exciting, already reaching INR 500 crores and expected to boom up three fold by 2011. Sustainability of the highly competitive radio market can only be ensured when the listeners come back again and again to the same channel. The smaller players may find it hard to compete, as royalties for premier music may be too costly. There is a need to address this issue.

Another key issue that needs to be addressed stems around the need to permit the private sector players to cover the News and Analysis. The via media that can be applied by the government can be to permit reputed news agencies to provide content. If this is permissible for the television industry, then why should it not be permitted for the radio industry? The Government could come up with a set of guidelines and permit private FM operators to go ahead with News. This is the call of the radio industry.

We look forward to see how the Government responds to this demand.

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

Research Associates Sanjana Sharma Mohd. Dilshad Design & Development Team Bishwajeet Kumar Singh Chandrakesh Bihari Lal (James) Om Prakash Thakur Subscriptions & Circulation Lipika Dutta Manoj Kumar Prabhat Tripathi

Editorial and Marketing Correspondence: radio duniya G – 4, Sector 39, NOIDA 201301, India Tel: +91-120-2502180-85 Fax: +91-120-2500060 Web: www.radioduniya.in Printed by: Vinayak Print Media, Noida, Gautam Budh Nagar (U.P.) India Email: vinayakprintmedia@gmail.com

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 and varied field. Your 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 resposible for any loss to anyone due to the information provided.

WebProgrammer Zia Salahuddin Amit Pal Radio Duniya is being published by Elets Technomedia pvt ltd. in collaboration with Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS ) Š Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd. (www.elets.in)

knowledge for change

contents

February 2008

Cover Story Profile of the Final Nominees

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News

32

8,40

Industry Updates Stations Launched

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37

Radio Duniya 2008 Conference Overview

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Station Talk Get Addicted to Radio Tarun Goyal Director, Radio Chaska 95 FM

Training

29

Meghana Radio Host, Radio Indigo 91.9 FM

32

Abhijit Dabhade, Associate Director, EMDI Radio Institute

Community Radio

43

Book Reviews

47

Guru Nanak Girls College, FM Community Radio

Host Fall in Love With Radio

EMDI: Developing the Radio Professionals

From Access to Engagement, Community Radio

The Campus Radio

Dear Mr Gupta,

Dear Ravi Gupta Ji,

Years ago, All India Radio used to bring out a journal called Akash Vani and I wondered in what way Radio Duniya would differ from it. I had suggested to Prasar Bharti that it must bring out a journal covering the activities of both AIR and Doordarshan. I guess it is still in the discussion stage. So, I was curious to know whether Radio Duniya will be merely a technical journal or a reader-wise journal containing a lot of interesting articles and photos. Also, because I feel that such a journal would surely sell.

I was spell bound on going through a copy of Radio Duniya that I received today. I am yet to come across such a wonderful and exhilarating magazine in the last 40 years of my career in radio and television broadcasting. The whole magazine is highly imaginative, purposeful and highly educative. Hats off to you and your wonderful team. Kindly keep up the standard of the contents always. My best wishes and regards are with you and your impeccable team,

Your sincerely, M. V. Kamath Prasar Bharti

Sincerely Yours, B.R.Kumar, Gyan Vani, IGNOU,

Greetings to Radio Duniya Team!!!

Dear Mr. Gupta,

The way Radio Duniya is covering the radio industry is appreciable. Efforts put up by this magazine will make this common man’s medium more common, yet aspiring.

I would request you to add more of International Radio Trends. The magazine is an exclusive window to all the happenings in radio industry. Keep up the good work.

All the best!!!

Hope this mail finds you in best of health and spirit.

First, let me thank you for bestowing us with the second issue of Radio Duniya. I must also take this opportunity to congratulate you and the entire team of Radio Duniya for bringing out such an informative issue covering all the latest happenings from radio industry.

Heres wishing you all the best for future endeavors.

Warm regards, Manav Shankar, BIG 92.7 FM

Regards, Krishna Kanabar MICAVAANI (90.4FM)

Dear Editor, Dear Sir, I recently got hold of the Radio Duniya magazine, and am totally impressed by the intense coverage of the issues pertaining to the radio industry. I particularly like the community radio segment, which adds a distinct flavour to the magazine. The design and layout of the magazine is very attractive. If you can keep a student’s subscription rate, it will be great!

Warm regards, Harini Iyer Student Dear Ravi, Congratulations on bringing out a super cool issue of the Radio Magazine. I am a great fan of Pallavi, and was happy to see an interview, which is very inspiring.

Please continue to bring out more and more inspiring interviews in future issues. I would suggest that you tell us about what is happening in regional language channels also. Thank you.

Warm regards, Saraswati, University of Hyderabad 6

I read a copy of Radio Duniya January 2008 issue and I would like to state the content in the magazine is very enriching and informative. Three cheers to Radio Duniya Team !!!

Thanks, Abhishek Kapoor Gwalior

TALK2US Send your feedback and comments to us at

talk2us@radioduniya.in February 2008 | Radio Duniya

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Radio City 91.1FM launches ‘RC Live’ Radio City 91.1FM has launched RC Live - the nationwide hunt for India’s best Hindi band! Yet another innovative first from Radio City, RC Live is India’s first and biggest reality talent hunt on radio. Unveiled through an evening of music, revelry and a live-wire performance by Euphoria, the RC Live launch was a sparkling affair with the judging panel comprising of Subir Malik of Parikrama, Palash Sen of Euphoria and Vibhav Rao, Manager A&R, EMI together with Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City 91.1FM in attendance. The evening was hosted by Delhi Radio City 91.1FM’s RJ Ved. RC Live is a month-long national talent hunt to identify and create a truly world class Hindi band. Spanning the nation through three regional hubs - Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai, RC Live will conclude with a mega concert at the National Finale in Delhi on February 29, 2008. The winner of RC Live bags an album release contract with EMI and will be actively promoted both by Radio City and EMI throughout the year. Also in the offing is a CD compilation titled, ‘The Best of RC Live’ to be launched by EMI later this year.

Elaborating on the rationale behind RC Live, Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City 91.1FM said, “True to our legacy of being pioneers in Indian private FM, with RC Live we are once again leveraging our music expertise to create a platform, which benefits the music industry as a whole. Radio City is all about music and melody and we have a consistent and continued focus on music, which remains our forte.

With gifted judges and a robust format driven by stringent criteria, our RC Live will scout the nation in a month to present India a world class Hindi band.”

BIG FM organizes ‘Beauty on Wheels’ BIG 92.7 FM Kanpur took its listeners to the next level of excitement by organising a splendid show of vintage cars in the city. BIG 92.7 FM Kanpur in association with Vintage and Classic Car Club of Cawnpore organised an exciting Vintage and Classic Car Rally 2008 at Green Park Stadium on Sunday, January 13.

The rally saw more than 40 Vintage cars from the era of 1913 to 1965 contesting for various titles. The rally was hugely promoted through various exciting on-air programmes. BIG 92.7 FM’s RJ Ady interacted with the rally participants, who talked about their excitement on participating in this prestigious rally. India’s oldest Rolls Royce model of 1913 named Jewel of India, was the main attraction of the day while older versions of Austin, Singer, Fiat, Ford, Rover and Morris Minor also got huge response. The rally culminated with a gala felicitation of the Queen of the rally the Silver Ghost, Rolls Royce 1916.

Speaking on the occasion, Manav Shankar, Cluster Head (UP East), BIG 92.7 FM said, “At BIG 92.7 FM we undertake innovative means of entertaining our listeners, be it on air spike, new programming strategies or on-ground activities. This exotic rally was aimed not only to provide entertainment but also to showcase the rich culture of Kanpur. I am overwhelmed by the response we have received from the participants as well as our listeners and I am thankful to all who have made this effort a success.”

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February 2008 | Radio Duniya

Big FM’s greatest challenge concludes

Bangalorean Jagadish was victorious as he became the winner of BIG 92.7 FM’s greatest endurance test aptly titled ‘Kai Ittare Caru, Big Hero Yaaru?’ in association with Hyundai Motors’ newly launched Hyundai i10. The three days of excitement and drama finally came to an end on 21st January early morning as Jagadish Patil, a 23 year old Civil Engineer from Bangalore decided that he could no longer stay stuck to the swanky Hyundai i10 as the clock struck the 58th hour at 3am. The winner was felicitated by non other than the stunning Sandalwood actor - Sudeep of the ‘Huccha and My Autograph’ fame. The runner up was Rohit Babu, a BBM student from Bangalore.

BIG 92.7 FM promoted this event on the web by streaming the entire event live through their microsite from start to finish. This is the first time an FM station has used web technology to reach out to the millions of listeners who could be sitting in any part of the world with access to the internet. The flag off to announce the commencement of BIG 92.7 FM’s ‘Kai Ittare Caru, Big Hero Yaaru?’ event was by Commissioner of Police, Achuta Rao along with Sandalwood celebrity Priyanka Upendra, singer and music composer Rajesh Ramanthan and actor Prajwal Devaraj on 18th January.

Radio City spices up weekend programming Radio City 91.1FM is redefining weekend radio entertainment with a diverse array of fresh, exciting new shows and daily features. Coupled with melodious adult contemporary music, the FM station now brings a wholesome mix of humour, romance, showbiz and Bollywood through seven new shows giving listeners more reasons than one to tune into fun weekends only on Radio City 91.1FM! The Saturday line-up sees Radio City welcoming India’s favourite Jaat, Udham Singh on the Udham Singh Show for a refreshing dose of the nation’s favourite brand of unrestrained, no-holds barred Haryanvi humour. The Great Indian Countdown will give listeners a weekly recap of the top 20 melodious hits while Dil Vil Pyaar Vyaar is a breezy new show with a fresh, free-spirited take on life and romance.

