Tune into any radio station, chances are you would be listening to some offbeat programmes. Take for instance Big FM’s storytelling show – ‘Yaadon Ka Idiot Box with Neelesh Mishra’ which is already in its second season. What is even more interesting is the fact that it is aired during the primetime 9pm to 11pm, Monday through Friday. After the success of Ramayana, Fever FM launched a new radio play, Gandhi beginning March this year. Radio City only recently introduced ‘Freedom Hour’, a programme which plays only Indie music and aired every Saturday from 5 pm to 6pm across its 20 stations. These are just a few examples, even smaller stations like Radio Choklate and Tomato FM have been airing radio plays and other non-bollywood, non- music contents. While content on FM radio has been evolving ever since its existence, the question is whether the listener is listening to them or is there no scope for these contents on radio?
According to Harshad Jain, Business Head, Radio and Entertainment – HT Media Ltd, the listener’s choice has been changing with the evolution of the radio industry. The radio industry is showing early signs of programming content that is beyond music. “Yes there is a market for non music / non Bollywood content in the FM radio space. Music has become a leveler for FM operators. The on-air treatment done through non- music based programming element like audio drama, sports, festival specials, are contents that differentiates any brand and Fever 104 FM is arguably the only station that has built a strong emotional connect with its listeners through these initiatives. Purely from an advertisers standpoint non-music content aims towards driving engagement and high interactivity.â€
Kartik Kalla, National Programming Head, Radio City believes that differentiating music is the need of the hour. “Music constitutes almost 75 per cent of the total airtime and hence it is the most important feature in programming. We have recently introduced ‘Freedom Hour’ on Saturdays between 5-6pm across all our 20 stations. This is an extension of the music that is played on ‘Freedom Radio’ on PlanetRadiocity.com. The listeners enjoy refreshing music which is a welcome change from the regular Bollywood music that’s played.â€
Besides playing Oriya music, every Sunday evening Radio Choklate is also said to air opera or plays called ‘Choklate Rangamancha’. Radio Choklate also airs a weekly interactive show wherein, letters from listeners are read out on- air and their questions answered. Monica Nayyar Patnaik, Joint Managing Director at Eastern Media Ltd was of the opinion that radio programming has been constantly evolving over the years. Earlier FM stations would play only songs, then they emphasized more on RJ talk, then they went onto non- stop music and so on. The response from listeners, particularly for offbeat radio programmes like radio plays have been very good, it also affirms that there is a market for non-music contents.
R Venkata Subramanian, Senior Director-Investments, MPG India pointed out that while non music or non Bollywood programmes create differentiation, a listener however mainly tunes into radio for music. I believe that these shows will be able to build their properties for a longer period of time only when they are associated with brands. In addition to these, radio programmes also need to be more interactive and engaging which would click with the listeners.
Industry players are of the opinion that while content in radio has been constantly evolving on radio, there is a market for non- music and non- Bollywood radio programmes, but it must be highly interactive and engaging with its listeners. Despite government restrictions, FM radio has been constantly finding newer ways to engage and interact with its listeners. FM Phase III rollout is expected to witness further innovation and differentiation in radio programming, especially with multiple frequencies which is expected to introduce new genres of FM radio.
Big FM’s Rabe T Iyer has joined Motivator as Managing Partner at the Group M’s media agency. At Big FM, Mr Iyer was the Business Head wherein he was said to have been responsible for the growth and the profit and loss of the business. It has been learnt that as of now there is no replacement to Mr Iyer, and Big FM is yet to announce who would take over the mantle as Business Head, Big FM. At Motivator, Mr Iyer will be reporting to Ajit Varghese, Managing Director – South Asia, Maxus and Motivator.
Mr Iyer has over 15 years of work experience spanning media, advertising and communication industry both in India and abroad. He started his career with the Dainik Bhaskar Group in the space selling division. He then moved to Saatchi & Saatchi to drive P&G Hair care brand, later to work as Director Media on Hyundai, Nokia and Morepen in Delhi. He later moved to Vietnam working on the P&G account, where in two years was country head for ZenithOptimedia Vietnam and later the business head for Starcom MediaVest Vietnam. Mr Iyer’s expertise is said to be in building growth through effective trouble shooting and leading through people management.
