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NON-MUSIC PROGRAMS OF RADIO

SHASWATA MUKHERJEE 2014 – 2015 107-1121-0114-14

7/17/2015

Dissertation submitted for the fulfillment of Post Graduate Diploma in Media Management (Specialization – Television

Management) of University of Calcutta.

I am thrilled to have to work on such a good topic of project such as this. This project helped me to overcome my fear and guided me to evolve as a person with the fantastic mentors I had came up front with. I am feeling proud to thank both my institutes for this opportunity viz., Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Management, and Calcutta Media Institute.

I am very grateful to my professors to have taught me to

implement such knowledge into practical work field. I convey my

gratitude to Dr. Sudeepa Banerjee, Mr. Malay Dasgupta, Mr. Jimmy

Tangree, Ms. Debika Mukherjee, and Ms. Pamela Mitra et al.

I also convey my gratitude to all the members of 92.7 BIG

FM and Friends FM 91.1 with whom I have learned many small nitty

gritties of work performed there.

Radio Drama is a very popular genre in radio industry.

Drama, as the name suggests, has to create an effect on the mind of

its recipient which enables them to decipher the intricate message a

drama holds in its bosom. Creating dramatic effects is an aesthetic

art which has been perfected by radio and spread throughout its

reach. Some people like but some don’t prefer to listen drama.

Listening to a full drama in its full glory or story-telling, the

submissive cousin of drama, helps creating a picture as per

individual choice. Drama plays a very crucial role in radio’s

popularity. Many youngsters find interest in radio drama because of

the adventure it poses in their mind. Matured folks find it relaxing

after their hectic schedule at their respective workplace. Older

people could connect to their roots and also recollect their

childhood memories.

Many Indian Radio stations have taken up radio drama as

their one of the major programs.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i ABSTRACT ii RADIO AS MEDIUM 1 RADIO BROADCASTING IN INDIA 3 RADIO IN 21

ST CENTURY 5

RADIO PROGRAMMING 6

DRAMA 9

TYPES OF DRAMA 10

EVOLUTION OF DRAMA 11

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 14

DRAMA TIMELINE – INDIA 16

DRAMA IN RADIO 18

INTERNATIONAL RADIO DRAMA 20

RADIO DRAMA IN INDIA 21

EARLY SHOWS OF AIR (BENGALI) 23

SHOWS OF THIS ERA 25

NATIONAL SHOW – YKIB 27 REGIONAL SHOE – DELHI

KYA WHO SACH THA 29

REGIONAL SHOE – KOLKATA

EKTAR NATOK 30

REGIONAL SHOE – KOLKATA

SUNDAY SUSPENSE 34

INTERVIEW WITH MR. JIMMY TANGREE 35

INTERVIEW WITH MS. DEBIKA MUKHERJEE 36

RADIO LISTENERSHIP SURVEY 38

CONCLUSION 41

BIBLIOGRAPHY 42

ANNEXURE 43

Radio is a popular media when it comes to consumption of media. The consumers can be reached through radio on a national level, as the private radio sector in India reaches more than 200 million aged over 9 years. On an average day the radio is listened to for more than three hours. The main places people listen to the radio are at home, at work and in the car. The consumers in India have today more than 20 different channels available. The FM world has become the part and partial of lives of people especially in the metro cities. People in the rural areas have a special attraction for the FM radio and it a source of information related to release of new songs and latest information related to lifestyle. The FM channels today is a favorite place for corporate to advertise and inform people about their existing and new upcoming products. FM is also a favorite place for the entertainment industry to promote their movies and songs. Even the Movie stars come and talk about their new movies and urge the audience to watch it once. The FM channels also provide platforms for the corporate and well as stars to promote their project. To make this more comfortable the FM today is available on the internet where listeners and contact and even listen to their programs and also corporate and advertise. The FM radio use hording and banners to advertise about their RJs and programs. The FM has shows in which they distribute gifts to listeners by having then participated in the program. The FM radios are today organizing and supporting many even and show such as singing competition, fashion shows in colleges, and marathons to make their presence felt.

