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Tag: Prashant Panday

  • With cater to the spoken word, Shayari and poetry community

    Mirchi rebrands storytelling platform to Mirchi Mehfil

    By Our Staff

     

    Mirchi, eka Radio Mirchi, has announced the relaunch of its spoken word and storytelling platform Mirchi Scribbled as Mirchi Mehfil.

     

    Said Prashant Panday, Managing Director & CEO, Mirchi: “Mirchi always strives to provide entertainment through its multi-platform and multi-format content hub; thereby enabling and creating an ecosystem for talented individuals across art forms. Through Mirchi Scribbled we have built a large community of spoken word artists with a huge, ever-growing subscriber base. With a growing community of artists that cut across storytelling formats like Shayari, poems as well as spoken word, we are excited to relaunch Mirchi Scribbled as Mirchi Mehfil. Through this property, we aim to build a platform for budding niche artists and amplify their voice in mainstream entertainment.”

     

  • Aims to address the Hindi content demand in UAE and Qatar

    Mirchi expands to Middle East

    By Our Staff

    Mirchi has announced the launch of its radio platform and solutions in the UAE and Qatar. In line with its aim to expand its international presence and cater to the Hindi music and entertainment demand, the company brings its content and RJs to the niche consumer set in these markets.

    Having established its stronghold in Dubai for over eight years, it is re-entering the market through a partnership with Suno FM – rebranding it to Mirchi 102.4 FM. Launching through a partnership with One FM, Mirchi will be known as Mirchione 89.6 FM in Qatar

    Said Prashant Panday, MD and CEO of Mirchi: “The international radio industry is vast with immense potential, especially in the Middle East. This region houses a significant number of Indians and Southeast Asians – more than 50% of the population, who seek Hindi music and entertainment. While Dubai was a market where we enjoyed the pole position for years. Qatar, however, is a new market, with only one private station that addresses this demand. In the coming months, we also plan on entering Bahrain. Thus, leveraging our expertise, talent and extensive content library, we are excited to expand our reach in these three markets and look forward to entertaining our discerning consumers with some hot music and shows.”

    Added Kish Bandopadhyay, Mirchi’s partner in UAE, Director of Dolphin recording Studio LLC:  “We are absolutely delighted to announce our partnership with Mirchi, India’s premier music and entertainment brand, which is a sure trendsetter for innovation and excellence in the commercial radio space. We have no doubt that this strong alliance with Dolphin Studios, the oldest commercial radio broadcasters in the Gulf, will deliver a product that represents the best and most enjoyable listening experience.

  • After almost two decades of being the leader in FM, the new identity demonstrates its evolving content capabilities across Digital, Live and FM platforms, notes a communique

    It’s just Mirchi

    By A Correspondent

     

    Premier radio station network brand Radio Mirchi will now be just called Mirchi as it has transformed itself to a city-centric music and entertainment company. After 19 years, the brand has undergone a complete overhaul and has pivoted to just Mirchi. Capturing the essence of the company’s transformation in its campaign- “Sirf Radio nahi, har Entertainment Mein Mirchi Hai”, the brand has dropped the word radio from its logo. Notes a communique: “The change in the branding strongly reflects Mirchi’s hyperlocal, multi-format and multi-platform content and solutions capabilities that cut across Digital, Live and FM.”

     

    Commenting on the new identity launch, Prashant Panday, Managing Director & CEO, Mirchi said: “Over two decades, we have built a strong brand. Over the last few years we have been diversifying into content capabilities across multiple formats and platforms. The new brand identity signals our strategic pivot from a pure play radio company to a full-suite solutions provider for our consumers and advertisers. This marks the beginning of a new era for us and depicts our transformation to become India’s No. 1 city-centric music and entertainment company.”

