MUMBAI: Being a chief executive officer (CEO) of a radio station can be a very difficult job as you have to effectively balance the three main departments– sales, marketing and programming amongst others. Each works in tandem with the other, for the station to attain the number one position in the highly competitive radio industry.
Red FM morning jock Malishka says, “I feel the only way to survive in the radio business is to be a ‘hands-on CEO’ who should be empathetic instead of just ordering everyone around. If the CEO just focuses on the sales and leaves programming aside, the station will never work. Care is very important in an industry like radio. There are very emotional people here so the care you put into the person is directly proportional to the results you can get out of them.”
The functioning of a radio station is equally dependant on the sales and revenue, along with the programming segments offering differentiated content and music which draws listeners. While the normal claim is that there is a constant tussle between programming and sales which pitches the creative against the monetary sections, the role of a CEO is the main factor in handling the situations effectively.
Being in the radio industry from the past nine years, Malishka has the experience of working with various CEO’s in radio stations. Narrating her experiences she states, “There are many bosses I have worked with and the most cherished have been with those who treated programming like their baby. It does not always happen but it has happened with me. The programming side is one that needs a lot of care and has to be treated in a certain way.”
If the two roles were to be mixed up, or if Malishka was to become the CEO of a radio station would the functioning be the same or would the perspective change? Well for a spontaneous jock like Malishka, passion is the key factor in running a radio station.
“If I was the CEO I would have been inclined to treat my programming department with a lot of care. I have been an RJ for the longest time and have been very passionate about the medium, which one needs to run a radio station. There is no filter between you and the audience and the listeners know almost everything about you. I have seen the power of radio where kids have been helped, victims of various tragedies have been helped etc. It gives immense joy to see the results, so radio is a very satisfying medium.”
Though Malishka was firm on not revealing her strategies, the quirky jock did let us in on some of her plans.
“Being the CEO I would have regularly sent my programming people to the sales team because I have noticed that the conviction with which programming runs is not the same by sales as they mean business. I have seen conversions happen and that is my way to bank my money on programming. Integration is another factor as the best part about radio is that you can make a person feel anything without actually being present. I would come up with much better integration ideas as I know what would work. I would also believe in my brand and price it accordingly without going by the trending market rate. My preference is always quality over quantity.”
With the aim of running a sole radio station in the bustling metro of Mumbai, RJ Malishka’s dream station would have to face stiff competition from major players with multiple channels in the business. But having the experience of working as a jock from a one station network, Malishka claims that not having a network of other channels can be a boon as the responsibility is less and helps in focusing more on the revenue individually earned, unlike a network which would consider the overall revenue from all stations. Trusting the brand and working at what it can deliver is the key. “I would have separate investors for the station.”
While the aspiring RJs of today have high standards to live upto in the face of popular jocks like Malishka, Jeeturaj and Salil-Archana amongst others, the standard of expectation was very high earlier as well considering the likes of Ameen Sayani and more. As the scenario is gradually changing, the job of a radio jockey is now not just limited to the confines of a studio but has become a full-time job.
“I truly believe that new talent is very important and to encourage it I would open up a radio training school alongside. I would train people to not just understand the on-air perspective of the medium but also other aspects like sales as well. I really feel that the belief in the product is lacking in the radio industry today. Miracles happen on radio everyday but we need to know how to push our content,” she asserts.
Most people are also of the view that radio jocks today are not well paid, but many industry insiders beg to differ.
“Jocking has and does not have money, it depends on which city you are in and what brand you have built of yourself. But I think in Mumbai, it’s fairly good as it is a high pressure city. Since most of the revenue comes from metros, you get money because RJs are your brand. Besides music, jocks do matter as music is very similar for all stations only the time band differs but what an RJ says, how they relate to the audience is what determines how big a brand the station becomes so they better be getting paid well. There is not a single minute where a good radio jock is not working,” claims Malishka.
Being with the brand Red FM for a span of seven years and having worked hard at creating a separate distinct space for herself and the station, Malishka feels that the station has grown along with her and it truly is an enriching experience. Having invested into the brand and vice-versa, she remains amongst the only jock to have lasted in the same time slot on a radio station for such a large number of years.
But inspite of all aspects of a radio station including the sales and the jocks making money and earning huge profits, the question of the medium still representing only a mere four per cent of the advertising pie looms large. Adding to the list of weakness, the medium is also largely bounded by government regulations in terms of content presented by the jocks.
“I feel there is growth in the future. I have seen radio industry change from the past eight years and I cannot tell you how bad it was then. One station had to shut down because of the rules and regulations. I have seen that phase turn into a phase of growth and I still think radio is in its nascent stages. Being a people’s medium, I only see it grow due to the combined efforts of programming and sales,” she expresses.
Signing off as the future CEO of a radio station in Mumbai, Malishka concludes, “Nurture your on-air talent and pamper your programming over your money making device, because if they are happy they will deliver a product which will generate revenues. An efficient CEO of a radio station needs to be from a sales background but has to love programming as well.”