MxMIndia

Tag: 92.7 BIG FM

  • The one hour segment goes on-air across six cities that include Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Kanpur, Bhopal and Allahabad

    92.7 Big FM rolls out ‘Keemti Stories’ in partnership with OLX

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kuch Keemat Bhi, Kuch Keemti Bhi, the unique marketing campaign that provided OLX, India’s largest marketplace for used goods, with a significant brand recall; is now on air in its second leg after the resounding success of the first leg earlier this year. This time, 92.7 BIG FM and OLX have conceptualised something new for listeners – a segment on-air narrated exclusively by Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana.

     

    Through Keemti Stories, the talented actor-singer and former RJ-VJ narrates stories reiterating the meaning of Kuch Keemat Bhi, Kuch Keemti Bhi. The stories focus on human relationships which bring out the messaging that – the gestures and the thought behind gifting your loved ones are more precious than the gifts themselves. Another distinctive aspect of the campaign is that, with the start of the festive season, each story will showcase stories that have an occasion-based theme.

     

    The segment was created in a bid to showcase how OLX is not just about buying and selling for money, instead, the brand itself is a tool that can be used to bring happiness in the lives of one’s loved ones. OLX, more than an online medium to buy and sell goods, is an enabler in shaping beautiful relations.

     

    Ashwin Padmanabhan

    Speaking on the association, Ashwin Padmanabhan, Chief Operating Officer, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited, stated, “It is a delight to work with OLX again. We had initially conceptualised a few radio marketing strategies for OLX and our association proved extremely fruitful for both parties. This time, we are creating a unique five week brand campaign on our FM network for which we have roped in Ayushmann Khurrana, a talent house himself. He will be narrating stories that describe the underlying meaning of OLX’s latest marketing campaign – Kuch Keemat Bhi, Kuch Keemti Bhi through story-telling. We have received a wonderful response for the first story that went on-air on August 8th and are looking forward to the overall listener response. We intend to create an emotional connect among people for OLX.”

     

    Speaking on roping in Ayushmann Khurrana for the brand campaign, Padmanabhan added, “Ayushmann is extremely versatile. He is a brilliant actor and a singer but not many know that he has also been an RJ in the past with 92.7 BIG FM. His voice modulation techniques are wonderful and he can tell great stories. Moreover, our target audience for the campaign falls between the age group of 15 – 34 and Ayushmann is the ideal youth icon. Therefore, there could not have been a better brand fit for this campaign than him.”

     

    The one hour segment goes on-air across six cities that include Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Kanpur, Bhopal and Allahabad. Ayushmann comes on-air during the segment to narrate stories that are intended to strike a chord with listeners.

     

    The on-air time for each city is as follows:

    CITY

    TIME

    Delhi

    7 PM – 8PM

    Mumbai

    7 PM – 8PM

    Chandigarh

    7 PM – 8PM

    Kanpur

    6 PM – 7 PM

    Bhopal

    7 PM – 8PM

    Allahabad

    7 PM – 8PM

     

    About Reliance Broadcast Network Limited

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited is a media and entertainment company with interests in radio, television and television production. The Company houses: 92.7 BIG FM – India’s No.1 FM Network with 45 stations, reaching over 4 crore Indians each week; BIG MAGIC – which has built strong brand equity as a Comedy Channel and is positioned as the one stop destination for humor, BIG MAGIC Ganga – the No. 1 regional Channel of Bihar and Jharkhand; BIG MAGIC International – a channel targeted at the Indian Diaspora in North America; BIG Thrill – the destination for action entertainment; and BIG Productions – its television content production division. For more information log on to www.reliancebroadcast.com

     

     

     

  • As part of the initiative, 92.7 BIG FM's RJs – Prateek, Balaji, Shruthi and Abhimanyu will host an event for the jawans

    92.7 Big FM to air I-Day show from Siachen

    By A Correspondent

    There are heroes and heroic tales of battles won; then there are sacrifices and tragic stories; all for the sake of India’s Independence. To celebrate the glorious 69th year of our freedom and the privilege that our armies and freedom fighters have left us behind with, 92.7 BIG FM gives soldiers the BIG Salute at Siachen, the highest battlefield in the world with ‘BIG Paigham – Sarhad Ke Naam’.