The Ministry of Communications & IT has decided to waive the spectrum fee for Community Radio Services (CRS). This follows requests received from National Advisory Council, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the Community Radio Association for waiver of spectrum charges for Community Radio Services.
Keeping in mind that the Government’s role is to create an enabling environment for CRS, Kapil Sibal, Minister for Communications & IT has asked the Telecom Department to evolve detailed guidelines by October 12, to ensure that the spectrum is optimally used and the channels use these airwaves only to inform and empower the common man. It was felt that in the interest of inclusive and informed society, the government should provide the spectrum (airwaves) for CRS at zero cost. Although this may result in an opportunity cost of not more than Rs 25 lakh to the government, the cost is far outweighed by the benefit of informed, empowered and inclusive local communities and the nation.
Announcing this, a news release from the Press Information Bureau said that sustainability is the biggest challenge for CRS. Community radio focuses on low cost and low return pattern of operations. Donor funding is crucial for CRS. As most of the donors come from local communities, this financing option is inadequate and irregular for CRS operating in remote areas and for the marginalized sections of the society.
Community radio plays a vital role in building vibrant communities, in mobilizing groups to action by informing and empowering citizens, in giving voice to marginalized groups of society, and in bringing community needs to the attention of local and even national governments. CRS can prove to be an excellent tool for managing plurality in a society and for fostering democracy.
Big FM and Total Oil India Pvt. Ltd have announced the launch of ‘Total Quartz Safety Month’, a campaign that is spread across 21 cities, promoting safe driving habits.
The Total Quartz Safety Month campaign will be led by the 92.7 Big FM RJs advocating and initiating change required in the mindset of people, and garnering their support as far as road safety rules are concerned. The campaign is said to have meticulously unfold in four distinct phases: Phase I – Safe Driving; Phase II – Don’t Talk While Driving; Phase III – Don’t Drink and Drive; Phase IV – will see the culmination of the campaign through the ‘Total Quartz Safety Run’ which will see the participation of the local populace in each of the cities.
The campaign will see programming tailored to create audiences on Big FM ranging from traffic authorities, legal experts, people who have been affected by drunken driving accidents, tips to avoid getting into a situation, statistics related to accidents and more.
A 92.7 Big FM spokesperson said, “The Total Quartz Safety Month is a unique initiative that aims at encouraging Indians to take a pledge to drive safely. With the campaign culminating into the Total Quartz Safety Run, we are inviting 92.7 Big FM listeners to actively show their support towards a cause that has taken thousands of lives already this year. We are sure that our commitment towards this cause along with Total Lubricants’ support will work collectively towards the welfare of the community at large.”
Speaking about their association with Big FM to announce the Total Quartz Safety Month, B Vijay Kumar, Chairman and Managing Director, Total Oil India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Total considers people safety and health protection of paramount importance while carrying out its business activities in complex and diverse environments. Total through a coordinated and coherent approach is committed to improve the safety standards of individual and communities. The TOTAL Quartz Safety Run, our initiative with Big FM, is an important programme designed to promote safe driving habits thereby reducing accidents and saving precious lives.”
Manav Dhanda has been appointed as Network Programming Head for 92.7 Big FM. In this second stint with Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd (RBNL), he will be taking care of the programming strategy of the Stations across the country. His first stint was in 2006-08. He will be reporting to Tarun Katial, CEO, Big FM.
A media professional for over 15 years, Mr Dhanda began his career with directing serials and working as a freelance writer. He has worked with Sony Entertainment Television, Radio Mirchi and Miditech.
Before returning to RBNL, Mr Dhanda was associated with World Band Media – a Canadian company with operations in the multicultural, multiplatform media market in the United States – as the Chief Operating Officer.
While RBNL sources have confirmed that Mr Dhanda joined the organization in early September, there is no official communication on the development.
Such pieces tend to be nostalgic. They may even feel cheesy to some. But they are always written straight from the heart. And they are always truthful.
I like to think of two defining moments in my life. One that made me a better human being; the other a better professional.
