MxMIndia

Tag: RadioCity

  • MTunes Trending20 brings to its viewers a comprehensive analysis of audience preferences across 5 platforms

    MTunes HD launches ‘MTunes Trending20’

    By A Correspondent

     

    MTunes HD – the HD Bollywood music channel has announced the launch of a countdown show called ‘MTunes Trending20’, presented by Bharti Airtel. This is in keeping with the channel’s premise of delivering “music like never seen before”.

     

    Historically, countdown charts have been based on record sales. However, given the fact that music consumption is spread across multiple platforms these days, MTunes Trending20 brings to its viewers a comprehensive analysis of audience preferences across 5 platforms. The final chart will be compiled by leading media research firm Ormax Media.

     

    The five platforms will be Radio popularity compiled by Radio City, Digital downloads provided by Hungama, YouTube views & Heartbeats (weekly music research) by Ormax Media and audience preferences as recorded by MTunes HD. A normalized measurement formula based on TV Ratings Data, Radio Aircheck, SMS requests, downloads/usage tracking across mobile service providers and views count on popular internet video sites will be collated to generate the weekly chart.

     

    Presented by Bharti Airtel, the weekly show – scheduled to launch from August 04 every Saturday – will play the top 20 songs of the week. Through the week the top songs on MTunes Trending20 will also be highlighted on the daily play list.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Saravanan P, CEO of MTunes HD said: “MTunes Trending20 is a reaffirmation of our promise to deliver ‘Music Like Never Seen Before’ and strengthens a long line-up of path-breaking formats like Kal Ka Superhits, Handmade and MBox already on the channel. We have pioneered the industry by launching the World’s first HD Bollywood Music Channel and are committed to consistently drive growth for our stakeholders. This show will deliver the gold standard of Bollywood music rankings to the industry and is among several initiatives in the pipeline that will make the MTunes HD viewers feel the music!” The channel is reportedly pricing the property at a premium and is confident of changing the game for the genre with its unique concept and distinct proposition.

     

    Shailesh Kapoor, CEO-Ormax Media added: “Today, music is consumed across media – television, radio, internet, mobile phones and other digital devices. MTunes Trending20 is a unique property that captures the combined effect of all these media.”

     

  • Sensing the need for a 360-degree presence, brands are increasingly engaging FM stations for on-ground and on-air promotions

    Brands go 360-deg with FM radio activations

     

    By Robin Thomas

     

    Brand activations or on-ground, on-air activations by FM radio stations is not a new phenomenon in this country. In fact, it could be said that most FM radio stations boast of having a dedicated unit to service the needs of their clients.

     

    Brands today realize the need for a 360-degree presence across mediums so that they can be where their consumers are and directly interact and engage with them. Hence the on-ground activations by radio stations give an added advantage to the brands as the activation is also hyped in the on-air programmes they execute.

     

    Take for instance the Asian Paints ‘Lift Kara De’ campaign executed by Radio City Connect. RadioCity Connect had tied up with the dabbawallas of Mumbai and placed around 15,000 sweet boxes inside the dabbas. The activity was spread across various restaurants and some Cinemax outlets in Mumbai.

     

    Apart from the Asian Paints’ campaign, Radio City Connect is also said to have executed a 12-city campaign for Renault Pulse and a 72-location activation plan that involved RWA, corporate park and mall activations. This campaign is said to have generated more than 6,000 leads for the client, along with 1,000 people who went for a test drive.

     

    The same has been the case with other stations as well, where categories such as Telecom, FMCG, BFSI, Cement, Automobiles, Retail, and others have been part of brand activations. According to industry estimates, brand activations on FM radio stations contribute around 12-15 per cent of the overall turnover and is estimated to go above 20 per cent in the near future.

     

    Sanjay Tripathy

    Sanjay Tripathy, Executive Vice President-Head Marketing and Direct Channels, HDFC Life explained: “On-ground activations through radio stations are indeed effective with the on-air ads and promos amplifying the activations without the need for an additional media buy. It helps the brands roll out a through-the-line approach with on-air ads and promos, creating awareness and drawing footfalls for the activation. The radio station-led activations are usually properties moulded into the brand’s requirements and help reach out to the specified TG. Also the radio stations help the brands to get easy access to venues, which some brands might not normally get.”

     

    Ashit Kukian

    Ashit Kukian, COO and President, RadioCity was of the view that clients these days are increasingly using radio activations to connect with their listeners. “Clients are not just looking for plain vanilla advertising. They are looking for something that is different and allows a 360 degree visibility. More than anything else, they require customization; an integrated approach that involves effective use of radio, on-ground and social media. Over the years, brand integration has played a vital role in traditional mediums like print and television and now brands are increasingly using radio activation to connect to their target audience.”

     

    B Surender

    According to B Surender, Senior Vice President, and National Sales Head, Red FM, “The on-ground activation business is extremely important, not just from the revenue point of view, but also from the angle of providing customer satisfaction through a 360 degree approach. Radio stations do have an edge over a direct BTL agency as they provide a 360 degree approach and are better placed to give value for money solutions.”

