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1. INTRODUCTION1.1 Backdrop of the Study

Radio is a mass medium and therefore ideally suited for India - leveraging its twin

advantages of wide coverage and cost effectiveness. The current size of the radio market in

India is Rs 300 crores and is expected to achieve the highest growth rate of 32 per cent in

coming years.1923 saw India's first radio station being established by the Radio Club ofBombay. By 1927, two privately owned transmitters were set up in Mumbai and Calcutta.

They were later nationalised by the British rule in 1930 and operated under the name Indian

Broadcasting Service until 1936, till it was renamed All India Radio (AIR). Having just six

stations in 1947, All India Radio's network expanded drastically by the mid-1990s with 146AM stations plus a National Channel, the Integrated North-East Service, aimed at

broadcasting to the tribal groups in northeast India, and the External Service. All India Radio

has five regional headquarters - the North Zone in New Delhi; the North-East Zone in

Guwahati, Assam; the East Zone in Calcutta; the West Zone in Bombay; and the South Zone

in Madras. Today All India Radio (AIR) is one of the biggest radio networks in the world

with more than 230 broadcasting centers across the country.

Radio broadcasting in India was, until recently a government monopoly under theDirectorate General of All India Radio under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

It was also known as Akashvani. All India Radio provides programmes in national, local and

16 regional languages. Its commercial services were inaugurated only in 1967, and were

provided by Vividh Bharati Service, headquartered in Mumbai. In March 2000, the

Government invited private sector into FM radio broadcasting by opening up the frequencies

in the FM band (87.5-108 MHz). The FM Radio has revived radio among the urbanpopulace. FM or frequency modulation is high quality, high frequency radio wave that has

lesser atmospheric interference. It gives stereo quality, which makes it popular among the

music lovers.

Today, there are 240 private radio stations operating in 90 cities.Maharashtra has thelargest number of private FM stations31, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu with


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21 each and Rajasthan with 19. Presently only Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram,Nagaland and Uttarakhand do not have any private FM station. The inclusion of FM inMobile phones and portable pocket radios have popularized this medium in every nook and

corner of urban areas. Most of the FM radio channels are music-based channels providing

entertainment to wide range of listeners from poorest of poor to elite society. It is also a

medium of communicating and discussing current affairs apart from providing entertainment.

However private FM Radio channels are not permitted to broadcast news by Information &

Broadcasting Ministry. Radio Mirchi, Big FM, Red FM, Radio City, AIR FM Rainbow,

Suryan FM, AIR FM Gold, Radio Mantra, Radio One and My FM comprise the top 10 FM

stations in the all India market.

With the entry of private FM Radio channels in addition to its easy accessibilty in themobile phones and portable pocket Radios, the Radio listening among youngsters is

increasing rapidly. The Radio listening among youngsters was less when there was only All

India Radio and it decreased further with the introduction of walkman. But now the scenario

is rapidly changing because of the entry of private FM radio channels.


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1.2 Motivation for selecting the TopicIndian Radio is one of the most lucrative mediums of entertainment and communication.

Radio has made a comeback in the lifestyles of Indians. Radio has the reputation of being the

oldest and the cheapest medium of entertainment in India. The radio industry has been

completely reshaped by the various private players that entered the sector after the government

allowed foreign investment into the segment and opened the licenses to the private players. The

quality of the sound and the music has improved significantly with the emergence and use of

satellite radio. The audience profile has also shifted to the high-income group. Moreover the

popularity of Radio as a medium of entertainment has increased because of the entry of private

FM Radio channels. This has helped in attracting youngsters to listen to Radio which was earlier

considered by them as an outdated medium of entertainment. In the past Radio was mainly used

to listen to the news and to the commentary during cricket matches before the advent of

Television. But today there has been a drastic change in the outlook of people towards Radio as a

means of entertainment. This is mainly because of the wide variety of programmes offered by

private FM Radio channels. Thus the main motive behind this research project to find out

whether there has been any change in the Radio listening habits among youngsters with the entry

of private FM Radio channels and if so what are the reasons for that change.


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1.3 Research Objectives To assess the radio listening habits of youngsters before the entry of private FM Radio

channels

To examine the changes in the Radio listening habits among youngsters after the entry ofprivate FM Radio channels

To study the duration of time spent by youngsters listening to private FM Radio channels To understand the preferences of the youngsters with regards to the programmes aired by

private FM Radio channels

To study the suggestions of youngsters for the improvement of programmes aired byprivate FM Radio channels

1.4 Research ProblemThe privatization of Indian Radio Industry took place in the year 2000. Prior to the

privatization of Indian Radio Industry, youngsters were not too much inclined towards Radio as

a medium of entertainment but with the entry of private FM Radio channels, the outlook of

people towards Radio has changed drastically especially that of youngsters. This research aims to

understand the changes in the Radio listening habits of youngsters in Mumbai with the entry of

private FM Radio channels.

