Malhotra says new stations will need to strategize to address a select audience. “One way for new stations to exploit new markets might be to offer programming only in English, or focus programming on men or youth,” she says.
This will help in differentiation as well. As Panday points out, five of the eight private FM stations in New Delhi play mainstream Hindi music. “New stations will have to do something different, like offering music in different genres, to succeed,” he says. “There is a great opportunity in segmentation… of occupying a space that is not yet occupied.”
Focused programming is the mantra for Radio One as well. Vishnu Athreya, Radio One’s vice-president for programming and brand, says that since July, his station has changed its segment length from one hour to 20 minutes, in part to differentiate itself and in part because research showed it was an effective way to target 22- to 26-year-olds.
“It has helped people identify us as the quick and fast station,” says Athreya.
Radio Today is targeting the women in the audience to differentiate itself. In June, it launched Meow 104.8 FM, a radio channel dedicated to women. Now available in New Delhi and Kolkata, it will soon go on air in Mumbai.
The programming is distinct. It follows a talk format, rather than making music the main fare. “Women seek companionship, and want to speak and not be judged. We talk to women, we don’t sing to them,” Anil Srivatsa, Meow’s chief operating officer, had said in a previous interview.
Rana Barua: National head of marketing, Radio City.Strategy: Launched a microsite (whattefun.com) as an initiative to reach out and be part of listeners’ lives. Also released ‘Bolo Whatte Fun’—a twin CD pack and cassette comprising 30 tracks.
Fever 104 has taken another route to differentiation. “Fever is already doing things differently. For one, we play a mix of Hindi and English all through the day,” says Chaturvedi. Plus, a distinct formatting—as its advertisement points out, “No horoscopes, no agony aunts, no silly jokes: only music.”
Advertiser response to these new strategies is yet to become clear. Some players are optimistic. According to Rana Barua, the national head of marketing at Radio City, getting ads will not be a problem. “It is only natural that advertisers would look at the medium as more mainstream since it will have a very enviable national footprint, apart from advantages such as being more interactive, local and cost-efficient,” Barua explains in an email interview.
Others are more cautious. Timmy Kandhari, a media analyst and director of the media and entertainment practice for PricewaterhouseCoopers in India, says the number of advertisements will depend on the stations’ content. “If the content is good, it will be easy to get ads,” he says. “If not, ads will either stagnate or go down. Ad dollars follow where people’s perceptions lie.”