     

    He added: “Brands had a lot of unfulfilled needs when it came to activation in the form of nationwide reach, one-stop-solution and proactive ideation. Initially, there were hesitations amongst clients to accept a radio station as an activation service provider. However, after the arrival of Phase II and expansion of FM stations across the length and breadth of the country, radio stations have started fulfilling the need for integrated ATL and BTL solutions. The dynamic and innovative nature of radio as a medium has enhanced the quality of integrated solutions provided to the clients.”

     

    The road ahead

    Today brands want to engage and interact with their consumers – they want to approach them in a unique way to create high recall value for their brand. Brand activations through radio stations are said to have more impact as compared to other mediums because of high penetration of the medium; the 360 degree promotions the activation is given and the ability to highly engage and have a two-way communication with the consumers. But what needs to be questioned is whether brand activations on radio stations are an effective option when it comes to delivering high ROI?

     

    Mr Tripathy of HDFC Life said that the impact of brand activations is better with radio station-led activation as on-air promos help create incremental hype for the on-ground activations by leveraging an additional medium for communication. “The costs for solo activations through radio stations, however, tend to be very high owing to the air time cost added on to the activation cost which has to be borne by the advertiser. Usually most advertisers resort to associate or partner sponsors from brands, willing to reach out to a similar TG without any conflicting business interests, to share the cost of the activation. However, this sometime dilutes the impact of the activation with multiple brands having to share the centrestage,” he added.

     

    FM phase III rollout is expected to add a new lease of life, not only radio stations, but for advertising options like activations on the medium. Phase III will not only further expand radio stations to newer towns and cities, particularly into tier III and IV towns but will also allow newer genres of FM radio stations, which may attract newer listeners to the medium.

     

    Mr Kukian of RadioCity said: “Radio activations involve a 360 degree format which ensures an all-round visibility for the client. An on-air activity when supported by on-ground activation becomes much more amplified and effective. To create an impact we need to look beyond vanilla-selling, thus activations is the segment to watch out for. Activation is going to assume greater importance in the radio space, as competition increases, the market becomes more saturated and advertisers look for unique and innovative ways to reach the target group.”

     

    Mr Surender of Red FM observed: “With phase III being discussed, private FM industry will get into Tier III and Tier IV cities in a big way. BTL activities in such places are being currently handled by the unorganised sector. Presence of radio players will definitely help improve the impact of experiential marketing efforts targeting semi-urban and rural areas.”

     

    Industry players are of the view that radio is not only an apt medium for brand activations, but in the long run, the importance of brand activations through the medium is also expected to grow. Phase III will not only bring more innovation and differentiation within the medium but, also increase the reach of the medium to tier III and IV cities and towns.

     

  • 2011 witnessed the first edition of the awards, where the cine stars are judged by their fans. The awards are by the public, for the public, of the public

    Bol Bachchan stars announce Dainik Bhaskar Bollywood Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dainik Bhaskar.com’s CEO, Gyan Gupta, alongwith the Bol Bachchan team to launch the Dainik Bhaskar Bollywood Awards 2012

    Dainik Bhaskar Group launched the second edition of the Dainik Bhaskar Bollywood Awards. The awards were announced by the star cast of the film, Bol Bachchan.

     

    2011 witnessed the first edition of the awards, where the cine stars are judged by their fans. The awards are by the public, for the public, of the public.

     

    Gyan Gupta, CEO Dainik Bhaskar Digital Division said: “After the success of the previous awards, Dainik Bhaskar is delighted to announce the launch of the second edition. I am really thankful to the team of Bol Bachchan, as they graced this occasion with their presence.”

     

    Ajay Devgan, known for his acting skills and with two National awards in his kitty, does not believe in the award ceremonies. But as the DB Bollywood awards are decided purely by audience voting, he humbly accepted the award in 2011.

     

    The awards not only let people choose their favorite stars as winners, but also the 10 lucky winners get to walk on the red carpet and hand over the award to the winning stars.

     

    Dainik Bhaskar Group has brought a fair award show where Best Character, Best Dialogues & the Hottest Item Number will also be awarded.

     

    RadioCity and E-24 are partnering with Dainik Bhaskar for the their Bollywood awards

     

  • Although the turnout at the India Radio Forum was dismal, the awards in the evening saw some fanfare with Radio Mirchi bagging the maximum number of metals

    Mirchi maxes IRF awards, Red FM is best station

    By A Correspondent

     

    The much awaited Excellence in Radio Awards (ERA) was held in Mumbai on May 22. Although the turnout at the IRF (India Radio Forum) 2012 was dismal, the awards concluded with fanfare. A total of 40 awards were given out this year and three new categories were introduced – Best Radio Programme (Marathi); RJ of the Year (Marathi); and Best Radio Promo – Inhouse (Marathi).  The award winning radio stations at ERA this year include – Radio Mirchi, Red FM, Big FM, Radio City, Radio Mango, Club FM, MY FM, Suryan FM and Fever FM.

