Good Morning ... Radio!

After the government began to provide licenses for air time blocks, the radio has become an essential part of our cosmopolitan lives. The auto wallah, the college- goer, the commuter and the shop keeper- all indulge their time in the spice of music and endless chatter.

Our RJ’s, keen to hold the attention of their listeners, don’t ever seem to lose their enthusiasm. They babble into their mikes in zest- stricken voices about the city, hold contests, entertain callers and offer advices. That is the kind of entertainment that has gained tremendous popularity and approval among the masses.

When I had attended a conference by A P Parigi, CEO and MD of ENIL (handles radio mirchi) about two years back, he had announced with fear, the entry of his competitors and its probable consequences. He had talked about the research that was carried out every week, by his company inorder to understand the needs of the listeners and thereby maintain the audience for their channel. He had presented a chart outlining what people in the cities, would mostly do at a particular time. These studies, supposedly, had helped the company to stay on its toes and offer programs that were suitable to a wide section of the society.

What I learnt through this was that -Music is big business, and so is any other form of entertainment. To know the extent of the radio raj, all we would need to do is change 12 channels ( in Bangalore) on our radio sets.