Making Sundays a truly relaxing day, Radio City introduces four new shows with Parde ke Peeche – Weekend Special, an exclusive sneak peek behind the scenes on the glamour, grapevine and gossip from the entertainment world. City Talkies will showcase one Indian cult film at a time with snippets and trivia on everything there is to know about www.radioduniya.in

unforgettable celluloid superhits. Theme No. 91.1 will have listeners grooving to melodious songs from evergreen Bollywood themes while Rollywood Presents brings an uproarious fun spoof on Bollywood releases.

Commenting on the new line-up, Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City 91.1FM said, “After creating a clear differentiation with our adult contemporary music, we are making our weekend programming more robust through an entertaining mix of genre-based shows.

Shows like The Udham Singh Show and others will revitalise evenings on weekend radio with a gripping f o r m a t , differential content coupled with melodious music. While this gives our listener wholesome entertainment throughout the weekend, the advertiser also gets a wider spread of properties to associate 9

BBC introduces new shows on Radio One BBC has increased its radio presence with two more of its programmes going on air on Radio One. The two weekly programmes – ‘BBC Take One’, a film preview programme, and ‘BBC Fun and Games’, a 15-minute sports magazine programme – will be aired on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. While ‘Take One’ went on air on January 10, ‘Fun and Games’ went air on January 12.

Commenting on the initiative, Vineet Singh Hukmani, CEO, Radio One, said, “These are the first ever sports magazine and a credible film magazine on radio in India, which have been designed especially for Radio One’s ‘Masstige’ audiences and we are confident that BBC will help us reach our target listener with a perfect dose of exclusive entertainment delivered with the highest credibility.”

Vineeta Dwivedi, India Business Development Manager, BBC World Service, said, “The two new weekly programmes add to BBC’s special FM programming for India – ‘BBC Ek Minute’ and ‘EK Mulaqat’ – and we look forward to working with Radio One on new opportunities.”

Winners of ‘Chipak Ke Jeeto’ announced It was victory time for Rashmi, V Kranthi Kumar, Raj Dongre and Sanjay Mondal as they came reining winners at BIG 92.7FM’s greatest endurance test aptly titled ‘Chipak Ke Jeeto’ in association with Hyundai Motors’ newly launched Hyundai i10. The three days of high voltage excitement finally came to an end with the announcement of the winners.

As per the Limca Book of Records, one winner would be selected from across the three cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad and the winner was Raj Dongre from Mumbai. As promised, he will have his name listed as a record holder in the Limca Book of Records for his endurance and winning the contest by remaining touched to the car for a record breaking 72 hours and 50 minutes.

Commenting on this culmination contest Anand Chakravarthy, Vice President, Marketing – BIG 92.7 FM said, “Chipak Ke Jeeto is an innovative and highly challenging contest which has culminated with great élan across the four cities.

The response received across the cities has been overwhelming with crowds thronging the venues’ to cheer for the participants.

We have always believed in creating exciting formats to entertain our listeners and this has been one such of our initiatives in association with Hyundai Motors’, latest exciting offering - the Hyundai i10. This event that happened simultaneously across four stations, is truly Life Banao offering from BIG 92.7 FM that lived up to our promise of delivering a unique entertainment experience to our listeners.”

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February 2008 | Radio Duniya

94.3 MY FM launches podcast service DBCL Group’s radio station 94.3 MY FM has launched its online portal www. myfmindia.com. The website has introduced Podcasting for its listeners in India and abroad. Under podcasting, popular entertainment shows of all its stations will be available online in the form of podcasts. Thus listeners can listen to radio even online and that also globally. This is a very interesting move by the radio company for it seems to be the beginning of embracing the online media and taking radio to the next level. Now listeners can store their favorite shows and listen to them whenever they want.

The website also has MY Club, an engaging platform for listeners to send their song requests, find more about music & Bollywood and blog on interesting topics. 94.3 MY FM seems to have done their homework well, for the website also has celebrity interviews and entertaining on-air properties on the website. Among the wholesome entertainment mix that is available on the website are podcasts of popular shows that can be heard on the computer or downloaded on Ipod using ITunes.

According to Harrish M. Bhatia, Business Head, 94.3 MY FM, “The online portal is just another initiative by 94.3 MY FM to entertain and engage our listeners. With the internet revolution already all over the country, the music lovers will now get their share of entertainment online too. Through the portal we will also be able to entertain Indian communities abroad.”

Adds, Viplove Gupte, National Programming Head, 94.3 MY FM, “We are quite excited about the website launch. With podcasting, celebrity interviews, on air properties and MY Club, we are sure we will connect even more Dil Se with our listeners.”

BIG FM Hyderabad launches podcast service BIG 92.7 FM, Hyderabad has become the first radio station in Hyderabad to podcast on-air shows on its website. Through this new offering, Hyderabadis from anywhere in the world can catch up with their favorite radio jockeys, listen to their favorite songs, and listen to some great content ranging from interviews with Tollywood Stars, jokes, get interesting updates on the latest city happenings and much more, all at one click of the mouse.

In keeping with its endeavor to impact people’s lives positively, BIG 92.7 FM has a wide range of entertainment options and the same is not restricted to merely on air offerings but are being taken on-ground as well as on-line. Among the wholesome entertainment mix that is available on the website includes audio content from various shows including jokes, celebrity interviews, pranks and a whole lot of fun programs as podcast which can be accessed by anyone from anywhere in the world, through the internet. One can log on to www.big927fm. com and can download the audio file to listen to it on the computer or download it on their IPod using ITune. By providing Podcast service BIG 92.7 FM has created a common platform for its listeners from across the world to come together and enjoy entertainment unlimited.

Podcasting is a growing phenomenon that enables anyone to create and distribute their own series of Internet audio programs or audio blogs (web logs), resulting in a new form of online media that people can listen to whenever and wherever they want.

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Celebrating the audio reach expansion

Background With the opening up of the licences to private sector operators, the national incumbent operator of Broadcasting, Prasar Bharati, including All India Radio and Doordarshan is facing booming private sector radio operations all around the country. This is creating a lot of excitement and opportunities for various stakeholders including the opening up of markets and reach to the masses. Several new licences have been given, the sector has also been made open to academic institutions and NGOs thus creating a new space for communities to take ownership and reach to their audiences.

Community Radio is a new space. New advances in digital technologies and convergence has created opportunities for using the Internet, Mobile and other tools, redefining the typical studio based broadcasting as the sole mode of reach. There is also renewed interest as new funding opportunities are opening up for supporting this movement. Not only are well known media houses entering the radio market but also other institutions are expanding the scope of the community and reach.

Why a Radio Conference?

Radio has been the most cost effective source of entertainment in India for a long time. For a long time and the radio industry was dominated by the 12

state broadcaster- All India Radio. However, the radio sector has been gradually liberalised and has been opened for private and foreign investment. The government is going to award licenses to private players through a bidding process. The liberalised Government policy initiatives such as increasing the FDI limit and migration to a revenue sharing regime has given a boost to the radio segment.

According to a report by Crisil, the Media and Entertainment industry is poised to double its revenues by 2010 with an annual growth rate of 15.6 percent. The study forecasts that the revenues will reach up to the level of INR 74,400 crore by 2010 from INR 36,100 crore in 2005. According to another report by FICCI and Price Waterhouse Coopers, the media and entertainment sector is expected to cross a turnover of INR 1,00,000 crore by 2011 from the present INR 43,700 crore, thereby registering 18 per cent compounded annual growth. The Radio industry alone is valued at INR 500 crore currently, and expected to rise up to INR 1700 crore by 2011.

Opening of the Airwaves to Private Operators Of the total 223 stations, All India Radio (AIR),(the incumbent) stations, there are 161 FM transmitters, 143 MW and 64 SW stations, reaching 99.13% of the population with a and coverage of 91.42% of the area of the country. The process of privatisation February 2008 | Radio Duniya

of radio began after a Supreme Court decision in 1995, The first private FM station Radio City began functioning in July 2001 in Bangalore, Karnataka.

And since then, 245 private FM stations have come up, experiencing a boom with more operators, coming in the fray and expectedly, raising a lot of competition. The industry is expected to face a compounded growth rate of 28% over the next five years.

Driven by the launch of over 300 new private FM radio stations, as a part of the government’s phased expansion plans, the FM radio industry has registered 60 per cent growth in 2006 within the media and entertainment sector. Despite this boom in growth there are a few forums for the diverse Radio industry to be organised together as a thematic platform. There are some policy and implementation issues that still remain to be resolved. Wide range of radio professionals from station operators, to radio jockeys, to advertisers, to broadcasting professionals will come together to share their experiences, record their vision and achievements.

The new community radio licensing opened up for NGOs, trusts, and autonomous bodies in December 2007 is also expected to grow at a rapid rate, ensuring that the rural communities are able to access the air waves, create content, and use it as an empowering tool for their communities.

Radio Duniya 2008 The Radio Industry’s premier conference and awards has been launched this year under the banner Radio Duniya 2008 to be held on February 11 and 12, 2008 at the Intercontinental The Grand, New Delhi.

