MUMBAI: The TV Today radio venture has had a chequered career. Initially known as Meow, it changed its name to Oye and has now been rechristened to Ishq FM, in a bid to attract better listenership, sales and brand recall.

The board of directors, in a notice to the Bombay Stock Exchange today, announced that it has decided to change the radio network's name in order to get listenership and revenue attraction.

The new brand will have a target audience of 25-34 year old compared to the current target group audience which is 18-25 year old. 'The overall  combination of a new brand, a new target group, a new positioning  and a new sales relationship  would  improve  revenues  of the Company in future', the announcement says.

Also Read: Radio Mirchi to hawk Oye FM 104.8 ads

Recently, ENIL has entered into an Advertising Sales Agreement (ASA) with TV Today Network Limited (TVTN) on 24 August 2016, in relation to TVTN’s 3 (three) private FM radio stations at New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Pursuant to the ASA, TVTN has agreed to appoint ENIL as an agent of TVTN with effect from September 1, 2016 to facilitate the sale of TVTN’s airtime to third-parties who wish to advertise using TVTN’s airtime. ENIL operates stations under the brand Radio Mirchi.

In its Meow FM avatar, the station was a talk-based FM Radio channel helmed by veteran radio personality Anil Srivatsa. It was aired initially in Delhi, Indore, Mumbai and Kolkata.In September 2010, the station changed its name to Oye FM and changed into a filmi format that aired on the frequency  104.8 MHz FM.

In September 2015, the company sold its four stations - in Jodhpur, Amritsar, Patiala and Shimla, to Entertainment Network (India) Limited (ENIL). Even earlier in 2006, the TV Today Network promoter, Living Media, sold off its FM radio business, then run under the Red FM brand to a consortium of investors. Media baron Kalanithi Maran’s Sun Network bought a stake in the company later.

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