Nestled amidst a street of IT goliaths and residential flats, resides a radio station with a purplish/bluish sign that dares to play ENGLISH MUSIC.
Sorry to startle you like that, but it’s true. Radio Indigo in Bangalore is the only radio station in the city and 1 of 3 in the country that plays 100% English music. Considering that this makes us niche, different, unusual, whatever you want to call us, the kind of mortals who work here also have to be of a different making and order, right? Well you can decide for yourself....
Adult Contemporary (AC), Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR), Adult Adult Contemporary (AAC), Sometimes Contemporary Sometimes Dated (SCSD) …and what more have we? Definitions aside, sometimes I wish I could hit the “reset” button on a radio station and take it back to the day they started their programming. The very first day they went on air when they tried harder, sounded more honest in spite of the faux pas on air. Remember how they took their first tentative steps like toddlers - smiling, laughing and crying - falling and getting up all excited about walking on thin air. Almost all radi...
Radio is an innovative medium where connect with listeners is always the focus. Someone told me - what radio thinks today, other media think a day after. Radio as the medium is the torch bearer whereas other media are followers. Indian Premier League- the most exciting and gala cricket affair in the country has proved again that radio is the most connected and listener friendly medium. There is lot of on air and ground activities around IPL.Radio are mass medium with its reach to the last corner. Radio is basically a live and local medium who knows the taste of listeners....
Can’t formatted Radio borrow the format of success from the IPL? What’s so different about the IPL? It’s 200% entertainment. 20 overs with more runs scored than the balls bowled. Can’t this be replicated for radio? More activity out of every second of airtime. And the I & B Ministry has done us a favour by restricting news. Who needs to create news when you can give the listener pure entertainment! So let’s go - bam!...
For starters both are a medium of entertainment. And both have a very limited time to keep you hooked in or tuned in. There are a few who watch a whole match which is approximately 3 to 4 hours long. That’s approximately the duration of a radio show on any one time-slot. So if you were to look at any show (morning, mid-morning, afternoon or evening or even late night) on any radio station like an IPL match you will find all the ingredients of fun that need to garnish it. ...
Someone had an idea. A brain child. He fathered it and nurtured it passionately. And every time the child crossed a milestone, he shouted out from the rooftops. The government thankfully did not interfere or better did not even have an inkling of how to control it with their typical short sighted approach. Suddenly before our very eyes, we see the IPL brand valuation doubling to USD 4 billion dollars, a single team being bid at USD 370 million and a ten year license seems like a lot of time. Everyone who is involved with it and may I add, involved intensely, is benefiting financially. In on...
That’s the first question I ask anyone who asks me if she or he can be an RJ. Now, don’t get me wrong! There’s nothing wrong in being a good looking RJ. But, who wants to look at you, if you have a great sense of humour and can laugh at yourself. All the fools who think they are good looking end up putting their feet in their mouth while on air or join the prime-time brigade on the idiot box. I remember, this amazingly self-styled, self-proclaimed good looking lady who went on air and proudly declared “I am rat-a-tat-a-tot” to which one of the ugliest humourists on air, Jose Covac...
A couple of months back, I had the privilege of riding a Harley Davidson.
I heard the inimitable sound of the Harley “potato…potato…potato”! The moment I heard that sound, I knew the potato prices would go up and they did, but that had nothing to do with me riding the Harley. Just like how the RAM ratings have nothing to do with the sound of a station. And yet the best way perhaps to judge the greatness of a radio station is going by the “sound of the station” rather than the RAM ratings. ...
I was amazed and thrilled when I used my new Sony Car Audio for the very first time.
It was like any normal car audio system. The only USP was its USB Port. That means I have the liberty to play my favourite music - that too non stop and without touching the system. s turning folks into Non Radio Listeners. An...
As we say hello to 2010 and a fresh decade, I wanted to take a look back at music and what it means to us in an age where we need a good tune more than ever to take us away from the urban clutter and a life that moves too quickly to really stop every now and again and smell the sheer elation and freedom it gives you....
