Bangalore set to see FM boom

Bangalore set to see FM boom
The Times of India

Bangalore: Radio fans are abuzz: With Bangalore set to have seven FM stations by end-2006 — in addition to the existing two — a boom of stirring and varied programming where the listener is the king is on cards.

Keeping the experience of Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai in mind, radio watchers are predicting exciting times ahead. “Till now, Bangalore has a captive listenership, with just one mainstream private channel holding market monopoly and All India Radio’s Rainbow FM. Whatever they played, listeners had to accept without option,’’ radio experts pointed out.

Mow, with the Centre coming to the rescue by allotting more frequencies through Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL), it will be the RJs’ turn to say: “Don’t touch that tuner!’’ The excitement is already on, with the bidding process set to begin in January and all major radio networks including Radio Mirchi and Red FM said to be in line for the Bangalore market.

Additional frequencies are also expected to set the stage for the next phase of radio revolution: Regional radio. Along with Bangalore, for the first time, Karnataka’s tier-II cities — Mysore, Mangalore and Gulbarga — have been allotted four FM frequencies each.

Industry experts feel this will lead to local flavour and niche segment, like the regional networks set up by TV channels about two years ago. The success of Suryan FM in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai, Vishaka FM in Vizag, Aamar106.2 FM in

Kolkata, Go92.5 in Mumbai, which all cater to the regional market, is a clear indicator.

“Such stand-alone regional stations in Kannada set up by new, local players is expected,’’ a senior radio executive told The Times of India. The worrying element is the market size: BECIL released additional frequencies based on population and the available transmitter network. But, no assessment has been made on the depth of the ad market.

“Mumbai just about supports four private FM channels. There are fears that a market like Bangalore may not support eight private channels,’’ a market source opined.

The upswing is the revised licensing fee for radio stations, which BECIL has slashed from about Rs 60 for every Rs 100 earned to a mere Rs 4. “Radio stations shut down because licence fee was bleeding them too much. The new radio stations will be much better off,’’ sources added.