Another FM channel for Bangalore by mid-October

Another FM channel for Bangalore by mid-October

The Hindu

Radio BIG swears by `credibility, relevance, maturity'



READY FOR THE JOB: The Radio BIG team has several names familiar to local listeners.

BANGALORE: The city will get one more FM channel by mid-October: Radio BIG 92.7 FM. Truly, radio is on a resurgence; even BMTC buses now air FM radio, though only the State-owned channel.

While launching first in Bangalore, the plan is to take Radio BIG to metros including Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. The next phase will see new territories for the FM reach, like Jammu, Srinagar, Aligarh and Bikaner, according to the people at Adlabs, who are backing the new radio channel.

Strategy

Adlabs Radio Chief Operating Officer Tarun Katial says, "We are adopting a two-pronged launch strategy. While the metros are ideal to establish brand recognition and brand recall, the other markets are new and fresh to explore, giving us an opportunity to provide an entertainment medium to new listeners."

Capturing local audiences, especially in smaller cities, has been found to be helpful in building brand that connects at the grassroots: Radio BIG is taking that route. "Credibility, maturity, relevance and entertainment will be the pegs for content, as a product that reaches every home and is of relevance to every listener," says Mr. Katial.

This obviously means a lot of local content in every centre.

``There will be a lot of interactivity, and we will use it as a platform for consumers, taking on issues currently on their minds and bring listener emotions to the fore'' he adds. This may well help the channel that hopes to be present across the country, eventually.

Radio BIG is backed by an investment of Rs. 400 crore and the proposed Adlabs radio network may be the largest in the region.

The manpower strength will reach 1,500 nationwide. Extensive research on consumer tastes and moods has been carried out pre-launch.

The radio jockeys give an FM channel its character and personality. For BIG they will be personalities known to Bangaloreans such as Mimicry Daynand and Sihi Kahi Chandru. Also signed are a few familiar names from other channels like Kiran, Shalini of Paapa Pandu fame and Sindhu, the actor from the award-winning Kannada movie, Nenapirali.

According to National Readership Survey reports, radio is the medium with the highest and fastest paced growth prospects in the country today. The revised licence fee structure has encouraged more broadcasters enter the scene.