1.5 Scope of the StudyThe scope of the study on changes in the Radio listening habits among youngsters with

the entry of private FM Radio channels is limited to the youngsters in and around Mumbai. The

age of the respondents surveyed is below 35 years. A fair combination of respondents from

different walks of life like students, salaried, self employed and housewives are taken into

consideration to get a clearer picture of the radio listening habits among them. A fairly equal

number of male and female respondents are considered for the survey purpose to avoid gender

bias in the study.


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1.6 Limitations of the studyThe limitations of the study are as stated below:

The responses of the respondents are limited only to the questions posed to them in thequestionnaire.

Respondents may be biased in their responses. The research tools used are not scientific tools hence the analysis may not be very

accurate.

Only a minor part of the population is targeted i.e. 56 people from Mumbai. This ismainly due to time and cost constraints.

The findings of the research are based on the responses of only people in Mumbai andhence it cannot be generalized for the entire population.

1.7 Defining the VariablesIndependent Variable:

Entry of Private FM Radio Channels in India

Dependent Variable:

Radio listening habits among youngsters


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2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Theoretical Literature ReviewRadio broadcasting in India began with the formation of a private radio service in

Chennai in 1924. In the very same year British Government gave license to a private company,

Indian Broadcasting Company to launch radio stations in Mumbai and Kolkata. In 1936 this very

corporation was renamed as All India Radio (AIR) and was controlled by the Department of

Communications. When India became independent in 1947, AIR was made a separate

department under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. AIR was renamed as Akashvani

in 1957. Akashvani is a government owned, semi commercial operation of Ministry of

Information and Broadcasting. There are 5 regional headquarters for AIR namely in New Delhi

(North Zone), Kolkata (East Zone), Guwahati (Northeast Zone), Mumbai (West Zone), Chennai

(South Zone). Commercial Radio services started in India in 1967 by Vividh Bharati Service

headquartered in Mumbai. Vividh Bharati earned its revenue from extensive advertising.

In March 2000, the Government invited private sector into FM radio broadcasting by

opening up the frequencies in the FM band (87.5-108 MHz). In this Phase I Policy of FM radio

privatization, private operators were invited to bid for a 10-year license to set-up and operate FM

radio stations. The original plan was to set-up 108 FM radio frequencies across 40 cities. 101

bids were received, aggregating to a license fee of approximately Rs.4.25 billion. [Source: FICCI

Ernst & Young Report, 2004]. The Government's Tenth Plan stipulates that private operations

are to be encouraged to provide FM radio services in metros and small cities. They announced

Phase II of the privatization of FM radio in 2005, which is an initiative in line with the roadmap

laid out in the Tenth Plan. A total of 338 channels in 91 cities across the country were to be made

available for bidding by Indian private companies. The key players in private FM Radio Industry

in India are Radio Mirchi, Radio City, Red FM, Suryan FM, Go FM, Power FM, Visakha and so

on.

Radio has made a comeback in the lifestyles of Indians. Radio has the reputation of being

the oldest and the cheapest medium of entertainment in India. The radio industry has been


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completely reshaped by the various private players that entered the sector after the government

allowed foreign investment into the segment and opened the licenses to the private players. The

current size of Indian Radio Industry is of Rs. 300 crore. According to a PwC study, the radio

industry is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18 per cent over

2009-13, reaching US$ 391.15 million in 2013 from the present US$ 170.87 million in 2008.

The cheapest and oldest form of entertainment in the country, which was hitherto

dominated by the AIR, witnessed a sea-change after privatisation. In 2005, the government

announced three key policy initiatives which resulted into growth in this sector

Migration to a revenue share regime Allowing foreign investment into the segment Opening of licenses to private players.

As many as 338 licenses were given out by the Indian government for FM radio channels in 91

big and small towns and cities. This deluge of radio stations resulted in rising need for content

and professionals. New concepts like satellite, internet and community radio have also begun to

hit the Indian market.

Characteristics of FM Radio Industry in India

Business model of FM Radio Industry in India is mainly advertising driven FM Radio Industry in India is impacted by the global recession, growth in the last two

quarters of 2008 was slow because of slowdown in the advertising industry

A cost effective medium for advertisers as it has more penetration and reach compared tothe traditional print and television

FM Radio Industry in India is controlled by few business groups having sizable stake indifferent media properties

Entry of Players in FM Radio Industry in India is mainly an act of diversification fromexisting media players as an risk mitigation exercise with slowdown experienced in

traditional media outlets such as print

FM Radio Industry in India is regulated and recently privatized FM Radio Industry in India has huge infrastructure setup costs


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FM Radio Industry in India is Oligopolistic in nature and witnesses price wars Overall growth rate ofFM Radio Industry in India is very impressive FM Radio Industry in India is highly fragmented and regulated

18% of all private FM radio channels are concentrated in Metros Metro markets are the maximum contributors to the revenue of Indian FM Radio Industry FM Radio Industry in India faces fierce competition 70% of the content aired in private FM radio channels is Bollywood Music Branding is the key differentiating element in Indian FM Radio Industry Few stations have experimented with format and content like Meow FM specially

targeting women audience, Hit 95 FM playing songs in English language only

Challenges faced by FM Radio Industry in India

Royalty issues between radio companies and Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS).Royalty payment to music owners is a major issue. It varies from 15-50% in India.