     

     

  • Original content expansion will remain one of the pillars of Radio Mirchi’s transformational strategy

    Radio Mirchi expands its footprints in digital video content

    By A Correspondent

     

    Radio Mirchi has embraced the digital video business by significantly scaling its original content operations. Kickstarted last year with original web series in multiple languages launched on its YouTube channels, the company has now started licensing its original content to multiple platforms including national OTT players.

     

    Said Prashant Panday, MD & CEO, Radio Mirchi: “Our business derives its strength from the company’s deep understanding of and rich access to the content and talent ecosystems in Hindi and regional markets; including its many own popular RJs. Given that the next round of content viewing explosion is coming from the regional markets, we find ourselves in an exciting position to cater to this need and are already in conversations with a few big video platforms to license our upcoming multi-lingual content slate. We also have an inherent ability to market and monetise the content aggressively through our existing radio and digital assets and with our access to over 10000 brands across the country through our vast sales network, which makes us ideal partners for branded video content.”

     

     

  • Popular RJ’s, Naved from Mirchi and Raunac from RED, to host four hours of non-stop on-air fun

    Radio Mirchi & Red FM to co-host show for PepsiCo’s Quaker Oats+Milk

    By A Correspondent

     

    PepsiCo India’s Quaker Oats+Milk along with Mindshare will bring together Radio Mirchi and Red FM,  two of India’sleading radio stations, as a part of the ‘Power of Two’ campaign. Earlier this year, Quaker Oats+Milk introduced a unique combination of the goodness of oats and the power of milk in the Indian markets.

     

    ‘Power of Two’ will see the two radio stations come together to put up a “magnum opus show” to highlight the importance of right nutrition. Spanning over four hours, RJ Raunac, of Bauaa fame, and RJ Naved, famously known for Mirchi Murga, will entertain listeners with their diverse personalities, comic timing and love for music and nutrition.

     

    Speaking on the association Deepika Warrier, Vice President, Nutrition Category – PepsiCo India, said: “We are glad we have been able to bring two greats from radio together to showcase the Power of Two. Through this association with Radio Mirchi and Red FM, we want to send out an equally relevant message on the importance of right nutrition. We are certain that this show will lead all the listeners out there towards a healthier tomorrow.”

     

    Commenting on this campaign, Prasanth Kumar, CEO, Mindshare South Asia said. “We are glad to be a part of this innovative campaign which brings together two of the biggest radio channels to showcase Quaker Oats+Milk’s ‘Power Of Two’. We at Mindshare believe in delivering our brands with creativity, innovativeness, unconventional and inventive strategies. Bringing together Radio Mirchi and Red FM is definitely a never heard before phenomenon. We hope to reach as many as possible listeners and aware them with the brand’s new product.”

     

    Adding to this, Prashant Panday, MD & CEO, ENIL (Radio Mirchi) said: “Mirchi as a brand has always managed to enthrall its listeners and clients with pathbreaking ideas like this one. The “Power of 2” campaign is yet another example of how we’ve managed to push the bar higher with clutter breaking content. Brands built with passion and on strong pillars have the courage to experiment, be it Quaker, Radio Mirchi or Red FM. We at Mirchi are proud to associate with Quaker Oats+Milk and Red FM to create a historical moment on radio. Our listeners will be delighted to hear RJ Naved and RJ Raunac come together for the first time. We love bringing disruptive ideas to life and will continue to do so to delight both our listeners and clients.”

     

    Added Nisha Narayan, Red FM’s COO: “Red FM has always believed in innovative content and this is yet another innovative solution, this time for ‘Quaker Oats+ Milk’. Radio as a medium allows for such innovations and with support of brand like Quaker which believe in innovation and disruption, it only allows two strong radio brands like Red FM and Radio Mirchi to come together and co-create something which has never been done before in the history of Indian Radio – RJ Raunac and RJ Naved to do a show together. I am sure the show will be a delight for both the listeners and the brand team. We look forward to creating innovative and engaging content and client solutions in times to come.”

