MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • Actor Ravi Kishan launched the network’s 52nd web radio station. Yes, we got the number right: 52nd!

    Radio City launched Bhojpuri web radio

    By A Correspondent

     

    Radio City launchec its 52nd web radio station , Radio City Love Guru Bhojpuri, a dedicated web radio station doling out love advice in Bhojpuri. Yes, we got the number right: 52nd web radion station. It was by Bhojpuri star Ravi Kishan.

     

    Talking about the launch of Love Guru Bhojpuri, Ravi Kishan said: “I have been listening to Love Guru for years now and it is amazing that Radio City is launching a web radio station exclusively for Bhojpuri audience with Love Guru Bhojpuri. I congratulate Radio City for this launch and I am super excited to listen to Love Guru in my mother tongue Bhojpuri and I am certain all my Bhojpuri fans will love this new avtaar of Love Guru in Bhojpuri available exclusively on radiocity.in”

     

     

  • With a good response of 4.7 lacs participation last year Radio City Invites budding singing stars across the nation

    ‘Radio City Super Singer Season 9’ flags off auditions in 39 cities

    By A Correspondent

     

    Radio City 91.1FM has launched of Season 9 of its singing talent hunt – LuvIt Chocolates Presents – Radio City Super Singer. With eleven more markets targeted this year, the contest will reach listeners in 39 cities across the country. The event will provide promising singers the perfect platform to showcase their talent to the rest of the country.

     

    Said Kartik Kalla, EVP & National Head – Programming, Marketing & AudaCITY, Radio City 91.1FM: “Radio City Super Singer has become one of the most popular talent hunt competitions in the country over the years. We have received an overwhelming response last year with 4.7 lac participation across 28 cities which validates the scale and response of the activity. We are certain that in its 9th season, we will be able to break new grounds and reach an even wider audience, giving every upcoming singer a platform to share their voice. The show has produced some exceptional talent and served as a launch pad for many budding artist to make it big in the industry.”

     

  • The RJs will share 1000 facts about Madurai city thereby invoking the feeling of city pride – Naadi nerambellam Madurai city

    Radio City 91.9 FM launched in Madurai

    By A Correspondent

     

    Radio City has launched Radio City 91.9 FM in Madurai. With this launch, Radio City now becomes a 37 network station nationally and expands its footprint in the south by adding six stations to its roster.

     

    Radio City Madurai 91.9 FM presents entertaining, innovative and creative content that resonates with the pulse of the city. Keeping in mind the stations brand ideology “Rag Rag mein Daude City” the RJs will share 1000 facts about Madurai city thereby invoking the feeling of city pride – Naadi nerambellam Madurai city.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Abraham Thomas, CEO, Music Broadcast Limited said, “With the launch of our 37th station, Radio City 91.9 FM in Madurai we mark our expansion in the southern belt.  Since inception, Radio City has been the most loved and the leading station in the south and we are all geared up to take this legacy forward and set a new benchmark with each new city.”

     

    Music Broadcast Limited currently has 39 stations, including 11 newly acquired stations in Phase III auctions. Radio City in its third phase of expansion has recently launched Kanpur, Ajmer, Kota, Udaipur, Patiala, Nashik, Jamshedpur, Kolhapur and Madurai and will be launching Patna, Bikaner soon. Radio City also operates a web radio on planetradiocity.com which has 40 stations as of date.​

     

  • The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has approved the Jagran-Radio City deal

    Radio City 91.1FM is now part of a Jagran Prakashan

    By A Correspondent

     

    Radio City 91.1FM is now officially a part of Jagran Prakashan Pvt. Ltd. The deal was signed off by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Friday (May 28).

     

    Apurva Purohit

    While being a part of Jagran family will enable Radio City to offer a more comprehensive bouquet of services to the advertisers, the radio network will continue to operate under the management control of its current leadership.

    Talking about the development, Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City 91.1FM said “This is great news for both Jagran and Radio City and more importantly, signals a desire amongst all stakeholders to see that the FM industry flourishes and grows. I am glad that the approval is in place now.  With this, the pioneer and leader in FM gets to be a part of one of the largest media houses in India. We now look forward to expanding aggressively in the upcoming Phase III and cross leveraging on strengths”

     

    Shailesh Gupta

    Commenting on this, Shailesh Gupta, Director, JPL said, “The deal further consolidates JPL’s leadership position and complements our other businesses of print, OOH, digital and activations. It gives us a greater leverage to provide better solutions to our advertisers.”

     

  • Bad P for the Big C

    Bad P for the Big C

    Ranjona BanerjiNow that the excitement over Poonam Pandey’s supposed death has died down, is it too late to discuss the implications of her stunt? Reactions have been largely negative, not unexpectedly. To claim to have died of cervical cancer only to resurrect yourself the next day because you wanted to raise awareness about cervical cancer is both extreme and trivial. That this death followed the announcement of a government scheme and the launch of an indigenously-manufactured HPV vaccine by an Indian company, and knowing that Pandey likes a bit of publicity for herself, rung a few alarm bells, but evidently not enough.