     

    As part of the initiative, 92.7 BIG FM’s RJs – Prateek, Balaji, Shruthi and Abhimanyu will host an event for the jawans. While the RJs will interact with soldiers over conversations and games, popular singer Aakriti Kakkar will entertain the jawans with some soulful songs and renditions at Siachen.

     

    Apart from a normal life, soldiers are also unable to interact with family members from time to time. Giving life to the campaign, ‘BIG Paigham – Sarhad Ke Naam’, the RJs will collect messages from family members of soldiers stationed at Siachen and read out all messages to them as part of the initiative. They will also take messages from the jawans and communicate them back to their loved ones.

     

    Ashwin Padmanabhan

    Speaking on the occasion, Ashwin Padmanabhan, Chief Operating Officer, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited stated, “Independence Day celebrations of a country especially one with a democracy and secularity like ours, largely signifies the unity that is prevalent amongst citizens. We celebrate it extensively but we also tend to forget that our jawans are still out there safeguarding our country. To extend our gratitude to them, we will be celebrating this Independence Day differently, doing something that no one ever has – travelling to the top of the Siachen glacier and accompanying the jawans, living their life and celebrating the occasion with them. Our RJs are extremely excited to listen to their stories and I am certain that our listeners will enjoy listening to them on-air too.”

     

    Looking forward to an unforgettable experience in Siachen, singer Aakriti Kakkar said, “I am delighted to partner with 92.7 BIG FM and be the chosen one for such a prestigious activity for Independence Day. This will be my closest experience to witnessing greatness, feeling nationalist and embracing the patriotism in its truest form in Siachen. It is truly an honour and I feel in my own little way, this is perhaps the least I can do for our country’s forces through music. I owe every day we live to them and it is so humbling a feeling to be able to live few moments with them this Independence Day, all thanks to 92.7 BIG FM.”

     

  • RJs from 92.7 BIG FM were stationed at the Kargil base camp from July 24th – 26th

    Big FM salutes efforts of Kargil war heroes

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Kargil war will forever remain etched in the memories of Indians who came together in support of soldiers as they fought with all their vigour to take back the command of the high outposts that was lost to Pakistani intruders. With years gone by, we all tend to forget the sacrifices they made to protect us. To bring them back and alive in the hearts and minds of the citizens, 92.7 BIG FM, on the occasion of the 16th Kargil Vijay Diwas, a celebration to salute the heroes, was the only radio network in India to capture the festivities in full swing at the Drass base camp in Kargil, reminding the country of the very reason that enabled them to sleep peacefully at night during the heart-rending war.

     

    As a part of this initiative too, the radio network’s honourable intentions to keep the jawans of the Kargil war forever engraved in history is a way of spreading gratitude among the people for their noble deeds. RJs from 92.7 BIG FM were stationed at the Kargil base camp from July 24th – 26th. As they basked in the celebrations that honour the brave soldiers, they shared stories of their heroism directly from the family members of the martyrs themselves. A distinctive element of the campaign was that the RJs lived the life of a soldier during their visit and shared their experiences along with the difficulties and hardships that a soldier goes through while performing his duty.

     

    Bad weather and tough terrains never stopped the young jawans from doing their duty towards the country and fighting the highest battle ever fought at 18,000 feet and it did not stop the RJs either as they drove through extreme conditions to be with the soldiers and celebrate the special day.

     

    As RJs indulged in activities to share experiences and festivities from the base camp, General N.C. Vij, the DGMO and Chief of Army Staff during the war, went on-air on July 26th and shared his experiences and incidents from the battle right from the first day when it all began till the last day of the war.

     

    Ashwin Padmanabhan

    Speaking of the occasion, Ashwin Padmanabhan, Executive Vice President and Business Head, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited said, “This was a great opportunity for us to pay our respects to the jawans. Usually, incidents become memories, no matter how big or heroic that incident may be. To keep memories of these brave young men alive and offer our appreciation and respect to the men who forged ahead to protect the country, we took this opportunity upon ourselves to do something earnest for them.”