Yeh ishq nahi aasaan bas itna hi samajh leeje, Ek aag ka darya hai aur doob ke jaana hai
This wellknown couplet somehow sums up the need for love in one’s life. Companionship has been the perennial desire for man. But one needs to welcome joys and sorrows alike, which come as a package deal. Defining love is a task which perhaps no one has been able to accomplish since time immemorial. But yes, the feeling is sublime and like they say - you need to be in it - to feel it....
After being the resident Love Guru on Radio city for the past five years, I am carrying forward my persona on the silver screen.
I am playing myself in the movie Dil Kabbadi where the four main characters confide in Love Guru on radio. I am playing the role of an agony uncle, who is very chilled out and humorous, in the film. It was more or less the same experience for me as I am doing what I do every day in the radio studio....
We attend forum after forum and at the end of it realize that most of them were ‘ho- hums’ not forums. This is a checklist to classify the same before you attend one and then spare yourself the agony of another HO-HUM. Would request all organizers of these forums to take this in humorous spirit … after all you could use this as a checklist to ensure which side of the fence you are on …
1. If you are going to meet the same people the year before and it’s likely that they will be wearing the same clothes then it’s a ho-hum not a forum....
Hello FM's recently appointed cluster head for RoT (Rest of Tamil Nadu) V Balaji might just be an ideal icon for youngsters wanting to make it big in the radio world.
From an RJ, the young radio professional has been chosen to head a clutch of radio stations. Balaji will be responsible for monitoring of talent and content across the six stations. ...
Sridhar Hariharan Padmanabh or more popularly, H.Sridhar, to the people who would look for his credit either on a CD cover or in the credits of an Indian feature film, was a mathematics graduate whose love for music finally drove him into an area, where he will be remembered as a pioneer of sorts. Like Mangesh Desai and Daman Sood. My association with him was also through the credits as well, especially of albums by the talented AR Rahman. Not only the music but also the sound of Roja had made everyone sit up and take notice. I recall hearing an interview of Sridhar’s’ where he mentions...
In the 19th century, when the likes of Tesla and Marconi, discovered and invented radio waves and radio, they surely must have foreseen a generation where communication was available to every second man on the road. But did they foresee a generation which makes friends, solves problems, laughs, cries and worries over a bunch of waves? I guess not. But what they did foresee was that communication now didn’t need too many garbled wires or shipping and cargos. It was just waves making waves. Ok that sounded cliché! ...
MUMBAI: The year: 1996. Thousands of fans have formed serpentine queues running into miles outside the venue where Michael Jackson is supposed to perform in Mumbai. Kids are screaming, begging to be allowed in but, security is high and only the lucky few who have got tickets are allowed in. The concert at the Andheri Sports Complex was put together by Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's nephew Raj Thackeray and his Shiv Udyog Sena....
“A Josh filled morning at Big 92.7 FM as the breakfast show jock is nothing like a typical boring office job. Its completely action packed which requires you to be constantly on your creative toes. Presenting an innovative and entertaining point of view on relevant topics to your listeners each time takes a lot of R&D, constant connect and key insight into the listeners’ lives. Radio being a very dynamic medium giving out information and news by the second required knowing your listener requirements by the minute and positively impacting their lives each day....
Meeting with a King, I’d assumed, would have a tiresome prelude. There’d be ministers to please and courtesans to put at ease. There’d be plotting vazirs and doting maharanis. Not quite right with his lordship, SRK. Ok, maybe there were two or three hyper P.R chics, a handful of cautious security guards and two sweet, snoozing dogs who seemed to say ‘the king can take care of himself.’ That of course because the king was expecting moi? I dont dare to assume I’d get into the hallowed walls of Mannat or his office building so easily on a regular day....