    In that, it’s hard to dismiss a formal death announcement as a publicity prank, and yet that is what it was.

    A columnist on this website, Vikas Mehta, tried yesterday to negotiate through all the reactions – shock, laughter, outrage – and came to two conclusions: that younger people did not see the event as angrily as most people, and that any publicity is good publicity. And shock tactics often work in the world of advertising.

    The last is a well-known axiom in the world of publicity. And Poonam Pandey is skilled in the art of staying in the news for doing as little as possible. The Kardashians you might say are masters of the craft. To become famous for being mildly famous and then use that fame to build zillions of careers, not least the family’s own. Pandey is not quite in that category… but she tries poor thing.

    Is awareness about cervical cancer important? Definitely.

    Is awareness about a vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer important? Without the shadow of a doubt.

    Do you have to pretend to die to create this awareness?

    Well.

    It is not clear whether Pandey jumped on to this cervical cancer bandwagon herself, or whether she was hired to do so. Were either the Union Government or the Serum Institute of India part of this? No clarity on that yet, although even I would be shocked if they had paid for this.

    The agency which organised the death issued a statement after the event, which included this explanation:

    “There was no change in people’s curiosity regarding Cervical Cancer when our Honourable Finance Minister mentioned it no less than a few days ago during the Union Budget.

    “The act by Poonam has now resulted in making Cervical Cancer and its related terms the most searched topic (s) on Google.”

    From a publicity point of view then Pandey and her team feel they have won. She’s got her two minutes and then will move on to a new demo of her untested skills.

    Some media watchers have blamed journalists for carrying the news of her death without checking, given Pandey’s history. Others make the excuse that since the death announcement came from Pandey’s own team, how could journalists have further confirmed this death?

    No clear answer there.

    But this is what will happen. For one, cancer patients and their families, and those who have lost loved ones to cancer, will feel the pain of someone trying to benefit from their suffering. This feeling will not go away just because she did this to raise awareness. All of us cancer patients, victims, survivors, whatever we call ourselves, know the shock within when you get the diagnosis of the Big C, of mortality, of fatality, of imminent death. Yes, life is a sexually transmitted terminal disease. But we all feel we should get the chance to complete our three score years and ten, and hopefully then some. Pandey’s stunt played on the worst of our fears and attempted to profit from them. And then, trivialised the journeys of millions, not all of whom survive their cancer diagnosis.

    Secondly, it is doctors who need maximum awareness about this vaccine, especially first response doctors. Oncologists enter the picture later in the journey. How many gynaecologists have started jumping about saying “O yaay, Poonam Pandey pretended to die and now my patients can get a vaccine”?

    The change will come from the medical community, from camps conducted, from taking healthcare to slums and remote areas, to targeting women at Primary Health Centres, those who get left behind in the race for health.

    Regardless of online fame, cancer and death are real. Rarely fun. And sometimes, bad publicity is just a bad idea.

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views here are personal. 

  • To enhance standards in the gaming and technology sector

    E-Gaming Federation collaborates with NLU, Delhi

    The E-Gaming Federation (EGF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Law University (NLU), New Delhi. The MoU underscores the commitment of both organisations to strengthen India’s policy framework and contribute to the enhancement of standards in the gaming and technology sector through cutting-edge research and innovation.

    Speaking on the occasion Prof (Dr) GS Bajpai, NLU said: “EGF’s concerted efforts to encourage the online gaming sector are noteworthy and inspiring. We are enthusiastic about this knowledge development journey with EGF and believe that our collaborative effort will provide informed insights to promote legal awareness and achieve political, social, and economic justice. We look forward to the opportunities for capacity-building and collaborative learning that this partnership will bring.”

    Expressing delight over the MoU, Anuraag Saxena, CEO of EGF added: “EGF is developing a community in pursuit of education, research, and scholarship in the field of online gaming in India. By fostering an environment of collaboration and shared learning, we aim to recognise the importance of advocating for progressive policies that aid innovation, ensure consumer protection, and promote responsible gaming. We are excited to join hands with National Law University and think that this alliance would be a significant step towards leveraging academic expertise for the benefit of the industry stakeholders and wider community.”

  • … as Chief Growth Officer

    Malcolm Raphael quits TOI, joins Sideways

    Abhijit Avasthi’s Sideways is set to take its offerings to the market even more aggressively and to do this, it has on-boarded Malcolm Raphael as Chief Growth Officer. Raphael was last Senior VP and Head, Creative Strategy, Brand Content, Innovations and Trade Marketing at the Times of India group.