The early history of radio is the history of technology that produced radio instruments that use radio waves. Within the timeline of radio, many people contributed theory and inventions in what became radio. Radio development began as "wireless telegraphy". Later radio history increasingly involves matters of programming and content. Nikola Tesla experimentally demonstrated the transmission and radiation of radio frequency energy in1892 and 1893 proposing that it might be used for the telecommunication of information. Around the start of the 20th century, the Slaby Arco wireless system was developed by Adolf Slaby and George von Arco. In 1900, Reginald Fessenden made a weak transmission of voice over the airwaves. In 1901, Marconi conducted the first successful trans-Atlantic experimental radio communications. FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation (FM) to provide high fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting". This term is slightly misleading, since it equates a modulation method with a range of frequencies.

Radio broadcasting in India started in British India in 1923 with the Radio Club of Bombay. All India Radio (AIR) was established in 1936 which is one of the largest radio networks in the world including the AIRFM. AM, FM and even Satellite Radio have made a huge impact on the Industry in India. Most of the media houses either already have a presence in the industry or are looking to get a license in the next round. Famous stations are Radio Mirchi (of the Times Group) has maintained a lead position in most cities it operates in and other channels like Radio City, Red FM, Big FM, Fever, Radio One have also been able to get significant traction. Till 1990 Indian economy was closed, no private player was allowed to enter and Akashwani has the sole responsibility to cater to the wide and culturally diverse Indian consumer base. By the end of the 2014, India had a market size of INR 17.2 billion. It registered a cumulative growth rate of 14.5 percent from 2010 to 2014. The industry is projected to grow at a CAGR of 18.1 percent over 2014-2019 and is expected to be INR 39.5 billion in terms of revenue. Phase III privatization of the radio FM is expected to add 839 new radio stations in 294 cities. It is ironical that while India has the second highest penetration of C & S homes in the world, radio has suffered from shunted growth. This can be attributed to misdirected policies by government, which did not give enough prominence to radio as a rich medium for entertainment and also for community development. Going by the International benchmark, even 150 stations across India is a sustainable proposition. There are more than 6000 radio stations in US and even a developing country like Nigeria has 18 FM stations.

FM broadcasting began on 23 July 1977 in Chennai, then Madras, and was expanded during the 1990s, nearly after 50 years FM has mushroomed in US. In the mid-nineties, when India first experimented with private FM broadcasts, the small tourist destination of Goa was the fifth place in this country of one billion where private players got FM slots. The other four centre were the big metro cities: Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. These were followed by stations in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Lucknow. Times FM (now Radio Mirchi) began operations in 1993 in Ahmedabad. Radio City Bangalore is India's first private FM radio station.

Radio is important in the 21st century because it provides an opportunity for people who cannot access television and cannot read to keep up-to-date on the news and trends. According to an American Media Services survey, 78 percent of individuals listen to radio in the car, thus it provides entertainment to many. The radio is important in both developing and fully developed countries for information provision. It is able to function when television stations are not and is more easily accessed than the newspaper is. The information that is given over the radio is able to be broadcast to a large number of listeners and provides them with instantaneous information. The radio is important for already developed countries because it not only provides news information, but it also provides entertainment. Despite the onslaught of digital music, radio stations still play the top hits in various music genres. Radio stations give listeners new music to listen to while also offering a variety of music options. The radio also allows people to keep up-to-date with the latest trends in popular culture.

Mood mapping is a methodology used in radio programming. It basically specifies what type of content to program for a given time of day. The listeners, weather, jock-talk topic and time of the day are considered and only then the content is set i.e. songs are set.

In broadcasting, rotation is the repeated airing of a limited playlist of songs on a radio station or satellite radio channel. However, they are not completely shuffled, so as to avoid playing the same song again too long or short apart.

Stations playing new music typically have a short rotation, while stations playing "classics" may go as long as eight hours. Sometimes the deal with the music company restricts the no of times a song can be played. The individual radio stations also decide on the rotation of songs as per their mood mapping and target audience.

Broadcast automation systems handle a limited rotation quite well, in turn making voice tracking easy. Even if a live person is present, the automation system at commercial stations usually picks the music ahead of time out of the current rotation.

Of very many of them, NexGen and RCS (Radio Computing Software) are used by 92.7 Big FM and Friends FM 91.1 respectively. The audio is categorized by the assigned id no to the songs in NexGen, whereas RCS enable categorization by the era of the songs.

