Our content strategy is to be micro local: Abraham Thomas, CEO, Radio City 91.1 FM

Abraham Thomas, CEO of Radio City 91.1 FM talks about the side effects of various policy decisions during the first half of 2017 and the road ahead for the operator as well as the radio sector in India

e4m by Abhinna Shreshtha
Published: Aug 16, 2017 7:36 AM  | 5 min read


The radio industry, like many other sectors, faced the side effects of various policy decisions during the first half of 2017. However, the industry is now looking to shrug off these aberrations in the second half of the year. We caught up with Abraham Thomas, CEO of Radio City 91.1 FM, to understand the road ahead for the operator as well as the radio sector in India.



 

 

How was 2017 for Radio City?

 

The market was extremely strong in the first half. We launched 11 new stations in Phase III. There was also the integration of Radio Mantra into Radio City. Right now, we are present in 39 cities spread over 12 states. Post demonetization, there was a slowdown but we still managed to maintain our revenues. Now it’s all about consolidation and growing. The new markets, especially, have responded really well. All our markets already had competition in FM radio, so we were new entrants in these markets. In certain markets, some amount of disruption helps but the market is used to FM advertising, which helps. Phase III stations have done quite well. 

 

Has the slowdown continued into the first quarter of 2017?

 

Some categories have gone slow. For example, real estate has seen a slowdown because of RERA (Real Estate Regulation and Development Act). The bigger players are continuing to advertise though the smaller ones have stopped spending. They were still spending in April but in May-June, the sector has been down. Categories like Education, which are seasonal and typically spend in Q1, were down. Government, which is among the top 3 categories, was down for about a month but has started spending again now.

 

What is the content strategy for the new stations that have gone operational, since these are Tier II or Tier III cities?

 

We have a very clear music strategy, which is based on mood mapping of the listener in every city. We have found clear differences across all cities in terms of the time they begin and end listening and the kind of shows they like. We also abide by the maximum music promise so there is a minimum of 12–13 songs we play every hour irrespective of advertising. The other side is that we try to be as local and relevant as possible. We do a lot of research and the one point on which we win is the station that best reflects the city. We are very different in Jaipur to what we are in Mumbai or Bareilly. A lot of effort has gone into creating local connect. In fact, we look at creating ‘micro cities’ in the bigger cities. Micro local is the content strategy that we have built. 

 

In terms of advertising spends on radio, how do you expect the remaining half of 2017 to shape up?

 

We are pretty optimistic. We feel that advertising in the second half of the year will be much better. Whatever are the effects of demonetization and GST, they should even out by H2. We are optimistic about the festive season and the second half of the year.

 

How is GST impacting the radio sector? 

 

Right now, in some categories we are seeing spend before the prices go up while some others are still waiting for clarity. I think it will balance out. In the long term, GST will be good for us. I think it is the implementation that worries people. 

 

The three-year lock-in period under Phase III expires next year. How will this change the radio scenario in India?

 

Under Phase III, the majority share owner of a radio station cannot exit for three years, which expires next March. This opens a lot of opportunities for partnerships, mergers and alliances. This will be an interesting play.

 

Do you expect to see a lot of consolidation in the market pose March 2018?

 

There will be some but not a lot. There are a lot of players that feel the need to be part of a bigger network. Advertising is still skewed 60: 40 in favour of national advertisers. So, the bigger networks have the advantage of being able to pull in the national spenders. The smaller networks have an advantage when it comes to local advertisers. Therefore, I am sure there will be a lot of alliances, partnerships, etc. that will take place. 

 

The private FM sector is in the process of setting up a new measurement system. How important is that?

 

It is something that is long overdue. If you want to grow and expand the pie, then you have to be relevant and ensure that the advertisers know where they are spending. Though we all got together and did the first cut of measurement 12 years ago when we set up RAM, we have not really gone beyond that. Now, everyone realizes the need for a more robust measurement and technology, which also helps. Measurement is always about cost versus accuracy; the more accuracy one wants, more expensive the system will be. This cost is not borne by advertisers but by the broadcasters. Today, we have the 100% accurate, electronic measurement available and we have the mobile and manual diaries. We feel a combination of them is probably the answer because we might not be able to afford continuous measurement. Maybe we could have suites every quarter or twice a year. The smaller markets could have suites and the larger markets could have continuous measurement. 

 

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TRAI releases Consultation Paper on reserve price for auction of FM radio channels

The regulatory body has asked for written comments on the consultation paper from the stakeholders by November 6

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Oct 17, 2019 1:19 PM  | 1 min read
TRAI

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released a Consultation Paper on "Reserve Price for auction of FM Radio channels".

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) sent a reference dated August 22, seeking recommendations of TRAI on reserve prices for 283 cities (260 new + 23 existing) under FM Phase-Ill Policy.

