International speaker, marketing, branding and sales strategist, consultant, trainer, author and university lecturer Paul Weyland will hold a session titled ‘To Sell the Truth’ at the annual India Radio Forum (IRF) in Delhi on May 19.

The one-day forum presents the latest developments in Indian radio by noted media practitioners, offers networking opportunities for all industry professionals and aims to boost the relevance of radio.

Weyland started in the late 1970s as an on-air radio personality and then made a name for himself speaking to and working in executive-level positions in the television and radio business.

Among his experiences was a three-year assignment managing and training overseas broadcasters in Prague, Geneva and London. In 2000 he started his own marketing and consulting business.

In this information-packed session, Weyland shows attendees how to wow local direct decision makers with the best creative ideas they have never heard. ‘

To Sell the Truth’ is the new way to prove to clients beyond a shadow of a doubt that your idea for their success is better than theirs.

​Besides creative, Paul will give you a formula so that you can establish better budget requests that your client will agree is fair. 

India’s 94.3 Radio One is the exclusive radio content partner for Justin Bieber’s Purpose Tour concert in the country.

The concert is scheduled to be held in Mumbai on May 10.

Radio One runs international format station in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore – some of the most sought after cities by international artists coming to the country.

While many radio station companies were in the fray to ‘media partner’ the event, the organisers White Fox found the content and audience fit with Radio One most promising due to the natural manner in which the station decided to promote and build content around the same.

“Our decision to go international in the three largest radio markets catering to 25 million upscale educated listeners is perfect for international acts looking to reach an international music loving audience in India. The connect with Justin Bieber was automatic for us as our listeners and everyone in our team were ecstatic about the news of the same. The content involving our hosts and listeners singing his most famous songs from the Purpose album, or us building up his visit on our facebook pages to creating special playlists closer to the event are all a natural fit for us.  It was at an Enrique concert earlier on where a mass Hindi radio station merely ‘media partnered’ the event and a their ‘special’ listener chosen to greet Enrique, much to their embarrassment, did not even know a single song by the international artist.  International acts and their agencies have become wiser now and are looking for an association that goes beyond mere media value to magical content that can only be done with the right audience engagement partner,” said Vineet Singh Hukmani, MD and CEO Next Radio Ltd.  

The annual India Radio Forum Conference (IRF) and Excellence in Radio Awards (ERA) 2017, have introduced a new category “Best FM Network” at this year’s event.

The 12^th edition of the one-day conference in set to be held in Delhi on May 19.

It celebrates brilliance in the local radio industry and honours the most outstanding programming, on-air personalities, marketing, promotions and creativity.

Points that have been awarded to the winning and runner-up entries for Programming, Talent, Promotion and Marketing categories will determine the winner of the new award category.

Commenting on the addition of the new category, Rajika Mittra, Special Projects Director of India Radio Forum, said, "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."

Another speaker, Ashwin Padmanaban - Chief Operating Officer of Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd, said: "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."

Well known international speaker, Paul Weyland, Director of Paul Weyland Communications 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."

Other speakers include Nisha Narayanan (93.5 Red FM), Amit Gujral (LG Electronics), Hari Krishnan (CultureDrum), Nomit Joshi (Gionee India), Rajkumar Jha (Ogilvy & Mather Advertising) and Shipra Srivastava (OLX India). 

India’s 93.5 Red FM has relaunched its Bangalore station with new shows and new radio jockeys.

The relaunch took place at the popular Forum Mall in Koramangla, where the station constructed a studio set-up on the top of a hoarding and called it ‘Red FM Hawa Mein’. 

It introduced two new RJs, Tuhin and Zeishah, who will be hosting two new shows KA 935 and RED Adda respectively.

Before the relaunch, the station had taken all RJs off air for a week as part of a teaser campign.

The event was graced by local celebrities such as athlete Reeth Abraham and Fashion guru, Prasad Bidapa.

Nisha Narayanan, COO, RED FM, said: “Revamp and relaunch of RED FM Bengaluru is our endeavour to offer a sharper product. As a brand, innovation is at our core, and 'RED FM Hawa mein' is an interesting way of launching our new RJ line-up with all of them going live from a hoarding and giving Bengalureans superhits Hindi music 24 X 7 in times to come.”

India’s public broadcaster, All India Radio (AIR) has completed phase I of the national DRM digital radio roll-out in India.