Heavy rotation or power rotation is a term that applies to a list of songs that get the most airplay on a radio station. A song placed in "lunar rotation" is one that is only played in off-peak hours, usually late at night. A song placed in recurrent rotation continues to be played on a radio station long after it has left the current charts. A spin is a single play of a song. A song in light rotation is typically aired 5–15 times per week, while a medium rotation tune goes over the airwaves 10-25 times per week. Favored songs in heavy rotation start at 20 or more spins each week, perhaps reaching to 50 and beyond. Most new songs start in the heavy rotation category, but as the song gets older it is eventually downgraded from heavy to medium, then to light, then to retirement in the library.

A youth-oriented targeting a teen-to-24 year old audience Current Music station often has only five rotation Categories.

1) Heavy Current, the biggest hits of the moment. 2) Medium Current comprised of newer songs that are gaining

in popularity and songs that were in Heavy rotation and are now beginning to fade.

3) Light Current, the newest songs just added to the station's playlist.

4) Recurrent and 5) Gold

A station that is targeting an all adult-audience, the 25+ demographics may use only two Current rotation groups, Heavy and Medium and then extra categories of recent and older Gold.

Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning action, which is derived from the verb meaning to do or to act. The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a collective form of reception. The two masks associated with drama represent the traditional generic division between comedy and tragedy. They are symbols of the ancient Greek Muses, Thalia and Melpomene. Thalia was the Muse of comedy (the laughing face), while Melpomene was the Muse of tragedy (the weeping face).

OPERA

Western opera is a dramatic art form, which arose during

the Renaissance in an attempt to revive the classical Greek drama

tradition in which both music and theatre were combined.

PANTOMIME

These stories follow in the tradition of fables and folk

tales. Usually there is a lesson learned, and with some help from the

audience, the hero/heroine saves the day. This kind of play uses

stock characters seen in masque and again Commedia Dell'arte,

these characters include the villain, the clown/servant, the lovers

etc. These plays usually have an emphasis on moral dilemmas, and

good always triumphs over evil, this kind of play is also very

entertaining making it a very effective way of reaching many people.

CREATIVE DRAMA

Creative drama includes dramatic activities and games

used primarily in educational settings with children. Its roots in the

United States began in the early 1900s

CLASSICAL GREEK DRAMA

Western drama originates in classical Greece. The

theatrical culture of the city-state of Athens produced three genres

of drama: tragedy, comedy, and the satyr play. Their origins remain

obscure, though by the 5th century BC they were institutionalized in

competitions held as part of festivities celebrating the god Dionysus.

CLASSICAL ROMAN DRAMA

Following the expansion of the Roman Republic (509–27

BC) into several Greek territories between 270–240 BC, Rome

encountered Greek drama. From the later years of the republic and

by means of the Roman Empire (27 BC-476 AD), theatre spread west

across Europe, around the Mediterranean and reached England;

Roman theatre was more varied, extensive and sophisticated than

that of any culture before it.

MEDIEVAL

In the Middle Ages, drama in the vernacular languages of

Europe may have emerged from religious enactments of the liturgy.

Mystery plays were presented on the porch of the cathedrals or by

strolling players on feast days. Miracle and mystery plays, along

with moralities and interludes, later evolved into more elaborate

forms of drama, such as was seen on the Elizabethan stages.

ELIZABETHAN AND JACOBEAN

One of the great flowerings of drama in England occurred

in the 16th and 17th centuries. Many of these plays were written in

verse, particularly iambic pentameter. In addition to Shakespeare,

such authors as Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Middleton, and Ben

Jonson were prominent playwrights during this period. As in the

medieval period, historical plays celebrated the lives of past kings,

enhancing the image of the Tudor monarchy. Authors of this period

drew some of their storylines from Greek mythology and Roman

mythology or from the plays of eminent Roman playwrights such as

Plautus and Terence.

MODERN AND POST-MODERN

The pivotal and innovative contributions of the 19th-

century Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen and the 20th-century

German theatre practitioner Bertolt Brecht dominate modern

drama; each inspired a tradition of imitators, which include many of

the greatest playwrights of the modern era. The works of both

playwrights are, in their different ways, both modernist and realist,

incorporating formal experimentation, meta-theatricality, and social

critique. In terms of the traditional theoretical discourse of genre,

Ibsen's work has been described as the culmination of "liberal

tragedy", while Brecht's has been aligned with a historicized

comedy.

