The Hindu Business Line : Radio not aspirational medium, says research

Radio in India is still not popular because it is not an aspirational medium. Also, it lacks relevance to the listener — older audiences think it's for youth, and youth think it's for the poor or for those who don't own a TV. And for the housewife, it means little, because what she has heard on the radio so far doesn't lend itself to discussion as much as the saas-bahu soaps on TV.

These are some of the findings Adlabs Radio came up with when it commissioned audience research in six markets prior to the launch of its FM radio channel, Big 92.7 FM, over the next two weeks in Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Indore and Vadodara.

The penetration of radio sets is low, the study found. People don't buy them because of the content, not because their price is a barrier to buying, said Mr Anand Chakravarthy, Marketing Head, Big 92.7 FM.

Speaking to Business Line, he said radio lacked pride of association to the extent that even the imagery of the `radio set' in the non-listener's head is that of an `old wooden box.' Quoting figures from a study by Media Research Users' Council, he said 85 per cent of FM radio listenership accounted for at-home audiences. Mobile FM and portable FM radio have potential but will take time to build up, he added.

The survey sample comprised more than 6,000 respondents and 7,000-odd songs. FM radio in India thrives on music but as the choice of music is very subjective in nature, care should be taken to see that the right music is played for the right audience at the right time, Mr Chakravarthy said. In Big 92.7 FM's Auditorium Music Testing project, the songs were rated based on their likeability. They will then be broadcast based on the city, the audience, their mood and timings, he said, adding that radio is a "very, very local medium."

Adlabs Radio is also looking at the print and television media for content clues, Mr Chakravarthy said. Big 92.7 FM aims to take its interactive shows a step further — when it provides information on traffic jams in the city, it will also tell the audience how to get out of them; it will also include information on public utilities such as the timing of power cuts.

To change the imagery of radio from drab to exciting, Big 92.7 FM will have celebrity radio jockeys on some shows, apart from celebrity brand endorsers. They will be region-specific, Mr Chakravarthy said. The channel has got licences for 45 radio stations in the country. The potential number of listeners is 200 million.

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