This event, co-organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies endeavours to bring forth to the discussion table the issues that the industry confronts. It is a benchmarking event, that will celebrate the new vibrancy that the Radio medium has created in the minds of not only the rural and poor people but also the urban populace. This new revolution is creating ripples across the citizens.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has enabled the process of privatisation and created mechanisms to smoothly engage the private sector. The FM channels are looking at this media as an important space to reach to the minds of all age group citizens, whether they live in large metropolitan cities or in small towns. In addition, the laudable steps taken by the Ministry to open up the community radio licenses to academic institutions and civil society organisations across www.radioduniya.in

the country will ensure that the FM revolution has a ubiquitous reach.

High levels of creativity, enthusiasm and programming mix of information and entertainment has generated a new vertical of human resources.

As the next phase of licensing opens up, there is need to reflect on the experiences faced by national, regional and network of corporate channels, and the issues that need to be addressed for a collective India’s FM Radio industry. The concerns of the radio industry will form the crux of the deliberations of the two day conference and awards event. Digitisation and new convergence technologies are likely to create a new momentum to ancillary information and communication technology industries and products to be used in conjunction with radio. These issues will be discussed at the upcoming conference.

Radio Duniya 2008 Awards: Celebrating the achievers The Radio Duniya 2008 has created a platform to celebrate the achievements of this industry and instituted 12 categories of awards.

These include: •

Best AIR Station 2008

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Best FM Station 2008

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Best Campus/ Community Radio 2008

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Best Radio Host 2008

•

Best Radio Show 2008

•

Best Radio Signature Tune 2008

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Best Radio Website 2008

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Best Marketing Campaign 2008

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Best Radio Advertising 2008

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Best Social Responsibility Initiative 2008

•

Radio Duniya Lifetime Achievement Award 2008

•

Radio Duniya Person of the Year 2007

In this issue we are profiling the Radio Duniya 2008 forum’s activities and preparations up to now. We all hope that the industry will join in large numbers to support this initiative.

Jayalakshmi Chittoor, jchittoor@csdms.in 13

‘ R a d i o D u n i y a – P e r s o n o f t h e Ye a r 2007 Award’, aims to accolade the most outstanding individual who has made the most significant contribution to the radio industry.

The nomination procedure followed for this particular award was different from the other categories. We had four stages of nomination for this award: Stage-I was the public online polling system where a list of nominees was created; Stage-II involved selection of the final nominees from the first list of nominees, filtered by the la crème of the radio industry; Stage-III was where the selection was again open to the public online polling system; Now, Stage-IV is the Radio Duniya Leaders Conclave where the final nominees will be exposed to an open public forum. The conclave will make the top nominees face some crucial questions, which will add to the final decision.

The final result will be based on different weightage given to the online public polling results from stage-I and III, and the outcome of stage IV - Radio Duniya Leaders Conclave.

We present to you a brief profile of the final nominees of the Radio Duniya Person of the Year 2007 Award.

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February 2008 | Radio Duniya

Nominees

Abraham Thomas Chief Operating Officer Red FM 93.5

Abraham Thomas started his career in the print media with The Indian Express where he worked his way up to the position of All India Head of Ad Sales. Television soon called and he joined Sony Entertainment Network as ‘Director – Sales’ for SET, MAX and AXN. From a premium mass entertainment channel he then moved to a premium youth entertainment channel, MTV Networks, where he headed the revenue function for MTV, Nickelodeon and VH1.

Abe joined Red FM as COO in March 2005. He believes that his strong background in revenue generation and his experience in working with client brands helps him to drive programming and marketing towards increased listener pleasure, while co-creating win-win marketing solutions for his clients. His vision has enabled Red FM to move ‘beyond radio’ and on to REDActiv (activation), REDMobile (content on multi-digital platforms) and REDCreativ (Creative Solutions for Clients). In a short time, Red FM has gone from an ‘also-ran’ brand to the number two radio station in Mumbai and Delhi - and is now challenging the leader.

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Nominees

ANIL SRIVATSA Chief Operating Officer Radio Today Broadcasting Limited

Before returning to India as the COO of Radio Today Broadcasting Ltd, Anil Srivatsa incubated a new media company funded by NeuLion Inc. that delivered niche television channels to TV sets using IPTV technology. Previously, Srivatsa was Executive VP at ImaginAsian TV, where he was in charge of distribution for basic cable foray.

Prior to this, he was Director of Worldwide Marketing and Public Relations for RTV UK. As Director of Cricket and South Asian Programming at Kelly Broadcasting Systems, he oversaw the creation of the Cricket Channel. His broadcasting career began at Holt Radio Corporation as Board Operator, before becoming a Producer for nationally syndicated Radio Talk shows. Srivatsa was the host of the largest syndicated South Asian radio show in the USA, “Anil Ki Awaaz” and he also created “Medical Detectives” on the Learning Channel.

Srivatsa earned a Master’s degree in Telecommunications (Kutztown University) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology, Public Administration, and Journalism (Mysore University). He is a founding trustee of the Guild of Women Achievers, an NGO that works to empower women in India, and was the only Indian on the Nielsen Advisory council for Asian and Pacific Americans. He also serves on the Advisory board of 212 Media Inc. and The Horror Channel in New York.

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February 2008 | Radio Duniya

Nominees

Apurva Purohit Chief Executive Officer Music Broadcast Private Limited

Apurva Purohit is the CEO of MBPL, which owns and operates Radio City, one of India’s leading FM radio networks. Apurva is also the first elected president of the Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI), the national society dedicated to protect the collective interests of radio broadcasters in India. She is a specialist in the field of media businesses and brands. An alumnus of IIM Bangalore, she has spent over eighteen years in advertising and media. She is credited with bringing the concept of Media Buying as a separate business into the country, having started the first media buying house in the country in 1995, Lodestar. Lodestar is currently counted as one of the top five media houses in the country. Apurva was also an integral part of the TV media business - first as President of Zee TV, the flagship channel of Zee Network and then the COO of the Times Television Network.

Today Apurva is leading Radio City’s foray into the new markets and opportunities created by the Phase II policy of the Government in the private FM sector. Having won sixteen licenses in all key metros and mini metros, Radio City now successfully operates in seven key metros in the country. It’s a leader in the FM business, holding the number one position in the key cities of Bangalore, Mumbai , Hyderabad, Lucknow and a strong number two slot in cities like Delhi and Jaipur.

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Nominees

Harrish M Bhatia Business Head Synergy Media Entertainment Limited

Harrish M Bhatia is the Business Head of 94.3 MY FM, a Synergy Media Entertainment Ltd Enterprise, a part of the Bhaskar Group. Before this, he was with the Bhaskar group as Vice President - Sales and Marketing.

Harrish has the credit of launching Divya Bhaskar in Gujarat in 2003. Since 2005, he had been in Mumbai as Vice President - Sales and Marketing for South and West. An official communiquĂŠ quoted that during his tenure in Mumbai, the business showed tremendous growth.

Prior to joining Bhaskar, he was the National Product Head at the Korean Multinational LG Electronics in India. He was also responsible for the launch of LG Door Cooling Refrigerators in India and prior to that, he has worked with brands like Onida & Aristocrat Luggage.

Under the able guidance of Harrish, Synergy Media Entertainment Limited has a significant presence in the radio business under the brand name MY FM. The company has licenses to operate 17 FM radio stations, out of which 15 are currently in operation. Harrish has built the brand MY FM as the reflection of the one-to-one relationship with an emotional ownership of the medium with the listeners.

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February 2008 | Radio Duniya

Nominees

Manav Dhanda National Programming Head BIG 92.7 FM

With over ten years of experience, Manav has many accomplishments to his credit as he sets to conquer a few more feats at BIG 92.7 FM. Prior to joining BIG 92.7 FM, Manav was with Miditech Ltd. where he piloted widely viewed shows such as ‘Fame Gurukul’ and ‘Deal Ya No Deal’.

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. Added to working with a good team, Manav attributes this victory to his zeal for perfection.

Another feather in Manav’s cap has been the management of the launch of ‘Jassi’ on Sony. A versatile professional, Manav has several varieties of programs and live events such as “Filmfare, Femina, Lata Live in aid of Gujarat’, ‘Hrithik Live in Concert’ and ‘Dreamgirls’.

As a freelancer, Manav has also directed serials such as ‘Thodi Si Bewafaii’ after assisting well renowned television directors, and working as a freelance writer. A theatre enthusiast, he has been involved in theatre in Delhi as an actor and a stage director.

A sports buff, he brings his valued sportsmanship to BIG 92.7 FM for another successful innings.

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Nominees

Ms. Nisha Narayanan is National Coordinator of South Asia FM, India’s largest FM radio network.

Nisha Narayanan Project Head 93.5 S FM

She began her career in radio broadcasting over a decade ago, taking up assignments with the staterun All India Radio before working for a private FM broadcaster. Her career in broadcasting also coincided with the expansion of cable and satellite television, a medium to which she soon migrated, both as a newscaster as well as Executive Producer and Business Development Manager. She followed this up with a stint as an independent media consultant, focusing on FM broadcasting, as well as Head of Distribution for Deutsche Welle radio in India.

Along the way, Nisha has acquired a broad spectrum of radio and TV skills – from programme planning and production to presentation and management – while working for both private and public service channels. On the radio front in particular, she has wide-ranging experience with AIR, Times FM, RBC radio (satellite radio), educational channels like Gyan Vani and commercial FM stations. She has served as Head of Audio Visual programming for Vaishnavi Corporate Communications.