     

     

  • While the Sun Network spent around Rs 80 crore, Radio Mirchi spent Rs 51-odd crore in the auctions

    Sun Network, ENIL spend big in FM radio auctions

    By A Correspondent

     

    With the 26-day second phase of the Phase 3 auctions for private FM radio having concluded on Monday (Feb 27),  Entertainment Network India Ltd (ENIL) Managing Director and CEO Prashant Panday said: “We are very excited with the results of the 2nd batch of auctions! Our 21 new cities give us depth in the most vibrant radio markets in the country. With this expansion, we’ll have 74 frequencies in 64 cities. We look forward to expanding more in the future. However only if the government amends the policy and makes the smaller stations viable.”

     

    The Sun Network’s Kal Radio and South Asia FM spent around Rs 80 crore in the second batch of Phase 3 auctions, while Radio Mirchi spent Rs 51-odd crore. Radio Mirchi acquired 21 cites.

     

    As many as 66 frequencies across 48 cities were auctioned netting the government a little over Rs 202 crore. On offer in this auction were 266 frequencies across 92 cities and towns.

     

  • While bringing Mirchi to Guwahati, care has been taken to ensure that Assam's own rich culture, language and heritage is reflected in the product. Apart from Bollywood music, listeners will be treated to Assamese "aadhunik gaan"

    Radio Mirchi 95 FM takes off in Guwahati

    By A Correspondent

     

    Radio Mirchi was launched in Guwahati by Assam’s poster boy of music, Papon. He was honoured as the Vocalist of the Year at the recently concluded Mirchi Music Awards 2016 for “Moh Moh Ke Dhaage” from the hit movie, Dum Laga Ke Haisha. Papon has handpicked the songs and has provided inputs for the shows that will air on Radio Mirchi 95 FM.

     

    Also present were the RJs who will host the shows on Mirchi. RJ Gaurav, playful RJ Pallavi and vivacious RJ Ayesha promise to keep Guwahati entertained throughout the day with their sparkling wit and banter, regular updates about what’s happening in the city and unique opinions on songs and movies released.

     

    While bringing Mirchi to Guwahati, care has been taken to ensure that Assam’s own rich culture, language and heritage is reflected in the product. Apart from Bollywood music, listeners will be treated to Assamese “aadhunik gaan”.

     

    Along with the best Bollywood and local music – Mirchi will keep its listeners entertained by bringing in cutting edge radio content, comedy, updates and infotainment that will keep listeners hooked on to 95FM. The shows have been designed after extensive research, talking to and interviewing hundreds of people across all walks of life; and keeping in mind the life of listeners and to echo what Guwahati is thinking and talking about.

     

    Prashant Panday, MD & CEO, Radio Mirchi commented that, “We absolutely loved working with Papon to bring the best music and the most relevant content to the people of Guwahati. We think this is the best way we could have launched our Phase-3 expansion. This is an exciting time to be in the radio business with new opportunities, new places and new platforms to explore and we are trying to do exactly that.”

     

  • Santa Claus is comin' to town! So we asked some industry captains to tell us what goodies they would like Uncle Santa to bring them this Dec 25

    Dear Santa…

     

    On the occasion of X’mas 2014 so we asked some industry captains to tell us what goodies they would like Santa Claus to bring them this Dec 25. Interviews by Shobhana Nair here goes:

     

    Srinivasan K Swamy, Chairman and Managing Director, RK Swamy BBDO

    If I were to wish for something, then this would be double digit GDP growth of our economy in 2015!

     

     

     

    M G Parameswaran, Member Management Board, FCB Ulka Advertising

    I wish Santa Claus to bring to the advertising agency business a big bottle of confidence tonic! An elixir that will infuse everyone in our exciting world of advertising with extra courage, confidence and spirit; to believe in the industry, to believe in their own competence and contribution to the success of brands and most importantly a unshakeable faith in the greater purpose of advertising: to move consumers from their inertia, to keep the wheels of industry moving, to make the world a better place, one OTS/ one TRP at a time!