     

  • The first awards of the season will be a 100 per cent people’s choice offering, right from the nominations to the final winners

    5th edition of Big Star Entertainment Awards announced

    By A Correspondent

     

    Having collaborated jointly over the past four years, 92.7 BIG FM and Star Plus have announced the rollout of the fifth edition of BIG Star Entertainment Awards in Mumbai. The awards ceremony will acknowledge and celebrate the biggest entertainers of the year across the fields of Bollywood, Television, Music and Sports and their contribution to the entertainment industry.

     

    The awards have grown in popularity over the years. Like in previous years, the first awards of the season will be a 100 per cent people’s choice offering, right from the nominations to the final winners. The robust voting process will see radio, television and digital being enabled for audiences to vote for their most deserving artist.

     

    The award function will also be marketed across radio, television, print and social media to ensure maximum tune-ins on New Year’s Eve on Star Plus.

     

    Tarun Katial

    Speaking of the 5th Edition of the BIG Star Entertainment Awards, Tarun Katial, CEO, Reliance Broadcast Network stated, “The award and our partnership with Star Plus has matured wonderfully and we are happy to once again bring together a congregation of the finest entertainers from across industries. This is part of our endeavor to empower audiences with a democratized award which allows them to choose their most favorite entertainers. We look forward to celebrating the evening with the industry and offering audiences an engaging watch on New Year’s Eve.”

     

    Mystifying the viewers with nominations and providing them with edge-of-the-seat excitement as the biggest stars come on stage to receive their awards, the BIG Star Entertainment Awards in its continuous effort to recognize and felicitate some of the most accomplished members of the industry, is ready to engage audiences and entertain them all over again this year.

     

  • 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 elevated to Station Head at 92.7 BIG FM

    By A Correspondent

     

    Jay Mehta

    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.”

     

  • With the competition being so aggressive, it’s pertinent to have the right mix of content, innovation and music, says Ashwin Padmanabhan, Business Head, 92.7 Big FM

    92.7 Big FM asserts numero uno status in Mumbai

    By A Correspondent

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited’s 92.7 Big FM has continued to be the most listened to radio station in Mumbai in the last two quarters March-May 2014 and June-August 2014, claims a company release. According to the RAM reports, 92.7 Big FM has consistently been on the top with a 16.6% overall listenership share in March-May 2014 over the second placed player which stood at 15.1 percent, it adds. “Consecutively, in June-August 2014, the radio station strengthened its share to 17.1% as compared to 14.4% of the next player,” the communiqué adds. It may be noted that RAM does not share its radio measurement numbers with MxMIndia as well as other trade media, so these numbers have not been independently verified by MxM.

     

    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.

     

  • Buoyed by the success of some key stations going retro, Reliance Broadcast has Big plans for 92.7 FM

    92.7 will be a 100-plus radio networks soon: Tarun Katial

     

    Buoyed by the success of some key stations going retro, Reliance Broadcast has Big plans for 92.7 FM. In a wide-ranging interview with Pradyuman Maheshwari on the radio business at his company’s headquarters in north-west Mumbai, Tarun Katial, Chief Executive Officer of Reliance Broadcast Network spoke on the switch to retro, his plans for Phase III and news on private FM radio.

     

    You must be proud of the way 92.7 Big FM has grown in leadership. The retro strategy has worked wonders, right?

    We researched that all radio consumers are not the same, all tastes are not the same and we will go region by region, city by city to decide the format and we put our radio station in buckets so there is the retro bucket where all stations that we saw that the liking for retro music was high, we’ve taken the ‘hit thhe, hit rahenge’ positioning in all those stations. There are some stations where we continued to run as contemporary hit radio but they are in a bucket of regional plus contemporary so there is Bangalore, there is you know the whole Punjab belt, there is Chennai. Chennai is actually different, there is Hyderabad, and some of the others which are regional contemporary hit radio. So they primarily belong to that region and to the music of that region and contemporary music of that region.

     

    Going retro has obviously been successful but did you think that it would alienate the youth?