William Shakespeare, (26 April 1564 (baptised) – 23 April 1616) was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His extant works, including some collaboration, consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 long narrative poems, and a few other verses, of which the authorship of some is uncertain. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

CONTRIBUTION TO DRAMA William Shakespeare's plays have the reputation of being among the greatest in the English language and in Western literature. Traditionally, the plays are divided into the genres of tragedy, history, and comedy; they have been translated into every major living language, in addition to being continually performed all around the world.

SANSKRIT THEATRE

The earliest form of Indian drama was the Sanskrit drama

that is said to have its framework directly given by Lord Shiva who

used these techniques to pray to Lord Vishnu.

The earliest-surviving fragments of Sanskrit drama date

from the 1st century AD. The ancient Vedas contain no hint of it

(although a small number are composed in a form of dialogue) and

the rituals of the Vedic period do not appear to have developed into

theatre. The Mahābhāṣya by Patañjali contains the earliest reference

to what may have been the seeds of Sanskrit drama. This treatise on

grammar from 140 BC provides a feasible date for the beginnings of

theatre in India.

MODERN INDIAN DRAMA

Rabindranath Tagore was a pioneering modern

playwright who wrote plays noted for their exploration and

questioning of nationalism, identity, and spiritualism and material

greed. His plays are written in Bengali and include Chitra

(Chitrangada, 1892), The King of the Dark Chamber (Raja, 1910),

The Post Office (Dakghar, 1913), and Red Oleander (Raktakarabi,

1924).

Girish Karnad is a noted playwright, who has written a

number of plays that use history and mythology, to critique and

problematize ideas and ideals that are of contemporary relevance.

Karnad's numerous plays such as Tughlaq, Hayavadana, Taledanda

and Naga-Mandala are significant contributions to Indian drama.

Vijay Tendulkar and Mahesh Dattani are amongst the

major Indian playwrights of the 20th century.

BENGALI CONTEXT

Bengali theatre primarily refers to theatre performed in

the Bengali language. Bengali theatre is produced mainly in West

Bengal, and in Bangladesh. The term may also refer to some Hindi

theatres which are accepted by the Bengali people.

Bengali theatre has its origins in British rule. It began as private entertainment in the early 19th century. In the pre-independence period, Bengali theatres played a pivotal role in manifesting dislike of the British Raj. After the independence of India in 1947, leftist movements in West Bengal used theatre as a tool for social awareness. This added some unique characteristics to the art form that still have strong effects. These groups differentiate themselves ideologically from commercial Bengali theatre.

Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story: “It is auditory in the physical dimension but equally powerful as a visual force in the psychological dimension.” Radio drama achieved widespread popularity within a decade of its initial development in the 1920s. By the 1940s, it was a leading international popular entertainment. With the advent of television in the 1950s, however, radio drama lost some of its popularity, and in some countries has never regained large audiences. However, recordings of OTR (old-time radio) survive today in the audio archives of collectors and museums, as well as several online sites such as Internet Archive. 1880–1930: EARLY YEARS

Radio drama traces its roots back to the 1880s: “In 1881

French engineer Clement Ader had filed a patent for ‘improvements

of Telephone Equipment in Theatres’”. English-language radio

drama seems to have started in the United States. A Rural Line on

Education, a brief sketch specifically written for radio, aired on

Pittsburgh's KDKA in 1921, according to historian Bill Jaker. An

important turning point in radio drama came when Schenectady,

New York's WGY, after a successful tryout on August 3, 1922, began

weekly studio broadcasts of full-length stage plays in September

1922, using music, sound effects and a regular troupe of actors, The

WGY Players.

1930–1960s: WIDESPREAD POPULARITY

Perhaps America's most famous radio drama broadcast is

Orson Welles' The War of the Worlds, a 1938 version of the H. G.

Wells novel, which convinced large numbers of listeners that an

actual invasion from Mars was taking place. By the late 1930s, radio

drama was widely popular in the United States (and also in other

parts of the world). There were dozens of programs in many

different genres, from mysteries and thrillers, to soap operas and

comedies. Among American playwrights, screenwriters and

novelists who got their start in radio drama are Rod Serling and

Irwin Shaw.

1960–2000: DECLINE IN THE UNITED STATES

After the advent of television, radio drama never

recovered its popularity in the United States. Most remaining CBS

and NBC radio dramas were cancelled in 1960. The last network

radio dramas to originate during American radio′s “Golden Age”,

Suspense and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, ended on September 30,

1962.

