Speaking on this, Ashwin Padmanabhan, Business Head, 92.7 Big FM said, “We are proud of the entire team that has strived hard to offer audiences content which resonates with them, and been consistent for six consecutive months. With the competition being so aggressive, it’s pertinent to have the right mix of content, innovation and music. We have a clear vision for the station’s programming, with a commitment to local relevant content and cutting-edge interactive conversations coupled with great music and entertainment. We have, over a short span of time, created a position in the minds of our listeners that makes us synonymous with timeless music in Mumbai.”
In addition to commanding a leadership position in other key metros like Bangalore, Delhi and Kolkata as well in various parameters like reach, market share and time spent listening, the station also enjoys leadership in more than 30 cities which has enabled it to be the most sought after radio network across the country, a communique adds.
In a bid to further enhance the ideology of its ‘City First Aap First’ campaign, Radio City has launched the first ever loyalty programme by any media house in the country, for its consumers. Titled ‘City First’, Radio City 91.1 FM has set a new benchmark of being a pioneering media brand which reaches out to a millions of listeners who connect with the brand on a daily basis. The brand will engage, gratify and celebrate loyal listeners.
‘City First’ loyalty programme registration open from the 6th October for anyone who participates in a contest or sends an SMS to Radio City or gives a missed calls, or interacts through IVRS or On- Ground. The journey begins with the first interaction though any of these mediums with Radio City which act as a gateway to the ‘City First’ loyalty programme. Subsequently, every time a listener sends in an SMS to Radio City, points get added to their mobile number making them eligible for the various forms of gratification.The mobile number acts as the interface and the points can be redeemed at Radio City offices.
Apurva Purohit
Talking about the breakthough innovation, Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City 91.1 FM said, “Radio City has always attributed its success to its listeners. They are the driving force for us. To celebrate their continued loyalty, we launched our ‘City First Aap First’ initiative and have now introduced a new dimension, bringing into play the ‘Loyalty Programme’ with ‘City First’. While the idea is to gratify listeners, who engage with the brand on a daily basis, with great offers and gifts and make every SMS they send count, the larger objective is to talk to the listeners and interact with them. I believe the loyalty programme will mark the beginning of a new era of interactivity between broadcaster and consumers.â€
The gratification in term of points is based on the level of participation. For instance, if a listener has sent 3 SMSes to which the cost he incurred was Rs 9, the gratification in form of points will be 12. Similarly, if the cost incurred was Rs. 60 or 120, the gratification in the form of points will be 75 and 150 respectively. Listeners can send upto 40 SMS per month and points redeemed in a 3 month window. The points enable consumers to win rewards like talk time, shopping vouchers, movie vouchers, meal vouchers, concert tickets, interaction with their favourite jocks and opportunity to meet their favourite celebs etc.
After the positive response and support received in the inaugural year, Radio City 91.1 FM has announced the 2nd Edition of Radio City Freedom Awards. Entries are now open & Radio City invites all the independent artists to submit their compositions.
Radio City Freedom Awards invites entries from Indian artists across the globe in 8 categories viz. Best Hip-Hop Rap Artist, Best Folk Fusion Artist, Best Pop Artist, Best Rock, Best Metal, Best Electronica Artist, Best Video, Best Album Art. The 2nd Edition of Radio City Freedom Awards goes a step forward in encouraging fresh talent across diverse music genres by adding 3 new categories! The new categories that have been added are, ‘Best Young Indie Artist/Band’, ‘Best Indie Collaboration of the year’ and ‘Indie Genius- Person of the year’.
Musicians can send in their entries from 3rdNovember 2014 to 17th November 2014. Aspirants can upload their entries on www.planetradiocity.com/rcfa or alternatively submit CDs of their compositions at any of the touch points across the eight cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
Shortlisted entries will be judged by the esteemed panel of judges comprising of Atul Churamani, Yotam Agam, Luke Kenny, Nandini Srikar, Subir Malikand Suneeta Rao. The winners will be felicitated on the RCFA award night in December.
Apurva Purohit
Speaking on the 2nd Edition of Radio City Freedom Awards, Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City 91.1 FM says, “Radio City Freedom Awards were instituted to celebrate the immense talent of independent music composers.The awards epitomize the consistent integrated effort to unveil the hidden talent that forms an important part of the Indian music diaspora. Post the immensely successful debut last year, we are sure that the 2nd Edition will see a much larger participation.Radio City Freedom Awards is the breakthrough that independent musicians have deserved for longand we hope that this initiative encourages tons of aspiring indie musicians to come out and showcase their skills.â€
Radio City Freedom Awards is a pioneering effort to applaud the independent singers & musicians, who have pushed the boundaries to create musical breakthroughs in the independent music diaspora.