    We did extensive research in all target audience groups and was quite surprised to see the results. New music has so little shelf value even among the youth that beyond eight to ten weeks, a song fades away and never comes back. That’s the maximum period that a song stays on the charts today.

     

    How’s it done for your revenues?

    The money today is in categories like auto, insurance and FMCG. And these all talk largely to 25+ male or female consumers. Even though you may worry about our youth ratings which are very, very big and competitive when compared to others, it is in the 25+ audience largely where all the advertising money gets spent. We are clearly the No 1 here. So it has impacted our revenues extremely positively. Our Mumbai station which was priced anywhere between Rs 6-700 bucks has nearly doubled its price, its ARPUs and its volume going up extensively…

     

    In terms of overall revenues, what has been the kind of growth?

    If you look at our last six months which is where we’ve really gone retro, we’s seen a near-15-20 percent rise.

     

    While you were always known to be the large 45-station network, given your leadership status in the two key markets of Mumbai and Delhi, you must be now calling the shots in the radio genre?

    I think most large advertisers realise that we deliver very good value and they’ve started to work with us far more extensively than they ever did in the last one year. A few of the larger ones have actually gone and done some really innovative work with us. So we’re seeing larger marketshare shifts towards us. We’re also seeing advertisers finally getting conscious about where they spend their money because spends on radio are going up after the cap of ad time on TV and so we’re seeing people holding themselves and their agencies far more accountable in terms of RoIs. Advertisers are increasing looking at RAM data. Around 70-80 percent of adspend is in the four metros which are measured by RAM weekly.

     

    An aside: radio players do not seem to have too much of a problem with RAM as the televisionwallahs have had with TAM.

    I think even radio players want RAM to upgrade itself. Baselines need to be updated, data needs to be looked at for challenges that it has. So there are issues with RAM and we want to move towards electronic from diary, but it’s far better than an IRS kind once-in-a-quarter, once-in-six-months, once-a-year kind-of study and now with IRS not come since 2012 that data is virtually redundant now.

     

    With BARC a reality, now from October onwards, presumably TAM will be off so they will only have RAM.

    I don’t know whether TAM will be off or we’ll have two sets of ratings….

     

    Huh?

    The jury is not out on whether TAM will be off.

     

    Yes, but they need to have enough subscribers to be able to fund that kind of research.

    Yes, but I think everybody is going to look at the stability of the BARC data for the first few months before we all switch off TAM… which is an eventuality

     

     Assuming that happens whenever, are you worried about research because that company will only have RAM as a business proposition in the field of audience measurement?

    Internationally there are enough companies that do both radio and TV research. The good part in RAM is that it’s a commissioned study by the radio broadcasters. Unlike TAM which is a subscribe-to data, this is a commissioned data and as a radio body we can commission it to any other research company we think fit.

     

    So will you continue with RAM for the moment?

    For the moment, yes, I think the radio industry is going to be with RAM.

     

    Coming back to 92.7, from what you say the people who matter for revenues – the adult listener – listens to retro and hence the switch to retro has been rewarding. It now appears to be a no-brainer, so why didn’t you do it all these years?

    I think everybody likes to believe that there is safety in majority and you try to do what  everybody else is doing and try to make the marginal delta difference of what you and the other player are. You realise that the marginal delta difference only gets you that far and you’re all pretty much aping each other and the only way to stand out is to break free from the clutter. So we decided that you have to take some slightly bigger risks to get some slightly bigger results.

     

    We took some risks, some aggressive ones and that paid off quite well and we also took these risks with a good execution strategy behind it. So not only have we gone retro, we’ve gone retro with some very pathbreaking shows.n Suhana Safar with Annu Kapoor is just one of that. What it’s done to radio is that not only is it the No 1 show but its added to new listeners on radio. And very few products or shows on radio or on TV can add to the base of viewers or listeners. There isn’t anybody who you would talk to around who listens to radio or listens to our network who wouldn’t have consumed Annu Kapoor today.

     

    What next? People are trying to replicate what you’re doing.