     

    Digital Radio Broadcasting Ltd or Red FM won 7 Awards including the awards for the ‘Best Radio Station’ and ‘Best Breakfast Programme/ Show (Hindi)’ to name a few. Suryan FM won one Award for ‘Best Radio Promo (In house) Tamil’.

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited or Big FM also won 7 awards, including the award for the ‘Best Programme Broadcast after 11am (Hindi)’ and ‘Best Programme Broadcast After 11am (Tamil)’. Big Magic Pvt Limited won an award for ‘Best Use of Music / Song / Jingle by an Advertiser in a Radio Spot’.

     

    Radio Mirchi won a total of 12 awards, making it the most awarded radio station at the Excellence in Radio Awards 2012.

     

    Speaking to MxMIndia, Mr GG Jayanta, National Marketing Head, Radio Mirchi said: “Winning 12 awards is in itself a matter of pride, innovation always wins and good work will always be recognized. These awards will most certainly encourage us to deliver better work as it is a great motivational tool for us.”

     

    Mr Rajat Uppal, General Manager- Marketing stated: “We saw good participation from the industry, we are glad to have won the Best Radio Station, The RJ of the Year, the Best Breakfast show and others. It shows the kind of work we do is high on quality and high on innovation as well. We won the awards that matter the most to us and our aim will be to continue delivering quality work for listeners and advertisers.”

     

    Music Broadcast Pvt Ltd or Radio City won a total of 3 Awards, Radio Mango also won 3 awards, Club FM won 2 awards, Fever FM and MY FM won one award each.

     

    Mr Praveen Scheruchari, Senior Creative Manager, Radio Mango said: “For a regional station like us, winning these awards and that too at a national level is a huge achievement as well as a great opportunity for us. These awards will encourage us to deliver better work for our clients and listeners.”

     

    The awards for the ‘Most Effective Use of Radio in an Activation Campaign’ and ‘Most Outstanding Use of Radio in An Ad Campaign’ were the winners from ‘The Radio Pitch Challenge’.

     

  • Kolkata remains the only big market where Radio City is not present, thus the sales alliance allows Radio City to extend its sales reach to Kolkata as well

    Radio City renews sales alliance with Friends FM

    By A Correspondent

     

    Radio City, the FM radio brand promoted by Music Broadcast Private Limited (MBPL) has renewed its strategic sales alliance with the Kolkata based Friends FM, the FM radio arm of ABP (Ananda Bazar Patrika) for another one year term. The strategic sales alliance between the two stations has completed nearly three years.

     

    Of the 20 cities, Kolkata remains the only big market where Radio City is not present, thus the sales alliance allows Radio City to extend its sales reach to Kolkata as well. Besides Friends FM, Radio City is also in sales alliance withGwaliorbased FM radio station, Suno Lemon.

     

    Speaking to MxMIndia, Ashit Kukian, COO (Chief Operating Officer), Radio City said: “Strategic sales alliance has worked for us. We are already in our third year of strategic sales alliance with Friends FM and have, in fact, renewed it again. It helps a single station to sell their brand nationally because it is very difficult to sustain the cost of placing people nationally. As for Radio City , this alliance helps us reach out to a critical market – Kolkata where we are not present. Besides Friends FM, we also have a strategic alliance with Suno Lemon inGwalior, and once the third phase is rolled out, we will strategize how to reach out to rest of the markets.”

     

    Radio City had recently announced its decision to increase its ad rates by 15 to 20 per cent, which it believes will result in better ROI for its clients. Some of its telecom clients include Tata Docomo, Vodafone, Idea, and Airtel, while FMCG, Consumer Durables, Automobiles, Realty Estate and media are some other advertising categories that advertise on radio. The retail versus national advertising ratio in Radio City is currently around 35:65 per cent – 35 per cent from retail and 65 per cent from national advertisers.

     

    Currently, Radio City is present in 20 cities namely, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Vadodara, Surat, Sholapur, Nagpur, Sangli, Coimbatore, Vizag, Ahmednagar, Akola, Nanded and Jalgaon.

     

    In the last couple of years, Radio City is said to have established and rolled out a lot of 360 degree marquee campaigns. Following the season one success of its property, Gully Premier League (GPL), Radio City is back with the Season 2 of GPL. Season two of the GPL is said to have already registered more than 14,000 teams for the tournament. Mr Kukian also pointed out that BTL (Below the Line) activations which has been witnessing growth over the years, have contributed significantly to the overall revenues of Radio City : “Our BTL activations have also been growing from strength to strength, moreover our activations last year contributed significantly to our overall revenues. From a radio industry perspective, BTL activations could be around 12 to 15 per cent of the overall revenues, whereas the BTL activations of Radio City alone contribute around 10 to 12 per cent of its overall revenues.” Therefore we are very much in sync with the contribution of BTL activations in the overall revenues.

     

    Mr Kukian was also of the view that besides FTCs, a radio station, and Radio City in particular, has multiple sources of revenues, activations and on ground propositions are a couple of them. He was also of the view that in the long run, he expects to see further growth in the contribution of these other revenue sources in a radio station’s overall revenues. “Since the medium is high on reach and content, customised syndication of content can be another source of revenue for the industry. In addition to this, we can also look at digital content syndication and monitisation as an extended source of revenue for Radio City .”

