Fever FM to launch in Mumbai on 15 January

By SUJATHA SHREEDHARAN
Indiantelevision.com Team
(10 January 2007 2:00 pm)MUMBAI: It's all systems go as the newest entrant on the FM block in Mumbai, Fever 104 FM, readies itself for a 15 January launch.The FM station is a technical collaboration between Hindustan Times and Richard Branson's Virgin Radio International. Virgin Radio International has also set up radio stations in Bangkok, Johannesburg, Malayasia and Paris.Speaking to Indiantelevision.com about the no-frills format of Fever FM, Mumbai station head Sajjad Chunawala says, "Most radio stations follow the norm of block radio in programming. So you have the morning, afternoon, late night segments all chalked out. Our positioning of Fever 104 FM is more music, less talk. With a format driven content radio channel, we have defined our target audience as ranging between 25 and 34 years and this is the audience we want to cater to."The station has researched thousands of titles in the past two months to identify the kind of contemporary music which will appeal to its listeners. Said Chunawala, "The content of music will be 80 per cent Hindi and 20 per cent international music taken from the post 1980's period. Of course, the music content will be tweaked to appeal to the local masses. So in Delhi, the music is influenced by Bhangra beats; in Mumbai it's likely to have more of a Bollywood influence."When asked if he fears losing a particular segment of his audience in the already fragmented listenership on radio space, Chunawala is very clear when he says, "We can't satisfy everyone and we know that. Not everbody is likely to enjoy our format we understand that as well. We have identified our core listener who likes his music without the incessant jabber of an RJ and this is where we are focused."No recipes, no agony aunts, no silly jokes and no astrologers - only music. That's the line taken by the FM station. Over the next few days, the station promises a wide variety of on ground promotional activities. To kick off the activity, the station will have people with their mouths sealed stationed at various points across the city to give a sense of 'less talk'.The first Fever FM station was launched in Delhi in October last year. Two more stations in Kolkata and Bangalore are slated to go on air by the end of this month although no official date has been set for them.

http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k7/jan/jan93.htm

World's First Missionary Broadcasting Ministry Changes Name; HCJB World Radio Becomes 'HCJB Global'

Contact: Alex Coffin, 704-364-2942,
alexcoffin@mindspring.com
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Jan. 9 /Christian Newswire/ --
HCJB World Radio, the world’s first missionary broadcasting ministry, which also has developed an international medical outreach, has changed its name to “HCJB Global,” the organization announced recently.
The ministry also named its media ministries “HCJB Global Voice” and its healthcare ministries “HCJB Global Hands.”
“We feel as we move into the future and expand the incredible dynamic between media and healthcare, the HCJB World Radio name did not accurately portray this vision,” said HCJB Global President David Johnson. “We will work to develop leaders and mobilize missionaries as we serve the world through HCJB Global Voice, our media arm, and HCJB Global Hands, our healthcare ministry.”
At the same time, HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind., has become the HCJB Global Technology Center, focusing on the provision of quality assistance through consulting, service and engineering development wherever technological solutions play a role in the advance of the gospel.
The new names, along with new logos, were launched at Urbana 06 in St. Louis, Mo., in late December. HCJB Global will formalize the name change in a dedication event at the ministry’s newly named Ministry Service Center in Colorado Springs later this month.
“This is a major change for our ministry, because it is far more than skin deep. Our new name reflects major changes in our vision and focus as we work to integrate media and healthcare ministry around the world,” said Communications Director Jon Hirst. “As we moved toward the name change, we found that our friends and supporters wanted us to retain the call letters of our first station radio station—HCJB—that we established 75 years ago in Quito, Ecuador. In maintaining the name, we are honoring our heritage and building upon it.”
For 75 years HCJB Global Voice has used shortwave radio, satellite, FM, AM, television and the Internet to deliver the gospel worldwide. For over 50 years HCJB Global Hands has been providing compassionate healthcare to those in the greatest need.
Since 1990 HCJB Global has enabled local partners to plant more than 300 radio ministries in 100 countries throughout Euro-Asia, North Africa/Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia Pacific and the Americas.
HCJB Global’s missionaries, pastors, broadcasters and healthcare providers use media, healthcare and training to work with partners in more than 100 countries around the world to spread the gospel. Lives are transformed, so that people are engaged in the growing church, making an impact on their communities as they are empowered to use media and healthcare tools. The ministry is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Its web site is www.hcjbglobal.org.

