Chapter 1.

Introduction
1.1 Introduction
Radio is a medium of single sense which triggers our many senses and frees our
imagination.

“Media” has penetrated very deep in the lives of human beings. This penetration is digging
more with the continuous growth of information communication technology. All the media
today are trying their best to gratify the specific needs of their audiences. Few media are
perceived more helpful than others in their special ways of interacting with people and the
content they offer. But, the beauty of existence of a particular medium lies in the fact that it
can’t be replaced by any other medium. So presently, all the media are growing, keeping in
mind their own targets. Here, apart from all the traditional and new media, radio catches our
attention because of its all changed come back after the advent of FM (Frequency
Modulation) culture. Further, the FM radio is found very popular among its prime target
group of young masses.

Young adults are the most active radio listeners who favour entertainment on this hot
medium. (Marshal McLuhan in “Hot and Cold Media”)1

Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of radio, must have not thought that his small gadget will
reach to almost every person around the world one day. The word ‘Radio’ is derived from
the Latin Radiu (radius), which means telephony (communication by electronic air waves).
Radio started its journey way back in 1920s and has become one of the most prominent,
omnipresent and live medium at present.

"You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and
his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals
here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat"

Albert Einstein (1938)2

From this quote of Albert Einstein we can assume the supreme importance of radio that it
can reach to masses and create a direct impact to their lives.

1
Marshall McLuhan, The Man and his Message. CBC Archives (http://www.cbc.ca/archives/topic/marshall-
mcluhan-the-man-and-his-message)
2
http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2006/03/big_science.html
1
McAnany (1973)3 discussed the spread of radio and said that in 1969 there were over 10,000
radio transmitters around the world broadcasting to 653 million radio sets in almost 200
countries (UNESCO Report, 1972)4. In 1980, just after ten years the total number of sets had
almost doubled. In certain world regions the growth was more spectacular like Africa and
south Asia. Radio equipment increased in number on global level at a tremendous speed
after 80s and this growth took great heights with the advent of new technologies. This
emerges a single clear conclusion that radio has been the most universal mass medium of
communication for human kind and is glaring at present in different colours with the latest
IT (Information and Technology) support. He further opines that radio can be a powerful
tool in assisting in the development process of countries but its effectiveness depends not
only on its intrinsic qualities but more importantly on how it is used and for what purposes it
is used. Behind each use to which radio has been put are certain assumptions about radio's
effects, about the structure of reception and about learning and social change. There are a
number of strategies and all of them are effective in certain circumstances. The advantages
that radio offers make it one of the most promising resources that most countries have for
their development and social change efforts in different areas. Indeed, many countries have
recognized these advantages and are using radio at present in their development projects.

Unlike other media types, radio has the ability to become a reliable source of information in
areas where information is scarce. People from all around the world can search the airwaves
for reliable sources of information even when phone lines are cut and the Internet is blocked.
Radio, due to its unique characteristics doesn’t require electricity, cable connection, internet
or daily delivery like news papers. Small communities are also benefited from local radio
stations that provide news about local issues that would otherwise not make national
headlines.

According to Farm Radio International, a charitable organization which supports rural radio
broadcasters in 39 African countries, radio remains one of the best communication tools for
the rural poor. It is ideal for low-income populations and sparsely-populated areas since
radios are affordable and broadcasts can reach a wide audience. In countries where access to

3
Jaminson , D. and McAnany , E. (1973). Radio for Education and Development . Baverly Hills , CA, Sage
Publications
4
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0000/000018/001801e.pdf
2
the internet is limited and illiteracy rates are high, radio stations play a major role in sharing
news and educational information.

According to Zohra Chatterji5, “In Indian context, for the average Indian, radio is an easy
and effective medium to bond with and hence it is continuously popularity in India”. As
there are many global examples which have demonstrated the viability of radio in the field
of social development, even in India, there are examples which show the tremendous
benefits have been derived and much more are to be derived from this medium in
transforming the lives of the masses and in particular the rural masses.

Radio is indeed a potential medium in the country particularly in rural areas and can
effectively be used for empowerment of the society especially the underprivileged.
Government issues guidelines at different times and provides a great opportunity to
effectively use this medium of radio for empowerment of the societies and it is encouraging
that a number of good NGOs (Non Government Organizations) and other self help groups
are coming forward to work in this sector. Campus radio and community radio are really
doing their best to uplift the common Indian of any age group.