    What we have been able to do is that we’ve built a format with talent around it which you can’t replicate. You can replicate the music but not the talent around it and the insights that we’ve been able to do with music. We have actually had a panel of serious musicians help us classify our music. We haven’t done it with little knowledge like most other radio stations including us have about music. We actually brought in experts. I think the next step would be to add more formats within the retro format, to add new talent and new shows. We’re in the process of talking to two very big artists. You can replicate music, but not talent.

     

    But talent can be poached.

    Well, you can poach talent but you can’t replicate it.

     

    What about the attraction of associating with new films like a Humpty Sharma?

    You have to make some sacrifices right? You have to stay true to your format. We have not done any such movie tie-ups in a long while. Yes, we do interviews because we’re not away from the current world so they all come to us. They come and talk to them about the legends and the retro music they’re in love with.

     

    Given the success that you’ve had with retro, what are you plans for Phase III?

    I think Phase III will be a great opportunity for us to refine our formats even better so in places where we get multiple frequencies. Having succeeded with different shades of work with retro which a lot of people including some people on our Board said was doubtful and questionable, we’ve got some two-three formats up our sleeves that we want to test in Mumbai and Delhi and some of the other markets.

     

    Is there anything that you could make public right now? Would  you look at classical music at all in the future?

    While we haven’t done classical music but we do classify our music for ragas and we do play our music by day parts according to ragas.

     

    So Phase 3… how many licences are you looking at? 

    We’ll go for max. Max in terms of whatever is possible so I think from a 45-station network you can expect us to be a 100-plus network.

     

    But, of course, there’s still some time before Phase 3 happens.

    It should happen. I think the government will do it before December, I would think.

     

    Will you possibly look at regional also like in a city like Mumbai?

    Why don’t I just write the format strategy and give it to you? (laughs)

     

    Okay, what about news? Is that something that you will get into?

    Well I’m excited about it.  I think it’s almost archaic to not have news on free radio and not allow the consumer to be able to make himself aware on what his happening on the world around him on free radio. It’s not fair and I think this government had finally woken up to that reality I think we spent five years representing to the last government or more. I was so hopeful that they would have done something under the last regime. But I hope this regime will come and I think the statements from the I&B minister are very positive.

     

    This is independent news, not AIR news.

    We’re hoping that some of the leading news agencies will be allowed.

     

    But why don’t you still pitch for independent news?

    Definitely! And that’s our argument. We are still hopeful that the minister will stay true to his earlier announcements of allowing at least Press Trust of India (PTI) news on air. With all sorts of news available even on local cable television, radio should be treated fairly and equitably. It is a responsible medium, live, here and now, can be consumed on the go, and can be very effective. We free-minded and free-spirited media people like you will help us in taking this cause forward.

     

    I’m the only person who writes about it. Seriously, don’t you think the radio bosses haven’t pushed for it enough?

    I think we haven’t. I think we haven’t worked hard enough for it. I think we have been caught up in other issues and haven’t focused on this hard enough. I think some of the other business issues like renewal of licenses and music royalty caught our attention more than this. But I think we will fix it.

     

    Will Phase III licence prices be under control, unlike the past?

    I don’t think that we will see a new pan-India player coming in. Tough. I think there will be a certain amount of consolidation among current players but I don’t think there is going to be a new pan-India player coming in.

     

    This talk of consolidation has been there for a while but not really happened…

    I think people are waiting for the Phase III policy and the renewal of licenses clarity. And I think people are looking at their build vs. buy options so. Currently, the build options looks far more easier than buy because of the Phase III licenses so for current players there is no real motivation go buy.

     

    Assuming Phase III is announced in October, by when do you think you will be up and running?

    Launches are going to be far more quicker, they’re pretty much linked to just capex procurement because technology is easier and no real infrastructure is to be create so it will happen quick. Toh jaldi ho jayega

     

    Have you already started work on it?

    Obviously there is some amount of groundwork that is already in place.

     

  • In his last assignment, he was with Indusind Bank as Deputy Vice President and Business Manager – New Branch Distribution

    Ajit Singh appointed Sales Head at Reliance Broadcast

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ajit Singh

    Reliance Broadcast Network has announced the appointment of Ajit Singh as National Sales Head, SME. Ajit will spearhead the sales function with SME clients across the radio and television businesses.