The Moth is a non-profit group based in New York

City dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. Founded in 1997,

the organization presents storytelling events across the United

States and abroad, often featuring prominent literary and cultural

personalities.

The Moth offers a weekly podcast and in 2009 launched a

national public radio show, The Moth Radio Hour, which won a

2010 Peabody Award. In the fall of 2009 The Moth Radio Hour was

licensed by more than 200 public radio stations.

On September 3, 2013 Hyperion Books published The Moth: 50 True Stories, a collection of stories from the group's performance history. In December 2013 it reached #22 on The New York Times Paperback Nonfiction Best-Seller List.

As of the end of 2013, over 10,000 stories have been told at The Moth.

The radio play in India is an exclusively twentieth-century phenomenon. It mainly exists because of the need of a new medium of communication. Its form and structure were determined by the constraints of that medium. In the 1940s, dramatic presentations were seriously considered as important components of radio entertainment programs, and the proper history of the radio play in India began. Professional playwrights did not realize its potential, nor was it visualized by drama critics of that time. Writers were closely associated with the government-owned All India Radio (AIR). Some of them highly gifted litterateurs were the first to experiment. Predictably, uncertainties and imperfections marked the first phase of radio drama. It took time to acquire the necessary techniques to exploit intelligently the medium of sound and silence, to compensate for the absence of the visual aspect. Quite often, early producers used existing plays with necessary emendations to meet the requirements, with considerable success Radio drama made a significant impact on Indian popular culture. In the 1960s, AIR's commercial channel Vividh Bharati broadcast a short play in Hindi every day. This acquired a huge audience. Some scripts also outlived their immediate utility and left a lasting impression. AIR requires nearly 4000 dramatic scripts annually as its major stations each broadcast about sixteen plays a month. In 1987, it introduced a national competition to encourage radiogenic scripts. By 1996, the competition was open to nineteen languages and awards were given in two categories. The categories were general and humorous. AIR's Central Drama Unit is responsible for the national broadcast of plays. Playwrights and producers such as Chiranjeet, Satyendra Sharat, Nirmala Agarwal and Danish Iqbal have been

associated with the department. Plays produced by the CDU are translated and produced by regional stations. Since its inception in the 1960s the unit has produced more than 1,500 plays, and the CDU is a repository of old scripts and productions. The National Programme of Plays is broadcast by the CDU of AIR the fourth Thursday of each month at 9.30 pm. On the National Programme of Plays, the same play is produced in 22 Indian languages and broadcast at the same time by all regional and national network stations. The CDU also produces Chain Plays, half-hour dramas broadcast in succession by a chain of stations.

Mahisasuramardini (The Annihilator of the Buffalo Demon) is a widely popular early radio programme that has been broadcast since 1931 on All India Radio (AIR). It is a one and half-hour audio montage of Chandipath (chanting from Chandi) recitation from the scriptural verses of Sri Sri Chandi. Bengali devotional songs, classical music and a dash of acoustic melodrama. The program has been translated into Hindi set to similar orchestration and is broadcast at the same time for a pan-Indian audience. This programme is aired every year at day-break on Mahalaya. The programme, which started off as a live-performance, has been broadcast in its pre-recorded format since 1958. However, its great popularity remains undiminished even today over 80 years later.

Birendra Krishna Bhadra Birendra Krishna Bhadra, who will always be remembered for making Mahalaya memorable to one and all, is the magical voice behind the “Mahisasura Mardini.” The legendary narrator recites the holy verses and tells the story of the descent of Durga to earth. It was on the day of Mahalaya, the beginning of "devipaksha” that the Gods and Goddesses woke up to prepare themselves for Durga Puja. In 1931, Mahalaya was first broadcast over the radio in Akashvani, Calcutta. The programme was organised by Premankur Aatorthi, Birendra Krishna Bhadra, Nripendra Krishna Mukhopadhya and Raichand Boral.