     

    Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman and Creative Director, South Asia

    Ogilvy & Mather India

    I’d like Santa to distribute small and beautiful packets of wisdom for everybody in the industry.

     

     

    Satyan Gajwani, CEO, Times Internet

    New consumers are buying smartphones everyday, but for them to be useful, the cost of data needs to reduce. When users want to pay for something, it shouldn’t be as cumbersome as it is today.

     

     

    Ashish Bhasin, Chairman & CEO South Asia – Dentsu Aegis Network

    If Santa Claus could meet with the Finance Minister and emphasize upon him that in the forthcoming budget he needs to give a sensible taxation regime, particularly with respect to service tax and VAT applicable on the advertising and marketing communications business, I think it will go a long way in helping our industry grow. A an industry, we want to show our creativity in the area of advertising and not in the area of creative accounting!

     

    Prashant Panday, MD & CEO, ENIL

    The one thing is that Phase-3 auctions get completed before March 31 and migration of 21 Phase-2 licences which are lapsing on March 31st happens on time.

     

     

     

    Anirudh Dhoot, Director, Videocon

    In line with our Prime Minister’s vision of “Make in India”, we expect policies and infrastructural support for electronic components and panel manufacturing in India. India has the potential to become a global electronics manufacturing hub not only for internal consumption but also satiating global requirement.

     

     

    Sanjay Mehta, Joint CEO, Social Wavelength

    The one thing that I’d want Santa Claus to bring to our industry, would be Better Retainer Fees :)  For all the hard work that the social media agencies do for clients, from strategy to execution, from creatives to media, from technology to ORM, we still don’t get adequate respect, reflected in terms of decent monthly retainer fees! As we get into 2015, I hope Santa Claus makes our clients acknowledge the role we play and compensate us better!

     

    Santosh Padhi, Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder, Taproot India

    I’d want Santa to give us an emotional gift in the form of ‘unity within the industry’. We are fighting so much within ourselves and are even ready to kill each other for business. We are going from bad to worse now. There’s a long list of things that I am seeking from Santa but I definitely feel that people should follow ethics and morals. We need to make it a human industry. There’s just no humanity left and that’s a huge disconnect.

     

    Arvind Sharma, former President, AAAI

    There was a great deal of optimism and hope during BJP’s election campaign. And so far it has translated into foreign investment flowing into financial markets. But as far as the ground is concerned, things have to yet get better. We hope 2015 will bring strong growth in the economy for the overall business. Advertising industry depends on the client’s growing business, their budgets and spends. They have been really tight for the last two-and-a-half years. We hope that will change in the coming year.

     

  • As part of the new team structure, Hitesh Sharma, erstwhile COO, has been promoted to Executive President

    ENIL strengthens leadership team

    Hitesh Sharma

    By A Correspondent

     

    Entertainment Network India Limited (ENIL) has announced significant changes in the senior management team in line with its strategy for rapid growth. As part of the new team structure, Hitesh Sharma, erstwhile COO, has been promoted to Executive President. Hitesh will now look after Phase-3 expansion program of the company and any other strategic growth areas the company may pursue. In addition, Radio Mirchi also elevated Mahesh Shetty to Chief Operating Officer. As COO, Mahesh will look after the ambitious plans of the current radio business. Hitesh and Mahesh will assume their new roles with immediate effect.

     

    Prashant Panday

    Talking about the development Prashant Panday, MD and CEO, ENIL said, “This is the most exciting time for the radio industry. This elevation comes at a time when we are gearing up for a rapid growth with the announcement of Phase III. We want to be well equipped with the best seasoned team to make the right decisions. We are confident Hitesh and Mahesh will steer the company in the right direction going forward.