That is the reason why our present Prime Minister Honorable Sh. Narendra Modi ji chose
radio as a medium to discuss his feelings to the common man. ‘Mann Ki Baat’6, the radio
program, is a unique initiative of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to reach the masses
across the country through the radio which was started from 3rd October 2014. The Prime
Minister through his address on the radio aims to connect with the common man on regular
basis and inform them about the initiatives of the government and also seeks the support of
the common man in nation building and governance.

Apart from touching social and development issues, radio has also played a vital role in
fulfilling the entertainment needs of the masses especially youth. Hence, due to changing
aspirations of urban population and their shifting needs for full-time entertainment and to
checkmate radio Ceylon, AIR (All India Radio) launched its Vividh Bharti service in 1957
in Mumbai. This experiment proved a roaring success. The channel has corresponded to the
changing technological advancement in audio field by shifting to FM mode. FM was

5
Chatterji, Z. (2015). Radio Broadcasting in India. (http://www.skoch.in/images/
stories/knowledge_repository/Digital/15-ch-15.pdf)
6
http://www.narendramodi.in/mann-ki-baat
3
launched at a time when listening to AIR programmes in metro cities showed a declining
trend; especially because traditional pattern of programming was not fulfilling the needs and
aspirations of listeners, especially the young masses. This urban young generation wanted to
have quality reception on their radio sets in an exclusive entertaining style. FM radio
effectively filled this gap and gave round the clock entertainment to its listeners. Its
popularity was immense among urban youth. Later on, more FM Channels were introduced
including FM rainbow and FM Gold who started to cater to the special needs of the listeners.
This concept of FM radio in a typical inter-personal conversation style has now been
extended to several other major cities.

In India, FM broadcasting began on 23 July 1977 from Chennai, and was expanded during
the 1990s, nearly 50 years after it bloomed in the US. In the mid-1990s, when India first
experimented with private FM transmission, it was Times FM (now Radio Mirchi) who first
of all took time slot on public radio. Till 1993, All India Radio, a government undertaking,
was the only radio broadcaster in India. After that the government then took the initiative to
privatize the radio broadcasting sector. In the beginning government sold airtime blocks on
its FM channels in Delhi, Indore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Vizag and Goa to private
operators, who developed their own program content. The Times Group which was leading
in this practice, operated its brand, Times FM, till June 1998. Lately, the government
decided to shun this practice of the private operators. But the judgement of Supreme Court
delivered by Justice P.B. Sawant and Justice S. Mohan on February 9, 1995 in the case
between the Union of India & Cricket Association of Bengal became the turning point in the
history of Indian radio. The court held that the airwaves or frequencies are the public
property and have to be controlled and regulated by public authority in the interest of the
public.

After this in 2001, Radio City Bangalore became India's first private FM radio station after
the 1995 decision of Supreme Court that “airwaves are public property”.

After the advent of new FM wave, the private FM industry is touching great heights now. The
FM industry is now a revolution in the field of media. In India, in phase -17 in 2001, 108 FM
licenses were auctioned for 40 cities. In this phase Government of India collected Rs. 1.55

7
Kumar, K.J. (2010). Mass Communication in India. Mumbai: Jaico Publications, Page 274
4
billion as license fees. In phase -2 in 20068, 338 licenses were auctioned for 91 cities and the
revenue collected by the Govt. was Rs.9 billion. In the third phase, which is much awaited, it
is estimated that 839 new FM channels will be launched in about 294 towns across the
country. 9 Today, entertainment is the watchword and when media in general and radio in
particular gratifies the entertainment needs of its audience it is the youth who draws the
attention first10. Statistics says that among all the metros, it is Delhi which is the leader as far
as FM culture is concerned. Revenue data also confirms this.11 It is further a fact that the
young age masses (ranging from 18 to 35 years of age group) are preferably considered as the
primary target group because of their more affection for entertainment and more time spent
on FM radio. In India, majority of the population is youth and they are preferably on the first
rank as far as the audience choice is concerned in the case of FM radio.
“Our core target audience comprises the youth and young working adults (18 to 35
years, male and female). To cater to the specific needs of these audiences, listenership
patterns are carefully researched and content is developed accordingly.”