There was this time when I was in school in Ahmedabad. As many people may know, households in Gujarat store foodgrains for the year. Come the wheat season and the whole family gets down to cleaning, oil-polishing and storing the grains into big aluminium or steel drums. I distinctly remember one such year when after helping clean the wheat, I was relaxing. An old lady helper was storing the grains into the large drums. Given her age and the condition of her back, she was finding it difficult to bend down, lift the heavy load and dump it into the drum. Instinctively, I relieved her of that responsibility and took over. Now this is something I think any normal human should do. I really didn’t think much of it. But what was destiny-defining for me was when my mom applauded my action and told everyone how proud she was of me. That impression that was created in my mind – the purposeful encouragement to the softer aspects of one’s personality – was permanent. Today, I come across numerous situations – in personal and business life – when I am guided by that same lesson. Help the needy. Help those who are already under centuries of burden. Don’t be too demanding. Be a little kind. It goes a long way. An adjunct of this lesson is the need to be intellectually honest in dealings with others. That is what makes leaders, leaders.
The other defining moment made me a better professional. And this I say unabashedly (it’s a little cheesy to praise one’s boss!) about my previous mentor and boss Mr Parigi (just called APP in Mirchi). My job in Mirchi was the first one I did in a “horizontal” capacity – a general manager of sorts. Before this, I had largely been a marketing and sales guy. My people skills were rough to say the least! My vanity in the field of Marketing was profound and my disdain for people who couldn’t be intellectually savvy was huge. Not surprising then that in my first year at Mirchi, I rubbed several people up the wrong way! APP helped me chisel off my rough edges; become more sensitive to people issues. He rejected my hypothesis that being pushy with goals necessitated being pushy with people. He also spotted a certain ability of mine to absorb new things very quickly (quick learner). I know I have a high degree of intellectual curiosity, but APP’s endorsement of that furthered it. My team knows my determination; the determination that unless I am satisfied, I will keep asking questions; keep probing. Sometimes, people feel I am too aggressive, but this aggression helps get to the right answers.
Like I said, some of this may sound cheesy. But then, it’s the real truth! (therealtruth is the name of my blog on politics. It appears on blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
Life’s Lessons is a part of MxMIndia’s ‘Personally Speaking’ series which appears every Friday.
Bharti Airtel has announced the comeback of Worldspace Radio as iMusicSpace on Airtel digital TV, the DTH service from the company. DTH customers can now listen to an extensive collection of latest and retro Hindi songs, popular ghazals and their favorite regional music channels on the new avatar radio. Customers can now enjoy 24X7 radio on their TV in their native dialect be it Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada or Telugu. Comprising of 12 channels including devotional and kids channels, iMusicSpace is now available to customers at an affordable cost of Rs 35 per month.
Speaking on the launch, Shashi Arora, CEO- DTH/ Media, Bharti Airtel, said, “At Airtel, it’s been our constant endeavor to offer innovative, versatile, and interactive life enriching services to our customers that enhances their overall TV viewing experience. The launch of Worldspace Radio on Airtel was an industry first and we are ecstatic to re-launch the new and evolved iMusicSpace application today on Airtel Digital TV. This service is yet another step by Airtel towards making TV a wholesome entertainment package for customers and we look forward to our partnership with Timbre Media for the WorldSpace Radio service”.
The service has been launched on the DTH platform in association with Saregama and Timbre Media whhich will jointly provide the content for the application.
Mathewkutty Sebastian, CEO, Timbre Media, a company formed in 2010 by the erstwhile employees of WorldSpace India, said, “Timbre Media is happy to be able to offer Airtel DTH subscribers the music experience they enjoyed in the past on this platform, brought to them by the very same dedicated team of radio professionals who pioneered genre based programming in India for WorldSpace.”
Airtel digital TV customers can easily access the application by just clicking the iTV button on their remote. The new channels include Magikbox – Kids, Shraddha – Devotional, Farishta – Retro Hindi, Falak – Ghazals, Sonar – Bengali, Umang – Gujarati, Surabhi – Marathi, Tunak – Punjabi, Thenisai – Tamil, Madhuri – Malayalam, Sparsha – Kannada and Spandana – Telugu.
Saregama, formerly known as The Gramophone Company of India Ltd, owns the largest music archives in India. The ownership of nearly 50 per cent of all the music ever recorded in India makes Saregama the most authoritative repository of the country’s musical heritage. Saregama has now expanded into other branches of entertainment, and also runs studio facilities in Dum Dum, Kolkata.
