MUMBAI: The annual India Radio Forum Conference (IRF) and Excellence in Radio Awards (ERA) 2017, celebrates brilliance in the radio industry along with honouring the most outstanding works in programming, on-air personalities, marketing, promotions and creativity within its field.

The 12th edition is being held in a beautiful setting of the Qutb Minar at QLA The Kila on 19 May in New Delhi. The Conference and Awards ceremony will be attended by prominent agencies, clients and Radio industry members in the circuit.

The ERA Awards is a benchmark of quality work and efforts of the professionals of the radio industry, celebrating outstanding innovation and creation of content. Adding to their comprehensive list of categories for their coveted awards, IRF has introduced the following new category: Best of FM Network. Points that have been awarded to the winning and runner-up entries for Programming, Talent, Promotion and Marketing categories will determine the winner.

Commenting on the addition of the new category, India Radio Forum Special Projects Director, said, Rajika Mittra “This is the first year that the ‘Best FM Network,’ has been added under the Promotion and Marketing band. IRF will see a fantastic line-up of sessions covering a gamut of topics right from driving social change to winning the audiences. With industry leaders at the helm of these engaging sessions, it will be enriching and informative for the audiences. We are always looking at ways of empowering people through the medium and bringing communities together”.

Among the noted speakers of the evening, Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd, Chief Operating Officer, Ashwin Padmanaban expressed his opinion on the presence of radio, “We have seen the successful expansion of the radio industry over the last few years. Private FM has penetrated to rural, remote villages and towns and is successfully serving as the only free medium for entertainment. Over the years, radio has driven social change and wireless entertainment with the advent of private FM reaching different markets in the country. Recognition to industry leaders from platforms such as IRF, sets the benchmark of quality expected within the field.”

Manish Bhatt of Scarecrow Communications who has won many accolades says, “Radio is the only medium which empowers audience imagination”.

Well known international speaker, Director of Paul Weyland Communications, Paul Weyland says, “I am looking forward to sharing my talk, ‘To Sell The Truth’ at the India Radio Forum 2017. In this session, I will be happy to show how to bring the best never-heard before ideas on the table to positively impact local decision makers. I will also give a formula to set up better budget requests that will have your clients nodding in consent.”

Apart from Paul Weyland (Paul Weyland Communications) other speakers include Nisha Narayanan (93.5 Red FM), Ashwin Padmanabhan (Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd), Amit Gujral (LG Electronics), Hari Krishnan (CultureDrum), Nomit Joshi (Gionee India), Rajkumar Jha (Ogilvy & Mather Advertising) and Shipra Srivastava (OLX India).