The Hindu Business Line : BIG 92.7 FM sees more ad revenues from local retailers

"When we finish launching the channel across the country, we hope to see at least 50 per cent of our ad revenues from the bottom rung of every city — from small brands, retailers and FMCG players," said Mr Tarun Katial, Chief Operating Officer, BIG 92.7 FM.

So be ready for more spots from RSK Paradise Developers from Rudrapur, GTM Jewellers in Paschim Vihar, Ashirwad Metropolitan Mall or Stanza Heights in Panipat.

With plans for 45 stations and nine alliances, and 12 live stations, the network is to cover 200 cities and will launch in Bhubaneshwar soon followed by Bhopal, Bareily and Guwahati. "BIG is hugely popular in Jammu," says Mr Katial.

The brand, positioned as `adult-contemporary', is unique, he says, and attracts audience between the age group of 15 and 34 with music of the Eighties and Nineties.

"Our positioning is aspirational; you could say we have a celebrity bias," says Mr Katial. BIG FM recently signed up sports commentator Harsha Bhogle and actor Shekhar Suman.

"It already has actor Rajeshwari Sachdev (for Delhi) Shweta Tiwari (Mumbai), Kaushik (Kolkata), Mamathi Chari (Chennai), and comedians Vrajesh Hirjee, and Sunil Pal (both Mumbai) hosting shows. It will continue "to invest in known faces (read voices) with credibility."

BIG FM would have spent Rs 40 crore before the end of its launch period.

"Using Abhishek (Bachchan) as brand ambassador was a good idea and going forward, we hope to build on our breakfast jockeys," said Mr Katial. The radio has also built a `short code' property in 5454, already offering `BIG Tune' ringtones.

It hopes to roll out other digital products soon. Focus is on interactivity and co-creation, says Mr Katial, promising to allot an outdoor broadcast van for every city and keep street-level marketing a priority.

The radio channel is already running Ashta Lakshmi, a mid-morning game show that it claims has really caught on with its target audience of women and that received one lakh SMS from Hyderabad alone.

Quiz contests and other formats are being explored by the channel, which recently broadcast Feluda, directed by Satyajit Ray's son Sandip Ray, in Kolkata.

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