Timbre Media Pvt Ltd, set up in 2010 by a group of erstwhile employees of WorldSpace India Pvt Ltd, offers radio/music programming, sound packaging and studio services to platform owners in the DTH, Telecom, Internet and FM industry, and to corporate and retail clients. Headquartered in Bengaluru, Timbre Media specializes in genre-based radio programming in different languages and is the official licensee of the WorldSpace brand.
Internet radio is increasingly gaining prominence in India, but special interest channels are still limited. Internet radio service – Radiowalla has been aiming to provide a service that offers a variety of special interest-internet radio channels that indulge niche audiences worldwide. The service that launched in April 2012 globally, boasts of offering Internet audio channels (music and non-music).
In a conversation with MxM India, Radiowalla recently announced that it will be launching a ‘gay and lesbian’ station on its platform. On the initiative, Anil Srivatsa, Co-Founder and CEO of Radiowalla, said, “The gay and lesbian community is almost 30 million of the population in India. Is there a representation in any media for them? I wish to create a special interest channel for them.â€
“There are so many pet lovers in the country. And they want access to information on how they can take care of their pets. And they are willing to pay for it if I give them expert advice. Today, the mainstream media is not representing these special interest groups,†said Srivatsa.
Srivatsa aims to make his internet radio channel an instrument to amplify passion, whether it be classical music or gay and lesbian community channel. “The gay and lesbian community has a need to belong, a passion to be mainstream but they do not have a voice among themselves,†he opined.
The channel will broadcast music and non-music programmes. The 24/7 channel will be subscription based, and will not depend heavily on advertisers. On the advertisers that might shy from coming on the channel, Mr Srivasta said, “While I want advertisers, my content creation will not depend on the monies from advertisers. I prefer my revenues from paid-on-demand.â€
Going forward, the internet radio plans to introduce a Muslim station as well.
L to R: Uday Kumar Varma, I&B Secretary, Chandrajit Banerjee, DG, CII; Andy Kaplan, President, Worldwide Network, Sony Picture Television; Amit Khanna, Chairman, CII National Committee on M & E and Chairman, Reliance Entertainment; Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India and Ronnie Screwvala, MD, The Walt Disney Co
By Ananya Saha
CII Media and Entertainment Summit 2012, India – The Big Picture discussed critical issues such as cause and effect of market-driven approach in the media and entertainment (M&E) sector, censorship hurdles, and the roadmap for $100 billion Indian M&E industry. The two-day conference saw the who’s who of the sector take a close look at the critical role that M&E plays in India.
“We are drunk on our own volumes: largest number of newspapers in circulation, largest number of television viewers at 400 million, 100 million digital consumers. Digital, in particular, is an indictment of our creative and strategic limitations – we have 600 million mobile screens and yet we do not have a unique content proposition for the medium,” Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India, said in his keynote address, adding, “Our ability to convert that into corresponding value is disappointing.â€
“Media and industry is a globally growing industry – but our participation in that eco-system is zero and India is hardly factored into the global thought process of technology or content,” he added. Similarly, on the domestic front, the industry is yet to fully unlock the potential of the vast Indian market.” The size of India’s Media and Entertainment industry, which includes television, print, radio, digital media, was pegged at $15 billion at the end of 2011. The industry is growing at around 14 percent a year. “At this rate, we will still take 15 years to get to $100 billion. Obviously, we want to get there much faster. The question is: Why and how do we do that?” Mr Shankar quipped.
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Secretary Uday Kumar Varma, Leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, The Walt Disney Co MD Ronnie Screwvala, Viacom 18 Media Pvt Ltd CEO Sudhanshu Vats, Sony Picture Television President for the worldwide network Andy Kaplan, News Corp Sr Executive VP David Hill, NDTV Group CEO and Executive Director Vikram Chandra, Times Television Network MD and CEO Sunil Lulla, Sony Entertainment Television CEO Man Jit Singh, Times Group CEO Ravi Dhariwal, Prasar Bharti CEO Jawahar Sircar, eminent journalists such as Nik Gowing, Vir Sanghvi, Vinod Mehta and Aroon Purie shared their views at the summit.
Uday Kumar Varma, Secretary, MIB, recent decision of the government to allow 74 per cent FDI in DTH, IPTV, mobile TV etc. are some of the steps that have been taken in this direction and underscored that those steps would be game changers. He said that many positive steps would be taken in revamping the FM Radio to enhance its reach and content. The empowered Group of Ministers are looking into some of the grey areas in the auction of 839 new FM radio stations across over 290 towns and cities in the country. “We hope to complete the auction of the first tranche of the stations by the end of the financial year,” he added.
