Big FM launches in Rourkela

Big FM has launched in Rourkela, Orissa marking the total number of stations to 43 across India. Big FM is already operational in places that include Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, and several Tier II towns. It will launch 2 more stations to complete 45 stations all over India.

The programming mix of the station includes Aradhana, Big Chai, Hello Zindagi, Ring Road 927, Thoda Gyan Thoda Masti, Evening Masala, and Direct Dil Se.

Soumen Ghosh Choudhury, Regional head, East - Big 92.7 FM, said ‘We are very excited about launching in the city of Rourkela. We are the first private radio station in the region to do so. It is our aim to create content that is relevant, credible and has an aspirational value for the listeners. We are completely geared and are eagerly looking forward to entertaining the city of Rourkela.'

MY FM's 16th station launched at Kota

Radio Station 94.3 MY FM has now launched in Kota. This marks 94.3 MY FM's 16th station launch nationally and fifth for the state of Rajasthan after Jaipur, Udaipur, Ajmer and Jodhpur.

The station was declared as the number one radio station in Jaipur and Udaipur by AC Nielsen research. After this, the company has planned one more launch in Jabalpur, which will complete its launch plans for all 17 circles it has license to operate in.

Situated on the banks of Chambal River, Kota is the trade center for cotton and oilseed milling, textile weaving, distilling, dairying and the manufacture of metal handcrafts. The city is one of the major industrial hubs in northern India, with many prominent chemical and engineering companies based here. Kota is well known for its distinctive style of paintings, saris, stone products and a vibrant education sector. In fact, the numerous coaching centers which prepare aspirants for India's elite engineering and medical colleges have given a totally new character and identity to the city.

Says 94.3 MY FM business head Harrish M. Bhatia, ‘94.3 MY FM offers exclusive FM Radio Network of five stations in Rajasthan, which no other radio player can match. Each market in India is a challenge in itself and we are confident of winning the hearts of the people in Kota also.

Adds 94.3 MY FM national programming head Viplove Gupte, ‘We've been operating in the region for a very long time and our content has been tailor made to meet the taste and preferences of listeners here.'

Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM rated as the No.1 station in Nagpur

Radio Mirchi has established a dominant lead in the latest research reports in Nagpur. The findings were brought to the forefront by an independent research conducted by Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB) through a Car track survey. The survey was done on 03 January across all major traffic junctions in the city and the findings indicated that Radio Mirchi was far ahead of all the competition put together at about 49.5 percent in the city while Radio City (19%), My FM (18%) and AIR (8%). The result shows that the share of Radio Mirchi equals to the share of all the players put together.

Commenting on the research results, Raag Agrawal, Station Head, Radio Mirchi, Nagpur said "Car Tracks have been conducted across cities in which radio Mirchi operates and is a very good indication of how household listenership patterns will bear out. Through this research it is clear that a great product and brand like Radio Mirchi backed by its programming philosophy which believes in giving the listeners the very best music, combined with great entertainment has emerged a winner in the city."

The car track survey is done by IMRB, a WPP Group research agency. Car Tracks have been done for the last 6 years in all metros. Field personnel from IMRB station themselves at 10 of the busiest traffic junctions in each metro during morning and evening rush hours and randomly chose private cars (self driven/ chauffeured - but not private taxis.

Radio Mirchi launches in Thiruvananthapuram

Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM has launched in Thiruvananthapuram, taking the total number of stations to 31 all over the country. The shows will have news of traffic, weather, stocks, updates on local events and happenings designed to capture the sounds, sights and textures of Thiruvananthapuram. Radio Mirchi Karnataka and Kerala cluster head Rahul Balyan said, ‘Radio's strength is its immense flexibility, adaptability and suitability for a modern and active life. Lots of towns in India today are energy starved, and with the launch of radio stations across the country, radio is becoming a familiar sight. Additionally, it is proving to be the best companion.'

Radio Mirchi Thiruvananthapuram station head Krishna Menon said, ‘We expect the Mirchi style of programming of Radio Mirchi to revitalise the city and its listeners, just the way we have been able to win the loyalties in Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and other cities.'

Besides Thiruvananthapuram, Radio Mirchi is already operational in places including Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Indore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Pune, Patna, Jalandhar, Goa, Bhopal, Vadodara, Kanpur, Rajkot, Varanasi, Nashik, Lucknow, Surat, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Madurai, Nagpur, Vishakapatnam, Vijayawada, Mangalore and Raipur.

Radio Mirchi will roll out two more radio stations by the end of the year, to complete the total number of 32 stations in India.

Last.fm launches global free-on-demand music platform

London-based Last.fm, which works in the area of online music, has launched a service to allow anyone in the world to listen to music on the site for free.

The company says that its library has attracted a community of more than 20 million unique monthly users in 240 countries around the globe. The heart of Last.fm is a recommendation engine that guides listeners to music they are likely to enjoy based on prior selections, connecting them with the music they love and with others who share their tastes. In launching this service, Last.fm becomes the first music site to offer free, global, on-demand access to the largest licensed catalogue of music built on partnerships with all four major record labels - including Universal Music Group, Sony/BMG, Warner and EMI - as well as CD Baby, IODA, the Orchard, Naxos and more than 150,000 independent labels and artists.

Last.fm's free-on-demand service will be ad-supported, allowing clients many unique opportunities to reach a highly targeted and engaged audience. The company was acquired by US media conglomerate CBS last year.

CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves says, ‘It is clear to us that communities built around great content are increasingly driving traffic and revenue online'.

Last.fm co-founder Martin Stiksel said, ‘We're giving the listener free access to what is basically the best jukebox in the world. The ability to dip into such a uniquely broad catalogue from your laptop, home or office computer, and listen to whatever you want for free represents a new way of consuming music that in turn might change the way you listen to music. In that respect, nobody else can currently offer what Last.fm is offering right now.'

Sun TV launches FM station at Tiruchy

Sun TV Network announced the launch of its FM radio station at Tiruchy under the brand `S FM` from Jan. 17, 2007 through its subsidiary Kal Radio. This station can be heard at 93.5 MHz frequency in Tiruchy. The programs will cater to the audience of all age groups.

With the launch of this FM Station, the total operational FM Stations of Sun TV goes up to 19 as it already operates at Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Visakhapatnam, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Tirupati, Madurai, Tuticorin, Lucknow, Bhopal, Pondlicherry and Kozhikode (Calicut), Indore, Vijayawada, Varanasi.

The company holds licenses for 45 FM radio stations across India, and will be one of the largest radio broadcasters in India when all the remaining 26 stations become operational. Shares of the company gained Rs 13.7, or 3.52 percent, to settle at Rs. 402.7. The total volume of shares traded was 183,984 at the BSE.(Wednesday)

TRAI may raise FDI cap for FM radio

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is likely to meet a long-standing demand of FM radio broadcasters by recommending an increase in the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) limit and allowing their entry into news and current affairs to the ministry of information and broadcasting. At present, the FDI limit for FM radio companies is 20 percent.

The regulator is due to finalize its recommendations on the third phase of expansion of the private FM radio sector this week. TRAI expects another 700 FM stations to open across 237 towns. In the first two phases, 37 radio companies were given licenses to open over 260 FM stations across 91 cities. As of now, nearly 200 FM stations are operational. FM radio broadcasters have been petitioning to air news and current affairs to diversify their content that is largely centered on playing recorded music.

TRAI is also likely to recommend networking between FM radio stations across A, B, C, and D category towns. The move would help radio companies save costs by allowing them to share the radio shows of one city with the other, a practice currently prohibited under radio laws.