Accordingly, this Consultation Paper has been prepared to seek the comments and views of the stakeholders on issues related to estimation of the reserve prices for auction of FM Radio channels.

As part of the consultative process, the Consultation Paper has been uploaded on the TRAI website.

The regulatory body has asked for written comments on the consultation paper from the stakeholders by November 6. Counter-comments, if any, may be submitted by November 13, the paper said.

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Radio Mango Nerolac ‘Pulikkali’ celebrates the essence of Onam

Radio Mango in association with Nerolac Healthy Home Paints flags off an Onam folklore-themed roadshow in Kerala

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Sep 13, 2019 6:44 PM  | 1 min read
Radio

Radio Mango in association with Nerolac Healthy Home Paints launched ‘Pulikkali’, an Onam folklore-themed state-wide roadshow that resonates with the ideology of unity among all people, regardless of their caste, colour or religion.

The road show brings to life the most vibrant and eye-catching ritual of Onam, the Pulikkali (Tiger Dance). The campaign also fondly recalls the popular Onam folk song ‘Maveli Naadu Vaneedum Kaalam, Manushar Ellaarum Onnu Poley.’

It is designed around the ancient folklore of the golden reign of King Mahabali when there was no discrimination on the basis of caste or class and there was neither crime, nor corruption.

The dynamic crew of entertainers, dressed as Pulis (Tigers) accompanied by Chenda Melam (traditional percussion) artists will travel across Kerala for 15 days as part of the campaign to emphasise the fact that no matter what, we all are one and whatever the colour, we must unite to make this Onam colourful.

The flag off to the ‘Pulikkali’ roadshow was conducted in Kochi by Malayalam actor Saiju Kurup in the presence of Ravindran Nair, Programme Director, Radio Mango, and Rajesh C., Kerala Regional Sales Manager, Nerolac Healthy Home Paints, at Malayala Manorama’s Panampilly Nagar office.

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PM Modi lauds Fever FM’s #PlasticSeBreakUp initiative

In a tweet, the Prime Minister congratulated Fever FM for its innovative campaign to ensure reduced usage of single-use plastic

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Sep 13, 2019 5:46 PM  | 2 min read
Fever FM

As part of the Fever Voice of Change CSR initiative, Fever FM launched the ‘#PlasticSeBreakUp’ campaign to make India free from single-use plastic.

Drawing inspiration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message this Independence Day, the initiative urges all shopkeepers to do away with single use plastic bags.

PM Modi too tweeted in support of Fever FM’s Bharat Positive initiative. He said ‘I congratulate Fever FM for their innovative campaign to ensure reduced usage of single use plastic. I urge shopkeepers to take part in this campaign with vigour. Such efforts will add valuable momentum to the Swachh Bharat Mission.’

Talking about the initiative, Harshad Jain, CEO – Radio and Entertainment, HT Media Ltd and Next Mediaworks Ltd., said, “We are extremely grateful to our honourable Prime Minister for his encouragement and appreciation of our latest Bharat Positive campaign, and assure him of our unending support. This encouragement gives us motivation to continue our work with greater zeal to bring about a positive change in the country. We are committed, with our latest campaign against single use plastic, to drive the citizens towards a plastic free India. Bharat Positive is a Fever Voice of Change (FVOC) initiative, the biggest CSR in the history or radio.”

Gautam Gambhir, cricketer, MP and face of Bharat Positive initiative, said, “Credit to team Fever and the listeners of the radio station. PM sir noticing the campaign is no mean feat, it just gives a shot in the arm. Of course when Mr Modi talks, the world listens. There’s substance in his thoughts and him putting the weight behind ‘Plastic Se Breakup’ campaign will only galvanise the whole movement. The fact that his following cuts across age groups is another huge plus. Through PM’s support, the youth, the mid-aged and the elderly, everyone will know about this campaign.”

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RED FM's ‘Pride Ki Side’ campaign highlights LGBTQIA + issues

To celebrate the first anniversary of repealing of Section 377, the initiative will provide a platform to share stories and highlight challenges faced by the community

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Sep 9, 2019 7:03 PM  | 2 min read
Red FM

93.5 RED FM has launched a brand-new initiative – ‘Pride Ki Side’ to celebrate the first anniversary of repealing of Section 377. The initiative will provide a platform to share stories and highlight the various challenges faced by LGBTQIA+. The concept of this campaign majorly aims at educating the masses about the pride community.

RED FM has joined hands with Naz Foundation and Breaking Barriers – a project by students of Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar, Delhi, to sensitise the society at the grass root level.

RED FM is targeting the children at a young age so that they become compassionate and kinder towards LGBTQIA+ children.

