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| Media Pulse | |
| Happy days are here again for radio | |
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Is the humble radio back once again as the listener’s favourite? In recent years, the glamour of TV, bolstered by the numerous channels beamed via cable, had more or less sounded the death knell of the radio. With almost every household in the cities as well as smaller towns owning a TV set, even if only a black-and-white one, the charm of listening to the radio disappeared. After all, when one can get to see the stars running around trees in vivid colour along with the song, why should one tune in to radio? Even those who used to enjoy soothing music on the radio late in the evenings, were lured by the TV channels beamed round the clock. Visuals had robbed the attraction of listening to soothing music on the radio. But times are changing, and how! The major step was the launching of FM channels. A heady mix of music, information, news, sports and weather has helped to make FM popular with listeners. That one could listen to radio 24 hours was a big boon for people who spend long waking hours. The initial target listeners were those on the road. But surprisingly, a recent survey has revealed that a substantial number of FM listeners were at home. That was proof enough that the entertainment mix was bang on target. Now the major metros boast of more than one local radio channel with private parties competing with each other to provide better programme slots. Mumbai has more than three such channels, all beaming a rich variety of music and trying to carve a niche of their own. One reason for the glamour of TV slowly waning is the lack of variety. The Hindi serials, most of them tearjerkers, have become monotonous and very predictable. But for the sports and informative channels like Discovery and National Geographic, the viewers don’t have much in the form of variety entertainment. The popularity of FM channels can be gauged from the fact of listeners paging them every minute to send messages to their friends. The few popular programmes on TV include the game shows and star shows. As for popular music, whether of the filmi variety or classical or Indi-pop, the radio scores as one can let the songs sink in without any visual distraction. Switch on the FM and one will be amazed at the interactive quality of radio with listeners sending their song requests from remote corners of the country. Many of them are regulars who love to listen to their names being announced by the compere. This type of interaction is totally absent in TV as most of the channels have given up programmes with viewer reaction. It is as if the channels feel they have the right to decide what should be aired. It is little surprise, therefore, that many people nowadays prefer to switch off the TV and listen to FM, without being tied down to the sofa. The major advantage of radio is that there is no need to concentrate on the screen . One can listen while eating, reading or even bathing! |
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News Channels polishing up looks by Minita Kumar With information becoming the key word anywhere and everywhere, no wonder news channels have become extremely popular among all the different genres of channels. So much so, the marketing and packaging initiatives the never saw a future in news-based channels, are now increasingly being used in this genre. Remember the good old Doordarshan news or the totally black-and-white Times of India not a very long time ago? With competition on the rise by the day, the fact of the matter is that marketing and packaging has become extremely crucial. Which is why revamping TV channels has become the new mantra for marketers. And the news channel genre is not far behind, too, with Aaj Tak and Zee News both flaunting a new look. Aaj Tak changed its face from May 13. While all other channels treat graphics in a 2D format, Aaj Tak now treats graphics in the 3D format, which brings more clarity and attractiveness to the channel. The screen, too, has been refurbished to look more attractive as well as pack in more information. Says G. Krishnan, CEO, Aaj Tak: "Aaj Tak, in a short span of a year, has redefined the news genre and in order to maintain our edge over competition, it has been our constant endeavour to reinvent ourselves. We have looked at the best international practices and tried to incorporate in our channel all those which are suited to our philosophy and our TG. Apart from the changes you have already seen, you will notice many more improvements. "The logo, for example, is being changed from ‘24 Hrs’ to ‘Sab Se Tez’, to showcase our movement up the advertising value chain. It’s more than a line; it’s a philosophy, because the idea is to stay ahead of the rest. All this helps us differentiate ourselves vis-à-vis competition and with greater differentiation comes higher brand value and thereby higher channel share." Zee News, too, has seen some cosmetic changes in the recent past. Says Sanjay Pugalia, Executive Editor, Zee News: "Change has been an ongoing process at Zee News in the last one year. It’s been our constant endeavour to keep up with the changing times. From June 1, the channel has seen value addition in the form of animation and a new 8-minute capsule on cars called Wheelocity." The news channel genre has been redefined, with news channels constantly undergoing change in a bid to stay ahead of competition, and marketers leaving no stone unturned to attract more eyeballs. What will be interesting to note is how other key news channels react to go one up over competition. |