According to DRM news, 37 DRM transmitters have been installed by AIR throughout the country, and all are now operational.

35 of there are medium wave, out of which two are broadcasting in pure DRM, carrying two audio services in digital; while the other 33 transmitters are working in simulcast mode.

Out of these, 25 MW transmitters are working for 1 hour in pure DRM Monday to Saturday.

The transmission powers of these 35 transmitters are: 1000 kW (two), 300 kW (six), 200 kW (10), 100 kW (11) and 20 kW (six); two SW transmitters are 500 kW and 250 kW each.

There are two shortwave transmitters, both of which are for international service and are broadcasting in pure DRM.

AIR is now in the process of launching phase-II of the DRM project, which will offer full features and services from these DRM transmitters and further improve service quality. 

During phase-II, most transmitters will offer a simulcast mode, where they will carry the new DRM signal while still maintaining the analog AM transmission to support existing analog receivers.

It will be followed by Phase-III, which will culminate in the complete transition of radio services to the digital DRM platform.

This will further improve the number and quality of radio services, while offering extra features to the listeners, and also saving tremendous amounts of transmission power every year.  

Indian network Radio City 91.1FM has extended its Candy Class campaign, which partners with cycle candy vendors to create pop-up English schools across slum areas, to its second season in Pune. 

Initiated in the slums of Mumbai last year, the network plans to scale the program up to 10 cities eventually.

It involves candy vendors on bicycles who visit slum areas, who have been provided FM receivers and megaphones and they park their cycles in specific localities every week at a certain time.

During these time bands, Radio City 91.1FM airs specially created lessons on spoken English.

Free candy is handed out to every kid who sits through it.

In Pune, Candy Class is hosted by RJ Shonali for 20 minutes of uninterrupted airtime every Sunday at 4 pm. 

It will air in the city for eight weeks starting April 23.

The idea was developed in partnership with GREY group India and looks to impact 3,000,000 children nationally.  

Speaking about the initiative, Abraham Thomas, CEO, Radio City 91.1FM said: "Candy Class as a campaign built an emotional connect with the masses and touched many lives in Mumbai last year. After winning applauds nationally and internationally and using the power and reach of radio we took the campaign a notch higher by extending it to another city this year and making it a national movement. We are happy to enable underprivileged children to learn spoken English".

Indian network Big FM has launched a show by Bollywood composer Salim Merchant in its Hindi speaking markets.

The two-hour show - called ‘#Salim’, will premiere on May 15 and is based on trendsetting music of Indian cinema.

Merchant, who is also a playback singer, will share interesting trivia on iconic songs, music formats and instruments used in their making.

He has scored music and background for over 100 films and has more than 2 million followers on social media.

The show will also invite legendary artists from the Indian music industry, including Bappi Lahiri, Usha Uthup, Jatin-Lalit, Shaan, Shankar Mahadevan, Anu Malik, Kumar Sanu, Amit Trivedi, Udit Narayan and Sonu Nigam.

Commenting on the show, Salim Merchant said: “Music is my life, and associating with it in any form is always satisfying. I intend to make the most of it by going closer to my fans."

Indian network Red FM commenced the second phase of its relaunch in Bangalore with new radio jockeys and a host of celebrities.

As a part of the initiative, the station constructed a studio on the top of a 35 feet high hoarding and called it ‘Red FM Hawa Mein’ (Red FM in the air).

It also introduced two new RJs, Tuhin and Zeishah, who will be hosting two new shows KA 935 and Red Adda respectively.

Earlier, Red FM had taken all of its RJs off the air for one week as a build up to the relaunch.

The event was graced by local celebrities and the cast of upcoming Kannada film, Happy New Year, which included lead actors Diganth, Shruthi Hariharan and director Pannaga Bharana.

Nisha Narayanan, COO, RED FM, said: “As a brand, innovation is at our core, and 'RED FM Hawa mein' is an interesting way of launching our new RJ line-up with all of them going live from a hoarding.”

The 12th edition of the annual one-day India Radio Forum (IRF) conference will feature creative sessions featuring advertising professionals and a discussion featuring advertisers.

The event is set to be held in Delhi on May 19.

It celebrates brilliance in the local radio industry and honours the most outstanding programming, on-air personalities, marketing, promotions and creativity.

International speaker Paul Weyland will present ‘To Sell The Truth’– where he will share key tactics of great ideas, impacting local decision makers and formulating better budget requests.

