Life’s humming along

It’s hip, it’s happening, it’s in. And, most of all, it is tuning in to the frequency of the young and the old, men and women, children and adults, and the rich and the poor alike. Radio is being savoured by just about everybody in City Beautiful. It is making its presence felt at eateries, petrol stations, in cars and in homes—much to the delight of programme producers of our very own FM channel of the city.

“We have come a long way since the times of Vividh Bharati programmes when variety was limited and most programmes lacked zing. With the coming of private producers, radio is beginning to cater to what people in different age brackets want. The radio is my companion as I drive down to and from office,” says Mala Chowdhary, a lawyer.

After being dubbed as the poor cousin of television and relegated to the backburner since the invasion of cable television in our homes, the radio has been getting the “royal ignore” from society at large. But the last couple of years have seen the radio rising like the phoenix from its own ashes.

If the tons of requests, calls and e-mails pouring in at the producer’s tables are anything to go by, the FM bug, it seems, has invaded every heart and mind in the city. An ardent radio listener, Uma Vashisth of Majri village in Panchkula, declares, “There’s no life without the radio. The FM has added a new dimension to the programmes.”

Elbowing cassettes and CDs out of the car and ushering in a radio revolution of sorts which has taken even school students in its fold, the popularity of radio is growing by the day. So hooked to request shows is Panchkula’s Heena Tandon, all of 13 years, that she insists on studying with the radio playing in the background.

Another regular radio listener is Shiv Kumar, a Class XI student at the Institute of the Blind. “I relish the wide variety that is on offer by the FM. I love singing also and radio programmes are very close to my heart,” he says.

The only channel of the city with a handful of private programmers is dishing out jazzy English and Hindi music, snazzy conversations and funky countdowns. Radio now talks about every aspect of life, be it beauty tips, health care, home decor, weekend getaways or pet care. Life’s humming along for the radio in the city bereft of any immediate challenges.

Says programme producer Hardeep S Chandpuri, Director of Radio Buzz and radio jockey, “The radio’s giving the city a rocking time and we producers are getting an overwhelming response from the public. Countdowns and request shows on radio are a big hit wherever you go in the world. This holds true for our city as well.”

Substantiating his viewpoint, Sanjay Sahni, an engineer by profession, and his wife state that they make regular requests, especially for Punjabi numbers. “We celebrate all our occasions with the radio, requesting for songs on anniversaries and birthdays. The best part is that music makes mundane house work a lot easier,” the wife holds.

Payal Sodhi of Mantra Productions maintains, “We’ll complete three years of programming on radio this month. The popularity of the radio is evident in the fact that initially convincing sponsors to advertise on radio was a problem. Now everybody seems to want an advertising slot on the radio and sponsors of big companies like to target the youth.”

Producing over 50 programmes a month, Richa Sharma, Director, Rhythmz Infotainment, adds that the city is more than ready to play host to 24-hour FM channels on the lines of Delhi. Two such channels are on the cards and likely to take off shortly.

“In fact, it’s high time the round-the-clock channel gets going in the city. In this jet-set age, people are looking for exciting young voices speaking to you from radio sets. Gone are the days when people liked to hear film songs only. Today, they are more demanding and are seeking programmes packed with information and entertainment. The sponsors, too, are on the lookout for such programmes which will hold the attention of the listener,” she maintains, asserting that SMS-based programmes are much sought after these days.

So, you can be a housewife doing your routine chores in the house while the radio plays on or a student concentrating on studies as peppy numbers play alongside. You could be an old man sitting in the park with the radio as his only companion or a strapping youngster swishing down city roads with blaring music vibrating from the cars—the fact remains that nobody is untouched by the radio fever. Radio is here to stay for as long as music makes the world go round.

— G.G

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