Internationally it is only 2-3%

Prolonged slowdown will have negative impact on the industry Fragmentation in the industry could further price wars Lack of skilled and experienced professionals could derail global expansion plans Significant efforts need to be invested in educating the advertisers about radio as a

medium

Shortage of talent, such as star RJs, forces players to poach from other players driving upthe cost of talent acquisition

Lack of trained sales staff to handle airtime sales on radio 10 year license fee paid to regulator is a huge sunk cost

Future ofFM Radio Industry in India

Phase III licensing to bring in more players (more than 600 stations in 250 cities acrossthe country)

FDI to ease niche programming with more money for developing targeted content


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Tradability of licenses to allow for consolidation in the industry through mergers andacquisition

Differentiation to come in the form of weather, sports, news bulletins, news broadcast

Big radio companies to go global recently Radio Mirchi acquired Virgin Radio in theUK, Big FM launched a dedicated station in Singapore

Growth to come from locally targeted advertising More awareness about the medium and its potential to result in better utilization with the

advertisers


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2.2 Research based Literature ReviewGrowth of Private FM radio in India (caselet from ICMR India)

The caselet examines the nature and growth of FM radio in India. It provides details of one of

Indias leading private FM radio operators - Radio Mirchi, its operations and business strategy.

The caselet also describes the sales promotion campaigns developed by Radio Mirchi to provide

an experience to the target audience, especially the youth, and position it differently from the

other FM players. The main issues dealt with in this caselet are as follows:

Nature of FM radio industry in India Role of sales promotions and contests in promoting a FM radio channel Revenue generation for FM players Programming formats and strategies

A survey was conducted by Intellect (Research & technologies unit of Initiative Media, a part of

Lowe group) -- Radio Track 2003 in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Chennai with a

sample size of 1,200 respondents to study the impact of radio and its penetration among four key

target segments -- housewives, students, business executives (car owners), and business

executives (non-car owners). The survey found that the frequency of listening to the radio as well

as the number of radio listeners had increased over the previous past two years. Delhi registered

the highest growth rates in terms of new listeners at 35%. The percentage of heavy listeners also

increased from 11% prior to the entry of private FM players to 63% after their entry. In Kolkata,

the percentage of radio listeners increased from 20% to 75%, and the percentage of heavy

listenership increased from 5% to 19%.

Interacting with Media in Our Lives(Research paper from peerpapers.com)

This paper is a look at different trends of listening to the radio amongst different cultural groups.

This paper compares talk radio to news radio and explains the significant role that talk radio

plays. It discusses the importance of music to people and their lives along with the direction that

rap music is heading. There are a couple major differences that exist between a talk radio and a

news program. The first is definitely the way in which the information is delivered. In a news
http://showelement%28%27itm6132%27%29/http://showelement%28%27itm6132%27%29/http://showelement%28%27itm6132%27%29/


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program, there is really no interaction between listeners and the newscaster. Everything is one

sided, as the news is fed to the audience, and they are not given the chance to respond. On the

other hand, a talk radio show encourages listeners to call up the station and voice their opinions.

This communication between talk show host and listeners always results in a much more

interesting and entertaining show. The second distinction between a talk radio and news program

is that in a news program, one expects to be told the facts and nothing more. While in the case of

a talk radio show, a discussion is often triggered by a known factual piece of information, but it

is almost always accompanied by the opinionated input of the host concerning the matter at hand.

The latter is, of course, the major draw that appeals to audiences more so than merely listening to

the news. Interactivity between the host and a caller plays a major role in contributing to the

overall entertainment value of the show. It helps in drawing audiences to different radio stations.

The preference of talk radio and news radio also varies between different cultural groups. This

paper gives in an insight into that.

Radio City identifies 5 segments of FM listeners in India (Article from radioandmusic.com)

Radio City 91.1FM commissioned a research in association with Synovate, one of India's leading

market research firms, to track listening habits based on the interaction with FM and delve

deeper into the minds of listeners. The main objective of the research is to gauge the interest of

our listeners, cater to their needs and give them the most sought after content and music. To

make the study more comprehensive and representative, the sample size of around 9,000

respondents belonging to SEC ABC 15-39 age group, from Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai

and Hyderabad were selected. The segmentation was done based on listener's needs. With this

research, Radio City and Synovate identified 5 segments of listeners

Relaxation seekers Cool Dudes Lonely Souls Flirters Time Pass
http://www.radioandmusic.com/http://www.radioandmusic.com/


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The research reflected that 29% people tune into radio as a means of 'relaxation', while only 5%

tuned in to 'pass time'. This clearly highlighted that Radio is incessantly adding value to life. The

research also showed that 20% of 'flirter' listeners want the latest music, as well as the updates on

FM, as opposed to the 22% of 'lonely souls' who tune into radio to seek companionship. The

'lonely souls' like interactivity and hence can be termed as the closest friends of the radio

jockeys. A separate category altogether is the 'cool dudes' who tune in to radio for trend related

content to make a style statement. Majority of the listeners tune in to relax themselves, looking

for entertainment and keeping boredom away. They seek a bit of everything from radio, but in

moderation.

