The two channels run by AIR, FM Metro and
FM Gold have just been revamped, their programming reworked to fit
in with the sensibilities of a more demanding listenership. Although
both stations now sound curiously like the Mirchis and Citys that
crowd the Mumbai airwaves, programming heads at AIR Mumbai aver the
revamp, that came into effect on 5 January was done after extensive
in house research.
FM Metro, which runs on 107.1 MHz since 1991 and is the oldest FM
station in the city, had been running exclusively western music for
a major part of the day (4 pm to midnight). Officials realized late
last year that AIR FM listeners need music and no exclusively Hindi
or English comperes. The result is co-hosting of shows on both stations
for a major part of the day, with an interesting mix of Hindi and
English music. Competiton from private quarters has also forced AIR
to spruce up its radio jockeying. Its army of 53 RJs on FM Metro and
42 RJs on FM Gold has been given a free hand to innovate and experiment,
while a fresh batch of auditions for new RJs is to be undertaken next
month.
Programming heads of AIR FM have also brought in a clutch of new shows,
aimed at targeting different sections of the populace that clue into
radio. Also on the cards is a decision to introduce two minute Marathi
news snippets, in addition to the hourly news broadcast from New Delhi.
This is in addition to the hourly cricket updates that have been introduced
during the ongoing World Cup in South Africa. Incidentally, this is
the first time that programming, either on the 11 year old FM Metro
or the two year old FM Gold has been altered.
Kamal Hai Dhamal, a two hour daily live phone in show, featuring Mumbai
celebrities has been added to the kitty, as has a women's show that
has been renamed from Suhasini to Sakhi to bring in the additional
woman listener at 11.30 am. While the predominant AIR listener remains
the quintessential housewife, the channels have revamped the morning
line up to get the other TGs into its fold. At 7 am, there is a Good
Morning Bharat at 7 am which includes a sports, films and current
affairs update. A dial in People's Corner has been created in the
9.30 pm slot, which has sub sections on legal recourse, medical advice
and consumer guidance. The public broadcaster is also out to woo collegians
with its monthly edition of Antakshari, the musical game show, in
which local college students are invited to participate.
The new programming mix, says programme executive Sushma Heppalgaonkar,
is designed to cater to wider variety of listeners. In house research
shows that shopkeepers, beauty parlours, housewives and the traveling
public, who are regular AIR listeners, now want AIR to sport programmes
that can compete effectively with the private stations.
AIR Mumbai undertakes audience research on each of the FM stations
every three months, to understand changing audience tastes and to
restructure programming accordingly. While old music continues to
top the charts for AIR's FM channels, the two channels do not seem
to be dictated by the morning and evening peak hours that define listenership
on private stations in the city. One of the most popular shows on
FM Metro is the Geet Mala, which attracts 3.3 lakh listeners at midnight.
The top rated show, Golden Classics on FM Gold at 9.15 am, ropes in
20.5 lakh listeners, according to a study conducted by AIR in December
2002.
While the broadcaster does not rely on any outside agencies to quantify
listenership figures and audience preferences, its research shows
that FM Gold, transmitted over a 10 KW transmitter, attracts an average
of 4.5 million listeners, while FM Metro, which uses a five KW transmitter,
reaches nearly 2.2 million people in the city, says Dr L P Gandhi,
head of the audience research cell at AIR. A proposal to strengthen
the transmission of both FM stations using 20 KW transmitters is still
pending with the Prasar Bharati, say officials.
Advertising is slowly following on the heels of changed programming.
Retail advertising is catching on the two channels, says AIR Mumbai
deputy director Patanjali Maduskar. |