     

    “As of today, 15 per cent of our revenue comes from other sources but, over a period of time I believe these revenue sources could contribute to around 22 to 25 per cent of the entire revenue,” he added.

     

    Mr Kukian said that 2012 has been the best year so far for the FM station since the last three or four years. He went on to add that Radio City has been consistent in its leadership position in both Bengaluru and Mumbai. In Delhi too, it witnessed an increase in listenership numbers: “According to IRS, Q4 2012 we are ranked first or second across most of the non-metro cities in which we are present in. So from a product perspective, it has been a great year. As far as the revenues are concerned, we have always been doing well, in fact this year we have almost doubled the growth over the market category. Even in terms of talent, we have witnessed consistency in the low attrition rates. And with phase III coming up, we are clear about expanding our network to many more markets and increase our foot print panIndia” he said.

     

  • RadioCity, Radio Mirchi, Big FM, Red FM, Fever FM, Radio One, Oye! FM were some of the top FM stations in the big four metros

    RAMcheck: Besides Mumbai, no change in #1s

    By A Correspondent

     

    TAM Media’s Radio Audience Measurement (RAM) – which covers four key metros, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru – released its latest radio listenership figures for wk 13 to wk 16, 2012 (Last week of March to first three weeks of April, 2012). According to the latest RAM data, for listeners of 12 years of age and above, all places of listening, and according to radio channel shares, RadioCity, Radio Mirchi, Fever FM, Big FM, Red FM, Radio One, Oye! FM continue to be the top FM stations in the big four metros.

     

    Mumbai:

     

    Radio Mirchi emerges as the number one FM station in Mumbai with a market share of 15.3 per cent, followed closely byRadioCityat 15.2 per cent. The two FM stations are closely competing for the top spot, but what remains to be seen is which of these two FM stations retains the top spot. AIR FM2 Gold, Fever FM and Big FM make the top five FM stations in Mumbai. The other FM stations in the Mumbai market include Red FM, Radio One, Oye! FM, AIR FM1 Rainbow, Vividh Bharati and Akashavani.

     

    Delhi:

     

    Fever FM continues to be the most popular FM station in Delhi with a market share of 18.4 per cent, its nearest rival is the AIR FM2 Gold which is comfortably placed at number two with 18.1 per cent market share. Ranked three is Radio Mirchi followed by RadioCity which is ranked four and Red FM as ranked five in theDelhimarket. The rest of the FM stations in Delhi include Big FM, Radio One, Oye! FM, Hit FM, AIR FM1 Rainbow, Akashavani and Vividh Bharati.

     

    Bengaluru:

     

    RadioCity continues to maintain its leadership position in the city. RadioCity, Radio Mirchi and Big FM are the top three most popular FM stations in Bengaluru. RadioCity received a market share of 25.7 per cent whereas Radio Mirchi and Big FM received a market share of 22 per cent and 18.5 per cent respectively. Ranked four is Red FM with 12 per cent and the fifth most popular FM station is AIR FM1 Rainbow with 5.7 per cent. The other FM stations in Bengaluru include AIR FM1 Vividh Bharati, Radio One, Fever FM, Radio Indigo, Akashavani and Gyan Vani.

     

    Kolkata:

     

    Radio Mirchi is the clear winner in Kolkata with a market share of 22.8 per cent. The top three FM stations in Kolkata haven’t changed as Radio Mirchi continues to be the number one FM station of the city followed by Big FM with a share of 16.9 per cent and at the number three FM station of Kolkata, Friends FM received a share of 14.9 per cent of the share. Ranked four and five are Aamar FM and Fever FM with a share of 10.9 per cent and 8.9 per cent respectively. The other FM stations in the city are Red FM, Radio One, Oye! FM, Power FM, AIR FM1 Rainbow, AIR FM2 Gold, Vividh Bharati and Akashavani.

     

  • RadioCity, Radio Mirchi, Big FM, Red FM, Fever FM, Radio One, Oye! FM were some of the top FM stations in the big four metros

    RAMcheck: No change in #1 stations across RAM markets

    By A Correspondent

     

    TAM Media’s Radio Audience Measurement (RAM) – which covers four key metros, Mumbai,Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru – released its latest radio listenership figures for Wk 8 to Wk11 (Last two weeks of February 2012 and first two weeks of March 2012).

     

    According to the latest RAM data, for listeners of 12 years of age and above, all places of listening, and according to radio channel shares,RadioCity, Radio Mirchi, Fever FM, Big FM, Red FM, Radio One, Oye! FM were some of the top FM stations in the big four metros.

     

    WhileRadioCityretained its leadership position in Mumbai and Bengaluru, Fever FM and Radio Mirchi also continued to remain the leading FM stations inDelhiand Kolkata respectively.