http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/310361893.html

Now, more listeners to tune in to Rainbow

Express News Service

Kolkata, January 6: The AIR-FM Rainbow, a popular group of FM channels ofthe All India Radio (AIR), will now be accessible by thousands of morelisteners living in towns. AIR has said that it is planning to set up atleast three new stations in the state with Rainbow content.A relay station - being planned at a certain height on Rajmahal hills - willnot only cater to the state, but will also reach the population of theadjoining states and clusters on the border.A second station will be set up on Susunia hills (close to Burdwan). Thereis also a plan to reach some towns and semi-urban localities in Midnapore,for which the exact location is yet not clear.The idea - said Brijeshwar Singh, director general, AIR - is to take theAIR-FM Rainbow to the smaller towns as well. The projects are a part of theAIR's growth targets, as being suggested for implementation during the 11thFive Year Plan."Private FM channels are interested mostly in big cities. Rainbow is popularall over the country and our intention is to take FM to the towns as well,"Singh said.The AIR-FM Rainbow, at present is aired from 15 centres in the country.There are 18 other stations that transmit Rainbow content. "The proposedthree stations will relay contents from Rainbow India and Rainbow Kolkata,"said AK Padhi, DDG (ER), AIR.The AIR - with its various transmissions amid competitive commercialisedprogramming of the private radio channels - is still reaching over 99 percent of the population and has an area coverage of over 91 per cent. Duringthe 11th Five Year Plan, various other proposals are also being taken up.While setting up of the new stations will ensure an uninterruptedconnectivity along the highways connecting the city with the hills in thenorth. Singh said that various other measures are also underway to makeradio listening a more pleasant experience. This includes digitaltransmissions of the radio services. Also in wings is a plan to offerselective archival content on the world wide web. It may soon be possiblefor the public to download MP3 files - having music content - from the AIRwebsite, Singh added. To ensure the implementation of various projects, abudgeting of Rs 8,000 crore has been proposed (both for AIR and Doordarshan)in the plan.

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=216478

Larger 11th plan allocation for AIR, TV

Kolkata, Jan 7. (PTI): About Rs 8,000 crore has been tentatively earmarked for both the upgradation and expansion of All India Radio and Doordarshan inthe 11th plan, AIR Director-General Brijeshwar Singh said here on Saturday."Though the planned allocation is yet to be finalised, nearly Rs 8,000 crorehas been tentatively earmarked for both the AIR and DD," Singh toldreporters while touching upon some of the development programmes of'Akashvani' in the next five years.The schemes that AIR will take up, include the commercial start of thedigital radio programmes, setting up of 18 new FM stations in the next fiveyears, including three in West Bengal to cater to the interests ofNorth-East areas, besides upgradation of the existing FM stations.Singh said, there was at present 38 per cent FM coverage in the country byboth AIR and private channels, which would be augmented to 80 per cent inthe next five years.Focussing upgradation of the FM channels under the 'Rainbow India' schemes,the AIR D-G said plans were afoot to set up one such station atop Rajmahalhills to cover large parts of north Bengal and Bihar, one at a place nearAsansol and Bardhaman to reach its network throughout central part andanother on Susunia hills in Bankura district of West Bengal.In order to widen its coverage in the sports arena, he said AIR would go forlive digital coverage of the next World Cup Cricket in West Indies and thenational games in Guwahati next month.The AIR DG said, Akashvani had seen tremendous growth in the past 15 yearswith one of the largest networks of SW, MW, FM and DTH transmission in theworld.Earlier, Singh announced the winners of Akashvani's prestigious annualin-house awards for technical excellence for 2005 in the presence singerRamkumar Chattopadhyay, danseuse Amala Shankar, singer Gobinda GopalMukhopadhyay and lyricist Abhijit Bandopadhay.The awards would be formally given by Information and Broadcasting MinisterP R Dasmunshi at a function here tomorrow. Dasmunshi would also releasearchival music of Dilip Kumar Roy and Hemanta Mukherjee.Singh said that AIR was busy preparing a commemorial album of Sachin DebBarman. These would be available as MP3 and downloadable files.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200701070313.htm