     

  • Entertainment Network India Limited (ENIL) has elevated Prashant Panday to the post of Managing Director & CEO with immediate effect

    Prashant Panday elevated as MD & CEO at ENIL

    By A Correspondent

     

    Prashant Panday

    Entertainment Network India Limited (ENIL) has elevated Prashant Panday to the post of Managing Director & CEO with immediate effect. Erstwhile the Executive Director & CEO, Prashant is one of the most illustrious names in bringing in the radio revolution in India and strengthening Radio Mirchi’s presence both nationally and internationally.

     

    In the new role, Prashant will continue to spearhead the team in maintaining Radio Mirchi’s leadership position in the country.

     

    An Engineering graduate in Electronics & Communications and IIM Bangalore graduate, Prashant has been associated with the company since August 2000. Over the past 14 years Prashant has been able to take Radio Mirchi to an enviable position with revenues of Rs. 385 crores and a PAT of Rs. 84 crores in the 2013-14. Prashant has a total of 24 years of experience in industries ranging from Advertising, Banking, FMCG & Media. Prior to Radio Mirchi, Prashant has worked with Citibank, Pepsi, HUL, Mudra, Modi Revlon etc. His areas of strength include Marketing & Sales, Analytics & Strategy and People Management. He also served as a member of the Ministry of I&B’s committee on fighting Piracy. He is a speaker at various industry forums.

     

    Talking about the development Mr. Prashant Panday said, “It feels good to be recognized by the Board! I’m lucky to have the best team in the media industry working alongside as colleagues. I’ve always believed that the best of radio is still to come and the next 5 years will be a fabulous ride for anyone seeking professional success.”

     

    About Radio Mirchi:

    Entertainment Network India Limited (ENIL), India’s leading private FM radio broadcaster, popularly known as Radio Mirchi, operates across 32 cities in the country. Launched in 2001, Radio Mirchi has the highest listenership across the country and a track record of developing innovative content, thus expanding and retaining its audiences and advertisers through the years. Radio Mirchi has delighted listeners and the industry with its exciting properties like the Purani Jeans Film Festival and the Mirchi Music Awards.

     

    Radio Mirchi’s continuous innovations across different platforms like Visual Radio or Mirchi Mobile have been instrumental in gaining leadership in the private FM Radio industry. Radio Mirchi made its international foray with the launch of the brand in the UAE. From 1st Feb, 2012, Radio Mirchi can be heard in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain and is the first Indian radio brand to go international.

     

    For further information contact:

    PR Pundit

    Harsh Kankeshwar

    9920775032

    harsh.k@prpundit.com

     

     

  • Private radio channels slam government policy on 'airing news on radio'

    No news on FM radio is bad news

    By Himanshi Dhawan

     

    The Supreme Court’s notice to the Centre seeking an explanation for omission of news and current affairs on private radio channels has brought the spotlight on the government’s skewed policy.

     

    The last decade has seen a proliferation of newspapers , TV channels and news websites – all of whom are free to air news, but private radio channels are not.

     

    The proposed FM radio phase III policy had the opportunity to correct this anomaly, but the government failed to seize the chance – many industry leaders feel deliberately. They said the current policy was in contravention of the SC’s “airwaves” judging in 1995 when the court stressed that “diversity of opinions, views, ideas and ideologies is essential to enable the citizens to arrive at informed judgment on all issues touching them. This cannot be provided by a medium controlled by a monopoly -whether the monopoly is of the State or any other individual , group or organization.”

     

    However, radio remains the only medium where government has a complete monopoly over news.

     

    The Association for Radio Operators in India (AROI) president Anuradha Prasad said it would be a “welcome” step if news on radio was allowed to be broadcast. “If news organizations can generate news for television and print, then why not for radio as well,” she asked.

     

    Nisha Narayanan

    Red FM CEO Nisha Narayanan said the current policy was “unconstitutional”. Describing government concerns about law and order and national security as “spurious”, Narayanan said, “These are spurious concerns. We have over 150 news channels on cable TV, many of which are foreign channels over which we have no control. There are over 65,000 registered news journals in India. We have no idea how many news websites are there on the internet , or who runs them. To this day, I have not heard anyone suggest that we shut them all down as ‘unchecked’ news or that they might lead to a law and order problem. Far from banning news on any of these media, no one in his right mind even suggests pre-censorship of news on TV or newspapers or the internet.”