Day 1 of the summit saw Arun Jaitley, Leader of the Opposition, Rajya Sabha make a scathing attack on trial by media and said that most often such debates are based on half- truths and imaginations. Nik Gowing, Presenter, BBC World News said, “Media is greatly influenced by technology and speed in which the information travels. Political leaders and corporations have to realize that to become a leader in the technology driven environs, where they would be put to scrutiny not necessarily by the media but also by public at large, through twitters and other social media, was an onerous task.” Vinod Mehta said, “What we require is blending good business practices with news collection and dissemination, which is a formidable task of media industry.” Ravi Dhariwal, CEO, Times Group, said that media is judged by its contemporary relevance and trust it builds with the general public.
Broadband penetration to reach 600 mn by 2020
Speaking on the panel for ‘The Game Changers: Taking M&E industry to $100 bn’, R Chandrasekhar, Secretary, Information Technology and Chairman Telecom Commission said the government is taking proactive steps for enhancing the broadband penetration in the country from the present level of 20 million to 600 million by 2020 so as to cover the entire breadth and length of the country.
“The government is investing Rs 20,000 crore over the next few years for strengthening the broadband network in the country. In its wake, such massive investment will give a boost to the digitization, cloud-based services and convergence to reach out to the common man in the far flung areas,” he said. The government’s role, he stressed, would be that of a facilitator and the last mile movers would be cable and telecom service providers.
Manjit Singh, CEO, Sony Entertainment Television maintained that advertisement and subscription income from media business should be at a 50:50 basis and a business model based on these parameters would help penetration of broadband, inflow of more FDI and the government would stand to gain from realization of more taxes. The ratio of TV advertisement to GDP in India is abysmally poor as compared to developed countries and hoped that the stress on subscription would give a sustainable and healthy revenue stream to the media business. Narayan Rao, Executive Vice-Chairperson, NDTV said, “For the ambitious target to reach 100 bn, the industry needs to recognise three things: advertisers need to recognise that as audiences have grown, and thus, rates also need to grow; the broadcasters need to get rid of carriage fees; and the broadcasters need to look at alternate sources o revenue, which can currently come only from subscription revenues.â€
TGBCL’s MD and CEO Sunil Lulla said the industry needs to dream a collective dream to reach the $100 bn mark. “The industry needs to collaborate, partner and compete for a healthier industry status,” he said. Smitha Jha, Leader, Entertainment & Media practice, PWC India, observed that the game changers in the media industry would be advertisement, subscription and infrastructure and policy framework. In India, she said that the consumer spends only $7 per month as subscription as against US$ 500 in the US. Also, to help industry to achieve the potential, infrastructure has to be toned up, such as rolling out of 3G and 4G coupled with strengthening broadband network.
Policy Conundrum
Rahul Khullar, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) stressed on the need for a separate regulator for content and carriage. He also said that the Indian market should not be compared to Western markets and stressed on the fact that India is a price-sensitive market. Harit Nagpal, MD and CEO, Tata Sky pointed out, “We are most heavily taxed business in the industry. We pay close to 30-35 percent as taxes, exclusive of the import duty on set-top boxes.” Agreeing with Mr Nagpal, SN Sharma, CEO of Den Networks said, “Taxation is going through the roof, and ultimately consumers will have to bear the costs.”
Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, IndiaCast, opined, “As we progress with digitisation, it is important that the issue of carriage fees is sorted out. We need to get the ARPUs right to be on the path to reach $100 bn-industry.” The panel also pointed out how the policies in India have not found the regulation support. Vanita Kohli-Khandekar, Contributing Editor, Business Standard said that tax holidays can do wonders for stabilising the industry. She also pointed out how regulation is required in the areas of cross-media monopoly; how 50-60 percent of media buying is concentrated in the hands of one agency and the ownership of news media.
In response to the worries voiced by the panel, Mr Khullar said that the regulator is aiming at bringing out a white paper on cross-media ownership, which will be done with prior consultation. He also said that as digitisation progresses, the industry should foresee and prepare on changing business models.