New BBC chat show on India's Radio One

New BBC chat show on India's Radio One

Category: World Service

Date: 24.11.2006

The BBC is launching a first for India's FM scene with a new and exclusive Hindi-language chat show on its partner FM station, Radio One FM 94.3.From Sunday 26 November, Ek Mulaqat will bring lively and informative interviews with India's leading personalities to Radio One audiences across Delhi and Mumbai.Ek Mulaqat is a weekly show presented by BBC Hindi India Editor, Sanjeev Srivastava. He will tease out the passions, interests and views of some of India's most famous people, including politicians, artists, sports personalities and Bollywood stars, interspersed with the guest's all-time favourite songs.Politician and leader of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), LK Advani guests on the first Ek Mulaqat with a candid interview including his major influences and a heart-warming insight into his youth.Other guests in the coming weeks include the Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit; Union Minister for Agriculture, Sharad Pawar; and cricketer, Irfan Pathan.Sanjeev Srivastava says he is very excited to be launching a new programme for India's radio listeners: "The BBC specialises in bringing the story behind the news. In Ek Mulaqat our endeavour is to bring out the real persona of newsmakers as they open up and reveal their other, less public side, on this show."In his Ek Mulaqat interview, LK Advani will surprise the audience with an accurate voice imitation of a cricket commentator and will name Sachin Tendulkar as his favourite cricketer.LK Advani says: "When one speaks of cricket, the obvious name that comes to mind is Sachin. He has been an integral part of Indian cricket for such a long time - and that is, in itself, a remarkable achievement."There have been other batsmen who have done well and gained popularity but Sachin and our captain, who is known as The Wall, are both outstanding."LK Advani also shares with Ek Mulaqat his love for books and films. Speaking about younger actors, LK Advani praises Rani Mukherjee and Hrithik Roshan but says his all-time favourite actor is Amitabh Bachchan."There are several good artists but to be such an exceptional actor as to stay at the top for all this time? I can't think of another who can match up to him. There is no doubt Amitabh is a class by himself."LK Advani recalls going to see a movie with his uncle in Mumbai in 1957, after a gap of several years. He only agreed to go after reading a newspaper story about a film-goer at Mumbai's Strand Cinema who had died after watching a 3-D horror film."I turned and told my uncle - let's go and see this one today. So, after so many years, I went to see this horror film, moved only by this news item that this man had died."Speaking about books which have influenced his life, LK Advani remembers being greatly inspired by Indian epics such as The Ramayana and The Mahabharata. He recalls reading these in Sindhi, and later in English.Audiences across Delhi and Mumbai can listen to Ek Mulaqat at 12.00 IST every Sunday on Radio One FM 94.3 as well as on BBC Hindi service's shortwave radio broadcasts at 20.00 IST on the same day.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/11_november/

24/india.shtml

AIR special transmission in Urdu to Middle East for Haj Pilgrims

All India Radio will broadcast half an hour daily service in Urdu to Saudi Arabia for HajPilgrims from 1st December 2006 to 29th January 2007.