     

    Mumbai:

    RadioCitycontinues to be the most popular FM station in Mumbai, as the FM station has maintained its leadership position in the city. Ranked second is Radio Mirchi followed by AIR FM2 Gold, Fever FM and Big FM which are ranked third, fourth and fifth respectively. These top five FM stations and Red FM, ranked sixth have secured their listenership share in double digits. The other FM stations in the city include Oye! FM, Radio One, AIR FM1 Rainbow, Vividh Bharati and Akashavani Mumbai.

     

     

    Delhi:

    According to the Wk8 to Wk 11 RAM data, Fever FM has once again retained its leadership position inDelhiwith a listenership share of 18.6 per cent followed by AIR FM2 Gold which garnered a share of 18.5 per cent. Although Fever FM is the number one FM station ofDelhi, the government owned AIR FM2 Gold is a close second. What remains to be seen is whether Fever FM is able to widen the gap between the number one and number two FM station? Or will AIR FM2 Gold claim the leadership title?  Once the undisputed leader ofDelhi, Radio Mirchi is now ranked three with a share of 15.2 per cent followed byRadioCityand Red FM with a share of 12.3 per cent respectively. The top five FM stations have received their station share in double digits. The other cluster of FM stations inDelhiincludes Oye! FM, Radio One, AIR FM1 Rainbow, Hit FM, Vividh Bharati and Akashvani Mumbai.

     

     

    Bengaluru:

    RadioCitymaintained its leadership position in Bengaluru with a share of 26 per cent, its nearest rival Radio Mirchi, on the other hand, received a share of 21.7 per cent. Ranked three is Big FM with a share of 17.6 per cent followed by Red FM which received a share of 12.8 per cent. While the top four FM radio stations in Bengaluru received a double digit share, AIR FM1 Rainbow which is ranked five received a share of 6.1 per cent. The other clusters of FM station in the city are Fever FM, Radio One, Radio Indigo, Gyan Vani, Akashavani and Vividh Bharati.

     

     

    Kolkata:

    The top five FM stations of Kolkata continue to remain the same. Radio Mirchi is unanimously the most popular FM station in Kolkata with a whopping 22.9 per cent of the station share. Its nearest rival is Big FM which received a share of 16.8 per cent followed by Friends FM and Aamar FM which are ranked four and five respectively. Kolkata is the only RAM market which perhaps has not seen a change in the top four rankings in a long time. While Fever FM and Red FM are ranked five and six respectively, other clusters of FM station in Kolkata are Oye! FM, Radio One, Power FM, AIR FM1 Rainbow, AIR FM2 Gold, Vividh Bharati and Akashavani Kolkata.

     

  • According to Radio Establishment Survey 2011 findings, although the mother tongue of 51 per cent of FM device owners is Marathi, an overwhelming 80 per cent of them prefer Hindi music

    Will Marathi content be a shot in the arm for FM in Mumbai?

    By Robin Thomas

     

    What’s common between radio stations in Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolhapur, and Kochi? They give almost equal prominence to local music along with the Hindi or Bollywood songs. This is in direct contrast to the Mumbai market where FM stations mainly play Bollywood songs which are quite popular with the Mumbai listeners.

     

    According to RAM’s (Radio Audience Measurement), Radio Establishment Survey 2011 findings, although the mother tongue of 51 per cent of FM device owners in the city is Marathi, an overwhelming 80 per cent of them prefer Hindi music and RJ talks on radio. Nevertheless, the survey also revealed that as compared to 2007, the preference for music and RJ Talk in Marathi has witnessed an increase in 2011.

     

    It’s not that the all the FM stations in Mumbai have ignored the Marathi speaking audience. Big FM, Radio Mirchi and Radio City play Marathi songs, but only on Sundays and they are the only radio stations to do so.

     

    Big FM, for instance, has been airing Masala Chaha every Sundays between 7am to 9am since 2009, much before Raj Thackeray’s diktat to the radio stations to play Marathi music. But even then, a Big FM spokesperson was of the view that although there is a market for Marathi music, Mumbai being a cosmopolitan city, most Mumbaikars prefer listening to Bollywood music. “There is surely a market for Marathi music, given the high population of Marathi speaking public. However, Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city with a wide audience base, and a mass channel has to play the music that appeals the most… which is Hindi, a lot of it being Bollywood. Phase III will unleash the true potential of radio and will allow for more differentiation in content, along with newer genres and radio stations that will cater to a more specific audience base.”

     

    Radio Mirchi airs ‘Mumbai Dhol’ every Sunday, between 12 noon to 3pm, hosted by RJ Rohit. ‘Mumbai Dhol’ covers the culture of the city, the happenings and plays back to back Marathi music, contemporary and the classics.

     

    Indira Rangarajan, VP, Programming, West & Central, Radio Mirchi stated: “The response to our Marathi show – ‘Mumbai Dhol’ has been very good. Following the resurgence of Marathi films and music, we had decided to experiment with a slot specifically for Marathi songs and it has worked well. I believe there is plenty of scope for Marathi music in Mumbai and over the years this popularity will increase further.”

     

    RadioCitytoo plays Marathi retro songs every Sunday evening between 5pm to 6pm during ‘Sandhikali Aasha’, a radio programme hosted by RJ Vishaka.