A Chevening Scholar in broadcast journalism, Nisha has also authored many articles on radio policy and regulation, and writes regularly for both the mainstream media as well as specialist journals.

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February 2008 | Radio Duniya

Nominees

Prashant Panday Chief Executive Officer Radio Mirchi (ENIL)

Prashant Panday, CEO of Radio Mirchi (ENIL), has been with the radio enterprise right from its inception. He has several achievements to his credit including roll out of phase II radio stations of the company. By virtue of his leadership style he has lead managers from different backgrounds to make the brand, Radio Mirchi India’s most popular FM radio brand. Prashant is one of Radio Mirchi’s most talented and experienced managers. He has consistently displayed leadership qualities. He has an in-depth understanding of the media space; particularly the FM radio space. As CEO, his goal is to make Radio Mirchi a household brand name across the length and breadth of India and take Radio Mirchi to even greater heights.

Prashant joined Entertainment Network (India) Limited in August 2000. He holds a Bachelors degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering from Gujarat University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. Prior to joining ENIL, he was Director (Marketing) for Modi Revlon Limited India operations. He has 17 years of experience in sales, marketing and advertising industries and has held various other senior positions. Previously, he has worked with Hindustan Lever Limited, Frito Lay India, Mudra Communications and Citibank N.A.

www.radioduniya.in

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Nominees

Rajeev Nambiar President and COO Hello 106.4FM

Rajeev Nambiar, President and Chief Operating Officer, Hello FM 106.4 is the man behind Tamil Nadu’s most wide-spread radio network. Rajeev has 18 years of experience in media sales, marketing and management, as well as exposure to print, television and now radio. Prior to taking over as President and COO of Malar Publication Ltd’s Radio division in 2006, he was the CEO of Raj Television Network Ltd. The erstwhile high profile head of Raj TV spent nine years in the company before joining Hello FM and he is credited with many memorable steps to develop the television channel as the second most popular brand in Tamil Nadu. Rajeev is known for having built Raj TV’s advertising revenue in the market. He has set the trend for programming innovations and empowered sales teams to think laterally. He came on board the channel in 1996 after being with The Times of India for seven years and then heading Jain TV’s southern operations for one year in 1995.

With his team of specialists from various media verticals, he is all set to make his brand of radio, Hello FM 106.4 as a pan-Tamil Nadu entity and at the same time establish Radio as a category.

His radio station is breaking conventions in the business. Disrupting existing practice, is the philosophy, that he believes is the contributing factor to Hello FM’s instant success.

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February 2008 | Radio Duniya

Nominees

Tarun Katial Chief Operating Officer BIG 92.7 FM

With impressive stints at Star and Sony, Tarun Katial, the affable 32-year-old is one of the most successful executives in the Indian media industry.

Tarun is stewarding the setting up of BIG 92.7 FM’s 45 stations across the length and breadth of India, giving direction and realising stakeholder’s vision. The vision being – ‘To be the first choice of listeners as we not only entertain but positively impact and transform their lives’. The emphasis should be that we go beyond entertainment. We exist because we wish to make a difference to society at large especially to those who are at the bottom of the pyramid.

Prior to BIG 92.7 FM, Tarun Katial was with Sony Entertainment Television where he held the position of Executive Vice President - Business Head SET, focusing at driving strategic initiates across functions for the the channel with a view to drive higher viewership and revenue and further strengthening the Sony Entertainment Television brand.

Tarun, who has a media and communications background, has been with leading advertising firms of the country including Saatchi & Saatchi, Nexus Lowe and Ogilvy & Mather. Before his SET stint, he held the position of Executive Vice President - Content and Communications at Star Network, overseeing its successful programming and marketing of all STAR TV channels in India over the last several years. Tarun brings impressive credentials with an established track record of wellcrafted successful shows and channels.

Amongst his other key achievements, a significant one is for being voted the NewsCorp Achiever for Asia and another for being included amongst the best in the India Today 30 on 30 list. He was also a part of the team that won the first Media Gold at Cannes.

www.radioduniya.in

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Get addicted to radio

Tarun Goyal, Director, Radio Chaska is the brain behind Gwalior’s first private FM radio station. He decided to launch the radio station after returning from Australia and realising the gap between supply and demand in the entertainment sector in his hometown. With his first radio venture being established as a successful player in the market, he is set for greater growth. Here he speaks about the trials and tribulations of establishing a radio brand from scratch and getting the people of Gwalior addicted to Radio Chaska.

Tell us something about yourself?

I came back to India after completing my BBA from Australia, and started working in the stock market. From stock market I switched to real estate and then to the liquor business. Once I was back in Gwalior I realised that the entertainment industry was the fastest emerging industry in India, where growth was very high and I saw that there was a huge gap between supply and demand in the entertainment sector, specially in a city like Gwalior. Since that realisation dawned on me, I www.radioduniya.in

started concentrating more on the entertainment sector and through my research I tried to find the ideal vehicle which could be introduced in Gwalior.

The research showed that the FM sector was set for greater growth in the coming years and I had already seen the craze for radio in Australia. I thought for a city like Gwalior it would be a great thing to introduce, because it lagged behind other cities in terms of entertainment mediums and FM being a special media vehicle, which is available to people without any costs free, I thought by introducing it in Gwalior we could bring about a 25

We consulted many media agencies, and various brand experts, who advised us that whatever name we select, we must be very clear about what is reflected by the name, so they suggested Chaska, as it speaks about addiction, and addiction could be of anything, be it studies, business, news or sports. I think radio is one such addiction, when you tune to Radio Chaska you get addicted. Bindaas Bajao is our tag line, which is totally youth-oriented and the channel identity is itself Bindaas. I think Radio Chaska was completely in sync with our idea of making people tuned into radio as a habit and get addicted to it as they keep tuning in.

Who is your target audience and have you been able to capture the markets you had sought?

revolution in the city. My next step was to get a license, for which I placed a bid when the second phase was announced and I got the license for Radio Chaska. And thus began my journey in the radio industry. Even though I am just running one radio station, I feel that there is immense potential for growth in the radio industry and this sector still has a lot to give to the public. For radio to grow, the planners and policy makers have to formulate their policies according to the needs and demands of the radio industry.

Our target audience is the youth. Apart from that, we have differentiated from other channels to target other groups, for instance we have a very different show running from 5 to 7 in the morning, which is a devotional show dedicated to the people above 35 years of age. Then from 9 to 11 at night, the music we play also targets people above 35 years of age. We have kept a good music mix and I think our channel has been targeting the youth and the women folk so far. And we have been able to capture the market and I can say that Radio Chaska is the most preferred channel in Gwalior right now.

Being the first commercial FM station in Gwalior what were your advantages?

The biggest advantage was that even when we had not officially launched the channel, but were on How was Radio Chaska conceptualised and the test run the people of Gwalior could tune into what is the reason behind naming it “Radio the radio station and get a feel of the sound that Chaska? we had to offer. When we went for our first outdoor campaign the perspective of the people was clear that I was very clear that whatever branding we use, we this channel was a totally Gwalior based channel, must come up with a name which is not a hindrance but it still sounded like any other channel in the as and when we acquire more stations after Gwalior, Metro centers. We were able to gain the confidence when the next phase of licensing takes place. So of the people of the city that the programming choosing the we were offering name was very was at par with the Chaska is completely in sync with our important for programming idea of making people tuned into radio as best us. But we also offered in the metros. h a d t o k e e p a habit and get addicted to it as they keep Our radio station in mind that was inaugurated tuning in.

Gwalior is a amid huge fanfare Hindi speaking

by Jyotiraditya region and the name has to be able to establish a Sindhia, which ensured that everybody was talking connect. When we conducted the auditions for RJs about Radio Chaska rather any other channel. for our radio station, we asked them to suggest a name for the station, and we got about 2,000 What is the music content that Radio Chaska responses. We had also gone to various educational delivers to its listeners? institutes to get people’s opinion on the right name After collecting all those names, which were Radio Chaska is delivering all the latest hit Hindi suggested by the people of Gwalior, we short listed film music to its listeners right now, as there is the names, and Radio Chaska was one name which huge demand in Gwalior for Bollywood music. emerged from the names suggested for our brand.

Apart from that we also play devotional music in 26

February 2008 | Radio Duniya

the morning slot. We play a lot of songs because youngsters are the main audience of our channel and they love the music we play. It is most of Hindi film or Bollywood music and English music is not very popular in the city. We try to play the music, which could be heard and appreciated by the maximum youth population in the city. Folk music is not very popular in Gwalior, even though one of our RJ conducts a whole show in the local dialect, Bundelkhandi, and he is very popular but the music content, even in that show, is essentially Bollywood centric.

Can you elaborate on your plans of expansion?

What are the major issues and concerns in this regard?

Frankly speaking, the expansion plans of Radio Chaska depends on the Governmental policies for radio. Until the Governmental agencies and policy makers do not open up their minds in terms of letting the industry grow, by introducing news and current affairs shows and helping channels gain revenues, the radio industry cannot grow to its fullest. We have to liberalise for the sake of development and prosperity of the radio industry.