     

    Ajit has over 11 years of work experience across Sales, Product Development, Compliance, New Branch Distribution management including break-even across the Banking and Insurance Industry while working across different client segments. A BCom Hons graduate from Delhi University and a Post Graduate in Management from Amity Business School, he has had a distinguished career having worked with prestigious brands in the B & I sector such as ICICI Prudential, ABN Amro Bank and IndusInd bank. In his last assignment, he was with Indusind Bank as Deputy Vice President and Business Manager – New Branch Distribution.

     

    Ashwin Padmanabhan

    Commenting on his appointment, Ashwin Padmanabhan, National Business head – 92.7 BIG FM Reliance Broadcast Network said, “We are delighted to welcome Ajit into the RBNL family. Ajit brings to the organization a keen sense of setting up and operationalizing new businesses, we are confident that under Ajit’s leadership the SME vertical will flourish and grow.”

     

    On his appointment Ajit Singh said, “I believe the Media and Entertainment industry will grow at a good pace and there will be immense opportunities for learning and growth during my stint here. My agenda will be to build the company’s respectability and partnership with new and existing SME clients, while making the brand experience more enjoyable. I’m looking forward to carrying forward the fantastic work at Reliance Broadcast Network.”

     

  • To be held every month, Life OK Now Awards will recognize and honour talent from the previous month in a glitzy awards ceremony

    Now, Life OK inks pact with Reliance Broadcast for film & TV awards

    By a correspondent

     

    Life OK in partnership with BIG Productions has introduced Life OK Now Awards, India’s first Instant awards to celebrate excellence in the field of film, music and television. The best entertainers from the film, music and television fraternities will be brought to the fore with a 100 percent audience voting campaign. To be held every month, Life OK Now Awards will recognize and honour talent from the previous month in a glitzy awards ceremony. Bollywood star Akshay Kumar has been roped in as the Face of the first edition of the awards.

     

    Ajit Thakur

    Announcing the launch of this innovative property, Ajit Thakur, General Manager, Life OK, said, “Captivating audiences with innovative and resonating content is one of our key strengths. Being India’s fastest growing GEC, our content innovations has cemented our connect with family audiences and every launch of ours has taken this connect a notch higher. This one-of-a-kind award will give an opportunity to the audiences to vote for, celebrate and cherish their favourite stars instantly and regularly. We are glad to be associated with BIG Productions and together we are all set to create fabulous entertainment for our viewers.”

     

    Conceptualized by Life OK, the awards will be produced by BIG Productions and have 92.7 BIG FM as the radio partner. As a part of the promotional campaign, Life OK will be creating engagement and excitement throughout the country by promoting various award categories across multiple media platforms. The awards property will reach huge HSM audiences through Life OK’s massive distribution network.

     

    A monthly entertainment property, Life OK Now Awards will have some of the most renowned Bollywood artistes come together to perform and entertain their fans and audiences. Audiences can cast their vote starting 19th May 2014 and get exclusive content with a simple process by giving a missed call on 1800 270 8701 or download the Life OK Now Awards app from android Store or Google Play or by logging on to www.lifeok.com/NowAwards .

     

  • The two hour movie titled 'Maa Ke Aanchal Mein' has been written by Neelesh Misra

    92.7 Big FM pays tribute to mothers with feature film on radio

    (L – R) Himani Shivpuri, Sparsh Khanchandani and Alok Nath at 92.7 BIG FM’s launch press conference of Radio Ki Pehli Picture – Maa Ke Aanchal Mein in association with Clinic Plus

    By a correspondent

     

    On the occasion of Mother’s Day, 92.7 BIG FM and Clinic Plus came together to produce and launch FM radio’s first ever feature film. With a strong ensemble cast comprising names like Divya Dutta, Tisca Chopra, Sparsh Khanchandani, Alok Nath, Sachin Khedekar, Satish Shah, Himani Shivpuri and Upasana Singh, the two hour movie titled ‘Maa Ke Aanchal Mein’ has been written by Neelesh Misra and talks about a mother’s determination to educate her daughter.

