MUMBAI: Big FM Mumbai has launched a Marathi programme in the Sunday morning breakfast slot.
Christened Masala Chaha, the show airs from 6 to 8 am and is hosted by Viplove Gupte, Big FM director, programming.
The show, in keeping with the mood, music and infotainment requirements of the local populace, begins with a devotional hour comprising Marathi aratis, bhajans, abhangs and bhavgeete in the first hour.
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The next hour covers topical regional issues, local city relevant subjects with Marathi songs from the films and hit Marathi albums. The show will also open up discussion forums on interesting and relevant subjects of interest in addition to hosting actors, theatre personalities, musicians and celebrities from the Marathi fraternity.
Gupte, who has hosted radio shows earlier, says studies done by the station indicated a strong mother tongue preference “47 per cent of the population, we realised, would like to listen to Marathi programming.”
Says Gupte, The Marathi music industry has given the biggest singers to even Hindi film industry. Lata Tai started her career singing for Marathi films, Asha Tai, Meena Tai, Suresh Wadkar and the list is endless. We have incorporated Bhavgeete, Abhang, and Marathi’s most popular bhajans in our first hour – the music that every household in Mumbai wakes up to. The second hour consists of music from films and private albums. I have grown up on these songs and I have a natural inclination towards this music and am super excited to be sharing this with the city of Mumbai. Radio is an extremely local medium and what better a way to connect with the local populace than in the local lingo, Marathi!…
FM in Mumbai appears to be waking up to the realities of regional programming. Fever, has from this week, started airing a part Marathi-part Hindi early morning show titled Suhani Subah, hosted by RJ Megha. The early morning slot has been chosen for this show, says Fever 104 FM business head S Keerthivasan, as research has indicated Mumbai to be one of the earliest rising cities in the world.