Musical Composition Though the theme is mythological and the mantras Vedic, this program is a landmark composition. It is scripted by Bani Kumar, and narrated by Birendra Krishna Bhadra while Dwijen Mukhopadhyay (Jago Durga Jago Doshoprohoronodharini), Manabendra Mukhopadhyay (Tabo Achinta), Sandhya Mukhopadhyay, Arati Mukhopadhya, Utpala Sen, Shyamal Mitra and Supriti Ghosh (Bajlo tomar alor benu) sang in their melodious voices. The enchanting music is composed by Pankaj Mullick, and the songs are rendered by famous singer Arati Mukherji. As the recital begins, the serene morning air resonates with the long drawn sound of the sacred conch shell, immediately followed by a chorus of invocation, melodiously setting the stage for the recitation of the Chandipath.

SUNDAY SUSPENSE Sunday Suspense started in June, 2009 with the intention to read-out Bengali Suspense stories to the listeners with various audio-effects so as to make the recitation more attractive. It started with the stories written by Satyajit Ray, but gradually stories by other eminent Bengali authors were also aired. Bengali versions of a few English stories were occasionally broadcast. The show soon gained popularity among the listeners and it's still running.

YAADON KA IDIOT BOX WITH NEELESH MISRA Radio's best innovation in recent times, Yaadon Ka Idiot Box is a unique amalgamation of storytelling and music which aims to reignite the joy of storytelling to the current generation. The show has won multiple accolades including the Indian Radio Forum 2012 award for best Hindi Show broadcast after 11 AM & Radio Mikes 2011's - most unique programming idea.

EKTAR NATOK (AJKER NATOK) Ektak Natok (Ajker Natok) is a Bengali full on drama on radio airs in Kolkata (and Asansol). Both stations play the same content on a given date but airs at different time band. This show mainly aims to provide good quality drama in radio. Eternal stories of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Rabindranath Tagore etc. are taken and dramatised by expert dramatists of this time and made into a beautiful drama.

KYA WOH SACH THA

The radio drama is inspired by real life stories that are possibly the most eerie, spine-chilling supernatural stories. Dr Nagar, para-psychologist, narrates stories he comes across in his daily life.

92.7 BIG FM India's No 1 Radio Network and winner of Broadcaster of the year award at the Golden Mikes, airs the award-winning, much talked about story telling show Yaadon Ka Idiot Box with Neelesh Misra, in which the storyteller narrates stories related to an imaginary city he has created, called Yaad Sheher. After garnering phenomenal and unprecedented success in its first season, the show came back offering more entertainment for all its listeners across the major 35 Hindi Speaking Markets of the network. On popular demand the show was a two hour show on air every Monday to Friday. Currently, the show is running its fourth season. In Kolkata, this show is very popular among youth even the station being RETRO. The Asansol counterpart is CHR but has equally high proportion of YKIB audience. Kolkata station aired the show from midnight 12 to 2am, and in Asansol it aired 9pm to 11pm. Recently, the time band have been shortened to one hour. Sunday special YKIB airs regularly. The stories told during the week are repeated in a special packaged format on Sundays.

NEELESH MISRA Neelesh Misra is an award winning journalist, Bollywood lyrics and script writer, author, radio storyteller and photographer. As a journalist, he has covered some of the biggest stories out of South Asia. He has written four best-selling books. He also writes Bollywood scripts and is the creative director and lyricist of Band Called Nine, India’s first writer-led band.

Fever 104 FM, which has been redefining the radio listening experience, for the first time is bringing horror series on air with ‘Kya Who Sach Tha’. The radio drama is inspired by real life stories and is a collection of possibly the most eerie, spine-chilling extraordinary supernatural stories of the ‘unseen’.

The story line revolves around the main character, Dr Nagar, who is a Para-psychologist by profession and a fan of the human mind and stories he comes across in his daily life. The radio series has him take listeners through one unique story every day.

The launch episode story was “A Mumbai-based boy, Anuj Joshi, who never believed in supernatural powers, till he experienced an incident on the Mumbai - Pune highway. His car ran out of fuel in heavy rains on the lonely highway and he met an old man who offered him a lift till the nearest petrol station. The story later tells how Anuj finds out that the old man was dead four years back and his spirit connected with Anuj to take forward a message to a loved one.”

Ektar Natok is running for nearly three years now and is quite hugely popular. RJ Pamela has been intertwined with this show since inception. During its starting phase the stories of famous writers were being used as the plot and script was developed to suit the plot. The performers’ opinion is also taken into consideration to better the script and screenplay. Previously, drama based on a story was aired in a date. Now, series format have been introduced which gained equal popularity as the suspense element lingers on which tends to bind audience wanting for more. RJs Pamela, Mahuya and Sumanta are active performers of this show. RJ Nilanjan, sometimes, takes part in drama. 92.7 BIG FM Kolkata got overwhelming response from this show. Owing to this popularity, repeats on Sundays have been arranged for on audience request. This marathon Ektar Natok runs from 2pm to 5pm for the last three months.