Right now, all the radio channels sounds the same due to lack of liberalisation. If we talk of the television industry, there are different channels for different issues and topics, which is not the case in radio. There is also the issue of credibility in the license policy, facilitating foreign direct investment opportunities in radio companies, royalties issue etc. Government must see the pattern of growth of radio in other countries and allow the Indian radio industry to grow in the same manner. These are some of the factors and issues on behalf of which a radio company can actually decide the expansion strategy.

What are the technical innovations being planned for Radio Chaska, after the installation of NexGen in October?

We are very happy with NexGen as a software and it was one of the greatest advancements towards technology use. The type of software used is the backbone of any radio station. NexGen is a very user-friendly software, and it is internationally acclaimed as the best software around, we are proud that Radio Chaska is using the software.

Till now we have received great support from the people at NexGen. But as far new technology is concerned we are looking at getting an outdoor broadcast vehicle, where we can telecast shows live from locations. In all sorts of technological innovations and implementations, the viability issues are very important because all radio stations have to work on creating infrastructure which is viable and suitable to their system, because the revenues that a station generates are very limited. www.radioduniya.in

As a station owner, I feel when the revenues grow the advancement should come in and even if the revenue does not grow at a phenomenal rate, the technological advancements should still be introduced, as these advancements play a huge role in minimising costs.

What is the USP of Radio Chaska?

We have given Gwalior the best possible programming.

We have gone out on the streets and spoken to the common man and tried to give a voice to them.

Radio Chaska became the channel of Gwalior, we are really proud that people are loving our channel, because we are providing localised content to them and they can identify with the channel. In addition to that, we also bring to Gwalior the world class programming from BBC, which is being appreciated by the people. Since we started the syndicated broadcasts from BBC there has been a surge of knowledge enhancement, we get calls from all over the city, in which people speak about how the broadcasts provide them valuable information which helps enhance their knowledge. In short, people in Gwalior know BBC (in Hindi) because of our broadcasts.

Apart from that, our local programmes are very famous like

‘The USP of Radio Chaska is our programming which gives people the best of the metro programming with a local flavour’ the show “Bheja Fry”. If you ask anybody about the channel name in Gwalior they might not know any channel’s name but they will surely know the show “Bheja Fry”. We are able to generate revenues from the local market due to our good programming, because the advertisers know that the channel is doing well. For me the USP of Radio Chaska has been that we have kept our programming as the top priority and we have given people what they want, the best of the metro programming with a local flavour.

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Fall in Love With Radio Meghana Dhawan hosts ‘Daytrippin’, a mid-day show that traverses into the best of lifestyle and fashion, travel, books and cuisines juxtaposed with music. She did her schooling in Delhi, came to Bangalore for her Pre–University, where she spent most of her time outside class and in play rehearsals. The two most important things in her life are theatre and chocolate!

Essentially a quiet person, Meghana decided to grab the opportunity of becoming a radio host when she was given the chance to actually talk non-stop, and she is loving the creative challenge at Radio Indigo.

Meghana What made you choose RJing?

I have always been fascinated with the medium, so when I got the opportunity to be a part of an incredible radio station, I couldn’t just let that pass me by! Now I’m in love with radio.

What are the pros & cons of the job?

The pros I can list out many – we can get to play music for a living!! Nothing gets better than that;

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You learn the importance of team work; same goes for hard work; you get the chance to interact with people from all walks of life, which is a wonderful feeling; This list could go on for a while, so I’ll just stop here and move over to the cons!

The cons – none. I know what you’re thinking, that I’m just being unrealistic, but working for Radio Indigo has given me so much that all the cons seem inconsequential.

February 2008 | Radio Duniya

If not RJing, then what?

It’s a scary thought, but if radio didn’t come calling, I would probably be neck deep in theater (plays), which is a passion I’ve always had, and I’d be working at becoming a psychologist.

Describe your most memorable radio moment?

I’m going to go for an answer that every RJ might tell you, the first time I went on-air!! And everyday there’s something new that happens, making it very memorable

What is that one most important factor that makes listeners connect to an RJ? I think its one’s ability to judge the pulse of the listeners and translate that into talk that will keep their interest going.

razy c e b o t e v a h you about the y music you pla

Was there anyone or anything that inspired you to take up this profession?

I was a huge Radio Indigo fan when the station was launched in Bangalore, so when I was given the chance of coming in and doing a demo, my hands would not stop shaking and my nerves were no where to be found, but our national programming director, Geoffrey Thomas talked me through every demo, I was given feedback and made to improve, he made me want to do better and before I knew it Radio Indigo was exactly where I wanted to be!

What is your USP? How do you judge your own USP? I have to admit this question did give me trouble, finally my brain decided to function and here is it - I ‘d call my sincerity and passion for the medium my USP. What are the essential requirements for being a RJing?

A love for radio and everything about it, you have to be crazy (in a good way!!) about the music you play and with the risk of it sounding clichéd, you have to have ‘the gift of the gab’!!

How do you prepare yourself for every show?

A lot of work goes into preparing a shows content, so before every show I make sure I know what I’m going to be talking about and how I’m going to spread it across the show.

Does hosting a particular prime slot matter to you?

More than anything, I think every RJ should host a show that is in sync with their personality.

Daytrippin is a lifestyle show that features the best of travel, fashion, books and cuisines from around the world, and since my interests also lie in these, I can do justice to the show.

www.radioduniya.in

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A radio station is known by its RJs, particularly in these times when all stations sound alike.

Would you agree?

Radio stations are known by the kind of music they play and RJs bring their distinct flavour to the programming. RJs can bring about their own unique characteristics making the show more interesting.

Where do you see yourself a decade from now?

Wow! 10 years?? That’s a long time away! I don’t like restricting myself and my growth in any way, so putting a number (in terms of years) on ambition is not my thing! But having said that, hopefully in 10 years I would’ve built a secure life and career, combining radio, theater and psychology!!

A radio jockey is “born” or “made”?

I think, you have to be born with a certain flair but if you have the right kind of training and guidance, you can be made into the best radio jockey in the country!

What would be your message to the budding radio hosts?

I’m still in the process of growing and learning the industry, but if I had to give a message it would be to, fall in love with radio, spend time understanding it and give it your all. Its challenging when you have to entertain and keep peoples attention when they can only hear you, and that’s the fun part!

Snapshot Queries The 5 most important things in life .....

1) Love 2) Integrity 3) Commitment 4) Respect 5) Belief in yourself

When not on-air, I am ....reading, watching movies, turning my mother’s life upside down (which she secretly enjoys!) and spending time with friends

I live by the mantra ........

Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination

I Will never forget .......

All the people who’ve stood by me

I Can’t stand.......

Being taken for granted and mosquitoes!!!

I Love listening to ......

Alternative music

I Love watching.....

MOVIES, all kinds of movies!!

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February 2008 | Radio Duniya

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I D EM

Developing The Radio Professionals

Roshan Abbas with the students at EMDI

Understanding and anticipating the boom in the field of radio, EMDI Institute of Event Management launched the EMDI Radio Training Institute.

The venture is a strategic initiative to bridge the gap between the demand and supply of potential radio talent and the industry players venturing into the radio domain. According to Abhijit Dabhade, Associate Director (EMDI), the institute has always focussed on creating courses that lead to immediate employment, and for the radio industry identification of a competent and skilled work force is a challenge. The institute aims to meet the challenge of providing the radio industry trained professionals.

Please tell us something about yourself?

I am B-School graduate with experience in organising events for leading companies. Realising the gap for trained professionals spurred me to launch EMDI with a course in event management www.radioduniya.in

as the first offering. As our event management course grew, we started concentrating on other fields in the communication industry that lacked professionals, leading to the development of courses in PR, Radio and Advertising. Hence the Radio Institute came in to existence.

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What is your view on the issues and challenges faced by the radio industry today?

Today radio industry is estimated at rupees three billion. This comprises of revenues that are earned by radio stations from advertisement, of the total ad spent in India.

Today the Government of India has given license to 300 radio stations to operate in India; this is alarming! 300 radio stations and not enough trained professionals in the industry!!! The challenge today lies in providing industrytrained professionals: Also industry could get an impetus if certain g o v e r n m e n t regulations like news capsules on FM are allowed, this will help the industry grow faster.

How did the EMDI Institute of Radio Management come into being?

Learning from the pioneer: Ameen Sayani with the students at EMDI

‘Our endeavor has been to create industry oriented courses to bridge the industry–academia gap’

As mentioned before, we sensed the need for a radio course and established it in 2004. Since then, about 200 students have passed out and are working with all the leading radio channels. We are perhaps the only radio institute in the country equipped with RCS software.

What kind of radio training does your institute offer? Is it only focused on RJ training or it trains people for all kinds of radio related jobs?

EMDI offers two courses in Radio, which are the Diploma in Radio Jockeying and the Diploma in Radio programming.

Both the courses are one year part time courses.

Students who are interested in doing a course in radio jockeying need to pass standard XII and the students, opting for the Radio programming course need to be graduates from any recognised university.

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What all does the radio jockey training course cover?

The radio jockeying course at EMDI covers all the topics necessary to ensure that the students graduate as industryready professionals. They are taught every aspect of jockeying, from content creation to production.

All the key tasks a jockey has to perform, right from taking telephone calls on-air, interviewing guests on-air, understanding legal aspects of radio broadcast are covered. The students are also trained on the RCS software, which is very essential as every FM channel’s programming is based on this software. EMDI has a well equipped studio which gives students an opportunity to get hands on experience on the latest technologies used in the radio industry.

What sets EMDI apart from other media institutes in the country?