     

    After looking at the Marathi content being offered by these three stations, one wonders if there scope for more Marathi content on Mumbai radio stations? Or will the Marathi music lovers have to wait a little longer for a radio station that caters to their tastes?

     

    Unlike the private radio stations, the government-owned FM stations, AIR FM2 Gold and AIR FM1 Rainbow, play a mix of Hindi and Marathi songs every day. The private radio stations would do well to take a lesson from these government-owned radio stations.

     

    Naval Toshniwal, CEO, Tomato FM, a Kolhapur-based FM radio station, was also of the view that although the potential for Marathi music is huge, Mumbai being a cosmopolitan city will play more Hindi or Bollywood songs. “Yes, there is a huge scope for Marathi music in Mumbai. However, no private FM station would want to play only Marathi music, it will have to play Bollywood or Hindi songs too because of the cosmopolitan listenership. Looking at the current FM scenario where every station sounds the same, I believe that a radio station which plays a little more Marathi music will create some amount of differentiation in the market.”

     

    FM stations in the city play Marathi hit songs during prime-time, especially on occasions like Maharashtra Day or Gudi Padwa. For instance, Big FM Mumbai will be playing Marathi songs during the breakfast show from March 19 to March 23, celebrating the occasion of Gudi Padwa.

     

    According to Janardhan Pandey, Associate VP, Mudra Max: “Although the market may not be big, the potential for Marathi listenership is huge in Mumbai. The issue, however, is that there has not been any serious attempt by FM stations to woo the Marathi listeners. Awareness about Marathi programmes aired on radio stations seem to be non-existent, the Marathi programmes or music are played during mostly non-prime time. However unless a FM station does not aggressively promote its Marathi programmes, and plays Marathi songs more frequently, it will neither add new listeners nor will it attract new advertisers. There are a lot of retail advertisers in the city catering to the Marathi audience.” Ajay Rao, Vice President, Dentsu stated: “There is a huge scope for Marathi listenership in Mumbai as Marathi generates high level of passion.”

     

    The good news is that increase in the frequency of Marathi music on radio stations could mean attracting new listeners to radio, and perhaps even new advertisers. Moreover, multiple frequencies may bring some good news to the Marathi music lovers as it will bring new genres of radio stations.

     

  • Radio City, Radio Mirchi, Big FM, Red FM, Fever FM, Radio One, Oye! FM were some of the top FM stations in the big four metros

    RAMcheck: More surprises for FM players

    By A Correspondent

     

    TAM Media’s Radio Audience Measurement (RAM) – which covers four key metros, Mumbai,Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru – released its latest radio listenership figures for Wk 4 to Wk7 (Last two weeks of January 2012 and first two weeks of February 2012).

     

    According to the latest RAM data, for listeners of 12 years of age and above, all places of listening, and according to radio channel shares,RadioCity, Radio Mirchi, Fever FM, Big FM, Red FM, Radio One, Oye! FM were some of the top FM stations in the big four metros.

     

    Mumbai:

    Radio City surged ahead of Radio Mirchi as the most popular FM station in the city with 15.5 per cent channel share from Wk 4 to Wk7, 2012 whereas Radio Mirchi’s channel share stood at 15 per cent. Ranked three is AIR FM2 Gold which more or less remained unchanged in listenership share from wk 4 to 7, 2012 as against Wk 52, 2011 to Wk 3, 2012. As compared to Wk 52, 2011 to Wk 3, 2012, six FM stations witnessed growth in their listenership share in Wk 4 to Wk 7, 2012 namely, Radio City, Fever FM, Red FM, Radio One, Oye! FM and AIR FM2 Gold.

     

    Source : RAM

    Market: MUMBAI

    Demographic: All People 12+ Filter Demographic: None

    Statistic: Share %

    Daypart: Sun – Sat 12:00 AM – 12:00 AM

    Place of Listening: All

     

    

     
    

    Delhi:
    

    Fever FM once again manages to retain its leadership position inDelhi, its nearest rival in Delhi is Radio Mirchi, if the government owned AIR FM2 Gold is excluded. According to figures for Wk4 to Wk 7, 2012, AIR FM2 Gold is close behind Fever FM for the top spot. What remains to be seen is whether or not Fever FM is able to retain its leadership position inDelhi.
    

     
    

    The Wk4 to Wk 7, 2012 RAM numbers reveals that in comparison to Wk 52, 2011 to Wk 3, 2012 only five FM stations witnessed any growth in the Delhi market. The FM stations to have seen growth in their listenership shares are Radio City, Big FM, Red FM, Oye! FM and AIR FM2 Gold.
    

    The other FM stations in the Delhi market are Radio One, Hit FM, AIR FM1 Rainbow, Vividh Bharathi and Akashavani Delhi.
    

