Radio One has changed its positioning from a niche to a mass station. With help from BBC which picked up a 20 per cent stake in the venture, the focus now is to have a presence in seven big markets - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Pune and Ahmedabad.
Introducing the 'masti fatafaat recipe,' Radio One has introduced a 20-20 format with the promise of quick masti delivered through 20 minutes of infotainment.
In an interview with Indiantelevision.com's Nasrin Sultana, Radio One VP programming and brand Vishnu Athreya elucidates that this is not a mere 'winning the number' strategy but would provide differentiation from rival stations.
Excerpts:
Why did Radio One shift its position from being a niche to a mass station? |
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What does Radio One stand for now? |
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How has BBC helped in evolving a strategy for Radio One? |
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What has BBC's contribution been in terms of content? |
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Could you tell us more about how you arrived at your current format? |
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Why is it that all the FM stations are suddenly hooking on to the fun element? |
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Do you think listeners tune in to a particular station because that station provides him a particular format? |
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Has BBC's participation made a difference to Radio One in terms of listenership and ad revenues? |
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Could you elaborate on your popular shows BPO Nites and Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki?
Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki was initially launched to meet the need of estate-agents. Now our contracts with the agents, who were sponsoring the show, are running out. But we will continue with the show. It is unique in that it talks about the current real estate scenario in Delhi. Real-estate agents give tips on when to invest and when to sell property. |
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Do you think that the music industry is charging too high for the content? |
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Almost all the FM stations are positioned as CHR (contemporary-hits-station). Do you think this boosts up the sales of music industry and music gadgets like ipod?
FM stations have made youth develop a liking for Indian music. Earlier the college goers and music lovers would always go back to the western music. Now FM stations provide an option. Music lovers are contended with Bollywood music. Why go to Britney or Jlo when they get a better option? FM stations should be credited for popularising Bollywood music in India. |
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Do you agree that the programming in all the radio stations is cluttered? |
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The current ILT (Indian listenership track) report by MRUC says that the listenership growth has stagnated. What do you think of this? I am aware that the growth is not so high. Please consider that this is a completely new industry in India. We are just five-six years old. Some of us are much younger than that. We will need some time to grow and mature. You can't compare it with the robust TV or the film industry in terms of consumers.
If you go through the ILT report and compare the last two waves, you will notice that Radio One has gained listeners as compared to other stations. We have lost a good amount of listeners when we had to shift our frequency to 94.3 FM. Now we are gaining as the ILT data shows. |
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When are you launching your three remaining stations? We will soon launch in Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Pune to complete our network of seven stations. |