Why Indian radio stations are having so much ‘fun’

PLs Just remeber that this is about Indian scenario except KERALA.
Still we are not came to the world of BLINDS>>> Yes keep reading...

One only needs to switch on a radio – and listen to ‘Dard-e-Disco’ across three stations simultaneously – to see that the virus plaguing the radio industry today is ‘homogeneity’. As if similar content wasn't bad enough, radio players seem to be having a hard time trying to figure out their positioning premises as well. Most radio stations tread along similar branding lines. If Radio City believes in ‘Whatte Fun’, Radio One counters that with ‘Masti Fatafat’. While Radio Mirchi claims 'Mirchi Sunnewale Always Khush', Red FM exhorts you to 'Bajaate Raho', both statements being attitudinal in nature. The relatively newer kids on the block, Fever 104 FM and 95 FM Tadka, are positioned on ‘less talk, more music’. In a nutshell, ‘fun’ and ‘youth’ seem to be at the centre of everything radio does. What prevents radio stations from carving out their own individual niches in the listener’s mind?


Rana BaruaHarish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc., says it all boils down to the LCD theory. “Radio in India is chasing the masses and hence targeting the lowest common denominator,” he says. This LCD positioning has led stations to arrive at a somewhat ‘casual radio’ premise, which is very peripheral and not content driven, but mood driven. “As the dominant mood is fun/casual ‘masti’, radio stations are going gaga over it,” explains Bijoor. Perhaps the maximum effort that stations are bothering to make is to translate this thought into different languages, including the popular Hinglish. Jayanta Sengupta, director, Skills Bridge Consultants, questions the word ‘fun’ itself. “What is fun? A word which means so many things that it is meaningless,” he says. According to Sengupta, the brand builder needs to define what his brand stands for in the area of fun, or even attitude. “Sometimes, RJs define fun and attitude.

Hence, my guess would be that popular RJs are the brands rather than the station brands,” he reflects. While that poses a disturbing issue in itself, it is also important to note the virtual absence of segmentation among radio audiences. According to Rathnakar Rai, director, Radio Minds (the radio consultancy wing of Primetime International), most radio stations have chosen to have a generic understanding of the market segment, which has to do with the fact that the market is still in its nascent stage of evolution, and that as it will mature, newer segments and, consequently, sharp and focused branding will emerge. “As an example, let’s take a look at a mature radio market such as South Africa,” Rai offers. Jacaranda, a radio station in that country, was faced with a fuzzy, generic, youth-type positioning, much akin to India’s dilemma. The station took a hard look at itself and consumer research pointed out that there was a whole set of more mature (40+) audiences just waiting to be tapped.

So, the positioning was altered to that of a serious station, tackling adult issues and offering music for older ears. The logo, look and feel of the station was revamped simultaneously and given a more elegant touch. Needless to say, that turned out to be Jacaranda’s edge over the competition. So, is going niche the answer? “In India, the market isn’t too evolved, but it is heading that way… it’s just a question of who will bell the cat first,” says Rai. However, a deep-rooted fear of uncharted territory and the dread of watching advertisers retreat are what keep FM stations here from experimenting. Smita Jha, principal consultant at research firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), states the obvious in a line: “Advertisers prefer mass channels due to high listenership.” That would explain why Go 92.5 FM abandoned its niche positioning and followed a more universal appeal and branding with Radio One. However, all is not lost: After the second round of bidding, there have been some rapid changes and more will follow.

Earlier, there were a maximum of two or three players in each city, a figure that has gone up to seven or eight now. “Therefore, soon enough, it won’t be possible for everyone to be mass any more,” Jha predicts. “What will happen is that two or three major players will dominate the market, while the other players will have to go niche, just the way it is in a mature market.” Early manifestations of that theory can already be seen: Radio Today’s Meow 104.8 FM is oriented towards women, with ‘empathetic interactivity’ as its positioning. Brand consultant Bijoor encourages radio players to take the plunge: If certain target segments and advertisers have to be left out, be prepared to do so. Listenership and, subsequently, quality advertisers will follow in time. “The best global success story of niche-ness is magazines… radio should go the magazine way,” advises Bijoor. He warns the ad agencies of radio brands that there is no brand loyalty on radio; radio listeners are the most promiscuous consumers around the world.

This makes a sharp positioning all the more vital. “Go beyond fun, or you will reach a stage where there’s nothing funny about it,” quips Bijoor. For radio personalities, that’s a tough call to meet. As Gunjan Batra, group programming head, 95 FM Tadka, puts it, “We tend to use ‘fun’ as our premise because radio at the end of the day is about entertainment and about letting your hair down.” But she admits hesitantly that that everyone is following the CHR (contemporary hit radio) format right now. Rana Barua, head, marketing, Radio City, is a bit more forthcoming when he lays emphasis on the fact that as radio is still seen as an undifferentiated category, positioning is critical to survival.

Stepping away from the ‘funny’ rules of positioning in FM, Jha does a Nostradamus, envisaging that consolidation (strategic partnerships, inventory partnerships and content sharing) will shape the way the FM industry evolves in India, and brand building will follow in step.