“Ye Akashwani Hai Abhi
Aap . . . Se Samachar Suniye”, “Namaste Bhaino Aur Bhaiyon Mein Aap Ka Dost Ameen
Sayani Bol Raha Hoon”, “Jaab Jeeturaj Bolta Hai Tho Akha Mumbai Sunta Hai” words like these remains committed to
the ears of many radio listeners of all ages. Till the advent of television or
mobile phones radio ruled the entertainment industry in India. Be it listening
to the news, sports commentary or your favourite songs over the radio at your
home or while having hair cut at your very own barber shop radio remained the
most popular and effective medium of entertainment for the common masses.
Radio
in those days meant All India Radio (AIR) on the AM band. The real decline of
the radio popularity was witnessed within Indian households during 1991 when
cable and satellite television made their entry into the Indian markets.
However, Indians were once again captivated back to radio listening when
private commercial FM stations started operating in India at the beginning of
the twenty first century.
But,
how many of us know about the history of radio in India, the different types of
radios services, different formats of radio or your audience research that
makes the program on air equally popular, effective and entertaining. Debut
author Pankaj Athawale has recently come up with his first book titled, “Stay Tuned” (The Story of Radio in India)
published with Indus Source Books which
would address all of these questions not only from the angle of curiosity of readers
but would also address the under graduate and post graduate media course
students across the country.
Author, Pankaj
has been hosting radio shows on All India Radio’s FM stations. He also holds
the credit for having the cricket commentary for various bilateral series,
World Cup and ICC Championships. During his stint with the radio he had the
opportunity to interview many national as well as international dignitaries
apart from sharing the microphone with stalwarts like Sunil Gavaskar, Clive
Lloyd and Kapil Dev and many more.
What
I liked about the book is the author has dedicated one full chapter covering
each topic at length. The chapter “Radio Services” talks about All India Radio,
Private Commercial Radio (FM) in India, Community Radio, Satellite Radio and
Internet Radio. While the chapter “Radio Formats” gives the reader detailed
insight about the various formats the broadcaster of the radio show needs to
adhere to. So for news the format is different, for radio drama the content is
different, sports broadcast has its own rule and the protocols one needs to
adhere to while addressing shows for the President or Prime Minister of our
country the formats are different. The author admits he has been fortunate
enough to get the opportunity to work on such formats across various stations
over the years.
Reading
the book I realized radio is just not meant to be synonymous with music. In
fact there is lot more that happens behind the scene. Unlike the television or
print media the radio is a different ball game all together. Who is listening
to your show or how many are listening audience research like this is not
possible in real time. Radio has to depend upon conventional methods to do the
quantitative analysis of data. Best approach being to take a sample and analyze
the responses given to the questionnaire from the voice of your readers.
Readers
if you have any more questions that has amplified your curiosity about Radio as
a subject I would recommend you to read, “Stay Tuned” (The Story of Radio in
India).
Paperback:
168 pages
Publisher:
Indus Source Books; First edition (2017)
Language:
English
ISBN-13:
978-9385509100
Reviewed by : Niilesh A Raje
