India's first pvt. FM station goes on the air

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, JULY 3. Bangalore today became the first city in the country to have a private FM radio station with the launch of Radio City, a 24-hour channel on 91 MHz.

Radio City is promoted by Music Broadcast Private Limited (MBPL) and STAR India which will provide content, sales and marketing support.

Mr. John Catlett, Chief Executive Officer, Radio Division, STAR India, told presspersons here that extensive research had gone into the launch of Radio City as the Indian market was a complicated one with different traditions and different languages. The programming, which was restricted to entertainment only as per the licence, would cater to a broad audience as music cut across age barrier.

He said the average radio listening hours were around three hours a day worldwide, whereas in India it was about 30 minutes. Radio City had chalked out plans for enhancing the average time of listening here, he added.

``We want the people of Bangalore to carry Radio City with them as they live their lives -- waking up with us in the morning, relying on us for traffic information on the way to and from work, and adding our music to the fabric of their lives at home, at work and at play,'' Mr. Catlett said.

Mr. Sumantra Dutta, Chief Operating Officer of STAR Radio Division, said dedicated radio jockeys (RJs) from Bangalore had been trained to involve the listeners and enhance the programming content. Commercials, he said, would be slotted for 10 minutes in an hour of programming.

Mr. Ashok Khinvasara, Director, MBPL, said the launch took about an year as 19 ministries had to clear licences and as the company wanted to ensure that everything was in place. MBPL had licences to launch FM radio stations in Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur, Lucknow and Patna, and they would come up in the next six months.

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