    Speaking on the appointment, Abhijit Avasthi, Founder, Sideways, said, “Till now we have grown only organically, by word of mouth, without participating in pitches, solely on the basis of our work and reputation. While we have worked with over 100 companies till date, I believe we can add exponential value to a lot more businesses  – it’s just that we have been very quiet about what we do and most companies are unaware of what all can Sideways do for them. Malcolm is the perfect person for taking the Sideways story to the world. Because of his varied experiences, he intuitively gets what Sideways does.”

    Commenting on his new role with Sideways, Raphael said: “What attracted me to Sideways is its unique approach to solving a business or brand problem. They are unlike any other agency or consultancy I have come across. I subscribe to their belief that in today’s environment, solutions to complex problems lies at the intersection of disciplines. They are able to provide these thanks to an eclectic team of strategists, technocrats, writers, product designers, management consultants, UI/UX and graphic designers and many others. I am looking forward to telling their story to the world.”

    At the Times Group, Raphael spearheaded initiatives like the Power of Print IP, Brand Equity Times Ahead, Innovation Roadshows and BrandScope, where he created consumer brands from scratch. He also led the Cannes Lions relationship and drove the Young Lions and Young Spikes competitions in India. He is part of the Advertising Club managing committee and has been part of the Effies, Emvies and Abbys juries.

  • To "elevate" India's gaming content landscape

    8Bit Creatives partners with Rooter

    8Bit Creatives, the gaming influencer talent management agency, has partnered with Rooter, a gaming and esports content platform. The objective: to “bolster the nation’s Gaming Creator Economy”.

    This collaboration will see 8Bit Creatives’ notable gaming influencers, PC gamers, and GTA roleplay creators, such as Tanmay Singh aka ScoutOp, Parv Singh aka Regaltos, Raj Varma aka Snax, Salman Ahmad aka 8Bit Mamba, Mithul Nayak aka 8Bit Binks stream and curate content on the Rooter platform.

    Said Animesh Agarwal aka 8Bit Thug, Founder & CEO, 8Bit Creatives: “Our collaboration with Rooter will act as a catalyst for the sustained growth of India’s gaming creator economy. We are excited to bring our gaming influencers and creators to a platform that shares our vision for excellence in gaming content as well as the prosperity of the community. Together, we aim to create an immersive and unparalleled gaming experience for millions of fans across the nation.”

    Underlining the shared focus behind the partnership, Dipesh Agarwal, Co-Founder and COO, Rooter added: “8Bit Creatives shares our strong drive to unlock massive growth opportunities for the Indian Gaming ecosystem and we are excited to collaborate with a partner like them. We’ve been facilitating multiple monetization opportunities for creators through partnerships with ~100 brands, fan donations, and more. With this collaboration, we will be working closely with the 8Bit Creatives team to elevate value creation for the creator community. We also aim to develop innovative marketing playbooks and solutions at the intersection of gaming, content, pop culture, and social media, which will establish new operating benchmarks for the ecosystem.”

  • "Even the stock market, usually so loyal and overjoyed with everything this government does, did not rise to massive heights," writes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: No Graphic for the Budget?

    Ranjona BanerjiThe editor never even sent me a message asking me to write on the Union Budget today. Both of us belong to the newspaper era which really created excitement around Union Budgets. Every small bit of taxation on bobby pins and rubber bands was carefully dissected. Post-economic liberalization, the excitement reached peak limits. Massive graphics dominated the front pages, Marvel and DC super heroes most often.

    A couple of years after India’s economic liberalization in 1991, I was sent to cover legendary jurist Nani Palkhivala’s much sought after annual post-budget speech. This was at the Brabourne Stadium in what was still Bombay. Thousands gathered to hear the great man depose on the Union Government’s annual expenditure. At the end of his analysis Palkhivala however announced that he would no longer be dissecting the Budget. Liberalisation he said had changed everything and the Budget no longer had the same significance as when the economy was controlled and restricted.

    Newspapers however took no notice of the great man, and carried on with their massive spreads. I cannot describe the tremendous excitement which consumed newsrooms. Every department and desk from city to crime to sports to glamour was on Budget duty. The graphics and art departments were stretched to their absolute limits! Is it a bird or a plane, no it’s Budgetman! This was the 1990s when print still set the trends in media, so television followed suit, with their split screens, graphics and talking heads spewing their psychobabble. Since then however, everyone has calmed down a bit.

    And although we have had 10 years of the Best Government and Best Governance and Best Overall Life EVER in the history of India, Bharat and so on, not even the most diehard fan of the dispensation in the media has managed to sustain excitement over the annual budgets. A cursory look-through of yesterday’s news suggests that even the stock market, usually so loyal and overjoyed with everything this government does, did not in fact rise to massive, unprecedented heights?

    I picked up the basics from a couple of comedians. Some guff about women, farmers, youth and something.