EMDI is young and emerging media and communications education brand. Our endeavour has been to create industry-oriented courses to bridge the industry–academia gap. We have been successful in doing that by doing three things regularly asking industry people to create syllabusindustry people to come and teach and finally ask February 2008 | Radio Duniya

to absorb them. This success has led EMDI having over 80% maket share in event education in India, almost 100% market share in radio.

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

Radio City), Lawanya (Radio City), Harssh (Radio Mirchi), Fred Dmello (Technical Director Radio City), RJ Prachi, Bhart Singh, Utkarsh Naithani , (ex creative head, Fever FM) and many more.

‘Students at EMDI are taught every aspect of radio jockeying, from content creation to production’

There is definitely a lot of scope for the institutes to grow, given the expansion of the industry all over the country. However it will still take some time to create awareness about careers in radio, also availability of good faculty in other cities is difficult.

Do you feel there should be greater synergy between the industry demands and the kind of training given to students?

How has the industry response to the institute been? What has been the response of the student community?

EMDI has grown in its alumni and has a fabulous response from the student’s community and from the industry as well.

EMDI has strong alumni of 200 students who have passed out from our radio institute.

What are your expansion plans to meet the industry demands?

We will introduce more batches in Mumbai campus and if we find suitable partners in other cities we may think of our own centers or offer franchisees.

Yes and EMDI strongly believes in the same.

The people who teach at EMDI are industry professionals, as we believe that if we need to meet industry demands we should have a strong synergy with the industry and that is why, we believe in “you train and you recruit”.

What is the kind of placement that EMDI guarantees to its students?

EMDI does not guarantee any placements but offers 100% placement assistance.

For training and placement of students, does EMDI have any tie-ups with the industry?

Yes, for training and placements we do have tie-ups with the industry. To name a few radio stations where our students have been placed are ARN Dubai, Radio Tarang (Hisar), Radio Mirchi (Lucknow), Big FM (Mumbai), Radio City (Mumbai), Red FM (Mumbai), HT Virgin (Mumbai), Radio Indigo (Mumbai).

What is the present size of your batches?

EMDI admits 50 students every year.

Abhijit Dabhade Associate Director EMDI, mumbai

Can you tell us about the faculty at the institute?

EMDI draws the best of the talent to teach at our campus - to name a few Dr Junaid Alam (Love Guru, www.radioduniya.in

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Trichy tunes into Hello FM Hello 106.4FM, has begin its transmission in the rock city of Trichy with the launch of its radio station on 14th January 2008. The launch was filled with lots of fun filled activities, and the radio station distributed 1064 gold coins to its listeners on the inaugural day. The promotional activity received unprecedented success and support from the listeners. The launch of this station closely follows the radio station’s launch in other centers in Tamil Nadu like Madurai, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Coimbatore and Puduchery. The Trichy launch has made Hello FM the largest network of private FM stations in Tamil Nadu.

Speaking on this occasion, Rajeev Nambiar, President and Chief Operating Officer, Hello FM said, “We are very excited, completely geared and are eagerly looking forward to entertaining Trichy with the best of our programs. We are highly enthused to conquest the air space considering the fact that the city has had an early exposure to faint signals of FM stations from the Sri Lanka. The listeners here are very radio friendly and familiar with the radio unlike the Chennaites who woke up to private FM revolution way back in 2003. The market here is ready to grab every opportunity that Hello FM has to offer. We would be focused to serve as the choicest platform to the local and national advertisers, thus giving Trichy the much needed fill up in the media entertainment space.”

Fever FM launched in Kolkata HT Media and Entertainment’s Fever FM has launched its fourth FM station in Kolkata, completing the launch of all the stations that the company has license for. Fever FM is already operational in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

S Keerthivasan, Business Head, Fever 104 FM said, “The FM radio space in India is showing tremendous promise. I am very happy with the progress that Fever 104 FM has made. Virgin and HT Media have worked together successfully to create a differentiated and compelling brand and business in Fever 104 FM. With the launch of Kolkata operations we have completed the first phase of implementation of radio operations in the four metros.”

The winning formula of 40 minutes of non stop music is now being extended to Kolkata, entertaining listeners with more music. Alok Kumar Singh, Kolkata Station Head, Fever 104 F1M said, “Kolkata has a strong affinity with Bangla as a language and Bangla music. Keeping this in mind, we have deliberately ensured that Bangla is woven into our programming and RJ talk. I am quite confident that the content will connect very well with the listeners.”

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February 2008 | Radio Duniya

BIG 92.7 FM launched in Rourkela BIG 92.7 FM has announced the latest edition to its kitty, with the launch of its Station in Rourkella. The launch of BIG 92.7 FM in the city marks the launch of the 43rd Station of the network.

In the first phase of its launches, BIG 92.7 FM set up stations in the metros of Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Mumbai. The second phase of launches has taken BIG 92.7 FM to several mini-metros including Jammu, Srinagar, Aligarh, Jhansi, Bikaner, Chandigarh, Bareilly, Hissar, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Jalandhar, Goa, Bhopal, Baroda, Rajkot, Kanpur, Ranchi, Jamshedpur and now in Rourkela at the end of which, the total count will be taken to 45.

Commenting on the station’s entry into Rourkela, Soumen Ghosh Choudhury, Regional Head East, BIG 92.7 FM, said “We are very excited about launching in the city of Rourkela. We are the first private radio station in the region to do so. The programming mix of the station with programmes like Aradhana, BIG Chai, Hello Zindagi, Ring Road 927, Thoda Gyan Thoda Masti, Evening Masala and Direct Dil Se have been put together after much research and understanding of local requirements. It is our aim to create content that is relevant, credible and has an aspirational value for the listeners. We are completely geared and are eagerly looking forward to entertaining the city of Rourkela. We are sure the city will welcome us with open arms and will enjoy the programmes on our Station.”

94.3 MY FM launched in Raipur 94.3 MY FM has been launched in Raipur, the next commercial capital of central India. Joining fourteen other cities, Raipur now enjoys the music and masti package of 94.3 MY FM. Raipur marks 94.3 MY FM’s 15th station launch nationally and second for the state of Chattisgarh, after Bilaspur.

The group has two more launches planned after this - in Kota and Jabalpur, which will complete its launch plans for all 17 circles it has license to operate in.

According to Harrish M. Bhatia, Business Head, 94.3 MY FM, “With Bilaspur station already doing very well, 94.3 MY FM offers exclusive FM Radio Network in Chattisgarh, unlike any other radio group. The city is attracting huge investments, witnessing rapid infrastructural development and is fast emerging as a metropolitan city, thus this was just the right time for us to launch our station in the city.”

Adds, Viplove Gupte, National Programming Head, 94.3 MY FM, “We are quite excited about the launch. The music package has been designed after in-depth research to fine-tune programming according to listeners’ tastes and preferences of Raipur. Our music content ratio is 70:30 and we keep our content local so that people get a familiar feeling with the station and enjoy that too.” www.radioduniya.in

Radio Mirchi launched in Raipur Radio Mirchi was launched in Raipur in January, and with this launch the total number of stations the player operates in has reached 30. Mirchi will roll out two more radio stations to complete the total number of 32 stations in India.

Besides Raipur, Radio Mirchi is already operational in places, which include Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Indore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Pune, Patna, Jalandhar, Goa, Bhopal, Vadodara, Kanpur, Rajkot, Varanasi, Nashik, Lucknow, Surat, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Madurai, Nagpur, Vishakapatnam, Mangalore and Vijayawada.

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Big FM launched in Thiruvananthapuram BIG 92.7 FM has announced the latest edition to its kitty, with the launch of its Station in Thiruvananthapuram.

The station will be a true reflection of the ‘Vibe of the City’, offering listeners a platform for self expression. The launch of BIG 92.7 FM in the City marks the 44th Station of the radio network.

In the first phase of its launches, BIG 92.7 FM set up Stations in the metros of Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Mumbai. The second phase of launches has taken BIG 92.7 FM to several mini metros across the country which will eventually take the total count to 45.

In Thiruvananthapuram, BIG RJ’s Firoz, Indhu, Midhun and Nitha will be entertaining the city, and the adjoining areas. The joyride will start at 6 am with ‘Subharambham’. This spiritual programme will be followed by ‘BIG Morning’ by RJ Firoz from 7.00 am to 11.00 am. 11.00 am - 3.00 pm will be “Sindhooram” a special three hour show for women hosted by RJ Indhu. Between 3.00 pm – 7.00 pm it will be RJ Midhun who will entertain the city with his on-air show “Savarigirigiri” and 7.00 pm to 11.00 pm will be “non stop hits” hosted by RJ Nitha.

Commenting on the station’s entry into Thiruvananthapuram, Soumen Choudhury, CTO and South Head, BIG 92.7 FM, said “We are very excited about launching in the city of Thiruvananthapuram. The programming mix of the Station has been put together after much research and understanding of local requirements, and will be a true reflection of the ‘Vibe of the City’ at all times. It is our aim to create content that is relevant, credible and has an aspirational value for the listeners.

We are completely geared and are eagerly looking forward to entertaining the city of Thiruvananthapuram. We are sure the city will welcome us with open arms and will enjoy the programmes on our Station.”

Radio Choklate launched in Rourkela Radio Choklate 104 FM Dhum Mitha has been launched at Rourkela, another special domain of Eastern Media Limited, that prints state’s largest circulated and widely read Oriya daily Sambad.