To support this belief, various workshops are being conducted in schools to provide a safe and respectful learning environment for everyone. Trained and certified counsellors accompanied by RED FM’s team and RJs are conducting the workshops.

Speaking about this campaign, Nisha Narayanan, COO and Director, RED FM and Magic FM, said, “Looking at the status of LGBTQIA+ community in India, it is high-time we start educating the people about them. Everyone should have the right to openly appreciate and practice who they are and love who they want. At RED FM, we believe in supporting this movement through our humble initiative ‘Pride Ki Side’. We want to raise awareness in the public about the challenges faced by them. We hope more people will come forward, share stories and help empower each other. Our vision is to create an inclusive environment and encourage our audience to adopt a progressive and compassionate outlook towards the LGBTQIA+ community.”

Commenting on the association, Anjali Gopalan, Founder and Executive Director, The Naz Foundation Trust said, “I am so happy that RED FM has taken this step to highlight LGBTQIA + issues. The Naz Foundation (India) Trust is proud to be part of this journey.”

To ensure maximum outreach, RED FM has also introduced a daily special morning show on their radio channel with a counsellor. This engaging and interactive format of the show will address queries and problems of the community who face bullying, hatred and discrimination at institutes or workplace.

Besides this, RED FM has also invited a well-known LGBTQIA+ influencer at their studio who will share stories of courage in dealing with cyber trolls, verbal harassment, and how they moved-ahead and dealt with such situations.

The campaign, which began September 4, runs till September 13.

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Dia Mirza supports BIG FM’s green Ganesha initiative

To spread awareness about using eco-friendly Ganesha idols, BIG FM held a two-week-long contest and 15 winners were felicitated with a Tree Ganesha by Mirza

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 30, 2019 7:06 PM  | 3 min read
Diya Mirza

For the 12 th year in a row, BIG FM has brought to light the importance of celebrating festivities in an eco-friendly way through Ramky’s BIG Green Ganesha.

The initiative promotes the use of eco-friendly Ganesha idols and its celebration with minimum environmental damage. RJ Rani, the face of Ramky’s BIG Green Ganesha initiative, hosted the event, which was graced by actress Dia Mirza, Sujiv Nair from Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd and Ram Kharpuriya, Director - Greenland Farms.

15 lucky contest-winning listeners were felicitated with a Tree Ganesha by Mirza, at the BIG FM office.

To spread awareness about using eco-friendly Ganesh idols, a two-week-long contest was held and it resulted in widespread response from listeners across Mumbai. BIG FM Mumbai associated with Tree Ganesha as they create eco-friendly idols which are made of natural soil and also melts completely after immersion in water bodies as compared to non-biodegradable options that create pollution.

Commenting on the initiative, a BIG FM spokesperson stated, “BIG FM has always tried to bring about a positive change in society. BIG Green Ganesha has been our on-going initiative for the past twelve years which is amplified through on-air and digital channels. We at BIG FM believe in ‘Change starts with you’ and through this campaign tried to raise awareness on the environment pollution created with non-biodegradable idols. The campaign has been very successful till date and we are happy and proud that we as a medium can offer our listeners entertainment with purpose.”

Nair, Chief Human Resources Officer of Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd, commented, “The Green Ganesha initiative is our contribution to the environment. Being in the space where we closely experience the hazards that affect the environment, we are trying to make Green Ganesha an awareness campaign and save the environment from the use of harmful products. Through this we urge the people to acknowledge an environment-friendly celebration by adopting the use of eco-friendly products.”

Mirza added, “I am very happy to be here. Moreover, I am extremely grateful to BIG FM for this campaign that has been raising awareness over the last 12 years. For the past few years, I have been associating with beach clean ups post the Ganpati Visarjan and it’s very disheartening to see the remains of the idols washed back ashore. Three years ago, Dattadri (Kothur of Tree Ganesha) and I made one of these tree Ganeshas together and it was a beautiful feeling. The happiness you feel while doing something for the better good just elates you to a whole new level. I urge more people to opt for eco friendlier methods, for not just their Ganpati celebrations, but in their day-to-day activities as well.”

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Radio Adex: Ad volume sees 8% decrease in indexed growth in Q2 2019

Paytm.com continues to be the top brand to advertise in the services sector in the first half of both 2018 and 2019

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 21, 2019 8:31 AM  | 2 min read
Ad ex Radio

The recent Radio Adex report for ad volumes in the medium for the first and second quarter of 2019 shows 8 per cent decrease in indexed growth.

In the first quarter (Jan-March), the service sector had 31 per cent share which came down to 26 per cent in the second quarter (April-June). The retail sector saw increased share in the second quarter. From 8 per cent in the first quarter, the ad volumes from the retail sector increased to 11 per cent. This was the time when IPL, General Elections and World Cup were ruling the roost.