Details as foll :
DATE : 1st Dec, 2006 to 29th Jan, 2007
TIME : 1100 - 1130 IST ( 0530 - 0600 UTC)
PROGRAMME : Special service in Urdu for Haj pilgrims
FREQUENCIES : 11730 (Khampur, Delhi), 15770 (Aligarh), 17845 (Khampur, Delhi)

RTI 2006 Top Ten Taiwan News Stories Contest

Radio Taiwan Intl 2006 Top Ten Taiwan News Stories contest

http://www.rti.org.tw/big5/activities/2006_top10news/english_index.aspx

RTI has recently put this interactive webpage on The National Radio Museum

http://museum.rti.org.tw/index.asp?lan=en

HCJB Australia Listener Survey

----- Original Message -----
From: "HCJB Australia English" <english@hcjb.org.au>
To: "Alokesh Gupta" <alokeshgupta@vsnl.net>
Sent: Wednesday, November 22, 2006 10:53 AM

Dear Listener of HCJB World Radio,

Thanks for contacting us in Melbourne, Australia. You are important to us, and we appreciate hearing from you. Your opinions will help us know and serve you better. Please take a few minutes to click on the following link and complete our listener survey:

www.hcjb.org/worldwide/australia/hcjb_australia_listener_survey.html

Thanks for listening and providing this useful information.

God Bless,
Glenda
HCJB Australia Response Coordinator

AIR must 'tune in' to local flavours: Experts

Wednesday November 22 2006 09:59 IST
BHUBANESWAR:Faced with increasing competition from news channels and a fast dwindling audience, All India Radio seems to have finally woken up to the situation. It has gone back to the drawing board and begun planning a series of initiatives to bring listeners back to its fold.At a two-day conference of the heads of regional news units of AIR of Eastern and North-Eastern Regions held at Puri on November 19 and 20, the directors felt that local content should be given more time-slots in news programmes.Radio is often looked upon as a medium which caters to local populace. It has a wider penetration in rural areas and the most important medium to source information for the masses in the villages and remote areas.Hence, the experts observed that local content should top the priority list, said news editor of AIR Cuttack, Akhil Kumar Mishra. National and international happenings, it was decided, can come next.Once considered a powerful medium, the humble radio set took a backseat ever since cable television made inroads into households. Even in rural areas radio is being considered passe, as more and more villagers are hooked to satellite channels. People even shifted allegiance to DD 1 as it more than made up for their daily dose of entertainment, mostly dominated by local programmes till FM stations came on the scene.Thanks to the popularity of FM service, radio, once again seems to be regaining its pride of place. However, FM's limited reach has confined its popularity to urban pockets. The conference also touched on this point.The participants felt that its reach should be further expanded and FM's sound quality be exploited to air news programmes. The Cuttack FM station has already started airing hourly headlines of two minutes duration from 6 pm to 10 pm.The function which was attended by Director-General of News, AIR, Uma Kanta Mishra and Additional Director-General Akshya Rout discussed incorporating the latest technology in presenting news items, upgradation and innovations. Besides, it focused on cultural and social aspects of news presentations.P K Bandopadhyay, who would succeed the present director general was present.

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEQ20061121233804&Page=Q&Title=ORISSA&Topic=0

Voice Hindi test txn

Voice Hindi noted with test txn on 15515 with talks in english/hindi/punjabi.

Schd for this test txn : 0430-0730 UTC on 15515
Reports to : india@cvc.tv

Here's another BBC - spotted at World Social Forum

2 New postcards with BBC Hindi advertisments

India Post has released two more meghdoot post cards with advertisement of British Broadcasting Corp, Hindi service.