Strategic communications specialist Rajkumar Jha of Ogilvy & Mather Advertising will share his analysis of industry case studies to highlight the effective use of radio as a medium to drive social change.

A rapid-fire session called ‘New Age Disruptors’ will feature Prateek Bhardwaj, National Creative Director, McCann India and Ravi Mishra, Group Head, Dentsu Impact.

In the session ‘Radio Unplugged – Bringing the Audience to You’ Shipra Srivastva of OLX, Amit Gujral of LG and Nomit Joshi of Gionee will discuss what would make their audience consistently turn to radio even on social media and what does radio need to do in order to keep a winning edge with listeners amidst the online noise?

The conference will be followed by Excellence in Radio Awards (ERA), which celebrate and honour the best of Indian radio industry by recognizing outstanding programming, marketing, radio personalities, promotions, and creativity.

Indian network 94.3 Radio One is celebrating 35 years of the song ‘Eye of the Tiger’, originally performed by the band Survivor, with an online tribute video.

The song was first released on May 29, 1982 and featured in the movie Rocky.

It was written by Frankie Sullivan/ Jim Peterik and sung by Dave Bickler.

The tribute version of the song has has been re-created by ‘The Radio One band’ and some of the station’s listeners – all of whom were not even born when the song first came out.

The re-created version of the song therefore begins with a lyrical refrain: “This is a song from before I was born, this is a song that makes me feel strong”.

“We realized that sometimes a song is not just a song but a powerful anthem that has the power to bring together generations of people united by music. We are the first radio network in the world to chronicle the journey of this song by telling its story through the memories of famous musicians and artists from all over the world,” said Vineet Singh Hukmani, MD & CEO Radio One.

The build-up, starting May 15, will lead up to the grand day on May 29 , 2017 when Radio One will dedicate a whole day to on air celebration of the song in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. 

The morning show will showcase exclusive tribute comments of global celebrities like Enrique Iglesias, Daughtry, Diana King, Apache Indian and Indian celebrities like Parineeti Chopra, Vishal Dadlani, Gul Panag, Ehsaan Noorani, Chetan Bhagat, Jackie Shroff and many more who have decided to support the commemoration. 

The mid0morning show will connect with listeners to tell their stories and encourage them with food and drink vouchers so that they meet their friends from their ‘class of 80s/90s’ to celebrate the nostalgia.

The evening show will have celebrity interviews and will encourage local bands and musicians to play their versions of the song as tributes to the classic created by the band. 

Red FM, Radio Mirchi and Big FM have dominated the Indian Excellence in Radio Awards (ERA) 2017.

The winners were announced at the end of the annual India Radio Forum 2017 in Delhi on Friday.

The Awards, which celebrate the best of Indian radio, had four categories- Programming, Talent, Promotion and Marketing & Advertising.

Red FM, along with its sister station Suryan FM, won 23 awards, including Network of the Year.

It was followed by Radio Mirchi with 16 awards and Big FM, which grabbed 15 metals including RJ of the Year (Hindi) for RJ Annu Kapoor’s retro show ‘Suhana Safar with Annu Kapoor’.

Radio City was third with 12 awards, including the Best Breakfast Programme (Hindi) for its show ‘Suno Na DIlli’ in Delhi.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Indian network Big FM extended its reach in the western state of Maharashtra with the launch of five new frequencies acquired in the first batch of FM Phase-III auctions.

It already has two existing stations in Mumbai and Solapur.

The new stations will operate under the frequency of 95.0 in Pune; and 92.7 in Nagpur, Ahmednagar, Kolhapur and Aurangabad. 

The launch of new stations will witness an extensive on-ground four-day long RJ Marathon in Pune and Nagpur from May 22 to 26.

Titled 'Studio on Wheels', it will see RJs going live on-ground for 95 hours and 92.7 hours in Pune and Nagpur respectively.

A spokesperson from Big FM said: "By acquiring five new frequencies in Maharashtra, we are penetrating into key markets of one of the biggest states in the country, wherein our advertisers and stakeholders will be able to draw immense value by expanding their addressable communities. While the cities we are going to kick-start operations in are bound by a common flavour, we will try and localize our offerings to cater to the unique demands of each market, both from the listener and stakeholder perspective."
 

Indian network Big FM has launched a new station in Lucknow - the capital city of the Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in the country.