Starting this week, we will carry RAM ratings regularly for the four metros. We are starting with six stations, but from next time, we will carry of all the stations. Like in the case of TAM, these numbers are not provided by RAM, but we source it from one of the subscribers. We advise advertisers and media agencies to make their buying decisions after validating the numbers with authorised data.
1. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Radio Broadcast Sector
Key Issues:
:: The current FDI limit in the radio broadcast sector is restricted to 26%.
:: In respect of television broadcasting sector, the FDI limits are as below:
Non-news content – FDI is permitted up to 100%; and
News & current affairs content – FDI has been restricted to 26%.
TRAI Recommendation:
:: TRAI on August 22, 2013 recommended that FDI limit for radio sector should be enhanced to 49%.
Requests:
:: There should be parity in the FDI limits for the television and radio broadcast industry.
:: For FM radio broadcasters airing news & current affairs, the FDI limit should be increased to 49%.
:: For all other FM radio broadcasters airing non-news content, the FDI limit should be increased to 100%.
2. Deferred payment mechanism for Non refundable One time Entry Fee (NOTEF) and Migration Fee
Key Issues:
:: Based on current guidelines the migration fee payable by existing players to migrate to new regime and NOTEF by successful Phase 3 bidders has to be paid upfront and in full.
:: It is estimated that the FM radio broadcasting sector will require additional capital investment of Rs. 3,000 crores or more for meeting the outgo on account of migration fees, Phase 3 auction license fees and capex for the creation of infrastructure.
:: This additional capital investment of Rs. 3,000 Crores amounts to 200% of the annual revenue of the radio industry.
:: The telecom industry which is much larger than the Radio Industry and which has an annual turnover of Rs. 3,00,000 Crores has already been allowed a deferred payment mechanism for the recent spectrum auction in 1800MHZ and 900 MHZ Bands. It is pertinent to note here that the total spectrum fee in the auctions was Rs. 61,000 Crores, which when compared to the annual turnover of Rs. 3,00,000 Crores, amounted to only 20% of their annual revenue.
Request:
:: On the lines of the recent spectrum auction polices for Telecom, we request a deferred payment mechanism for the migration fee and NOTEF as under:
Upfront – 25%
Moratorium – 2 years
Balance payment – Annually over the license period
3. Migration of Phase 2  to Phase 3 regime
Key Issue:
:: With licences of Phase 2 expiring from March 2015, the migration to Phase 3 is the critical concern of the Radio industry.
TRAI Recommendation:
:: TRAI on February 20, 2014 recommended that the policy of migration of existing operators to Phase 3.
Request:
:: We request that the Government accept TRAI’s recommendations and announce the migration policy at the earliest.
4. Channel Spacing
Key Issues:
:: Limited number of FM channels available in various cities and high license price makes it difficult to shift the focus away from mainstream film music. Consequently there is lack of content plurality thereby affecting radio listenership.
:: The additional capacity could provide a platform for special focus genres, regional/folk content, dedicated channels for sports and news, etc.
TRAI Recommendation:
:: TRAI on April 19, 2012 recommended that it is technically feasible to reduce the channel spacing to 400 KHz from the current 800 KHz and thereby, double the number frequencies in A/A+ and B category cities.
Requests:
:: TRAI’s recommendation of reducing channel spacing from 800 KHz to 400 KHz should be accepted.
:: The government should announce immediately the proposed number of additional frequencies that can be auctioned in A/A+ and B category cities and the associated time frame for their auctions.
:: This will enable industry players and incumbents to take informed decisions during Phase 3 bidding.
5. Reserve price for cities undergoing auction for the first time in Phase 3
Key Issues:
:: In Phase 3, 228 cities (707 frequencies) out of a total of 294 cities will be undergoing auction for the first time. The Ministry has proposed the following methodology to calculate reserve price for cities undergoing auctions for the first time as under:
>> Highest bid price received during FM Phase 2 for that category of cities in that region.
>> In case the benchmark from Phase 2 for a particular region is not available, then the lowest of the highest bid received in other regions for that category of cities may be taken as the reserve price
The table shows the reserve price in some of the cities based on the rules provided in Phase 3 guidelines:
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; Census 2011
:: In view of the table above, it is unreasonable to expect, that the price set for Chandigarh, a C category city in North region and the city which received the highest bid of Rs. 15.61 Crores during Phase 2 auctions with per capita income of Rs. 21,141, is a fair reserve price for Shahjahanpur with per capita income of only Rs. 6,164.