Managing M&E in digital era
As digitization takes last steps towards sunset date, issues related to convergence have been taking centre stage at various discussions and forums. The panel on convergence issues chaired Neeraj Roy, MD and CEO, Hungama Digital Media was of the view that consumption and monetising of content, global IT systems, infrastructure and policies that deal with convergence need to be developed to provide clarity to industry players as well as consumers.
Vikram Chandra, Group CEO and ED, NDTV, said, “With convergence and real-time interactivity taking shape, the only question that remains to be answered is how do we monetise the properties.†Vijay Lazarus, President, IMI pointed out how in absence of policy regulations, music became the first victim of technology in the form of piracy. “But then knowing there was no turning back, the music industry also embraced technology,†Mr Lazarus pointed out.
The panel agreed that innovation in convergence will result in monetisation.
The last panel on Sports and Entertainment focused on whether sports broadcasting in India is only about cricket or is there an opportunity much beyond which lies untested and unexplored. “The government, corporations, media and civil society should come forward to support sports beyond cricket with a long term roadmap,” maintained Atul Singh, CEO, Coca Cola India. He also hinted that dependence on one form of sports is not the ideal approach since that would lead to unbalanced growth of sports in the country.
Mr Singh cautioned the corporations not to look for immediate results and dividends from sponsored games other than cricket. David Hill, Senior Executive Vice President, New Corp said, “Sports is predominantly a middle-class indulgence and with India’s middle class touching one billion by 2025, sports will receive a lot of attention in the future.” Referring to the lack of corporate support in India, Harish Thawani, Executive Chairman, Nimbus Communications said that corporates allot adequate budgets for CSR and massive commitment for advertisements but hardly any when it comes to sports.
While there is no doubt that the Indian M&E industry is seeing unprecedented growth, the question is whether the industry will be able to shed policy inhibitions and grow to the $100-billion-stage by 2016.
The month-long safety campaign ‘Total Quartz Safety Month’ – a joint initiative from 92.7 Big FM and Total Oil India, comes to a close with the very successful Total Quartz Safety Run across 21 cities of India. Garnering an outstanding response, the campaign reached out to 2 crore+ audiences across the 21 station powerful radio network of 92.7 Big FM. For the run itself, each city saw excellent local support from local traffic authorities, celebrities, NGOs and the local populace seeing over 30,000 people from across the country taking to the streets in support of this campaign. With an appropriate cause, superlative reach and mammoth support, the Total Quartz Safety Run is by far one of the most successful radio campaigns.
With over 50 NGOs ranging Lions Club, Rotaract Clubs, Alert, SoS Care India, Yuva, CareForYou Foundation, Humanitarian Welfare and Research Foundation and NCC, and some of society’s well known faces like singers Sophie Choudhary and Shilajit, actors Hrishita Bhatt, Payal Rohatgi, Ramya Barna, Chirag Patil, Shekhar Singh and Sufi Sayyed, wrestler Sangram Singh, and sportsmen Raju Ganguly and Shanku Guha, along with the top notches in traffic authorities, the month long event has managed to successfully create awareness for the extremely serious cause of safe driving habits. With topics which ranged from dangers of drunken driving to talking on the cell phone when driving, to wearing the seat belts, safe driving tips and more, the response on air was overwhelming, with opinions pouring in from celebrities, experts, people who have been involved in drunk driving cases to just people who had a story to tell.
Speaking about the Total Quartz Safety Run, a 92.7 Big FM spokesperson said, “This is yet another step in our endeavour of positively impacting the lives of listeners. We are extremely happy with the results of this mammoth exercise, across 21 cities of India and the difference which we have been able to create along with our partners Total Oil India. The response from authorities, NGOs, dignitaries, celebrities and the local populace in each of the cities has been overwhelming and extremely encouraging. Through this and each of our other initiatives, we continue to live our brand line Suno Sunao Life Banao.”
Elaborating further, Mr B Vijay Kumar, Chairman & Managing Director, Total Oil India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Being in the business of manufacturing products which help keep your vehicle safe, we emphasise o the importance of road safety. Driving or riding a vehicle on the road is a responsibility and should be taken very seriously. We are happy with the results of the campaign and are happy to have partnered 92.7 BIG FM in this cause.”