The new station, which will broadcast on 94.3 FM, was launched by renowned Bollywood actress Huma Qureshi on May 23.

As a part of the launch, she flagged off 'Studio on Wheels', a 94.3 hours RJ marathon in the city highlighting the cause of women's respect and safety.

The station will feature a few of the network’s syndicated national shows as well as local programming.

Morning show 'Big Chai' from 7am to 10 am will be hosted by RJ Sana, RJ Rafat will host the afternoon show 'Big Memsaab'  and 'Thhodi Si Guftagu' with RJ Aamir from 9pm-11pm will build a sense of nostalgia among the listeners.

Speaking about the launch, Tarun Katial, CEO of Big FM said: "With the launch of 94.3 FM in Lucknow, we are extending our legacy of entertaining listeners with original content and distinctive music formats. The strategy for the station is formulated based on thorough research and listening pattern that will resonate well with listeners in Lucknow. This synchronized offering will pave way for the advertisers, to reach out to a wider set of audiences in the city. We are also leveraging the opportunity of launching a new station in the market to spread awareness around safety and respect of women, a major issue that needs cognizance of the society at large."

 With the acquisition of 14 new frequencies, Big FM has strengthened its position as the largest radio network in the country with a presence across 59 stations. It will have a total of 9 stations following its revolutionary retro format, and 50 stations will operate with an extensive mix of contemporary music. 

Indian network Big FM has launched five new stations in the states of UP and Bihar, where it acquired new frequencies during the first batch of FM Phase-III auctions.

With these launches, it now reaches 11 key cities in the two states that form a major portion of the Hindi heartland.

The move also makes Big FM the largest radio network to operate in these states. 

The new stations are operating on 94.3 FM in Lucknow, 95 FM in Varanasi and Patna, and 92.7 FM in Muzaffarpur and Gorakhpur.

Along with its national syndicated shows in HIndi, the network has also launched several new shows in Bhojpuri and also ensured that all RJs in these cities speak both these languages.

A mix of Hindi and Bhojpuri music will be heard in Varanasi, Patna, Muzaffarpur and Gorakhpur. 

Speaking about expanding its reach in the region with the new frequencies, Tarun Katial, CEO, Big FM, said: "The acquisition of five new frequencies in UP and Bihar is part of our strategy to systematically build clusters in key regions with a focus on markets with limited media penetration. Our network's reach in the region now gives advertisers and stakeholders an opportunity to break new ground in untapped markets that intrinsically have immense potential. While the cities we are newly venturing into are tied by common strings, we will try and localize our offerings to cater to the unique demands of each market, both from the listener and stakeholder perspective."

India’s Jagran group owned Radio City 91.1FM is back with Season 2 of Gig City – the country’s biggest Live Radio Concert.

This year, the event features a line-up of artists like KK, Kailash Kher, Shankar Mahadevan (MCMM), Benny Dayal and Mika.

The concert follows the concept of “Aap Jahaan, Concert Wahaan” (The concert is wherever you are), and lets listeners catch up with their favourite artist’s gig at their comfort.

The six-week activity, which kicked off on May 26, is hosted by RJ Salil who also shares some interesting facts about the artists and their gig.

It will be aired across all 25 Hindi speaking markets of Radio City.  

Kartik Kalla, EVP and National Head, Programming, Marketing and Audacity, Radio City 91.1FM said: “This year we are elated to take Gig City to all our newly launched phase 3 markets giving our listeners an experience of lifetime.”

“Radio as a medium has always excited me and being a part of live radio concert connects me with my fans across the nation. It’s a thrilling experience, very challenging and at the same time exhilarating,” said Kailash Kher.

Bollywood actors Riteish Deshmukh and Vivek Oberoi were spotted in the streets of South Mumbai distributing water bottles last week.

Both of them were a part of Red FM's summer initiative 'Chaar Bottle Roz Ka' (Four bottles every day).

With rising temperatures in the city, the station has been urging its listeners to carry four extra bottles of chilled water and offer them to those who are sweating it out in the sun.

While Deshmukh was seen at the traffic junction at Worli Naka distributing bottles to the traffic cops and other policemen, Oberoi was spotted at the crowded Worli Metro construction site distributing bottles to the workers.

Riteish Deshmukh said: ''Being a Mumbaikar, I have grown up to watch traffic cops stand in the sun all day long. In this constantly bustling city, ensuring smooth traffic movement plays a very essential role. Giving water bottles to them is a very small way to thank them for their hard work.''