The Impact of Humor in Radio Advertising(Essay from www.peerpapers.com)

The objective of this study is to find out if the use of humor in radio advertising aids the listener

in comprehension and recall. The paper analyzes whether humor in radio advertising aids the

listener in comprehension and recall. The author discusses past experimental studies that look at

the effect of humor in advertising upon source credibility, comprehension, and audience

preference, and compares them to the author's own method of experimentation. The use of

humor in radio advertising is not a new concept. Every year millions of dollars are spent in the

development and execution of humorous advertising in the United States. It is a tool that

advertisers and radio stations have been using for years to grab the attention of their listeners.

They use humor to help them place a product image in the listeners mind. This paper tries to

understand whether this technique really work. Advertisers use humor appeals in radio

advertising in order to differentiate a product whose advertising faces a heavy amount of

corporate noise. The use of humor, some advertisers feel, can help listener recall, and attitude

towards the product. It also explains some of the difficulties faced in conceptualizing humour inRadio.
http://showelement%28%27itm3840%27%29/http://showelement%28%27itm3840%27%29/http://www.peerpapers.com/http://www.peerpapers.com/http://showelement%28%27itm3840%27%29/


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Effect of Mass Media on Teenagers(Research paper from Essaytown.com)

This paper discusses of the ways in which movies, television, radio, print and the Internet

influence teenage attitudes, self-image and behaviors, negative effects of media, relationship

between media & self-esteem, how film, TV & music affirm the validity of sexual activity for

teens; alcohol use. Aggression & violence. The media exerts an enormous, almost a normative

influence, over the lives of men, women, adolescents and children. It influences, particularly

among teenagers, the ways in which individuals and groups dress, talk, behave, and think. The

media, in the forms of movies, television, radio, and print as well as the new electronic

communications medium of the Internet, helps to connect individuals to one another and to the

world; invariably, this powerful influence shapes the ways in which viewers or participants

perceive the world and their own place within that world. This paper tries to find out the impact

of various mass media on impressionable minds of youngsters.

A survey of radio listenership in the davao provinces of mindanao, the Philippines (by

Spain, PeterResearch paper from Ebsco.com)

This research paper helps to identify the listening habits and preferences of the audience of a

radio-broadcasting station, dxcd, in a rural area of the philippines, a questionnaire-based survey

was conducted. A total sample of 960 respondents was interviewed. The methodology of the

survey is presented, and the demographics of the area described. Results of the survey is

presented. Of radio listenership and newspaper reading, radio ownership, and preferences in

terms of type of program, time of day, language/dialect used, stations heard, and number of

hours spent listening. Effects on listeners are also analyzed in this paper. The difficulties and

barriers faced in the course of survey are also described in this paper.

Radio is an educational medium (by Duty, A.Report from Ebsco)

This report summarizes information found in a survey of the literature on radio as an educational

medium which covered the published literature from many areas of the world. Comments on the


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literature reviewed are provided throughout the text, which is organized under seven major

headings:

(1) Radio as a Mass Medium

(2) Radio, the Medium (broadening the scope of the medium, radio cassettes, radio as a medium

for distance education, and radio for adult education)

(3) Educational Radio (harnessing the medium for education, supporting visual materials and

radio-vision, one sensory channel, and cost)

(4) Comparing different Educational Media

(5) Educational Radio--Developing the Programs (supporting communication and evaluation,

training provisions, analyzing the audience, attitudes, rigorous instructional design, program

preferences, and listening habits)

(6) Suggested Model for Developing an Educational Radio Program

(7) Suggested Model for Educational-Radio Script

Community Radio for Development(Research paper from peerpapers.com)

This paper is an in-depth analysis of the existing framework of community broadcasting in India

and how to use community radio for development in underdeveloped areas. The paper looks at

community radio as a new way of providing communication development support to the people

residing outside of the major cities in India. The paper analyzes the existing framework of

community broadcasting in India with regard to historical background, legal and financial

aspects, policy interventions and government and corporate interest. The writer explores the best

possible practices for community radio to be used as a community participatory tool to ensure

the participation of the underprivileged sectors of the society in designing, producing and then

subsequent airing of radio programs based on local community issues, problems, needs and

interests. In conclusion, the writer posts that the denial of information to the lower classes

aggravates the poverty gap and that community radio could help bridge this gap.


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Youth, Radio and Social Transformation (Research by Thomas J Yesudhasan, Media and

Communication Studies, Curtin University of Technology Sarawak Campus,Malaysia)

The core of this paper is that radio remains an important communication tool for tribal

communities living in remote hill areas of South India. Some of the more salient findings relate

to media uses and preferences of people, suggesting that sophisticated negotiations take place

between audiences and media. These include suspicion of television and its impact upon work

practices and education, the organization of time and space to accommodate radio and television

into people's busy daily lives, and the recognition that radio may be a more innovative medium

than television. These conclusions have been reached from an in depth qualitative audience

ethnographic study of three tribal communities in Southern India. The Toda, Kota and

Kannikaran are tribal communities living in Tamil Nadu, South India. The Toda and Kota live in

the Nilgiri Hills. The Kannikaran live in Kanyakumari district, the most Southern tip of India.