     

    Ms Narayanan added, “Reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2) and the general broadcast code apply to all electronic media, including radio. The sensible method of ensuring compliance with the broadcast code is self-regulation and suitable penalties for violations. Prohibition of news on radio is a ridiculous overreach on the government’s part.”

     

    Prashant Panday

    Radio Mirchi’s Prashant Panday said, “How can private FM broadcasters be denied the right to air news? At one time, we heard the government had security concerns , because they couldn’t monitor us. But today, the technology is readily available . Then we heard that since FM radio reached one and all, even those who could not afford a TV set or read a newspaper, the government was concerned about our news content. But this is specious reasoning as we are bound by programming guidelines, and would be governed by a code similar to the one followed by TV channels,” he said.

     

    Tarun Katial

    Reliance Broadcast Network CEO Tarun Katial said, “Giving private radio the freedom to air news and current affairs can bring about a sea change in the way India consumes the medium, and position radio as a means for information dissemination , beyond pure entertainment . Inclusion of news will realize information requirements of a large section of the population, while fuelling growth of the sector,” he said.

     

    The PIL filed by NGO Common Cause pointed out that there was no such ban in countries like the US, Spain, Sri Lanka and Pakistan despite a large number of radio stations in these countries.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2013, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • With the theme 'Celebrate Words. Save the Language,' the spelling extravaganza, will travel to 35 cities

    Radio Mirchi, HDFC Life launch Season 5 of Spell Bee

    By A Correspondent

     

    Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM and HDFC Life have announced the launch of the fifth season of ‘HDFC Life Spell Bee – India Spells 2013, the Indian counterpart of the highly acclaimed Scripps Spelling Bee, USA. With the theme ‘Celebrate Words. Save the Language,’ the spelling extravaganza will travel to 35 cities and will aim to reach more than 5,00,000 students from Standard 5th to 9th. This year’s Spell Bee will be backed by Times NIE in promoting the campaign and encouraging participation.

     

    The National Champion of Spell Bee – India Spells 2013 will win a grand prize of Rs. 2,00,000 apart from the opportunity to witness the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee with a parent and the school principal/teacher in Washington DC, USA, in an all-expenses paid trip. The four semi-finalists will win a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 each.

     

    Sanjay Tripathy

    Commenting on the launch, Sanjay Tripathy, Executive Vice President and Head, Marketing, Product and Direct Channels, HDFC Life said, “The era of abbreviated text messaging is having a detrimental impact on the English language, with an increased surge in their acceptance as a convenient replacement for the original word. HDFC Life Spell Bee – India Spells, an annual spelling completion, has been making an effort over the last four years to improve the spelling skills of students in a unique and stimulating format. To maximize the reach, we are continuing with the digital leg, giving an opportunity to students across the country to register and participate online.”

     

     

    Prashant Panday

    Prashant Panday, Executive Director and CEO, Entertainment Network (India) Limited said, “We started off Spell Bee with an aim to sensitize young children to the basics of the language. The hunt to find spelling enthusiasts, since then, has continued. Already in our 5th season, we are expecting tremendous success and phenomenal participation. This year Spell Bee will raise the bar of competitiveness as we seek registrations from across 35 cities. It gets tougher as participants from previous seasons re-enrol to make this championship fiercer. Like every year, the competition will be televised to encourage and prepare students for the upcoming season.”

     

    In the initial phase, an on-ground exercise will be conducted across 1,000 schools where children will be given spelling tests. Later they progress to the city finale round. The top two students from each city will then appear for an online test which will choose the best 16 spellers across India. These students will then battle it out in the grand finale to be held at Mumbai to win the title of Spell Bee Champion.