MUMBAI: The Radio Festival, held on World Radio Day at New Delhi on 13 February, saw attendance of several RJs and biggies from all three tiers of broadcasting: Public, Private and Community.  Among the panellists, we had BBC Radio Journalist Sanjoy Majumdar who spoke on the current state of radio industry.

“I think it is the most underrated medium in particular. In the era of television, in India, people tend to overlook radio, but it’s incredibly a democratic medium because of its reach. It is also a very intimate medium as it draws in communities and audiences who otherwise do not easily respond to traditional media may be because of its reach, electricity, and technology issues,” he explained.

Comment on the current state of radio industry, Sanjoy Majumdar said, “Indian radio's  one dimensional nature needs to change. I think radio is quite capable of reaching diverse audiences that are very important.”

 “We are public service broadcasters, we don’t really advertise, but the arrival of digital platform can certainly help people lose touch of radio considerably," Majumdar informed.

BBC Radio is currently available in India in English and other languages like Telugu, Hindi with four additional languages since 2017.

On BBC going regional, Majumdar said, “We recognize that audience in these regional languages is growing in terms of Tier 2 cities. There is an increase in thirst of knowledge and what’s happening around the world in terms of global events and business.”