:: Similarly, the reserve prices for most other fresh cities look unreasonable. For instance, Moradabad a B category city in North region with a per capita income of Rs. 6,164 cannot be compared with Amritsar, which received the highest bid of Rs. 3 Crores and which has a per capita income of Rs. 21,141.
TRAI Recommendation:
:: TRAI on February 20, 2014 recommended that the methodology for determining the reserve price for fresh cities in Phase 3 should be reconsidered.
Request:
:: In case of cities going for auction for the first time, the reserve price should be ‘Average bid across all regions in the country for the same category of city’. This will eliminate any outliers and e-auction will allow fair price discovery of each city.
6. Expedite Empanelment with DAVP (Directorate of Advertising & Visual Publicity) of some radio stations
Key Issues:
:: The revision of DAVP rates for FM has been pending since last 3 years
:: Empanelment of radio station of some radio broadcasters, which is pending since 2008.
Requests:
:: DAVP rates/policy be revised appropriately based on the growth of FM listenership across India
:: Expedite empanelment of radio station of some radio broadcasters to ensure fair allocation of funds by DAVP.
93.5 RED FM has come up with a first of its kind initiative-“Raunac Ki Dilli – 10 Lakh Tere Haathâ€. RED FM’s RJ Raunac, who is a youth icon, has been given the responsibility by an unknown listener of RED FM to find out the right person to whom Rs 10 lakh can be handed over.
RJ Raunac, who had urged the people to vote through RED FM’s mega campaign—Dabaa ke Bajaa during the elections, will now ask the listeners to tell him about their needs, struggles and dreams which they think they can address if they get the donated amount of Rs 10 Lakh. The anonymous caller chose RJ Raunac because of his bond and rapport with people in Delhi.
Nisha Narayanan
Commenting on the initiative, Nisha Narayanan, COO, 93.5 RED FM said, “Radio has emerged as a very powerful medium of entertainment as well as information dissemination in this day and age. With brands using radio not only to drive perception but also realising the strength of the voices on air as trusted ambassadors, radio has indeed entered a new level of engagement. The power of this medium is further reinstated through initiatives like these. The fact that people believe in radio as a rightful medium to help in causes like these proves how a mass medium can also be uniquely personal. As a brand, we are extremely proud that Raunac was chosen as the face of the campaign and we hope that he fulfills his responsibility completelyâ€.
The initiative started last week with a call from a mysterious benefactor who called up RJ Raunac on the show Morning No 1, urging him to take his case forward with Delhiites. RED FM has cross-checked the identity of the benefactor and has come to know that the motive of the benefactor is genuine.
Listeners need to register with RED FM and share their stories on the IVR phone number given by RJ Raunac. Listeners who register for the initiative will be shortlisted by Raunac based on the story and the need of the person. The selected stories will be aired on RED FM and the final winner will be selected on 21st Nov based on voting by listeners in Delhi.
FM radio network 92.7 Big FMpartnered Honda Cars to attain the Guinness World Record for the longest journey by a car in a single country. Honda’s campaign – the Honda Amaze Longest Drive Through Amazing India – kicked off on September 15 and culminated on Nov 9 achieved the Guinness World Records. The campaign was supported by on-ground activities and on-air promotions across 30 stations of the 7 BIG FM network, connecting with Honda fans and dealers to create a buzz about their power campaign.
Speaking on the occasion, Hironori Kanayama, President & CEO of Honda Cars India Ltd., said “We are happy to announce that Honda Cars India has added yet another milestone to its journey by entering the Guinness World Records.â€
Speaking of the partnership, Ashwin Padmanabhan, Business Head, 92.7 BIG FM stated, “It is our endeavor to offer audiences with clutter-breaking and highly engaging content, while offering our partners the best solutions through the effective use of the powerful medium of radio. Having worked with Honda in the past we have a long-standing association since they understand the power of radio.â€
BIG FM has announced the elevation of Jay Mehta as Station Head, Mumbai. Jay joined 92.7 BIG FM in August 2014 in the position of Sales Head – Mumbai and has been an ace performer, steadily growing revenues for the Station. In his role as Station Head, Jay’s primary responsibility will be to manage the P&L of the Station, ensuring profitability it continues to deliver value to listeners and advertisers alike.
Jay Mehta will report to Ashwin Padmanabhan, Business Head, 92.7 BIG FM.