Interestingly, Banking/Finance/Investment sector which was one of the top advertising categories in the first quarter with 12 per cent share, doesn’t find a place in the top five super categories in the second quarter. Education makes an entry in the top five list for Q2 with 10 per cent share. Auto jumped from 8 per cent to 10 per cent, while food beverages declined from 10 per cent to 9 per cent.

If we consider the ad volume in Radio for the first half of 2019 vs the first half of 2018, the indexed growth saw a decline by 9 per cent. Services continue to take the maximum share. In 2018, it was 30 per cent share while in 2019, it is 29 per cent share. Retail, Food & Beverages, Banking, Finance and Investment saw similar shares this year as was in 2018. Auto moved from 8 per cent in 2018 to 9 per cent this year.

Paytm.com continues to be the top brand to advertise in the services sector in the first half of both 2018 and 2019. Google Pay takes the next spot this year as compared to Amazon.in in 2018. Google, Cars24, Yahoo Cricket were the other brands which were a part of the top 5 brands in the first half of 2018. This year, Cars24 remained constant while there has been an addition of Hotstar and Phonepe in the list.

In the retail sector, except for Home Centre (Koz), all the brands that advertised on Radio in the first half of 2018 are missing from the top 5 brands list of 2019. While last year there were Great Eastern Trading, Central (Pantaloons), Max Retail, and South India Shopping Mall, in 2019, they are replaced by Alishan, Reliance Trends, The Chennai Silks and Lifestyle. In the Food and Beverages category, the Pan Masala brands continue to make a mark.

The cars category has jumped from 5 per cent to 7 per cent shares on radio, when compared to the first half of 2018 vs the first half of 2019. Properties/Real Estates have the maximum share of 8 per cent in 2019 compared to 9 per cent in 2018.

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FM Tadka goes for makeover with ‘Apni Suno’ campaign

Apart from the new positioning statement, FM Tadka also sports a new logo indicating dialogue within for a positive change

e4m by exchage4media staff
Published: Aug 19, 2019 10:53 AM  | 3 min read
FMTadka

Three months ago, management at the Patrika group decided to go for a makeover of FM Tadka. And just two weeks back, the revamp exercise reached a climax at film studios in Jaipur with RJs all across the country practicing steps for the new jingle video having both an aspirational and inspirational feel to it.

The radio network, spanning six states and 18 cities, started its teaser campaign on August 1 with a mascot named Mr. Mannki who ignited people's minds on the new message hidden in its pose which became quite a hit amongst listeners.

The campaign garnered praise from celebrities across the spectrum. Singers Sukhwinder Singh, Hariharan, Tochi Raina, Aastha Gill, and Hindi film industry stars like Tusshar Kapoor, Mallika Shehrawat, Urvashi Rautela, Sonali Kulkarni, director Nitish Tiwari, Super 30 founder Anand Kumar, comedians Shekhar Suman, Sunil Pal, Raju Shrivastav and sports stars appreciated the concept when it was shared with them during their visits to FM Tadka. The campaign, Apni Suno, talks about making a transformation in life.

“As a country, we have always followed Gandhi ji’s three monkeys, but now the fourth monkey Mr Mannki came with a message- to bring a positive change in your life and to the destiny of the country- Apni Suno. This network philosophy was aptly revealed on Independence Day,” the network said in a statement.

“From students as environment crusaders, young innovators to reality stars from smaller cities- there are many examples of people listening to themselves and carving a new life for themselves. It is this clarion call that FM Tadka is bringing to its listeners and propagating through roadshows, cinema, mall tie ups and artists across the country,” the statement read.

 Gaurav S Karrir, the National Programming Head, further reveals, “The prospect of a product change around was quite exciting. We took innovative ways like making Mr Mannki our mascot, mask inserts in newspapers, celeb led Apni Suno life changing stories and using Patrika power in digital, outdoor, print and tv to make people notice the new message of Apni Suno”.

 Saurabh Bhandari, National Head Marketing, Patrika Group, who has seen the radio product evolve over the years, applauded team Tadka and shared his vision, saying, “We at Patrika Group always believe to bring change in people’s life. Our endeavour FM Tadka's ‘apni suno’ positioning is yet another step in same direction, there has been a deep study and long research behind this, we are confident listeners and our trade partners will continue their love n support to FM Tadka.”

 Apart from a new positioning statement, FM Tadka also sports a new logo indicating dialogue within for a positive change. Shades of blue pointing at freedom of expression. The core TG now is 16-30 with music starting from 2008 and the playlist focused on melody.  FM Tadka's flagship Jaipur station now has a new team of RJs making the entire station live with focus on social impact plus technology and sports segments.

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