     

    With a special message on the girl child, the film has been scripted by 92.7 BIG FM’s ardent storyteller – Neelesh Misra. The film also boasts a popular star cast lending their voices to the characters. The star-cast includes the talented Divya Dutta playing the sutradhar, Tisca Chopra as the discerning mother, Sachin Khedekar – the father, Alok Nath – Dadaji, Himani Shivpuri – Daadi, Upasna Singh – Chachi, Satish Shah – Chacha and child artist Sparsh Khanchandani as the daughter.

     

    Commenting on the occasion, Ashwin Padmanabhan, Business Head, 92.7 BIG FM stated, “We at 92.7 BIG FM have pioneered the radio-storytelling format in India and we now take it to next level with the launch of an extremely engaging first-ever radio feature film with a noble message on educating the girl child. We thank our partners for this association and are confident that the film and its humble message will resonate with listeners across our stations! ”

     

    Srirup Mitra, General Manager, Hair Care, HUL stated, “It has been our consistent effort to strengthen the unique bond of a mother and daughter and Mother’s Day is a big celebration for us. In our capacity we have always tried to connect with daughters and facilitated them to acknowledge and appreciate their mother’s role in their life, and -the first-ever feature film is an excellent opportunity for us to convey our message.”

     

  • The radio station has lined up an interesting line-up of highly engaging entertainment around the biggest cricket extravaganza

    92.7 Big FM chosen official radio partner for ICC World Twenty20

    By a correspondent

     

    92.7 BIG FM has been signed as the official FM radio partner in India for the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 cricket tournament. The association marks the beginning of a series of exclusive offerings that kickstarted with the unveiling of the trophy in Bangalore and next in Mumbai.

     

    Last week, the FM network unveiled the prestigious trophy through an exclusive display at its studio in Bangalore. The trophy was unveiled at the hands of actress Ragini Dwivedi and cricket commentator Chandramouli Kanavi. In Mumbai, the network will conduct a special pre-tournament contest across 45 stations to select five lucky winners who will get an opportunity to travel to Mumbai and be part of the unveiling here.

     

    The radio station has lined up an interesting line-up of highly engaging entertainment around the biggest cricket extravaganza. Special coverage and expert opinion during the course of the tournament will include a match review and preview segment exclusively for the listeners of the station. Through the 22 days of the game, the radio station will invite a celebrity from the film fraternity who will be the ‘Match ka Star’, who will be seen talking about the day’s match and love for the sport. In addition, the radio station will also present exclusive, regular and detailed updates on team composition, key players, match trivia and score updates

     

    The network will also conduct a MEGA competition centered on the India-Pakistan match. Listeners will be able to participate in the contest on morning shows where RJs will test a participant’s knowledge on the matches between the two teams. Lucky winners stand to win an opportunity to watch the India-Pakistan match live in Bangladesh. Along with promotions on-air and on the digital medium, 92.7 BIG FM will also conduct special gully cricket tournaments across the country.

     

  • The decision is on the back of the 45-station FM radio network’s performance in ratings

    Big FM hikes ad rates by 20-30% across markets

    By A Correspondent

     

    92.7 Big FM has announced an increase in its advertising rates by 20 to 30 percent. The decision for the hike is more a price correction given the network strength and more recently the superlative performance of the network Рboth in metros and emerging markets, notes a communiqu̩.

     

    The decision comes on the back of the 45-station network’s decision to go completely retro in some markets especially in the key metros of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. The Bengaluru station’s 100 percent Kannada music has also ensured it fares well in ratings.

     

    Ashwin Padmanabhan

    Speaking on the development, Ashwin Padmanabhan, Business Head, 92.7 Big FM said: “Our product mix, ability to innovate, solutions approach and unparalleled reach sees us catering to almost 1800 clients on a monthly basis. It is now time to consolidate, while ensuring the aural experience is of best quality. This price correction will ensure that the core product and promise remain relevant to the audiences while delivering optimum value to the advertisers.”