Ashwin Padmanabhan
Jay carries with him over a decade’s work experience, with companies like Uninor, Idea Cellular, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications. Jay’s key strengths include innovations, strategy formulation and execution, brand launches, brand associations, and sales and distribution. He has to his credit, been a key part of the launch team of two telecom giants in India – Uninor and Idea Cellular and has been instrumental in seeding the brands during its initial periods.
Speaking on his appointment, Ashwin Padmanabhan said, “It is an absolute delight to meet and work with committed employees like Jay. His relationship skills and ability to deep dive and understand the Clients requirements and offer suitable solutions, is phenomenal. We couldn’t have found anymore more apt for this role than Jay and I am confident he will lead the entire team to the next level.â€
Ram, Ram! So here we are with the RAM numbers for Week 45 as per RAM. Like in the case of TAM, these numbers are not provided by RAM, but we source it from one of the subscribers. We advise advertisers and media agencies to make their buying decisions after validating the numbers with authorised data.
P​resenting Week 4​​​7​’s RAM ratings.​That’s for the period – November 16 to 22, 2014​
Like in the case of TAM, these numbers are not provided by RAM, but we source it from one of the subscribers. We advise advertisers and media agencies to make their buying decisions after validating the numbers with authorised data.
It was an Ispat group and Star India-funded station. And then private equity player India Value Fund Advisors bought a controlling stake in radio station network Radio City. But PE companies normally do not have much of a long-term emotional tuning with their investments. So, after ensuring that Radio City delivers with some success, they’ve sold the station and allied ventures to Jagran Prakashan.
Subject to government approvals, Radio City will be a Jagran Prakash Limited subsidiary. Music Broadcast Private Limtied (MBPL), the company that owns Radio City, will be run independently by its board, and for the now, it’s business as usual. More importantly, Apurva Purohit will stay as CEO.
Radio City is a leader in the FM radio sector with a presence in 14 of the top 16 advertising revenue generating markets of the country. It has 20 stations across seven states. MBPL’s FY14 revenues were Rs 161.8 crore and the H1-FY15 (unaudited) revenues exhibit healthy growth of 28% in ad revenues.
Although it’s being touted as JPL’s entry into radio, the fact is that the promoters of the Jagran group made an entry into radio with stations in Tier 2 and Tier 3 India way back in 2007. Radio Mantra has a presence in eight markets, and will be merged into MBPL eventually, in fact in this financial year itself.
The acquisition, which happened through an all-cash deal, is expected to provide strong return on JPL’s invested capital. The foray into the high growth radio media segment which is increasing its share of advertising expenditures in India. This ensures that save news television, a sector it exited after it sold most of its stake to Network 18 some years back, Jagran Prakashan Limited has an exposure to all media domains. According to a senior executive, there are no plans to invest in News TV, as it continues to feel that it is an unprofitable investement.
On Tuesday, the board of Jagran Prakashan Limited (JPL) approved the entry of the company into the radio industry via acquisition of Music Broadcast Private Limited (MBPL). The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals, including from Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and execution of binding agreements. As part of acquisition the company is acquiring MBPL’s holding company and fellow subsidiary that provides activations.
Said Mahendra Mohan Gupta, CMD, Jagran Prakashan Limited: “The radio business has witnessed significant growth in recent past and is expected to grow at more that 18% CAGR in the coming years, per KPMG FICCI, This deal will catapult JPL into a leadership position in the radio industry and enable the company to benefit from the rapid growth in radio advertising. Acquisition of Radio City further consolidates our position as India’s leading Media and Communication Group. The radio business will complement our print, outdoor, activation and digital businesses and enable deeper inroads with advertisers both at national and local level.â€
Talking on the announcement, Apurva Purohit – CEO, Radio City 91.1 FM said, “JThis augurs well for all stakeholders. Both Jagran and Radio City have been pioneers and leaders in their respective space and this partnership will help augment the growth aspirations of the brand. We look forward to exciting times ahead.â€
As part of acquisition the company is acquiring MBPL’s holding company and fellow subsidiary that provides activations. The acquisition will primarily be funded from internal accruals and investments. This acquisition will not impair the company’s ability to distribute dividends.
Presenting RAM numbers for Week ​50 ​- that’s December 7 to 13, 2014​​. This includes the Top 10 shows in each of the four markets.​
Like in the case of TAM, these numbers are not provided by RAM, but we source it from one of the subscribers. We advise advertisers and media agencies to make their buying decisions after validating the numbers with authorised data.