This paper critically analyses how tribal audiences use the neighboring low power radio stations,

Ooty Radio Station (ORS), and Nagercoil Radio Station (NRS) of state-funded All India Radio

(AIR). It also explores how these stations ensure audience participation. Introduced in 1993,

ORS is the only radio station located near the tribal communities in the Nilgiris hill area and

serves distinctively like a community radio. ORS serves an empowering role to the tribal

communities by encouraging innovative feedback and audience participation. Its remit also

includes cultural development and democratization of tribal communities living in the Nilgiris.

This paper explores how remote hill audiences use radio in their everyday lives. All communities

have access to national, regional, local and international radio. The study demonstrates that tribal

people are not just passive listeners but actively engage with radio for a variety of reasons,

especially for agricultural information, news, entertainment and cultural activities. In a changing

mediascape, where television assumes greater importance as a cultural tool, radio still remains

the medium of first choice for most tribal communities. This is especially true of women who

use the radio in quite different ways to men. Moreover, age is an increasing factor in media

consumption in these communities. The young are more familiar with their communication

options than their elders and are increasingly turning to television. Nevertheless the young still

acknowledge that radio is an important medium in tribal communities.


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3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY3.1 Research Design

The research design used in this study of changes in the Radio listening habits among

youngsters with the entry of private FM Radio channels is Descriptive Research. Descriptive

research is used because the objective of this research study is to understand whether there has

been a change in the Radio listening habits among youngsters with the entry of private FM Radio

channels and if so what are the reasons for the change. The study also aims to understand the

preferences of the youngsters with regards to the programmes aired by the private FM Radio

channels and also to find out the suggestions that the youngsters have for the betterment of the

programmes aired by private FM Radio channels.

3.2 Sampling DesignThis research study deals with the change in the radio listening habits among youngsters

with the entry of private FM Radio channels and hence the sample has to be chosen from the

youngsters, so the sample chosen for this study is below 35 years of age. The sample of 56

respondents is chosen from in and around Mumbai. Thus the sampling unit selected for this

research study is a geographical one. 56 respondents from different walks of life like students,

salaried, self employed and housewives are taken into consideration to get a clearer picture of the

radio listening habits among them. A fairly equal number of male and female respondents that is

30 males and 26 females are considered for the survey purposes to avoid gender bias in the

study. The sampling design followed in this research study is Non-Probability sampling.

Convenience sampling technique under non-probability sampling is followed for the study

because of the time and budget constraints.


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3.3 Data Collection Methodology

The objective of the research study was finalized and a questionnaire was framed tocollect first hand information from respondents. The questionnaire was distributed among

respondents residing in and around Mumbai to find out the radio listening habits among them. 60

people were given the questionnaire out of which 4 people did not respond to all the answers so

their responses were not considered for further analysis. Secondary data was also used to know

more about Indian Radio Industry and the impact of privatization on Indian Radio Industry. After

primary and secondary data were duly collected then analysis was done of the responses of the

respondents and the findings were recorded subsequently.


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4. FINDINGS & RESULTS4.1 Profile of the Respondents Age of the Respondents

Out of the 56 people surveyed, majority of the respondents i.e. 26 were in the age group

of 21 to 25 years forming 46% of the total respondents surveyed followed by 18 i.e. 32% in 16 to

20 years and the remaining 7, 3 and 2 forming 13%, 5%, 4% in the 26 to 30 years, 11 to 15 years

and 31 to 35 years respectively.

Since the study is concerned with the change in the Radio listening habits among

youngsters after the entry of private FM Radio channels, the sample chosen is below 35 years of

age. The proportion of respondents in the age group of 11 to 15 years is low because the

privatization of Radio industry took place in 2000 so there would be no great result by surveying

people in that age group but then also they were considered because today people from this age

group also form a major part of Radio listeners.

11-15

5%

16-20

32%

21-25

46%

26-30

13%

31-35

4%


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Gender of the Respondent

Out of the 56 people surveyed, majority of the respondents i.e. 30 of them forming 54%

of the total respondents were male and the remaining 46% i.e. 26 of them were female.

Almost equal number of male and female respondents was chosen to avoid gender biased

results.

Occupation of the Respondent


were students, 32% i.e. 18 were salaried, 14% i.e. 8 were housewives and remaining 13% i.e. 7

of them were self employed.

Male54%

Female

46%

Student41%

Housewife

14%

Salaried

32%

Self employed

13%


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56 respondents from different walks of life like students, salaried, self employed and

housewives are taken into consideration to get a clearer picture of the radio listening habits

among them.

