RnM bring you the Navratri Plans of Red FM (93.5 FM), One of India’s largest Radio Network, with 50 stations across (including the Suryan Stations ) was first launched in Mumbai in 2002 followed by Delhi and & Kolkata in 2003. In 2009, the brand was taken national in a first of its kind rebranding exercise, in which 38 stations under the S FM brand were rebranded to Red FM
Today, Red FM’s is known as the â€?Station for Expression’ to the common man and its famous tag line â€?Bajaate Raho!’. Nisha Narayanan, Senior VP, Projects and Programming, Red FM’, spoke with Radioandmusic.com about Red FM’s Navratri plans.
Navratri is all about religious fervour through music and dance. What is your strategy to attract the maximum listeners? What are the programming specials that you have planned for the nine days of the Navratri festival? What programming innovations have you planned to be able to co-opt the on-ground fun, celebration and masti from the Navratri pandals?
Our strategy is pretty straight forward: to bring alive all the festive spirit and excitement on air. We have tied up with some of the biggest acts in town during Navratri in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Listeners win passes for themselves and their friends through exciting on air contests. Red FM RJs are also visiting these pandals with select listeners. We are also having live broadcasts from the Navratri pandals each day.
In Gujarat, where Navratri is celebrated on a truly grand scale, we are associated with the most popular Garbas. We have released a compilation of 9 new Garbas which are hip, contemporary and a smart commentary on present day Gujarat. This is perhaps the first time that a private radio station in India has taken such an initiative to promote regional talent. These CDs are sampled across Gujarat and played at the Garbas where Red FM is associated.
To which cities and how will you extend this programming?
Navratri plans extend to all our stations in Maharashtra (Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Nasik) and Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Vadodara).
In Kolkata, especially, these nine days should be a massive opportunity. What are your special plans for the city?
In Kolkata, Red FM’s Pujo initiatives are clubbed under the umbrella of â€?Red FM-ey Hoi Jaak Ektu Dushtu Ektu Mishti’. We have a host of special, fun filled segments and contests that are capturing the mood and the festive fervour during the Puja celebrations. These include: Bishorjon Darshan where selected listeners experience the Bishorjon live from a Barge, Shera Bari Shera Protima which will crown the best housing complex puja and Pujor Jatra wherein Red FM take winners pandal hopping in buses with some of their favourite RJs. We are also giving out VIP passes to the city’s 20 biggest Pujo Pandals.
A special attraction this year is the social awareness campaign that has been launched by Red FM. Our aim is to discourage people from dirtying and polluting the environment and the city during and after pujas.
What are your promotional plans during Navratri, especially for listeners?
The Navratri festivities take over the entire station, we giving out passes on all our shows. The station’s jingle has also been modified to incorporate Navratri and Garba beats. In Mumbai, we have a special segment called â€?Nau Entry’. Here our in house Gujarati expert gives out wacky tips to listeners on how to enter any Garba for free!
We are playing the new Garbas on our stations in Gujarat on a very high frequency. Also, the Garba CD is distributed through on air contests and on ground at all the Garbas with which we are associated In Ahmedabad, we are also doing an outdoor campaign to ensure that all citizens know which frequency to tune into this Navratri. We are giving out tips on fashion trends, Garba moves, etc on air. We have tied up with some of the biggest Navratri / Garba Mandals. In Ahmedabad, we are associated with Rajpath Club Garba, Friends Garba and HL College Garba.
Traditionally, how does Navratri impact advertising on Radio in general, and on your station / network in particular?
Festivals in general see increased advertising spends by brands. This is a trend that is seen across media. Our network too benefits from this trend, and advertisers cash in on the innovations by our programming and client solutions team.
How will you market the entire programming locally / regionally / nationally, as applicable per the footprint(s) of your station(s)? A big part of marketing is not just to inform existing listeners but to also expand the listener base. How do you plan to reach those who are not currently tuning into your station(s)? What are the media and ATL / BTL activities you plan to use for this?
Besides radio, we are using on ground activation and outdoors to promote our festival initiatives. Our RJs are also attending select Navratri/ Garba mandals and interacting with the audience there. With the release of our music CD in Gujarat we aim to reach out to a wider audience
On the whole, what will be the key differentiators that will make your network stand out during the entire festival?
Each region has a number of small and big initiatives planned for the festive season. From dancing to new Garba beats this Navratri to watching the Bishorjan live from a barge, our listeners are in for a truly joyful celebration.