[HCDX] Why Go FM became Radio One ? the power of mass appeal.

[sakthi vel <ardicdxclub@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Listen to the radio, and you will hear the songs you
know. For sales executive Rohit Shetty, this 2005
Robbie Williams song conjures up an all-too familiar
image of FM radio in India.  
  
?All the channels sound the same,? laments the avid
listener who has the radio crackling in the background
all the time.  
  
Shetty isn?t alone in that gripe ? ask almost anybody
who switches on the radio, whether in the car or at
home, and they?ll say that all channels play identical
music, based on the Bollywood Top 20. In Mumbai, at
least, there was one noticeable exception ? Go 92.5 FM
? which played Hindi and English music. But that?s
changed, too.  
  
In April 2006, Go caught its listeners off-guard when
it played nothing but Bollywood Hindi tracks through
the day. It wasn?t long before listeners, who were
waiting to hear the usual mix of English and Hindi
numbers, realised the music makeover wasn?t the only
change in the channel ? Go also changed its entire
identity, rechristening itself Radio One.  
  
Explains Radio One CEO Rajesh Tahil, ?It was necessary
for us to go a step further in Mumbai in order to be
in a position to compete in the national market.?  
  
Radio One now plans to expand its reach to six other
cities ? Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Delhi
and Pune. ?Going Hindi along with introducing a new
identity was only a part of the protocol process,?
adds Tahil.  
  
The journey of change from Go FM to Radio One doesn?t
stop there. In January, BBC Worldwide picked up a
stake in the Mid Day Multimedia private FM venture,
which ties in with the Mumbai-based organisation?s aim
to explore other markets.  
  
Explains Tahil, ?Go was trying to find a unique corner
for itself as a one-city player, but after acquiring
licences for seven cities it was time to play
aggressive so as to be at the centre of the market.?
That?s an ambitious target, but Shetty has a pertinent
question: if all FM channels play near-identical song
lists, how does one channel differentiate itself from
the pack?  
  
Make a note of this
?It?s a narrow view to consider only the language of
music as a factor for differentiation,? declares
Tahil.  
  
?We believe that brand position, on-air talent and
programming will be the finer points of
differentiation.? Radio One wants to make sure it?s
got those tracks covered, so the channel is turning to
new stakeholder BBC for guidance.  
  
Private FM channels are banned from broadcasting news,
but Radio One is hoping BBC expertise will improve its
presentation of sports events, entertainment and so
on. Local flavour and coverage ? the USP of FM radio ?
will be maintained, promise channel executives.  
  
?Although we have a common agenda for a cohesive
national brand, we are looking at unique programming
for each city, so that we can be an all-rounder
station,? says Tahil.  
  
Left unsaid is the channel?s desire to appeal to a
wider audience. Media watchers point out that Western
music continues to be popular only among upscale
listeners; the man on the road prefers Hindi music.
And unless a channel has mass appeal, it?s not going
to get mass (read: high revenue) advertising.  
  
Agrees Radio Mirchi Senior Vice President, marketing,
Kaushik Ghosh, ?It is natural that all stations will
target the masses. Niche channels will always be small
and command nominal revenues and cheap ad rates.?  
  
At present, ad spends on radio accounts for just about
2 per cent of the Rs 13,200 crore advertising pie
(Source: Adex, TAM). If that share is to increase,
radio will need to appeal to ever larger groups of
listeners. And at Rs 750 for 10 seconds, Radio One?s
ad rates are almost half that of Radio Mirchi, which
has been aiming for mass appeal right from inception. 

  
?Getting 10-15 per cent of advertising revenue remains
the most crucial challenge,? says Tahil. ?Bollywood
music is becoming more omnipresent and removing our
earlier language barrier gives us access to larger
audiences.?  
  
The sound of loyalty
Not just any audience, though. The bulk of advertising
on FM is aimed at the upper middle class segment ? the
section that tends to switch on the radio even before
the car leaves the parking bay. It follows, therefore,
that if an FM channel wants to attract that
advertising revenue to its airwaves, it needs to
ensure it?s got the listeners. And it?s not just Radio
One that?s thinking along these lines.  
  
Points out Radio Mirchi?s Ghosh, ?Music will continue
to be largely similar across stations because there is
only one big source of music ? films. But the
differentiation factor to attract a larger listener
base, which will create popularity and emerge as a
brand winner in terms of revenue, will be on how the
station sounds and builds a connect with the listeners
in a particular city.?  
  
So, how does a channel create a loyal listenership?
City-specific programming and promotions, energetic
radio jockeys who speak the language of the classes
and the masses, and celebrities seem to be the winning
combination. The importance of localised coverage was
highlighted during the floods in Mumbai last July.  
  
Where several television channels ended up showing
stock footage, FM radio came into its own. Area-wise
information on water-logging, traffic warnings and
listener call-ins with updates made most Mumbaikars
turn to their radio sets, rather than switch on the
telly.  
  
Of course, the prolonged power cuts and commuters
stranded in their cars probably also contributed to
people going radio ga-ga.  
  
On a lighter note, humour is also a powerful driver ?
urban listeners seem to be in need of a little light
relief, even if it is of the slapstick variety. On air
right now at Radio One is a spoof featuring Thakur and
Gabbar Singh, two popular characters from Sholay.  
  
Red FM, on the other hand, has created a character,
Angry Ganeshan, who vents his ire on current issues.
Then there are the shayari (Urdu poetry) programmes,
albeit with a twist in the tail.  
  
FM channels are also finding that big name guests and
shows hosted by celebrities are huge draws on the
airwaves. Which is probably why Radio City has signed
on popular playback singer Sonu Nigam as a radio
jockey for his own show, Life ki Dhun.  
  
?Listenership in radio is driven by content, which is
mass or broad based. But opportunities still exist to
create differentiation,? says Apurva Purohit, CEO,
Radio City.  
  
The name game
Roping in the page three crowd to speak into the
microphone isn?t enough, though. FM channel operators
are also realising the need to create their own brands
? for the stations, as well as the RJs.  
  
Many channels are promoting listener-RJ interaction.
Call-ins, text messages and song requests are hygiene
factors now, but face-to-face meetings with RJs and
contests and promotions are also becoming popular.  
  
Says Abraham Thomas, COO, Red FM, ?It is important to
realise that radio is not just music, but it is about
interactivity. This interaction can help build a loyal
listener market, thus in turn attracting a large
advertiser base.?  
  
For its part, Radio One is counting on a rub-off
effect from the BBC alliance. It?s already working on
co-producing shows dedicated to sports, fiction and
entertainment in association with its British partner.
 
  
?We are toying with the idea of Indianising some of
the BBC?s popular format shows, besides working at
both management and technology levels with the BBC,?
explains Tahil.  
  
Even as that happens, Radio One has been busy
plastering Mumbai with hoardings and advertisements on
bus shelters.  
  
Tahil says, ?If you have a clearly defined strategy
for the target audience and know well what it takes to
get them, you can win the battle of ever-evolving
audience and markets.?  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Source:http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?autono=98422&leftnm=6&subLeft=0&chkFlg=
+++++++++++++++++++++
Jaisakthivel,
Chennai
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