Rourkela, the steel city of Orissa had long been waiting for Sambad group to launch its FM channel after successful operations at Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. So, it has been a treat to Rourkela listeners. They are flocking to buy their radio sets, to tune into their own Radio Choklate.

Monica Nayyar Patnaik, Director, Eastern Media Limited, Radio FM division is all ecstatic about the entry into Rourkela, “We are so well known in Orissa, that we feel really proud to enter into new markets here with our FM channel. Our objective would be to make more cities of this state listen to Odisha’s Apna No.1”. She also added that with this launch, Radio Choklate becomes the only, 1st private, Orissa region’s own FM station.

94.3 MY FM launched in Kota 94.3 MY FM has been launched in the station launch nationally and fifth for Jodhpur. The station that has been declared Nielsen research in the state of Rajasthan, will complete its launch plans for all 17

beautiful city of Kota. This marks 94.3 MY FM’s 16th the state of Rajasthan after Jaipur, Udaipur, Ajmer and the number one radio station in Jaipur & Udaipur by AC has one more launch planned after this in Jabalpur, which circles it has license to operate in.

Says, Harrish M. Bhatia, Business Head, 94.3 MY FM, “94.3 MY FM offers exclusive FM Radio Network of five stations in Rajasthan, which no other radio player can match. Each market in India is a challenge in itself and we are confident of winning the hearts of the people in Kota also.”

Adds, Viplove Gupte, National Programming Head, 94.3 MY FM, “We’ve been operating in the region for a very long time and our content has been tailor made to meet the taste and preferences of listeners here.”

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February 2008 | Radio Duniya

ommun ty Rad o

Empowering tools From Access to Engagements - Community Access Centres Publishers: UNESCO Conceptualisation and coordination: Seema B Nair Copy editors: Sajai Jose, James Baer Photo credit: Pankaj Arora, Mukunda Bogati, Kamal Wanniarachchi ISBN: 81-89218-09-3 Pages: 105

This book is the result of earnest efforts put forth

by UNESCO offices jointly in New Delhi, Bangkok and Kathmandu to showcase/compile the exciting and phenomenal growth rate of Community (Multimedia) Access Centres (CMCs) across South Asia. The trendsetting methodologies of such centres in spreading awareness among the masses, has ushered a new path for development in the society. The coordinating UNESCO office stands in support of such movements, that ensures digital inclusion for isolated parts in South Asia.

The CMCs role in disseminating information and how it helps to spread awareness through different modes of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) - telephone, community radio, community television, community library, community notice board, etc. are captured finely with pictorial depictions. The beneficiary individuals and communities, their comfort levels and difficulties in using these techonologies were represented picturesquely with conviction. They 40

show how access to ICTs have helped the common people of the remote locations in south asian region to learn and enlighten themselves.

The book is replete with such examples of individuals and communities, cutting across South Asian region, where penetration of ICTs have spread a new wave of hope and confidence into their lives. Some initiatives are etuk tuk, a three wheeled motorcycle rolling in the hills of Kothamale in Sri Lanka, broadcast of programmes produced by differently abled people in Western Nepal, functioning of a Village Information Centre Library at Kurypanawela village in Sri Lanka, Community Learning Centre in Dindigul in Tamil Nadu, India, the initiative of Doti Khirsain in Nepal conducting special classes for under privileged children, etc.

Likewise, Twaka tukka, a programme made and cablecast by the local CMC cable channel, is a reflection of the lives and times of the community in Tansen, Nepal. There is also an instance of a February 2008 | Radio Duniya

community radio reporter, Birandra Mishra’s story on water shortage, in Lumbini, Nepal that brought some much needed attention to the plight of many children in a hospital who fell sick with dehydration.

Precisely, the book substantiates how the modern technologies and ICT initiatives are vital to steer clear inventive approaches for development. The content is broadly divided into five parts: They are: (i) access, (ii) learn, (iii) empower, (iv) innovate, and (v) develop. It stresses on providing accessibility to educate and gradually empower and later innovate in its applications to one’s own living conditions to develop further.

The modern Information and Communication Technologies, undoubtedly has helped to give a new dimension and outlook to the innovative approaches to address a whole lot of socioeconomic, environmental and livelihood issues.

The concern has been told in a very impressive manner. The pictures also add to the narration, on how ICTs have triggered a new direction in

improving the living conditions of individuals and communities to build their self confidence in facing the world. Subsequently, it also tells how the ICTs have empowered the differently abled, women and children and other marginalised groups of respective societies.

Language and diction and narration of the book is simple and lucid enough for any reader to glide through. The photographs in the book again deserves mention and due acknowledgement. They are very illustrative and exhaustive enough to narrate the whole story. Perhaps, the pictoral depiction is sufficient enough to carry the message of visible impact of enabling technologies on common man’s life. The pictures give a unique feel and added weightage to the stories and literally takes the reader a journey down the lane. Conceptualised and coordinated by Seema B Nair and her colleagues, the team also deserve due credit for the diligent work and the neat execution of the book.

Ajitha Saravanan, ajitha@csdms.in

Community Radio: A User’s guide to the Technology Author: N. Ramakrisnan ISBN: 81-89218-12-3 Publisher: UNESCO Year of Publication: 2007 Pages: 276

Community Radio Stations (CRS) unlike the commercial ones are mainly into transmission of news, updates and initiatives to a particular segment of the community. It is a tool not only to empower and capacitate underprivileged sections but also to facilitate better forms of learning and interaction among the local people.

Initiation of CRS can also be identified as an endeavour to decentralise radio frequencies. www.radioduniya.in

Implementation of community radio programmes have been furthered by the exclusive plan of the Govt of India to establish 4000 CRS in different rural localities across the country. In the wake of rural participatory development programmes and community development initiatives, community radio is playing a major role in disseminating vital information on rural community living, primary education, rural projects and community health.

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With the advent of community radio programmes in India, several queries on the use, applicability and functional effectiveness of community radio have emerged among the pool of community radio users, operators and technicians. The book under review provides for a fair explanation of the technologies and technology-enabled services required to operationalise CRS. The book is written lucidly in order to make the readers understand the technical nuances of mass broadcasting, public telecast and development reorganisation in rural societies in India. While writing the book, the author has taken into cognisance UNESCO’s programme focusing on community access and engagement. The book also furnishes information on CR related terms and regulations and the licensing procedures required to be met in order to open a CRS. The book in the form of a manual is a sincere attempt to integrate and differentiate between the instrumental efficacy of broadcasting machineries, techniques and mechanisms required to execute and implement community radio programmes throughout India. The manual is a narrative description of the logistics that are used in CRS and the technologies that are employed in the application of community radio programmes in different parts of rural India. The book is a boon for technicians, users and operators of community radio.

broadcasting. The seventh chapter of the book underscores some safety regulations that are required to maintain a steady functioning of CR stations. The last two chapters are all about training and procedural requirements that are to be met while opening and validating a CR station.

The book also consists of an all-encompassing appendices section that not only contains a list of technical tools for CR stations, but also lists the audio and radio equipment manufacturers available across the globe.

The book has some merit in the sense that it serves technical guidance and supervision to people who are wishing to install and use community radio and related community broadcasting programmes. This apart, the book is informative and contains a list of itemised tools and the names and contact addresses of individuals, organizations and vendors. The book has some lacunae as well. The book is devoid of a formal conclusion. Moreover, the book fails to provide a substantial judgment on the reasons to switch over to a community radio mode.

Rajat Banerjee, rajat@csdms.in

The book embodies a very formal introduction of those people who should be using the manual for gaining hands-on knowledge and expertise in community radio broadcasting mechanisms.

The manual sets the guidelines for its users who are interested in setting up CRS. The manual also delineates the types of equipment that a CRS require and the components of radio production and broadcast process.

Chapter 1 of the book gives an overview of community radio and the radio broadcasting processes. To ensure better forms of radio broadcasting, the author suggests five processes viz. research and pre-production, production, post-production, transmission / broadcast and feedback. In chapter 2, we find the guidelines that are to be followed while establishing a CR station. The chapter also speaks about three types of studio spaces in the form of broadcasting studio, production studio and office space. Chapter 3 speaks about the technologies and studio equipment required for broadcasting studio, production studio and office space. The 4th chapter goes on to argue why do we need field recording equipment, what should a field recording system consist of and what are the main considerations in selecting field recording equipment. The 5th and 6th chapters give a vivid explanation of the transmission and telecommunication devices that are required to foster community radio 42

February 2008 | Radio Duniya

GNGC FM COMMUNITY RADIO 90.4 MHz

The Campus Radio

Dr. R. Sreedhar, Director, CEMCA, New Delhi on his visit to the GNGC FM Community Radio being presented a bouquet of flowers by Principal Dr. (Mrs.) Charanjit Mahal, Director, GNGC FM Community Radio and S. Gurbir Singh, President, Guru Nanak Girls College.

‘Throughout the century there were men, who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision. Their goals differed but they all had this in common that the step was first, the road new, the vision unborrowed, and the response they received hatred. They fought, they suffered and they paid. But, they won’. This universal truth was stated by Ayn Rand “The Fountain Head”.