Indian network Radio City’s Mumbai station has announced the comeback of popular hosts Jaggu-Tarana after a gap of eight years on its Mumbai station with a new show called ‘Twin Sharing’.

The show will air on weekdays from 8 pm to 9 pm and will cover current affairs, Bollywood and lifestyle topics.

Ashish Jagtiani a.k.a Jaggu said: "Twin Sharing will go where other shows on radio don't. It will offer our listeners a chance to know what's happening in the city in a fun and entertaining way."

Tarana Raja said: "Radio is an inherent part of my life. Jaggu and I were away for 8 years and there hasn't been a single day when we didn't miss our fans."

The station has also unveiled its new programming line-up for 2017 which includes a number of new programmes and a revamp of the existing line-up.

Breakfast show 'Kasa Kai Mumbai' is being refreshed with co-hosts RJ Salil and RJ Archana being introduced as 'Radio Ki Miyan Biwi' (Radio’s husband and wife).

Evening show 'Taka Tak Mumbai', will move from being a single RJ show to a double header with Rohit Vir and RJ Harshit taking charge.

'Aaa Dhikchik' with female DJ Rink will air every Saturday from 10 pm onwards.

Radio City will also introduce a combination of food and music with celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor's 'Khaana Gaana on Weekend' and a tech & gadget show hosted by RJ Nitin.

Other new initiatives include ‘City Ki Battissi' with 32 minutes of ad free music, 'City Ka chauka' with four back to back songs and 'City Ka Sixer' with six non-stop songs.

Kartik Kalla, EVP and National Head, Programming, Audacity and Marketing - Radio City says: "Our new programming line-up for this year is yet another strategic and tactical move to create content that appeals to our listeners. We design music and content keeping in mind listener preferences."

India’s international music station, Indigo 91.9, Bangalore, has entered the Limca Book of Records for being the country’s only station to have its RJs form a band and jam live on stage.

On World Music Day last June, presenters from the station had come together as a band to perform in front of a live audience.

The band sang popular numbers from every decade since the 60s.

The recognition came even as the station plans to create more experiences for this year’s World Music Day on June 21.

Speaking on the occasion, Satyanarayana Murthy, CEO, Indigo 91.9 said: “For World Music Day last year, we knew we had to go big and dedicate the day to all things music whilst showcasing our multi-talented RJs too. They hit the right notes and performed to a packed audience at Indigo Live Music Bar. It feels great to have created this national record and for being recognized.”

Indian network 92.7 Big FM has launched 'Big Music Highway' – the country’s first Folk & Fusion music festival. 

The show airs every Sunday between 6 and 7pm in Mumbai and is hosted by RJ Siddharth.

It aims to entertain as well as educate listeners about the various facets of folk music and its influence on talents like Salim-Suleiman, Papon, Shubha Mudgal, Sunita Bhuyan, Chaar Yaar and Mame Khan.

RJ Siddharth will engage the artists in free flowing conversations about their folk influences, punctuated with interesting anecdotes and some live singing in the studio.

The show will premier 20 new folk songs over the weeks, 10 of which have been produced by Leslie Lewis.

A spokesperson from the station said: "As a network reaching out to a large audience base it is our continuous endeavour to introduce different genres of music and innovative programming formats. The new show will connect with audiences looking out for a fresh take on traditional music."

India’s Jagran Group owned Radio City  network has listenership across 52.5 million Indians, according to the latest radio listenership survey conducted by AZ research. 

The study was conducted across 23 cities amongst SEC 12+ across all day parts to understand FM Radio listening behaviour vis-à-vis other mediums.

The report summarizes city wise as well zone wise listenership data, and shows trends in each part of the country.

In 15 out of 23 cities, Radio City tops the chart as the most recalled station as per the recent AZ survey.

It is a leader in the National Capital Region with 9.278 million listeners and has also emerged as the most preferred radio network with a listenership of 22 million in Western India.

In Mumbai it has a reach of 8.493 million listeners, 4.126 million in Ahmedabad and 3.497 million in Pune.

In the south, it reaches 13 million listeners in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Vizag.

Kartik Kalla, EVP & National Head – Programming, Marketing, AudaCITY, Radio City, said: "As AZ Research suggests that radio reaches to a much wider audience as compared to Television."