Means of Listening to Radio


were using Mobile phones to listen to Radio, 41% i.e. 23 used both Mobile phones and Music

systems to listen to Radio, 5% i.e. 3 used only Music system to listen to Radio and 4% i.e. 2 of

them used other means like pocket radio and computer to listen to radio.

The means of listening to Radio was asked to find out whether easy accessibility was one

of the reason for increase in the listenership among youngsters and as can be clearly seen from

the above chart easy accessibility was indeed one of the reason for increase in the listenershipamong youngsters but not the only reason since 41% people said that they use both Mobile

phones and Music systems to listen to Radio.

Mobile Phone

50%

Music System

5%

Both

41%

Others4%


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4.2 Other Findings Listening to Radio

The questionnaires were given to 60 people for survey purposes and out of them 4 people

answered to the question Do you listen to Radio? negatively. So the responses of those people

were discarded and the remaining 56 responses were considered for analysis purposes.

Purpose of Listening to Radio

Yes

93%

No

7%

Entertainment

52%

Information

20%

Both28%


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listened to Radio for entertainment purposes, 20% i.e. 11 used it for information purposes and

28% i.e. 16 of them used it for both entertainment and information purposes.

This question was asked to find out whether entertainment was the factor that led the

youngsters to listen to Radio more frequently after the entry of private FM Radio channels. From

the chart above we can see that the youngsters changing radio listening habits was due to more

entertainment content in private FM Radio channels.

Part of the day when tune into private FM Radio channels


of the total respondents said that they tune into private FM Radio channels during more than one

part of the day, 12 of them forming 21% of the total respondents said that they tune into private

FM Radio channels at night, 9 of them forming 16% of the total respondents said that they tune

into private FM Radio channels in the evening, 7 of them forming 13% of the total respondents

said that they tune into private FM Radio channels in the morning, 6 of them forming 11% of

the total respondents said that they tune into private FM Radio channels in the afternoon and

none of them selected the cant say option.

Morning

13%

Afternoon

11%

Evening16%

Night

21%

Cant say

0%

More thanone of the

above

39%


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Majority of the respondents tuned into private FM Radio channels in more than one part

of the day showing that they do consider FM Radio as a major source of entertainment. The

listenership is also comparatively more in the night showing the fact the respondents liked

listening to music before going for the sleep. 5 of the total 6 respondents who said that they listen

to private FM Radio channels in afternoon belonged to the housewife category.

Activities performed while listening to private FM Radio channels


of the total respondents said that they tuned into private FM Radio channels while travelling, 14

of them forming 25% of the total respondents said that they tuned into private FM Radio

channels while doing more than one of the above activities, 6 of them forming 11% of the total

respondents said that they tuned into private FM Radio channels while relaxing after work, 5 of

them forming 9% of the total respondents said that they tuned into private FM Radio channels

while cooking and 2 of them forming 4% of the total respondents said that they tuned into

private FM Radio channels while getting ready for work. None of the respondents specified any

other activity while they listened to private FM Radio channels.

Travelling

51%

Getting Ready

for work

4%

Relaxing afterwork

11%

Cooking

9%

More than one

of the above

25%


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Travelling is one of the time consuming activity in Mumbai. Most of the respondents

listened to private FM Radio channels while travelling because of the easy accessibility of Radio

in Mobile phones. Some of them also listened to Radio while performing more than one of the

above mentioned activities.

Frequency of tuning in to private FM Radio channels


of the total respondents said that they tune into private FM Radio channels daily, 8 respondents

forming 14% of the total respondents said that they tune into private FM Radio channels more

than 3 days a week, 1 respondent forming 2% of the total respondents said that they tune into

private FM Radio channels once in a week, none of the respondents said that they tune into

private FM Radio channels once in 15 days and 3 respondents forming 5% of the total

respondents said there is no specific time interval.

This question was asked to find out whether the private FM Radio channels are able to

attract the audience regularly to listen to their programmes. Since majority of the respondents

Daily79%

More than 3

days a week

14%

Once in a week

2%

Once in 15 days

0%

No specific time

interval

5%


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tuned into private FM Radio channels almost regularly, we can say that the private FM Radio

channels are able to attract audiences regularly. Respondents from different occupation and age

group uniformly said that they tune in to private FM Radio channels almost daily.

Time spent in listening to private FM Radio channels when tuned in

Out of the 56 people surveyed, majority of the respondents i.e. 26 of them forming 46%of the total respondents said that they spent between 1-3 hours listening to private FM Radio

channels whenever they tuned in, 21 of them forming 38% of the total respondents said that they

spent between 30 minutes to 1 hour listening to private FM Radio channels whenever they tuned

in, 3 of them forming 5% of the total respondents said that they spent more than 3 hours listening

to private FM Radio channels whenever they tuned in, 4 of them forming 7% of the total

respondents said that they cant clearly say the time spent by them listening to private FM Radio

channels whenever they tuned in and 2 of them forming 4% of the total respondents said that

they spent less than 30 minutes listening to private FM Radio channels whenever they tuned in.