We don’t only believe the above said lines but we have lived and experienced this truth. Our unborrowed vision brought hatred, criticism and disapproval for us. But the result of our determination came out to be wonderful. And today, proudly, we are the only college in Punjab to start and successfully run an FM Community Radio Station. This endeavour of ours is serving a dual purpose of Entertainment and Education. In order to evolve as competent and complete human www.radioduniya.in

beings, these 2 E’s play a vital role. And by making these two the fundamental pillars of our radio station, we are serving a significant purpose. The amalgamation of entertainment and education is a brand new phenomenon. And our radio station is a pioneer in bringing forth this phenomenon and making it a latest trend. The myriad number of mails and letters is a proof that this latest trend set by us, is not only being acknowledged by the society but is also being highly acclaimed. The positive 43

Sharing once in a life time experience: Principal Dr. (Mrs.) Charanjit Mahal, Director, FM Community Radio, Dr. Manjit Singh Kang, Vice Chancellor, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana and Sh. Harish Rai Dhanda, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Punjab, at the studio. response, undoubtedly, motivates us to keep up the good work, and excel with each passing day.

The programmes that are being broadcast are, both qualitatively and quantitatively, at their best. But for reaching up the ladder in terms of size, rank and position we had to make energy-seeping efforts.

Guru Nanak Girls College, Model town, Ludhiana FM Community Radio 90.4 MHz, Punjab’s 1st FM Community Radio Station was inaugurated by Dr. Manjit Singh Kang, Vice Chancellor Punjab Agricultural University and Sh. Harish Dhanda, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Punjab to enlighten, educate and entertain the community. It is situated inside the college premises. The Principal of the college Dr. Charanjit Kaur Mahal is its Director.

The broadcasting commenced from 1st July, 2007 for 17 hours duration daily. The college has constructed a modern studio and a sound digital workshop. It is backed by a talented and dedicated team of professionals. The broadcast emphasises programmes on development, agriculture, science, health, education, environment, social welfare, community development and culture. It also provides a platform to discover fresh talent and also gives an opportunity to young people to express themselves. It is also aimed to promote a rapport between the general public and administration. As a part of the Government’s policy, the Community Radio Stations are being established in the country to advance the development and initiate social change with the participation of the local community. All the programmes have benefitted the community and have provided something for everyone. In all programmes of our FM Radio we are trying to develop the overall personalities of all our audiences of rural, urban, every category and every age group. Such all round knowledge enables an individual to live a meaningful life. Education 44

to us, is not just confined to the four walls of the classroom, it is not confined to the narrow syllabi structure, but for us education is a way of living, is a way of making an individual a cultural, civilised and an intelligent being who can walk hand in hand with the times and who is capable enough to represent himself not only on national stage but also on global level. We in fact believe in developing overall personality of an individual.

For a progressive community, knowledge should have a free flow and our FM Community Radio is an attempt in the direction.

An educated community, equipped with this power can brave all odds, all difficulties with a united stance. Most important factor is that the FM Community Radio is of the people and for the people. We strive for maximum participation from our audience in the form of feedback and suggestions so much so that we have dedicated a time slot every Sunday for a feedback session.

Since ours is a community project, utmost importance is given to the exchange of ideas. Our FM Community Radio encompasses varied areas of study from catering to the simple issues of language to comprehending the complex issues of life. Our infotainment package covers it all.

That’s why we are able to broadcast a variety of programmes. And as always, the first programme of the day is a reverence to the presence of Almighty and is entitled ‘Rattan Kotharie’. Through this programme we wish to receive the blessings of Almighty. Not only this, this endeavour of ours helps us gain confidence in treading the obstacle – laden path.

Our next programme ‘Zindgi Khoobsurat Hai’ is a humble effort to make our life beautiful. Mostly in February 2008 | Radio Duniya

life we tend to get frustrated by the problems that we have to face in our life. But obviously life has to be lived, inspite of these obstacles. This is what we learn after listening to the life-stories of great legendary personalities.

Keeping in view the phrase ‘Clothes make a man’, our programme ‘Fashion Focus’, focuses on the latest trends being followed in the fashion world.

Fashion has become synonymous with style in the present day scenario. So, this programme of ours, makes our listeners, stylish, fashionable and confident enough to exist in this chic world.

To fill in the gap between the events that have happened in the past and the present generation, we have introduced a programme named “History & Awareness”. Until and unless one is not fully aware of the contributions of their ancestors, one cannot fully flourish in future. The blood that has been shed, the sacrifices that have been made should not go unnoticed. So this programme is a humble tribute to the creators of history.

Our next programme “Village & Agriculture” is dedicated to reliving those old times.

We have a programme “Reflections”, which tells us how to face difficult situations in life. We also have a very important programme based on Trade and Technology in which all topics and issues related to trade and technology are discussed. The programme Student’s Corner is a cozy corner reserved for students. It brings in its wake learning and understanding of English language and enrichment of one’s general knowledge aptitude.

We, being an integral part of the community have taken upon us the task of providing conducive platform to the fledglings in the field of media.

We have our next segment dedicated to promoting promising talents of our community. Our FM Community Radio Station is a launch pad for budding singers, artists, poets and mimics. We will give them the limelight, the exposure, but their fate will be sealed by the community itself. It is up to the community to tell the coal from the diamond and polish it.

Reviving the enriching culture of Punjab, the programme entitled “Punjabi Literature & Culture” has been especially included in the list of programmes. Once again the long lost traditions of Punjab would be rejuvenated.

A journey of thousand miles has begun. The path may be full of thorns but the aspirations will surely be fulfilled. The stupendous success of 90.4 MHz is a proof of the same. I take this opportunity to thank all my community members for welcoming our venture with open hands and warm hearts. Our institution is deeply humbled by the reception given to us by our fellow community members.

Our motto is through duty to glory.

When every member of our community has come under the fold of knowledge, our target will be achieved. I assure you that the good work we as a community has started will never lose its purpose.

Now the trumpet summons us not as a call to bear arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are but a Dr. Manjit Singh Kang, Vice Chancellor, Punjab Agricultural University, call to bear the burden of a long twilight Ludhiana being welcomed by Principal Dr. (Mrs.) Charanjit Mahal, struggle, year in and year out - rejoicing Director, GNGC FM Community Radio and S. Gurbir Singh, President, in hope, patient in tribulation - a struggle against the commonest enemy of man Guru Nanak Girls College.

- ignorance.

Life’s not just being alive, but being well. In our programme Health & Environment, we talk about keeping our life healthy. Issues related to health and environment are discussed in this segment.

Modern man is afflicted with many diseases like blood pressure, obesity, diabetes etc. The causes, symptoms prevention and cure of such afflictions are thoroughly analysed. We also contemplate the hazards affecting our ecological system. It is asserted by every generation that old is gold. The reminiscences of the past stay with us forever. www.radioduniya.in

HIGHLIGHTS •

Guru Nanak Girls College, FM Community Radio is people’s radio which reflects hopes, aspiration, problems & concerns of a community and drawing upon their active participation.

•

People decide & articulate their communication, needs & priorities themselves. This participatory approach of community people creates a spirit of experimentation in which the interest of the 45

member of the team contributes towards the success of the station.

It is non-profit in nature as it does not have any commercial or sectarian interests.

•

CEMCA Workshop in Action: Dr. R. Sreedhar, Director, CEMCA, Mrs. Jatinder and Mr. Vipin renowned announcers and Principal Dr. (Mrs.) Charanjit Mahal, Director, GNGC FM Community Radio •

Interactivity is an important element of programming which enables the listeners to seek replies to his/her questions and queries.

community reigns supreme. So Guru Nanak Girls College FM Community is a “venture by the people.”

•

Guru Nanak Girls College, FM Community Radio is confined to a geographical area, using low power transmission covering radios of 10 KM around Ludhiana.

•

It serves a community which has common development issues and concerns relatively localised.

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Local officials, development authorities and common people are roped into share their views, experiences and concerns for the common good of the community.

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Despite the local emphasis, our FM community radio station is linked with larger regional & national developmental goals.

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Our community radio works as a forum of self expression in which people analyse their problems and propose their solutions.

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GNGC FM community Radio Station creates a flexible schedule to suit local needs.

•

The broadcast mainly emphasised programmes on development, agriculture, science, health, education, environment, social welfare, community development & culture. It also provides a platform to discover fresh talent and also give an opportunity to young people to express themselves.

•

The College has prepared a modern studio, a sound digital workshop backed by dedicated members comprising the Director of GNGC FM Community Radio, the Principal of the College & representatives of different groups volunteer to share work.

•

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With a small team and limited resources, the motivation and involvement of each and every

Information and education are the primary objectives of radio. However, the element of entertainment is not overlooked and generally provided by local talent.

•

GNGC FM Community Radio reflects the concerns of a community generally ignored or overlooked by the main stream media.

•

To sum up, community radio is not just about making programmes and airing them. The ends of the community radio are much broader and involve issues such as initiating development from the grassroots and bringing in the voices of the excluded to the centres.

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Underlying all this of course, is the citizen’s right to disseminate knowledge the citizen’s right to know.

•

We the team members of GNGC FM Community Radio works under the able guidance of our Director, the Principal of the College and wish that “Being educationist, we believe that for a progressive community, knowledge should have a free flow and FM Community Radio is an attempt in the direction.

Community radio is known as development radio and co-operative radio. But we feel that education is a way of making an individual a cultured, civilised and an intelligent being who can walk hand in hand with times, and who is capable enough to represent himself not only on national stage but also on global level.

Dr. (Mrs.) Charanjit Mahal Director Guru Nanak Girls College, FM Community Radio gngoffice@rediffmail.com www.gngc.com

February 2008 | Radio Duniya

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