December 2014 was celebrated as Celebrity month. Drama was also performed by many celebrities of Bengali Television and Film Industry. The popularity was also seen to be more than what it used to be on any normal occasion. The scripts are developed by Akashvani empanelled scriptwriters. They also perform as artists on some occasion. To name them these two names are worth mentioning Mr. Nirup Mitra and Ms. Chokita Chattapadhyay. Ms. Chokita has developed the script of Devdas and also performed the character of Parboti. Mr. Nirup developed the script of Chhuti Nei and performed as Baliram. Regular performances are being given by RJs Pamela, Sumanta, Mahuya, Nilanjan, Kaushik and Sougato. Mr. Swagato packages the drama and provides for its air. Some performers outside the purview of 92.7 BIG FM are Saurav Sen, Abhijit Mondal, Krishnanjana Mitra, Debanjana Mukherjee, Koyel Saha etc. Some mentionable child artistes are Abir Das, Srijita Mondal and Apurba Mukherjee.

This show has bent the rules of traditional drama to make one of kind episodes. The Robi Ghosh starrer classic Golpo Holeo Shotti have made into a radio drama and aired through 92.7 BIG FM only on Ektar Natok. This is first where a mainstream film has been made into a radio drama.

Owing to the popularity of the show, 92.7 BIG FM organised an audio drama with RJs Sumanta, Nilanjan and Mahuya at 39th Kolkata International Book Fair 2015, where BIG FM was official radio partner. This outdoor performance was also a feather in the cap of Ektar Natok.

Sunday Suspense is a radio show, aired on Radio Mirchi (Kolkata). It is performed by Mir Afsar Ali, Deep (RJ), Indrani, Richard (DJ) and various others artists. This show is basically a storytelling show. Proper sound effects are given to it to make it more realistic. As the name suggests, suspense is the recurrent theme of the show. Several stories by several writers are performed in this show. Such as Professor Shonku, Feluda, Tarini Khuro, Byomkesh Bakshi, Sherlock Holmes have been aired. Many Horror, Fantasy, Sci-Fi stories by Satyajit Ray, Saradindu Bandopadhyay, Arthur Conan Doyle and many more writers.

The dialogue with Mr. Jimmy Tangree brought out many facts about non-music programs. He agrees that non-music programs have a good potential in radio industry. The program has to be packaged according to the want of the audience. Thus, a lot depends upon the audience targeting. The timing of the show, the core target group and their mood is the integral part of the show being a success. Audience mapping and mood mapping must be specific and reliable. The Station Head of 91.1 Friends FM (Ananda Offset Pvt. Ltd.), Kolkata also mentions that the city where the show is to be conducted plays a key role. The pulse of the city, the culture, the geographic background and the history of the city must reflect through the show to have the instant connect with the audience. The non-music programs are not always non-music, says Mr. Tagree. These shows are to be packaged with music elements to create the ambience.

The Programming Head of 92.7 BIG FM (Reliance Broadcast Pvt.

Ltd.) answers some core questions.

Q. As Programming Head of a FM channel, what do you think of

Kolkata market?

A. Kolkata being a unique market has 9 FM (including two retro

music stations, one Hindi-Radio One & another Bengali-BIG FM)

channels excluding All India Radio. Most channels play day-part

music i.e. certain music in certain hour. The other stations are CHR

i.e. they play relatively new music. But, also they play old music

which has been marked as evergreen music. The mass is appealed

through melody music but still dance numbers are also played.

Q. Your channel broadcasts one drama and one story telling show,

what is the need of such show?

A. As the proverb goes morning shows the day, similarly here the All

India Radio Bengali is the forerunner of drama in radio space.

Bengali as a race have a very strong notions for literature, they have

the tendency of story reading, telling/listening. We have inherited

this culture of listening stories from our grandparents. We have the

story telling slot, though in Hindi, is seemingly popular in this

market. This show has provided very good ratings in terms of TSL as

well as Cumes. The radio drama also delivers.

