The Hindu Business Line : Mumbaikars turn to FM radio due to `cable' fault

"Mumbaiwasiyon, TV rahe ya na rahe, hum to honge aapke saat,'' (Mumbaikars, TV or no-TV, we are with you) yapped hoarse an exultant FM radio jockey, attempting to raise the spirits of Mumbaikars who are facing a television blackout consequent to the strike declared by the cable TV operators in the city.

The blackout is in protest against the police raid on eight cable operators and three multi system operators. The raids were in pursuance of the Bombay High Court's order banning the screening of films with uncertified content.

Almost all channels, except those of Doordarshan, went off air from Monday afternoon.

As per ratings of `aMap', a television rating agency, the stir has reduced prime time viewership (this is including private viewing of DVDs and community programmes aired by some cable operators) of television by 19 per cent.

"On the first partial day of the stir, TV viewership scaled down by 19 per cent. National channel, Doordarshan, which has got a meagre viewership of around 3 per cent on normal days, shot up by nearly 167 per cent on Monday primetime,'' said Mr Budhaditya Roy, Manager - Client Relations, aMap.

More callers, `SMSers'

The stir has made FM radios dearer to Mumbaikars. FM radios stations in the city witnessed a marginal rise in the number of callers and `SMSers'.

"If the stir gets going for some more time, we will have more people turning on their FM sets. We have registered a 20 per cent increase in incoming SMS messages. All our telephone lines were busy for most part of the day. This is definitely a great opportunity for Mumbaikars to rediscover the goodness of radio,'' said Mr Vikas Varma, National Programme Head, Radio City.

Top officials of Radio One 92.5 FM and Red FM held the same opinion.

Malls and multiplexes in the city, too, are eyeing more footfalls as a result of the blackout.

"The increase in footfalls will only be felt in a day's time. The problem is that we have no quality movie content (quality film releases) for this week,'' said Mr Umesh Bikhchandani, Regional General Manager, Inox Pleasure Ltd.

Strategies worked out

Television channels in the city are charting out plans to negate losses arising from the strike. Channels such as Star, Zee and Sony Entertainment Television have worked out strategies to make good the losses incurred to advertisers. The channels also have plans to re-run serials and other programmes as fillers once the strike is withdrawn.

The stir will not have any damning effect on advertisement revenue, said top officials of the aforesaid visual media houses.

At the time of going to press, the cable operators were in a meeting with the Maharashtra Home Minister. ``We are meeting the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr R.R. Patil (also Home Minister), tonight and will decide about resuming telecast only after that,'' said Mr Ganesh Naidu, President, All Mumbai Cable Operators' Association, shortly before the meeting.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Mumbaikars turn to FM radio due to `cable' fault

Broking firms witness sharp drop in revenue

Qualcomm in talks to transfer CDMA licence

Dividend season begins for equity/balanced funds

CPI(M) demands ban on iron ore exports

Tea output may be hit in upper Assam

Competitive bidding for coal blocks likely

Cabinet panel to decide on RNRL objections

BILT net up 68 pc at Rs 68 cr in Q4

No conclusive evidence of cola pesticides: Govt

Govt not micro-managing interest rates: FM

Syngenta up on growth hopes

Ucal Fuel attracts value buying