MUMBAI: Entertainment Network (India) Ltd launched the first of its radio stations acquired under stage I of the phase III auctions at Kochi on Sunday.

The station has been launched on the 104 FM frequency under the Radio Mirchi brand name. The company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange on Monday that it has commenced broadcast from its radio station at Kochi (FM 104).

ENIL had invested over Rs 339 crore during the first stage of the phase III FM auctions and bagged 17 new channels across 16 cities. These include new cities like Chandigarh, Kochi, Kozhikode, Jammu, Srinagar, Guwahati and Shillong. It has also acquired an additional frequency in existing markets like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Kanpur, Lucknow, Jaipur, Nagpur and Surat. Mirchi is already operational in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala.

ENIL will now own 49 stations all over the country, up from its existing 32. This also includes the licences it bought for Amritsar, Patiala, Shimla and Jodhpur from Oye FM of the India Today Group.

ENIL becomes the second network to start launching the new stations under licenses acquired during stage I of the phase III auctions. HT Media, which runs the Fever brand, has already launched its second brand, Radio Nasha in Delhi and Mumbai and is readying for launch in other cities.

Stay tuned to this space for details.