Red FM Nisha Narayanan: "There is a need to play more Hindi music in Bengaluru"
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Recently, Red FM Bengaluru transformed into Hindi radio station along with a set of revised programs. In a conversation with Radioandmusic.com team, Red FM senior VP - projects & programming Nisha Narayanan, addressed few issues surrounding the radio industry and the much-awaited FM Phase III along with what’s new in 24X7 Hindi Red FM of Bengaluru.
Excerpts:
Red FM has turned to Hindi in Bengaluru, why this change? What was the idea behind the transformation?
As a network, we have always believed in playing Superhits. All our programming decisions are based on research that we undertake at regular intervals, whether it be the Digital Music Test, or others. Bengaluru has a sizeable population of listeners who want Hindi music and our recent research indicated a similar movement in the music preferences amongst the listeners of Bengaluru. It indicated an increasing preference towards Hindi music amongst our target listeners. After much deliberation, we decided to change our format and have now become a ‘Super hits Hindi Station’.
Is it the first time that Red FM has announced such a transformation in Bengaluru station?
Yes, this is the first time that we have made such a big transformation in Bengaluru. We have an entire new line-up of RJs (Radio Jockey) from morning till night and our station has become 24/7 Hindi super-hit music station underlined with a promise of Bajaate Raho. The content will be localized to meet the needs of the cosmopolitan Bengaluru audience.
Elaborate on the researches that were done before the transformation?
We regularly undertake research to fine tune our music playout on our stations across the network. There are Digital Music Testing sessions which we do across our key stations to test the kind of music listeners want. Bengaluru has emerged as a strong market where listeners want Hindi music. The numbers may presently be considerably smaller against Kannada seeking audience, but it is growing pretty steadily. Apart from this we also undertake qualitative research from time to time to understand the lifestyle and media consumption patterns of our audiences.
Any revamp on content line-up and programming?
The station has been re-positioned and we have revamped the content and the entire RJ line-up. The morning show is now hosted by Disha Oberoi. She does the 7-11am followed by Julius who does 11-3pm and 3-5pm is Rigin. The evening drive is a dual-jock show hosted by Nishant and Raaj on the 5-9 pm slot, followed by Niladari who does 9 -12 pm. Red FM has believed in taking many new talents, grooming them and put them on-air. We have done the same with the new line-up. The delivery of content will be in signature Red FM’s ‘Bajaate Raho’ style.
Is it somewhere walking on the lines with fellow competitors like Radio One, who is completely Hindi play in Bengaluru?
The Bengaluru market’s demand for Hindi music is increasing and change in format is a natural progression for a brand like us. It will be incorrect to say that Red FM is walking on the lines of fellow competitors. Infact even being a Hindi station we will be very different from our competition because of the kind of music we play and the tonality of our content. We will stand out from the competition through the super-hit music we will play and our ‘Bajaate Raho’ positioning.
Will it be a 100 per cent Hindi play station, or will it also include Kannada and English?
It will be a 100 per cent Hindi station as far as music is concerned. The RJ talk will be a mix of Hindi and English. Content will be local and topical in nature, delivered in Hindi/English jock talk.
Earlier this month, major FM broadcasters in Bengaluru were served notices from the Karnataka Audio and Video Owners Association and Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce for not promoting local language content. Now that Red FM has turned Hindi, it might face music from the organizations. Comment.
The Kannada film industry has always supported us as a station, and we have always supported the Kannada music industry too. We might not be play Kannada music anymore, but our content will be local and topical, reflecting the tastes and preferences of the city. As far as the notices are concerned, we will address situations as and when they come. For now, we are happy being ‘Bengaluru’s only 24X7 super-hit hindi radio station’.
What was the kind of response the revamped station received?
We got a fantastic response so far. We have been listing our music for the past few weeks and finally we went live with our new RJs and the response we received is very encouraging. I am very upbeat about the change and the product is sounding brilliant. I am confident that we will also be a leader player amongst the Hindi players in Bengaluru in the times to come.
With the recent debacle of the 2G spectrum auction do you feel it will somewhere have a ripple effect on the upcoming FM Phase III auctions?
I don’t really want to comment on it. We are hopeful that it is in our favour. It is a new team, a new ministry. We will wait and watch what kind of thought they want to take on the entire issue.
As a broadcaster, do you feel the high reserve fee will affect the auction as most of the broadcasters don’t want to pay as much?
It definitely would and I have been the supporter of not having an e-auction. You look at it internationally, it’s not an auction. People are allotted licenses based on the kind of product they have launched, which will ensure variety of content for the listeners as well. Unfortunately, phase III will have auction process and while we need to go ahead with the same, it would be difficult for small players to sustain. Even the large players would suffer. I would not say the large players are making huge profits, or have a huge turnover. I think to make the radio industry more enabling, the entire phase III policy - the license fee, the license period and the royalty; the three main issues holding back the growth of the radio industry need to be reviewed. Otherwise, it’s not a sustainable business. We do not know where are we heading three years down the line and after ten years once the license gets over, what kind of migration fee would be there? Things are not clear from the ministry. But, we hope there is some clarity that will come to us with a new team in the ministry.
Is there a lack of enthusiasm amongst the radio broadcasters to bid for spectrum in markets not included in 2008 auctions?
Cities which were not included in the 2008 auctions will have broadcasters showing enthusiasm, provided that the key issues of royalty, high license fee, license period and reduction of frequency gap is addressed. In the present scenario, it’s tough for a larger network to sustain leave alone the regional players. If the issues are addressed in Phase III and cities which do not have private FM players are opened up with limited licenses, chances are that broadcasters will show enthusiasm to bid as they will see prospects of breaking-even or even making profits. At the end, all stations want to be profitable, and if the preposition of the new station launch is financially viable it will surely induce excitement amongst the bidders.
What do you feel should be the next step of action to make the auction process smoothly?
As long as the license period for the existing players, royalty issue, license fee for phase III and reduction of the frequency gap; the main issues we have been struggling with are addressed with utmost priority; things would be smoother. We don’t know which way to head. So what is the final outcome? Until, we do not have things clear, we don’t know about the way forward.
Overall how has 2012 been for Red FM in terms of turnover and growth?
2012 has been an extremely exciting year for Red FM. We re-launched our stations in Kolkata and Bangalore and explored some new genres on radio. For example, the crime genre based campaigns have been extremely well received in Delhi and Mumbai. We have also rolled out network campaigns across smaller markets like ‘Thappa’ and ‘Champion Battisi’ to strengthen and give consistency to the brand. Red FM continued to dominate in winning awards at various prestigious forums-the India Radio Forum, New York Festival and the International Radio Festival to make it the most awarded radio network with 92 awards so far. We have also ventured into new verticals under the brand ‘Red’ umbrella- ‘Red Live’ and ‘Red Mobile’. Red Live will organize large format live concerts with contemporary artists and Red Mobile will make content of Red FM available to consumers on the mobile medium. In short, 2012 has been a challenging year for the entire industry and we have pushed the boundaries by exploring new and more innovative ways of doing stuff which strengthens the brand and also gives opportunities for generating additional revenues.
FM phase III will commence by March. What kind of growth and expansion are you looking at?
We are all very optimistic about the phase III, but I am sure that it will all finally depend on the policy that is being put in front of us.
Any upcoming campaign or shows?
We have lots planned up for 2013, will share the details as we go along.