Majority of the respondents spent more than 30 minutes listening to private FM Radio

channels which shows that the FM Radio channels are able to retain the audiences with the

variety of the programmes aired by them. The 2 respondents who said that they tune into private

Less than 30

minutes

4%30 minutes-

1hour

38%

1- 3 hours

46%

more than 3

hours

5%

Can't say

7%


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FM Radio channels for less than 30 minutes belonged to the age group of 11-15 and 31-35 years

each. Out of the 3 respondents who said that they listen private FM Radio channels for more than

3 hours all of them belonged to the housewife category. This may be because they have more

leisure time to listen to the programmes aired by private FM Radio channels.

Listening to Radio prior to the entry of private FM Radio channels


of the total respondents responded negatively when asked whether they listened to Radio prior to

the entry of private FM Radio channels and only 7 of them forming 12% of the total respondents

said that they have been listening to Radio prior to the entry of private FM Radio channels. Out

of this 7 respondents who responded positively to this question, 6 respondents were above 20

years of age and only 1 respondent was below 20 years.

This question was posed to the respondents to understand whether people have started

listening to Radio after the entry of private Radio channels or they were listening to Radio even

prior to the entry of private Radio channels. This was to know whether the entry of private FM

Radio channels have been able to attract new listeners or were they just attracting those people

who were already listening to All India Radio before their entry. As majority of them responded

negatively to this question we can say that private FM Radio channels have been successful in

Yes

12%

No

88%


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attracting new listeners and were not just attracting those people who were already listening to

All India Radio before their entry.

Listening to All India Radio channels after the entry of private FMRadio channels

This question was posed to the 7 people who responded positively to the question

whether they have been listening to Radio prior to the entry of private FM Radio channels. Out

of the 7 respondents 2 of them i.e. 29% of the total respondents said that they still tune into All

India Radio Channels and 5 of them i.e. 71% of the total respondents responded negatively to

this question.

This question was asked to find out whether the preferences of the people who have been

already listening to Radio has changed with the entry of the private FM Radio channels or not.

Since majority of them responded negatively to this question, a change in the preference of the

people who have been already listening to Radio can be seen. One more important observation

made while analyzing this question was that all the people who responded positively to this

question were from the age groups above 20 years and none of the respondents below 20 years of

age responded positively to this question.

Yes

29%

No

71%


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Listening to Radio if there were no private FM Radio channels

This question was posed to all the respondents. Out of the 56 people surveyed, majority

of the respondents i.e. 50 of them forming 89% of the total respondents said that they would not

spend the same amount of time listening to Radio if there were no private FM Radio channels, 4

of them forming 7% of the total respondents said that they would spend the same amount of time

listening to Radio even if there were no private FM Radio channels and 2 respondents selected

the option of cant say.

Majority of the youngsters would not listen to Radio if there were no private FM Radio

channels because they did not feel the programmes aired by All India Radio channels are good

and moreover they prefer other forms of entertainment over the programmes aired by All India

Radio channels. All the 6 respondents who responded positively to listen to Radio even if there

were no private FM Radio channels were the same respondents who had been listening to Radio

prior to the entry of private FM Radio channels.

Yes

7%

No89%

Can't Say

4%


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Listened to All India Radio Channels ever


of the total respondents responded said that they listened to All India Radio channels at least

once. Only 3 of the respondents forming 5% of the total respondents said they have never

listened to All India Radio channels.

This question was asked to find out how many respondents have ever tuned in to All

India Radio channels. The main purpose behind asking this question was to find out whether the

respondents find the programmes aired by private FM Radio channels better than that aired by

the All India Radio channels.

Yes

95%

No

5%


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Comparison of programmes aired by private FM Radio channels and AllIndia Radio channels

This question was posed to the 53 people who responded positively to the question

whether they have listened to All India Radio channels ever. Out of the 53 respondents, 47 i.e.

89% of them said that they felt the programmes aired by private FM Radio channels are better

than that aired by the All India Radio channels. Only 4 of the respondents i.e. 7% felt that the

programmes aired by private FM Radio channels are not better than that aired by the All India

Radio channels and 2 of the respondents i.e. 4% have selected the option cant say.

This question was posed only to 53 respondents as the comparison can be made only if

they have listened to the programmes aired by both private FM Radio channels and All India

Radio channels.

Respondents who said that they felt private FM Radio channels air better programmes than that

of All India Radio channels were then asked why they felt so. Reasons cited by them are as listed

below:

More creative and innovative

Yes

89%

No

7%

Can't Say

4%


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Variety of programmes to choose from Youthfulness in presentation Energetic Radio Jockeys Comparatively large number of channels Increased interactivity It has become infotainment wherein there are discussions about various current affairs in

addition to entertainment

Special channels catering to different segments of listeners. For instance Meow FM forwomen.