     
    

    Market: DELHI
    

    Demographic: All People 12+ Filter Demographic: None
    

    Statistic: Share %
    

    Daypart: Sun – Sat 12:00 AM – 12:00 AM
    

    Place of Listening: All
    

     
    

    

    

     
    

    Bengaluru:
    

    In Bengaluru too, Radio City continues maintain its numero uno position, the FM station has managed further grow its listenership share in Wk 4 to Wk 7, 2012 as against Wk 52, 2011 to Wk 3, 2012. The second most popular FM station in Bengaluru is Radio Mirchi followed by Big FM and Red FM, ranked third and fourth respectively. Ranked fifth is AIR FM1 Rainbow and Radio One is ranked sixth. The five of the eleven FM stations in the Bengaluru market which witnessed growth in listenership share areRadioCity, Red FM, Radio One, Fever FM and Radio Indigo.
    

     
    

    Market: BENGALURU
    

    Demographic: All People 12+ Filter Demographic: None
    

    Statistic: Share %
    

    Daypart: Sun – Sat 12:00 AM – 12:00 AM
    

    Place of Listening: All
    

    

    

    

     
    

    Kolkata:
    

    Radio Mirchi has not only maintained its leadership position in the city, but has also witnessed some growth according to the Wk4 to Wk 7, 2012 RAM data as against Wk 52, 2011 to Wk3, 2012. Kolkata is the only RAM market to have seen no change in atleast the top three rankings. Radio Mirchi, Big FM and Friends FM continue to be the top three FM stations in the city. Ranked four is Aamar FM, followed by Fever FM, Red FM and Oye! FM. Of the thirteen FM stations in Kolkata, six FM stations in the city have witnessed growth in their listenership shares: Radio Mirchi, Fever FM, Radio One, Power FM and AIR FM1 Rainbow. Although Friends FM remained stagnant in its listenership share, nevertheless it is comfortably placed at number three. The other FM stations in the Kolkata market include Radio One, Power FM, AIR FM1 Rainbow, AIR FM2 Gold, Akashavani Kolkata and Vividh Bharati.
    

     
    

    Market: KOLKATA
    

    Demographic: All People 12+ Filter Demographic: None
    

    Statistic: Share %
    

    Daypart: Sun – Sat 12:00 AM – 12:00 AM
    

    Place of Listening: All
    

     
    

    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
    Efficiency in cost, customization and communication to a cross-section of demographics are just some reasons why radio activations are necessary, feels Ashit Kukian
    
			
    5 reasons why activation is a must-have extn on radio
    
			
    By Ashit Kukian
    

     
    

    #1 360-degree:
    

    No campaign is complete without engaging with the potential consumer. Radio activations are an efficient way to blend ATL/BTL communications through a common medium and, therefore, a proposition that is must-do.
    

     
    

    #2 Efficiency in cost:
    

    It is not as much about the investment, but what the investment is getting for you. If the critical differentiator is the cost, there are vendors who can operate at significantly less investment. However, the sheer reach of Radio, when coupled with an exciting on-ground activation, would get massive attention and therefore give an efficient cost per contact.
    

     
    

    #3 Customization:
    

    Radio offers customized brand solutions that can easily be adapted, scaled and executed. The amount of customization offered is far superior to that of any other medium. The cross-section of touchpoints that a brand can have makes radio activations attractive.
    

     
    

    #4 Whoever, wherever:
    

    Radio talks to a diverse set of listeners and can communicate to a cross section of demographics of people. This, in turn, enables almost any brand to engage with their target group.
    

     
    

    #5 Better acceptance of brands:
    

    The passion quotient of interaction of consumer with brands is higher on radio as the medium connects with its listeners at a far more emotional level than other mediums.
    

     
    

    Ashit Kukian is the Chief Operating Officer of Radio City.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
    According to RAM (Radio Audience Measurement), the OOH listeners include listenership in cars, at work and other out of home places
    
			
    RAMcheck: Most popular FM stations heard out of home
    
			
    By A Correspondent
    

     
    

    Unlike our regular RAMcheck reports which didn’t differentiate between any places of listening, this time MxMIndia decided to concentrate exclusively on radio channels’ out of home (OOH) listenership. According to RAM (Radio Audience Measurement), the OOH listeners include listenership in cars, at work and other out of home places. TAM Media’s Radio Audience Measurement from week 40-43, 2011 to week 52- 3, 2012 reveals the most popular FM radio station out of home. RAM is currently present in four metros – Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata.
    

     
    

    Mumbai:
    

    According to the RAM data for OOH listenership, the top five FM stations for Mumbaikars are Radio Mirchi, Big FM, Radio City, Fever FM and Red FM, excluding the government-owned AIR FM2 Gold. The radio stations, from week 40- 43, 2011 to week 52 to 3, 2012, have not seen much variation in their channel shares.
    

    

     
    

    Delhi:
    

    In Delhi AIR FM2 Gold is the most popular FM station followed by Fever FM, a strong number two in OOH listenership share. While the number one and two slots have a clear position in OOH listenership, there is no clear winner for the number three position. There is a close fight for number three position between Radio Mirchi, Radio City and Red FM. However in Wk 52′ 2011 to Wk 3′ 2012, both Radio Mirchi and Red FM received 12.4 per cent station share whereas Radio City received a station share of 11.1 per cent. The other FM stations in the Delhi market include Big FM, Radio One, Oye!FM, Hit FM, AIR FM1 Rainbow, Vividh Bharati and Akashavani Delhi.
    