I am writing this blog post my successful completion of 168 hours of being on-air continuously which has got me a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
At present, I feel all happy and excited to have set a new world record, but getting here was not an easy journey, it involved lots of preparation from my side and lots of help from my colleagues. Here's a brief description of how I went about it....
Someone had an idea. A brain child. He fathered it and nurtured it passionately. And every time the child crossed a milestone, he shouted out from the rooftops. The government thankfully did not interfere or better did not even have an inkling of how to control it with their typical short sighted approach. Suddenly before our very eyes, we see the IPL brand valuation doubling to USD 4 billion dollars, a single team being bid at USD 370 million and a ten year license seems like a lot of time. Everyone who is involved with it and may I add, involved intensely, is benefiting financially. In on...
I am writing this blog post my successful completion of 168 hours of being on-air continuously which has got me a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
At present, I feel all happy and excited to have set a new world record, but getting here was not an easy journey, it involved lots of preparation from my side and lots of help from my colleagues. Here's a brief description of how I went about it....
After being the resident Love Guru on Radio city for the past five years, I am carrying forward my persona on the silver screen.
I am playing myself in the movie Dil Kabbadi where the four main characters confide in Love Guru on radio. I am playing the role of an agony uncle, who is very chilled out and humorous, in the film. It was more or less the same experience for me as I am doing what I do every day in the radio studio....
The third phase of financial bidding for FM stations is around the corner and the players are all geared to bag the few metro stations and a clutch of virgin markets whose frequencies will be thrown open.
There is one big question which is preying on my mind, however. Where are the listeners? The advertising pie is shrinking between the players and listeners too. If you have noticed recently, many players have shifted their TG focus...earlier, most stations were capturing a young TG between 15-25, now it has been changed to 25-35 + above, for a simple reason....
How often have you heard someone say, ‘radio programming is a black art’? The trial and error method of putting radio stations together seems to be the norm in the industry today. Within the span of a few months, a format station changes to a day-parted one, a contemporary station starts ‘block’ retro programming, a high-energy young station turns laid back; everybody’s busy second guessing the other....
I was amazed and thrilled when I used my new Sony Car Audio for the very first time.
It was like any normal car audio system. The only USP was its USB Port. That means I have the liberty to play my favourite music - that too non stop and without touching the system. s turning folks into Non Radio Listeners. An...
Sridhar Hariharan Padmanabh or more popularly, H.Sridhar, to the people who would look for his credit either on a CD cover or in the credits of an Indian feature film, was a mathematics graduate whose love for music finally drove him into an area, where he will be remembered as a pioneer of sorts. Like Mangesh Desai and Daman Sood. My association with him was also through the credits as well, especially of albums by the talented AR Rahman. Not only the music but also the sound of Roja had made everyone sit up and take notice. I recall hearing an interview of Sridhar’s’ where he mentions...
This period of the year is known among music lovers as concert season in India. And it's not just music lovers, but also visiting musicians from the west who are currently playing at various venues in Mumbai and other metropolitan cities, who come to watch and get inspired.
At the recent ShivHari concert in Mumbai, well-known drummer Sangoma Everett was seen in the audience - his band is curently on an India tour and they have recently performed at the Blue Frog....
“A Josh filled morning at Big 92.7 FM as the breakfast show jock is nothing like a typical boring office job. Its completely action packed which requires you to be constantly on your creative toes. Presenting an innovative and entertaining point of view on relevant topics to your listeners each time takes a lot of R&D, constant connect and key insight into the listeners’ lives. Radio being a very dynamic medium giving out information and news by the second required knowing your listener requirements by the minute and positively impacting their lives each day....
I can't believe it's been five years already. I know it's not like 50 or 60, but even five years seems quite a lot when you're 28. I have to say this about it though - it’s been quite a ride! I've had a great time doing something I truly truly love - sharing my love for music.who wanted to know more about good m...
Gadda da Vida is the lounge bar at the recently opened Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach. Designed to carry a feel of the psychedelia of the 1960’s, Gadda da Vida takes its name from Details...
