MUMBAI: The FM Rainbow channel of All India Radio (AIR) is holding it very well despite competition from private FM stations, influx of the internet, 24×7 television, gaming and box office hits by providing a free and varied entertainment for audiences.
In spite of the emergence of several new radio stations in the past decade, All India Radio’s FM Services has increased its listener base in all age groups as programming diversity is the key. 107.1 plays new and old indipop, bollywood hits and many dedicated segments of programming of English pop/rock. Moreover, all the programmes in FM Rainbow are done live in the studio. Only special shows and interviews are recorded in the studio and then broadcasted later if it is not possible for the person to be in the studio live.
FM Rainbow RJ Fali R Singara said, “A recent survey revealed that FM Gold- which plays classic Hindi movie songs was the most sought after station. As a policy, the station does not play tracks post 1995. But it has a huge library of songs- some the finest composed at its disposal. Its clout and relevance can be experienced when an artist dies. On the occasion of (actor) Rajesh Khanna’s death last year, FM Gold was the only station which could pay tribute via his repertoire of screen songs. And the response we got was overwhelming.”
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But where the All India Radio (AIR) run station really scores is in its English music section. It has a morning (0800-1100 hours); afternoon (1400-1600 hours); and evening (2200- 0100 hours) that plays a wide range of popular music across multiple genres. The morning shows are upbeat and preppy- with contemporary hits from artists like Dido and Rihanna, and catchy classics from the likes of Deep Purple, Dire Straits and Santana.
The afternoons are for lighter and rock music while the evening content has classic pop/ rock- from Cliff Richards to Led Zeppelin, and tribute shows.
“The radio jockey at AIR is the one who writes his/her own script and chooses the music and makes his/her playlist – unlike other radio stations where mostly everything is written by a scriptwriter/producer and songs are preprogrammed into a computer (RCS system). We have a good policy where RJs chose the songs. This helps us decide on our playlist depending on the occasion and mood of the day. We use our programmes to mark important dates like birth and death anniversaries of artist and select our songs accordingly- this is highly appreciated by audiences,” Fali pointed out.
Most of the RJs today in Mumbai on different channels have been trained and worked at FM Rainbow or Gold before going to private stations. With a library that spans over two floors from music collected over 50 years, FM Rainbow’s RJs are spoilt for choice.
“Our huge library of songs in Hindi, English and other languages gives us a lot of freedom in choosing the themes and content of our programmes. I remember doing a programme on how Gandhi’s teachings impacted rock artists like Bob Dylan and John Lennon- I could source out the relevant songs. Also on the death anniversary of Bee Gees’ Robin Gibb, I could play all the relevant songs for the occasion- these are appreciated by listeners,” he said.
Connectivity, marketing and globalization has changed the radio-listener relationship. “Today, contrary to the music, fragmentation of listenership into various genres, the lines between ‘desi’ and international song audiences are blurring. Gen Y audiences are listening to both Bollywood hits and international songs. There is actually less of the demarcation between audience for English songs and Hindi songs than before. I feel this is happening because it’s now so easy to access songs of both genres and if it’s good and marketed well they listen to it,” Fali shared.
Apart from not playing Hip-Hop and rap tracks due to their (often) ‘inappropriate’ and insinuations, FM Rainbow is pretty much game for all genres of music. Its programming content is still arguably the most varied and rich compared to its private competitors who strictly have to cater to market demands.
“We can still play Cliff Richards and get letters from listeners as young as 12 years old. There was an incident when a 12-year-old blind Punjabi girl sent me a letter telling me that Elvis Presley’s songs had changed her perspective towards life. People don’t really care if music is new or old; it just has to be good,” he said.
He opined that India is really booming right now in terms of opportunities for radio. “When I started listening to radio in my school days in the 1990s – there was only one station in Mumbai. Now there are over eight stations alone in Mumbai and at least 50 different RJs on with different styles during the week. And more stations are on the horizon in the near future with FM Phase III of the FM radio sector happening,” he shared.
Special shows are produced and broadcasted on All India Radio’s service to educate and entertain the public at the same time.
Singara, who has over a decade of experience in the radio sector, noted that emerging jocks should take the profession seriously and take it as a career only if they are passionate about the same. “Anyone who’s interested in being on the radio should not do it for fame and fortune – do it only if you’ve got a genuine love for music and feel you can educate and entertain people – otherwise you will burn out soon,” he opined.