    For clarity I would go no further than Vivek Kaul:

    https://www.newslaundry.com/2024/02/01/what-the-finance-ministers-budget-speech-tells-us-and-what-it-doesnt

    **

    What is happening, which obviously the mainstream media will not focus on except when it can blame the victim, is the palpable increase in attacks on Muslims ever since the Ram Temple was inaugurated at Ayodhya in January. Once again, Hindutva mobs have been given a free pass. This in an election year, Jai Shri Ram was been turned from an expression of faith to a war cry and the Indian media is a happy participant in this war against democracy. This week, the Supreme Court of India allowed Hindu prayers in one more “disputed” mosque, covered by the Hindutva movement – Gyanvapi.

    The daughter of an Indian politician and diplomat disagrees with the state participation in a temple inauguration. For this, she receives a letter from the president of the Residents Welfare Association, for a property owned by her father which objects to her views and then demands that she and her Father apologize and if not, move out of their property. At least this absurd bit of majoritarian bullying got some publicity. But only because the Father in question is the redoubtable, outspoken Mani Shankar Aiyar.

    Umar Khalid will obviously never get bail for his terrible twin crimes of being Muslim and of being pro-democracy. The chief minister of Jharkhand has been swept into the Enforcement Directorate’s clutches for not being BJP – is there another explanation? The election for the mayor of Chandigarh displayed public snatching and defacement of ballot papers by the presiding officer and the BJP to ensure that the BJP won.

    These are a few small stories about today’s India…

    There is no media graphic which will put the overall picture in place for we the people.

    I wonder why. Or do I?

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views here are personal. 

  • With four new International Telecom Operators

    Shemaroo Entertainment expands DCB Services

    Shemaroo Entertainment is expanding in the global telco, ISP (Internet Service Provider), and OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) landscape by collaborating with four international telecom operators to extend its OTT platform, ShemarooMe. In this strategic move, it has effected partnerships with Zain, STC, and Mobily in Saudi Arabia, along with Vodafone in Qatar, facilitated by DCB (Direct Carrier Billing) partners, 3A net and one97 communications.

    Said Saurabh Srivastava, Chief Operating Officer – Digital Business at Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd: “Shemaroo Entertainment takes immense pride in advancing our content’s global reach. Our venture into new territories through partnerships with fourinternational telecom operators is a noteworthy step in this endeavour. This strategic move not only broadens our reach but marks a significant milestone in our mission to bring diverse and quality entertainment to audiences worldwide. We anticipate further collaborations as we persist in our global expansion journey.”

  • For its young professional members

    IAA to open doors to the Meta office

    The Indian Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA), has announced its next event for its Young Professionals (YP). On February 16, IAA’s Young Professionals will get a chance to visit the Meta office and interact with professionals from the social media giant.

    During this three-hour event, Meta professionals will discuss trends that they see in advertising in 2024, the best practices for advertisers using it, and also possible career options with them. Post the presentations, the Meta team will engage with the attendees during high tea.

    Said Avinash Pandey, President, IAA India Chapter: “The IAA Young Professionals membership is a fantastic platform for young professionals to connect, learn, and thrive in this ever-evolving world. Through this event with Meta, we aim to help educate them on how the social media giant functions, how it can be used to build  brands, and also most importantly what it offers for those looking for roles within the company.”

  • Titled 'Lay Bhaari' celebrating Mumbai's Lifeline

    Malishka stars in Red FM’s collaborative music video with WR

    Red FM has joined hands with Western Railway to create a music video with RJ Malishka, aimed at deepening the connection between Mumbaikars and the Western Railway. The music video is titled ‘Lay Bhaari’. The move is interesting as the RJ has been known to taken on Mumbai civic infrastructure (essentially the roads) every monsoon. And since the tune is catchy, the video has gone viral several times over, embarrassing the governments of the day.

    Commenting on the collaboration, Sumit Thakur, Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, said: “The ‘Lay Bhaari’ song sung by RJ Malishka appeals in her ‘bindaas’ Mumbai lingo to follow rules and regulations for a happy and safe train journey. The song gives several social messages like, security at stations, special provisions for ladies and Divyangjan passengers, Not Boarding/Alighting a moving train, Not traveling on the footboard of the train, etc.

    Added Nisha Narayanan, COO & Director, Red FM & Magic FM: “Our association with Western Railway goes beyond a conventional collaboration. ‘Lay Bhaari’ is not just a song; it’s a celebration of the symbiotic relationship between the people of Mumbai and the Western Railway. As a brand that is committed to social responsibility and has consistently pursued innovative ways to connect with our audience, ‘Lay Bhaari’ is a testament to our ability to weave impactful narratives. Malishka, with her unparalleled energy captures the essence of Mumbai. The sounds of Mumbai, including railway announcements, are intricately woven into the melody, creating an immersive experience that resonates with the spirit of the city.