The lack of networking is also seen by women themselves as one of the top three impediments in their progress. Leading radio station netword Radio City decided to make building connections between women easier by launching a forum where the women can all come and spend time with one another. Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City 91.1 FM explains the rationale of starting ‘Women at Work’.
01. Do tell us more on Women at Work all about?
Women at Work is a platform where women from all walks of life can come together and optimize their networking time to further their professional and personal growth. It is a networking forum where the members use the platform to connect and explore possible opportunities related to their profession/ business.
02. And how did Radio City get down to developing this forum?
As an organization, Radio City has quite a few women leaders, who fulfil their responsibilities equally or sometimes better than their counterparts. While it is a fact that men have several occasions to interact with each other through formal or informal networks, women don’t have such opportunities. Whilst multi-tasking with their responsibilities at work and at home, there is no room left for after-office networking. Women also often do not find a support group to seek solutions to their problems or enough networking opportunities to excel professionally. The senior women at Radio City thus decided to create an opportunity for women to interact and this was in fact the driving factor behind developing this online forum.
03. How many forums is ‘Women at Work’ planning to hold, and in which cities?
Our first on-the-ground networking session was held in Mumbai a few months ago and witnessed participation from nearly 100 women. It was amazing to experience the energy it created, through re-forging old connections and building new ones. Many women who attended the forum shared intimate parts of their lives with each other, and this turn helped them forge important relations. The next on-ground forum is being held in Delhi on December 1, and we are looking forward to some great networking with some more fantastic women. Though we are all virtually connected with each other, we plan to conduct one such on-ground meeting in different cities once every quarter.
04. So how many women have become members of Women at Work?
The forum has more than 800 users from across the globe and many more joining in daily. In fact, we have started receiving proposals from like-minded women from the US to start an international chapter too.
05. What can one expect from the Women at Work forum?
Apart from building connections, the members of the forum can look forward to sharing successes and learnings from each other. The forum has been created with the motive of building a bridge, an umbrella where working women across different cross sections can come together and talk about anything related to our work lives – from bad bosses to office spouses, from stilettos to mojitos, from babies to boyfriends!
After introducing shows such as Out of the Box and Indian Music Hour (both of which are the only shows in Chennai that promote independent music) and You’re Hired (a show that acts as the bridge between job seekers and employers across industries), Chennai Live 104.8 FM is all set to launch another epic show. ‘Vodafone Voice of Chennai’- the brand new program that is launching on November 28 – aims to give a powerful voice to the people of Chennai and a platform to discuss their problems and air their views.
The on-air show will discuss – what is it about Chennai that irks you – is it power cuts, traffic congestion, improper garbage disposal or something else that you wish to bring to the notice of others? Chennai Live 104.8 FM, in collaboration with Vodafone aims to give the listeners a platform, a voice, through this show so that your problems are addressed and the views heard.
The show will also feature a panel of experts related to the issues being taken up in every episode. Vodafone Voice of Chennai will feature Guest Anchor Sanjay Pinto- the lawyer, former Resident Editor of NDTV 24×7, and columnist with The Hindu. Accompanying him as co-host will be Chennai Live’s popular prime-time jock- Sanobar Sultana aka Sano.
Prem Kumar, Chennai Live’s Station Head said, “Chennai’s citizens are well-informed and socially conscious. Many of them also have unique ideas for the betterment of the city. While many others just want their problems to be addressed in a forum. We are providing an able outlet to them all, so they can voice their ideas and views on a large platform like radio and initiate change.”
This weekly show will air every Wednesday during The Breakfast Show, between 8:30 and 10 am. It will address, discuss and debate one new topic every week. And Chennai Live 104.8 FM has already started receiving suggestions and views from its listeners on possible topics. The radio station, thus, is leaving no stone unturned in making the show accessible to the people of Chennai. There is a dedicated IVR number that Chennai Live 104.8 FM has set up just for this purpose. The listeners can dial 555-88-42 and record their views. They can also alternately send an SMS to 56060, or write an email to voc@chennailive.fm. Of course, listeners can also call in to the show live every week and be a part of the debate!
By Prashant Panday
By Ananya Saha
The lack of networking is also seen by women themselves as one of the top three impediments in their progress. Leading radio station netword Radio City decided to make building connections between women easier by launching a forum where the women can all come and spend time with one another. Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City 91.1 FM explains the rationale of starting ‘Women at Work’.