Someone had an idea. A brain child. He fathered it and nurtured it passionately. And every time the child crossed a milestone, he shouted out from the rooftops. The government thankfully did not interfere or better did not even have an inkling of how to control it with their typical short sighted approach. Suddenly before our very eyes, we see the IPL brand valuation doubling to USD 4 billion dollars, a single team being bid at USD 370 million and a ten year license seems like a lot of time. Everyone who is involved with it and may I add, involved intensely, is benefiting financially. In on...
Comments: 10 | |
I am writing this blog post my successful completion of 168 hours of being on-air continuously which has got me a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
At present, I feel all happy and excited to have set a new world record, but getting here was not an easy journey, it involved lots of preparation from my side and lots of help from my colleagues. Here's a brief description of how I went about it....
Comments: 7 | |
After being the resident Love Guru on Radio city for the past five years, I am carrying forward my persona on the silver screen.
I am playing myself in the movie Dil Kabbadi where the four main characters confide in Love Guru on radio. I am playing the role of an agony uncle, who is very chilled out and humorous, in the film. It was more or less the same experience for me as I am doing what I do every day in the radio studio....
Comments: 7 | |
The third phase of financial bidding for FM stations is around the corner and the players are all geared to bag the few metro stations and a clutch of virgin markets whose frequencies will be thrown open.
There is one big question which is preying on my mind, however. Where are the listeners? The advertising pie is shrinking between the players and listeners too. If you have noticed recently, many players have shifted their TG focus...earlier, most stations were capturing a young TG between 15-25, now it has been changed to 25-35 + above, for a simple reason....
Comments: 2 | |
How often have you heard someone say, ‘radio programming is a black art’? The trial and error method of putting radio stations together seems to be the norm in the industry today. Within the span of a few months, a format station changes to a day-parted one, a contemporary station starts ‘block’ retro programming, a high-energy young station turns laid back; everybody’s busy second guessing the other....
Comments: 2 | |
I was amazed and thrilled when I used my new Sony Car Audio for the very first time.
It was like any normal car audio system. The only USP was its USB Port. That means I have the liberty to play my favourite music - that too non stop and without touching the system. s turning folks into Non Radio Listeners. An...
Comments: 2 | |
Sridhar Hariharan Padmanabh or more popularly, H.Sridhar, to the people who would look for his credit either on a CD cover or in the credits of an Indian feature film, was a mathematics graduate whose love for music finally drove him into an area, where he will be remembered as a pioneer of sorts. Like Mangesh Desai and Daman Sood. My association with him was also through the credits as well, especially of albums by the talented AR Rahman. Not only the music but also the sound of Roja had made everyone sit up and take notice. I recall hearing an interview of Sridhar’s’ where he mentions...
Comments: 1 | |
This period of the year is known among music lovers as concert season in India. And it's not just music lovers, but also visiting musicians from the west who are currently playing at various venues in Mumbai and other metropolitan cities, who come to watch and get inspired.
At the recent ShivHari concert in Mumbai, well-known drummer Sangoma Everett was seen in the audience - his band is curently on an India tour and they have recently performed at the Blue Frog....
Comments: 1 | |
“A Josh filled morning at Big 92.7 FM as the breakfast show jock is nothing like a typical boring office job. Its completely action packed which requires you to be constantly on your creative toes. Presenting an innovative and entertaining point of view on relevant topics to your listeners each time takes a lot of R&D, constant connect and key insight into the listeners’ lives. Radio being a very dynamic medium giving out information and news by the second required knowing your listener requirements by the minute and positively impacting their lives each day....
Comments: 1 | |
I can't believe it's been five years already. I know it's not like 50 or 60, but even five years seems quite a lot when you're 28. I have to say this about it though - it’s been quite a ride! I've had a great time doing something I truly truly love - sharing my love for music.who wanted to know more about good m...
Comments: 1 | |