Q. How do these programs do in Kolkata?

A. Both the shows are giving ratings as TSL is concerned. This shows

that people are not prone to switch channel in between the show.

The quality of the shows can be measured through audience

perception. As against TSL, Reach is not delivering as it should be.

The reasons are manifold. The shows are Time Spent leaders as well

as Share leaders.

Q. Does the audience revert for feedback?

A. We cater for the audience and want valuable feedback from them.

Accordingly, we strategize, new concept planned and tested etc. In

case our show is lacking in any aspect, the audience is very upfront

and always gives the best possible feedback.

A survey was conducted to understand the listening

habits of people of Kolkata.

Equal number of males and females were chosen to

represent an equal representation. A good response has been

garnered through this survey. From the humongous total of 286

survey sheets equal number of males and females has been chosen

to represent the complete data basis their age bracket.

0

50

100

150

MALE FEMALE

DAYPART LISTENERSHIP

MORNING AFTERNOON NIGHT

0

50

100

150

FEMALE MALE

LISTENERSHIP LISTENER NON-LISTENER

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

MALE FEMALE

NON-MUSIC PROGRAM

LIKES DISLIKES

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

MALE FEMALE

SHOW-WISE LISTENERSHIP

SUNDAY SUSPENSE YKIB EKTAR NATOK

In Kolkata market clearly Sunday Suspense is most popular among non-music shows. Literature is vey integral in the minds of Bengali people. The show which has the Bengali connect connects with the audience here. Radio drama Ektar Natok proves a equal number of listener in the male female segmentation. Among females Sunday Suspense is more popular whereas males prefer to listen YKIB. The overall listenership shows a higher male audience tuning in to radio. Among the female listeners, most prefer music over non-music programs. The males like to listen the non-music shows more. Day-part listenership has some new revelation. Women listen mostly in night but not non-music. The most female listener is found to be from afternoon for non-music shows. The males, on the other hand, listen music in the morning and non-music in the night slots of the radio.

Indian population had used radio as a medium of entertainment even before television came into operation. TV made radio look small but could not subdue radio with all the grandeur. This makes radio even more strong. Before TV came into being radio only meant Akashvani but now many private operators have came up in the business which makes the gloomy radio look lucrative and vibrant. Drama in radio was the most avid form of entertainment of Akashvani. Drama had three parts mainly story, sound effects and actors. As time moved on, drama included storytelling in its purview. Sunday Suspense, Kya Woh Sach Tha and Yaadon ka Idiot Box with Neelesh Misra are story-telling shows. Here, sound effects are used to the fullest and an impactful story is also present but no actors perform. Only, the story-teller reads out the story and helps build a word picture of the story. Ektar Natok is a full-fledged drama in radio has all the elements of drama needed in a radio program. FM is useful in entertainment industry. TV makes stagnant as one has to sit and watch programs. But FM is available on the go. Anybody can tune into radio anywhere as he pleases. New talents are recognised more often than in television industry. Radio being free to all makes people from all walks of life use radio and get entertained. Some remote villages of India still does not get TV signal; radio is a boon to them. Radio is an interactive medium where both way interactions are possible and quite normal.

WEBSITES: www.92.7bigfm.com www.allindiaradio.gov.in www.reliancebroadcast.com/ourbusiness/big_92.7fm www.google.co.in (Images) www.utkarshnaithani.com www.gomusic1.com www.theseus.fi https://etd.ohiolink.edu

REPORTS: FICCI-KPMG Report 2014 FICCI-KPMG Report 2015

COMPANY: 92.7 BIG FM FRIENDS FM 91.9

NAME: SEX: AGE: DO YOU LISTEN TO RADIO? YES NO IF YES, WHERE DO YOU LISTEN? HOME TRAVELLING GYMMING OTHERS______________ WHEN DO YOU LISTEN MOST? MORNING AFTERNOON EVENING NIGHT LATE NIGHT IN WHICH DEVICE DO YOU PREFER LISTENING TO? HOME RADIO PORTABLE RADIO CAR MOBILE PHONE WHY DO YOU LISTEN? MUSIC RJ TALK INFO SHOW NON-MUSIC WHICH NON-MUSIC SHOW DO YOU LISTEN? YKIB SUNDAY SUSPENSE EKTAR NATOK This precise survey was conducted to conclude on the dissertation topic for Kolkata market only.