Interesting contests Latest music aired alongwith classic music numbers Different Programmes aired during different parts of the day 24 hours music Local information updates Light hearted programmes

Respondents who said that they felt private FM Radio channels air do not better programmes

than that of All India Radio channels were then asked why they felt so. Reasons cited by them

are as listed below:

No News broadcast No live sports commentary Interruptions by the Radio Jockeys Absence of programmes like analysis of financial markets and so on


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Specific programmes regularly tuned into in private FM Radio channels

This question was posed to all the respondents. Out of the 56 people surveyed, only 11

respondents forming 20% of the total respondents said that they regularly tuned into specific

programmes in private FM Radio channels and the remaining 45 respondents forming 80% of the

total respondents answered negatively when asked whether there wsa any specific programme to

which they tuned into regularly in private FM Radio channels.

Majority of the respondents said that there are no specific programmes that they regularly

tune into in private FM Radio channels.

Some of the programmes mentioned by respondents to which they regularly tune into are

as listed below:

Dheemi local aired in Radio Mirchi

Purani Jeans aired in Radio Mirchi Kasa Kai Mumbai aired in Radio City College Radio aired in Radio one Meri Meow aired in Meow FM

Yes

20%

No80%


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Opinion regarding programmes that are aired in private FM Radiochannels

Out of the 56 people surveyed, 27 respondents forming 49% of the total respondents said

that the programmes currently aired by private FM Radio channels is average, 19 respondents

forming 34% of the total respondents said that the programmes currently aired by private FM

Radio channels is good, 4 respondents forming 7% of the total respondents said that theprogrammes currently aired by private FM Radio channels is excellent, 3 respondents forming

5% of the total respondents said that the programmes currently aired by private FM Radio

channels is poor and 3 respondents selected the option cant say.

Thus we can say that majority of the respondents felt that the programmes aired by

private FM Radio channels is average in nature.

Excellent

7%

Good

34%

Average49%

Poor

5%

Can't say

5%


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Suggestions for improving the performance of private FM radiochannels

Respondents were given the opportunity to suggest ways for improvement of performance of

private FM Radio channels. Some of the suggestions are as listed below:

Reduce the chattering of the Radio Jockeys Increase the number of songs played Specific Radio channels for different target audience Reduce the number of advertisements aired Include folk songs, classical songs in addition to bollywood numbers Include News bulletins Reduce repetition of songs


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5. RECOMMENDATIONS

The private FM Radio channels is increasingly gaining popularity among youngsters as ameans of entertainment. However there is a need to reform the private broadcasting to such an

extent that it can provide more news and takes more interest in the public welfare. More quality

educational programs should be broadcast in the commercial sector. There has to be perfect mix

of development and commercial programs. More and more programmes with developmental

messages will have to be devised. Professionalism has to be introduced not only at the content

creation level, but also at the managerial level so as to protect public interest. The private FM

Radio channels should diversify their content so as to attract and retain loyal audience. The

differentiators are the type of music, when it is played, what the radio jockey says and so on.

There should be genre specific Radio channels. Value-added services like a travelogue or a book

review etc. would help create a connection between the radio and the audience. One way of the

ways that private FM Radio channels can resort to increase the audience loyalty is by embracing

corporate social responsibility. This would help in better brand recall and developing a "feel-

good factor" that listeners will associate with a FM Radio channel. Moreover the private FM

Radio channels can reduce the air space taken by the Radio Jockeys and instead air songs or

other programmes liked by audiences in order to reduce the swapping of Radio channels by

audience.


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6. CONCLUSIONBroadcasting has been a fruitful activity enriching the citizens of India and perform the

basic functions of providing education, information and entertainment to all across the country.

The news services of these broadcasters keep the nation and those who live in far off and far

flung areas informed. The privatization of broadcasting is a good thing which has to be

welcomed by all as it provides alternative to the already available government operated AIR. The

privatization has given room for multiple voices in broadcasting and this provides solution to the

monopoly and monotony of the public service broadcaster. Looking at the program content of

FM channels one gets the feeling that they are more market oriented than socially concerned. In

this situation, it calls for having dual system of public and private broadcasting systems. The

entire structure of radio broadcasting will have to be revamped. It has to become more

professional by adopting recent and sophisticated technology. Truly, AIR is the Indias public

service broadcaster serving all sections of the society and the commercial broadcasters serve the

business interests of the persons or owners concerned. But there is a need for both commercial

broadcasters as well as public service broadcasters doing their duty to serve the country like

India which has more than 1 billion population.

India's radio industry has a strong growth potential if mechanisms and policies are put in

place to provide it with appropriate support. India, with its diverse regional influences, is in a

prime position to take advantage of the growth potential of this segment. With privatisation

gathering momentum, the increased number of private radio channels across the country is likely

to transform commercial radio from an urban phenomenon to a national one, as has been the case

with satellite television. There is a need to look at the broadcasting systems of the advanced

countries and compare our broadcasting with them. In these countries, there exists a more co-

operative form of ownership which airs more non-commercial programmes and such a thing has

to be emulated in India as well. The government needs to regulate both the public service as wellas private broadcasters so that these are free from doing any kind of harm to the public interest.

We can hope that the broadcasting scenario will improve further in India for fulfilling the needs

of the citizens of the country.

final -ref

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