I&B Ministry plans Digital Delhi project

Friday - May 26, 2006
Televisionpoint.com Correspondent
The Information & Broadcasting Ministry (I&B Ministry) has drawn a new plan to phase out all analogue transmissions and to turn India completely digital in the coming Five Year plan (2007-12). The deadline for the project, Digital Delhi, has been set as 2010 and thereby India will go completely digital by 2015. In this project, Prasar Bharati will take the lead by ensuring digital terrestrial broadcast for all Indian cities by 2013 and this will extend to both All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD). The conversion of cable and satellite (C&S) homes from analogue to digital, the first step would involve providing conditional access to C&S homes and then converting them to digital technology by 2015.I&B Ministry also plans to take no chances with set top boxes, which will not be imported as per the present recommendations. Experts have drawn a detailed plan for indigenous production of digital set top boxes (STB's) to avoid controversies. Indigenous STB's should have digital analogue conversion capability for delivery of digital signal to the subscriber along with conditional access and address-ability features.The experts have also recommended that national standards for the manufacture of digital signal receivers must be established before indigenous production commences. In order to make digital conversion a complete success, testing, publication and adoption of technical standards for terrestrial digital transmission must be done by the government. This must also include adoption and publication of digital standards for cable television. The plan, which is to be implemented in a phased manner during the Eleventh Five Year plan, also recommends the creation of a body that will have a single regulator for both content and carriage.
http://www.televisionpoint.com/news2006/newsfullstory.php?id=1148637627

AIR to launch new FM channels

Monday - May 22, 2006Televisionpoint.com Correspondent
The All India Radio (AIR) will launch 25 FM Rainbow channels across the countrysoon, said Prasar Bharati CEO K S Sarma soon after the inauguration of the 102MHz FM channel at Visakhapatnam recently. After Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam is thesecond city to have an AIR FM channel in the state. A third channel will belaunched in Vijayawada in June this year. The channel in Vizag will have a reachof about 60 kilometres.Inaugurating the channel, Vizag MP Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy said the AIR isthe most expressive embodiment of national integration. The MP said the AIRprogrammes were the backbone of the agricultural economy and suggested that moreinnovative entertainment and educational programmes be formulated to reach outto more people. Answering a query, he said that an FM station in Srikakulamwould be ready by 2007 March and Vijayawada station by June this year.

http://www.televisionpoint.com/news2006/newsfullstory.php?id=1148296900

Prasar Bharati CEO K.S.Sarma retires in June

Indiantelevision.com Team(22 May 2006 12:30 pm)
NEW DELHI: Indian pubcaster Prasar Bharati would soon be headless unless thegovernment, too busy with other issues like reservation for backward classes ineducational institutions, hurries up.
On 30 June 2006, Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma retires after serving an overfive-year term that can be easily termed a roller-coaster ride.The present chairman of Prasar Bharati, veteran journalist MV Kamath, wasappointed during the tenure of previous government, headed by the right-wingBharatiya Janata Party. Meanwhile Sarma, a veteran of Prasar Bharati (he officiated as the DG ofDoordarshan when he was a joint secretary in the I&B ministry in the mid to late1990s) has seen over five ministers at the information and broadcastingministry, which controls the purse strings for the publicly funded PrasarBharati.Despite allegations of nepotism during a time when DD used to outsourcemarketing of big events, including the money-spinning cricket matches involvingIndia, a wily Sarma has come out unscathed.It was during Sarma's tenure as the CEO that DD floated its subscription-freeDTH service, which raced ahead of the country's first pay TV DTH service, DishTV, in terms of subscribers.For the financial year ended march 2006, for the first time Prasar Bharaticlocked a gross revenue of Rs 12.38 billion with Doordarshan clocking Rs 9.68billion and All India Radio 2.7 billion that signified a growth of 67.67 percent.

Some of the achievements during Sarma's tenure included the following:
1. Increased focus on pro-active in house marketing of properties.
2. Successful execution of media campaigns on behalf of government departments.
3. Rationalization of rate cards to suit the changing market conditions.
4. A strategic shift from Sponsored Programmes to Self Financing Scheme.
5. Introduction of blockbuster Hindi Feature Films on DD National and marketingthem in-house.
6. Leveraging AIR's vast network and unprecedented reach.
7. Narrowcasting programming strategy.
8. Publicity support for programmes to create awareness, especially among C & Saudience.
9. Improved billing and housekeeping efforts.

(Indiantelevision.com)