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Aditi Tandon
CHANDIGARH, July 19: The "medium of sound" is fading. With its glamorous cousin, television, invading homes, the radio no longer commands the veneration it used to till the '80s. A nation-wide phenomenon as it is, the City and its suburbs are no exception.
CHANDIGARH, July 19: The "medium of sound" is fading. With its glamorous cousin, television, invading homes, the radio no longer commands the veneration it used to till the '80s. A nation-wide phenomenon as it is, the City and its suburbs are no exception.
More and more radio sets here are gathering dust. A way of life till two decades back, radio is now switched on generally when one is behind the wheel; about 80 per cent City cars have radio sets.
Specific data in this regard is not available. As per the 1991 census, the local AIR station was catering to 15,74,000 people. According to rough estimates, after the cable invasion, urban listenership declined by about 60 per cent. In rural areas, however, the impact was not much (surprisingly in villages, BBC Hindi service has tremendous listening) but an instant decline of about 15 per cent did reportedly take place.
Of course, some old programmes continue to be heard, at least by old-timers. These include film music-based programmes like Aap Ki Farmaish, Gunjan, and Chhaya Geet. The old famed newscaster-commentators like the late Melville de Mellow and Jasdev Singh and comperes like Ameen Sayani (remember Binaca Geet Mala) are now remembered with nostalgia. Some of them tried, rather unsuccessfully, to find a slot on television.
The local AIR staff claim that certain newly-introduced productions like Baaton Baaton Main and Jaan Hai Jahan Jai, Meri Suno, Pop Time, etc are popular. The programmes, which are fetching a modest revenue of between Rs 450 to Rs 900 per broadcast, deal with a variety of issues (messages and songs played on listeners' requests, problems related to health, and Helpline, wherein experts are called).
But since most of these programmes are more effective on television, the listeners' and advertisers' response is rather modest. Experts agree that one of the prime reasons for the decline in radio listening in this region is its failure to adapt to the changing times. In the West, for example, the radio is a must for every person driving to work for it is a barometer to the weather and road blocks on way to work, besides music.
D.P. Malik, station director, AIR (Chandigarh), admits: "The problem started after 1991, when satellite channels were introduced. Radio was suddenly relegated in the priority list because there were better options. Now, there were about 20 channels offering variety to suit all age groups. But it's important to mention that we did not lose out on our lot of committed listeners."
Prakash Syal, head of the Bharatiya Vidya Mandir, who has 50 years' experience in radio broadcasting, explained, "Being a uni-sense medium, it did suffer some decline. To fight back, it needs to alter the programming content to suit local needs, but that's not possible until Chandigarh is made a primary channel."
AIR, Chandigarh (frequency: 209.6 megahertz on MW and 103.1 megahertz on FM) became operational in 1964, and devotes as much as 14 hours, 35 minutes per day with morning, afternoon and evening transmissions. It caters to areas within a radius of 35 to 40 km.
In regaining lost listenership, handicaps, however, are many. The first hindrance is that the local station is a Commercial Broadcasting Service (CBS), Vividh Bharti, as we know it. So there's not much scope for home productions, with the result that local participation is almost negligible.
All is still not lost. Says Simmi, a student, "Hostellers depend on radio because they have no other source of entertainment. Aap Ki Farmaish relayed in the mornings and Chhaya Geet relayed in the evenings are the favourites. But generally speaking, only about 15 per cent of youth might be listening to the radio."
Also unfazed by the "rule of television" is the DXers' club, who are hooked to long-distance radio transmission, mostly on shortwave, be it Radio France Internationale or some unheard-off radio station in faraway Quito in Ecuador. Similarly, a labourer, Harmail Singh, adds, "We can't afford to spend Rs 20,000 on TV. For us, radio still is the medium, its most outstanding features being mobility and economy. Film songs are the most liked. Hawa Mahal, Chhaya Geet, and Aap Ki Farmaish are the favourites."Says Ajit Salani, chairman of the Physically Handicapped Association, Punjab, and a former member of the Programme Advisory Committee, AIR, Jalandhar: "I'm visually handicapped. So radio, for me, has been a major source of information and entertainment, but I must say that much remains unexplored. BBC Overseas Service relays hourly bulletins, whereas here, there's not much coverage."
Faced against these odds, radio seems to be losing out on revenue generation. Says Malik, "We have to earn and eat as we have no finances available. Where the expenditure is Rs 465 crore, earning is only Rs 110 crore. The gap has to be bridged."
Another forte is supposed to be news. Claims Amrik Singh, joint director (news), AIR, Chandigarh, "This is the only station in the country which is giving news coverage of three regions -- UT, Punjab and Haryana. News is the highest listened programme from here." But listeners complain that often the local station panders old news which has already appeared in the morning papers. "What their bulletins usually broadcast is either redundant or superfluous news," say listeners.
But, says Amrik Singh, "The local station has just two staff correspondents for the entire region. Expansion will help."
Meanwhile, the local staff claim to produce more and more programmes which appeal to the local listeners. Says Ritu Sandhu, transmission executive, AIR, Chandigarh, "Besides the programmes introduced, there's a proposal to start some more sponsored programmes."
Says Syal, "Since this is not a performing station, mostly recorded stuff is relayed. There's no participation of local people, no catering to local needs." Sources disclose that a proposal to make Chandigarh a primary channel (on lines of Jalandhar, Rohtak, and Shimla), had been sent to the government, and the approval was awaited.
Officials, however, claim that the listenership has improved a bit after the introduction of FM channel (known for clarity and quality). Says Malik, "In August 1993, FM was introduced in Delhi, Madras, and Mumbai on a trial basis. The success rate was tremendous and later, it was introduced in Calcutta also. Recently, the Prasar Bharati Board has decided to extend FM to 11 more cities, including Jalandhar in North."
A. S. Grewal, former DDG, Doordarshan, feels that radio has immense potential, particularly when TV sets are off. "FM should be exclusively used for music because reproduction of music programmes is far superior. News, which is presently repetitive, should be worked upon."
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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