MUMBAI: We present a few observations and interesting vignettes from the India Radio Forum, Mumbai.

At the session, What Do Advertisers Want?, Friends FM Business Head Amritendu Roy made an emotional appeal to advertisers to understand the medium. He questioned why innovations should be expected only from radio.
"Sometimes, advertisers expect too much out of us, but they should understand that we are not event managers. It is my emotional appeal to the advertisers to understand the medium."

Lintas Media Group's joint president N P Sathyamurthy shot back, "His saying makes us feel that we are all psychos and are creating hurdles for growth of radio industry. We are setting cases and making money from radio advertisements, so we are partners in this business."

The interaction between the two became the cause of much laughter among the audience in the Taj's Ball Room.

While winding up the opening session, Radio one CEO Vineet Singh Hukmani, who's a professional musician in his own right, sang an original composition for the radio industry CEOs on the panel. He created a stir and much laughter when he took the stage to perform a number.

LYRICS (Sung to the tune of Don't Worry, Be Happy):

Here s a little song we wrote

You might want to smile on every note.

Don't worry be happy

We got Apurva here, as you can see

She wants Radio City to be 1, 2 and 3

Don't worry be Happy

Here's my man Anil he got the women going wow

All he does is go to the mike and say grrrr..MEOW

Don't worry be happy..

Abe getting prosperous ..making competition frown

We d really like access to his BANK ACCOUNT

Don't worry be Happy.

OOOOO..(asks crowd to join in)

The Big man Tarun knows his geography

Would you transfer your miles so we can all travel free

Don't worry be Happy..

And just when Prashant thought it's a one man race.

LV gave us RAM and got him in a daze..

Come on Prashant.don't worry be happy

So many internationals in the crowd.

Is it tourist season already now..?

Don't worry be happy

OOOOO...

Was just a little tribute to every station

YEAH..Radio ONE gonna add to the confusion

But Don't worry be Happy.

OOOOOO..

Between serious discussions on the state of the industry, panelists even tried to push their own business.

Proposals were floated, overtly and covertly, by the honchos of radio stations while discussing advertising and marketing woes. Meow FM's Anil Srivatsa said, "This is an open proposal to the panel to tie up with Meow and be a part of our experimentation." Radio One's Hukmani didn't lag behind either. In the concluding part of the session, he responded with, "I make a commitment to consider what Anil suggested."

On the same panel, WorldSpace Satellite Radio managing director M Sebastian offered to tie up with any radio station and take it internationally.
Moderat1or Atul Phadnis laughingly commented that this might be the first time that the IRF platform was actually being used promote the radio business, individually!

Some soap bubbles in the hands of radio chiefs and Doug Harris is at work!
After a heavy active day at the IRF, radio folk really needed some de-stressing 'gyan' and Harris, President Creative Animal International did just that. He spoke about the act of relaxing which might seem difficult at the outset, but is simple once you grasp time from people who do nothing at all. Also, he taught a lesson of 'eating live frogs' which was lauded by one and all. In literal sense it meant, live frogs are the pending files and projects resting on your office desk. So, bite off the frog's head!

With interesting anecdotes narrated by the man who loves to be called the creative animal, he left everyone in splits with his great sense of timing.

To stay creative in a healthy way, he suggested reading, absorbing, creating and producing!

Everyone left the ballroom with sigh of relief on their face.

For those who wanted some on-the-spot de stressing, the IRF had some innovative fare on offer too. A foot massage and on the move spa counter was located at a convenient point for those who could tear themselves away from the sessions and indulge in some therapeutic destressing. Needless to say, the twin services attracted a lot of visitors the whole day!

For the tipsy¦

To make sure that the winners were literally ?‹?“high, Radio One presented the pre-award cocktails for the India Radio Forum 2008 held at Taj Lands End in Mumbai. The registration desk took the shape of a car and One invited people to come forward and register for a ride back home.

To make sure that they do their part of responsibility, the station went ahead and arranged for a drop off service for those who might not be able to handle themselves at the end. Calling it ?‹?“You drink we drive, people who were tipsy after the party, could avail the facility of the drop service.

Also carrying on with the fun element, there was a cutout of a beer mug, where one could pose for a really spirited photo souvenir take back home.

The awards definitely ended on a high spirit.