    

     
    

    Bengaluru:
    

    Radio Mirchi is the number one FM station in Bengaluru followed by Radio City, Big FM, Red FM and Radio One. Between Wk 40- 43, 2011 to Wk 52, 2011-Wk 3, 2012 the radio channel share for Radio Mirchi was at its peak in Wk 40 -43, 2011 with a share of 23.1 per cent. Radio City, the second most popular FM station in OOH listenership, was also at its peak in wk 40 – 43, 2011 with 21.2 per cent share. However in week 52, 2011 – Week 3, 2012 the station share for Radio Mirchi dropped to 22 per cent whereas Radio City’s share was 18.9 per cent. The other clusters of FM stations in Bengaluru are Fever FM, Radio Indigo, AIR FM1, Vividh Bharati, AIR FM1 Rainbow, Gyan Vani and Akashavani Bengaluru.
    

    

     
    

    Kolkata:
    

    Kolkata has a clear number one and number two FM stations in Friends FM and Radio Mirchi. Ranked third is Red FM. The gap between the top three FM stations is significant. While Friends FM received a market share of 23.4 per cent in Wk 52, 2011 – Wk 3, 2012, the same week saw Radio Mirchi receive just 18.3 per cent market share and Red FM receive 12.4 per cent share. The other clusters of FM stations in Kolkata are Fever FM, Aamar FM, Air FM2 Gold, Oye! FM, AIR FM1, Rainbow, Radio One, Power FM, Akashavani and Vividh Bharati Kolkata.
    

    

     
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
    Radio City, Radio Mirchi, Big FM, Red FM, Fever FM, Radio One, Oye! FM were some of the top FM stations in the big four metros.
    
			
    RAMcheck: No changes in top rankings in four metros
    
			
    By A Correspondent
    

     
    

    On Friday, January 6, 2012, Radio Audience Measurement (RAM) – which covers four key metros, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru – released its latest radio listenership figures for Wk 43-46 (last two weeks of October and 1st two weeks of November 2011) Vs Wk 47-50 (Last two weeks of November and 1st week of December 2011).
    

     
    

    According to the latest RAM data, for listeners of 12 years and above, and according to radio channel shares, Radio City, Radio Mirchi, Big FM, Red FM, Fever FM, Radio One, Oye! FM were some of the top FM stations in the big four metros.
    

     
    

    Mumbai:
    

    In Mumbai,Radio City further strengthened its leadership position in Wk 47-50 as against Wk 43-46 with a growth of 3.92 per cent in its channel shares. Radio Mirchi was rated the second most popular FM station in terms of channel shares followed by AIR FM2 Gold, Fever FM, Big FM, Red FM and Radio One. The other clusters of FM stations in the city are Oye! FM, Vividh Bharati, AIR FM1 Rainbow and Akashavani Mumbai.
    

     
    

    Besides Radio City, Red FM, Radio One, Oye! FM, AIR FM1 Rainbow, Vividh Bharati and Akashavani Mumbai are the only radio stations to have shown growth.
    

     
    

    

     
    

    Delhi:
    

    Most radio stations inDelhiwitnessed growth in the channel shares in Wk 47-50 as against Wk 43-46. AIR FM2 Gold emerged as the number one FM station inDelhi, its channel share however remained stagnant. Fever FM slipped to the number two position in Wk 47-50 after its channel share saw a decline as compared to Wk 43-46. Fever FM and AIR FM1 Rainbow were the only two FM stations inDelhito have seen a decline in channel shares on Wk 47-50 as against Wk 43-46.
    

     
    

    Radio Mirchi was the third most popular FM station followed by Red FM, Radio City, Big FM, Radio One, and Oye! FM. The other clusters of radio stations inDelhiinclude AIR FM1 Rainbow, Hit FM, Vividh Bharati and Akashavani Delhi.
    

     
    

    

     
    

    Bengaluru:
    

    There was no change in the station rankings in Bengaluru.Radio City continued to lead Bengaluru followed by Radio Mirchi and Big FM. While Radio City showed neither growth nor decline in its channel share, Radio Mirchi and Big FM saw marginal growth. Fever FM, however, was the only FM station that showed decline in its channel shares.
    

     
    

    

     
    

    Kolkata:
    

    Kolkata too saw no change in its station rankings. Radio Mirchi, Big FM, Friends FM, Aamar FM and Red FM were the top five FM stations in Kolkata in terms of their channel shares. Radio Mirchi, the most popular FM station in Kolkata has further strengthened its leadership position with a growth of 1.75 per cent in channel shares in Wk 47-50 as compared to Wk 43-46.
    

     
    

    While Radio Mirchi’s nearest rival in Kolkata, Big FM came a distant second with a slight decline of 0.59 per cent in terms of its channel share, the third most popular FM station in Kolkata, Friends FM remained stagnant. Besides Radio Mirchi, Fever FM, Oye! FM and Radio One were the only private FM stations in Kolkata to have witnessed growth in channel shares.