Radio Mirchi’s (Business Superbrands, 2008)12

In this context it is prudent to find out the perception of the youth of National Capital Region
on FM culture and this research work is carrying a significant meaning in order to know their
point of view towards the present FM culture in National Capital Region. Further the students
of the post graduate standard are the best representatives of the youth because they are
possibly more educated and literate. They are more receptive to the media and their
understanding powers and maturity was believed to be the best advantage for the researcher
to collect the data. Numbers of feedback studies and audience researches have been
conducted on FM stations concerning their ratings and audience measurement. These
researches have been conducted by several researchers, different research

8
Kumar, K.J. (2010). Mass Communication in India. Mumbai: Jaico Publications, Page 275

9
FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2014. The stage is set, Page 134
10
a.Entertainment Network India Ltd.(www.enil.com)
b. Kumar, K.J. (2010). Mass Communication in India. Mumbai: Jaico Publications, Page 273

c. Singhal, A., & Rogers, E. M. (2001). India’s Mass Communication revolution: From bullock carts to cyber
marts.New Delhi: Sage Publications, Page 81
11
a.Entertainment Network India Ltd.(www.enil.com)
b.Radio Duniya, February2008
12
http://www.superbrandsindia.com/images/brand_pdf/business_2nd_edition_2008/Entertainment%20Network.
pdf
5
companies/agencies like Nielson Media, Arbitron etc. and by individual media houses to
know the audience response. This research is having a specific meaning and a unique sense
because it has not been conducted on or for a particular FM station to know the audience
response but it has been conducted on young masses of the National Capital Region who are
preferably considered as the primary target audience to know their perception. This research
tells us the perception and point of view of the young masses of National Capital Region
where FM culture is at its peak as far as Indian media is concerned13.

There is no doubt that today, the youth is very rich in technology and their lifestyles are
drastically altering the way they interact with radio programming. Today, from satellite radio
to iPods, from mobile radio to internet radio, the listeners especially the youth have more
choices and more ways to access content than ever before. So, there is no second thought
about the fact that FM radio has given new shade to the info edutainment and in this research
work, the researcher has tried to know the insight of the young masses that are preferably
considered as the primary audience in FM culture.
The use of media in an urban setting like National Capital Region depends highly on the
perceived needs of the users. The different patterns of the use of any medium are related to
the gratification process related to that medium, but the interrelation of the media use and the
needs of the media users is a complicated issue. The present study presents the patterns of use
of radio by the post graduate students of the National Capital Region of India. The study
signifies the importance of modern radio or FM radio for today’s post graduate university
students of the National Capital Region, especially when it comes to the gratification of their
entertainment needs.

1.2 Significance of the study

After being eclipsed by television wave in the 80s, radio returned in a big way in the 90s as
FM radio. This comeback of the radio in the form of FM radio was backed with the latest
technology, right from production to broadcasting. With a fast pace, the FM radio spread its
tentacles in narrow casting serving small areas. Since its inception, the radio had been a prime
source of information for the Indian masses but in its new avatar, though it contained some
educational and informative content, still it primarily gratified the entertainment needs of the
audience. This time radio was very clear in its objectives. Portability which had always been
13
a.www.asiawaves.net
b.Radio Dunia (magazine), December2007
6
the main advantage of radio further focused its portability in the form of mobile phones.
Earlier, not many people carried radio along but today most of the people use it or not but
have a radio set in their pockets. Today, entertainment is the watchword and when media in
general and radio in particular gratify the entertainment needs of its audience it is the youth
who draws the attention first. It is further a fact that the young age masses (ranging from 18
to 35 years of age group) are preferably considered as the primary target group because of
their more affection for entertainment and more time spent on FM. In India, majority of the
population is youth and they are preferably on the first rank as far as the audience choice is
concerned in the case of FM radio. We are living in the era of information overload and
today’s students especially post graduate students have access to different media to gratify
their different needs. Further the post graduate students are the best representatives of the
youth because they are possibly more educated and comparatively more responsible for their
answers. On the other hand, Delhi is the leader in FM industry and there is a cut throat
competition among all the players of FM industry in this multicultural region. In the National
Capital Region, a post graduate student is exposed to all the media and gets his/her needs
gratified. Here, radio is the only medium which enjoys maximum proximity with the
respondents. In this context, the significance of the study is that, it would discover the status
of radio vis a vis other media in National Capital Region. The study will further throw light
on how much radio is fulfilling its objective of gratifying entertainment needs especially of
the post graduate students of National Capital Region.

1.3 Objectives of the study

The broad objective of the study was to study the perception of post graduate students
of National Capital Region towards private FM (Frequency Modulation) radio stations.

The specific objectives were-

1. To find out the importance of radio among the respondents vis a vis other media.

2. To know the preferred time in a day, respondents listen to radio.

3. To find out the most acceptable mode of listening to radio by the respondents.

4. To assess the type of music and non-music programmes vis-à-vis the preference of
the respondents.

7
 5. To know the most preferred radio station among the respondents and the reason
thereof.

6. To analyze radio as a source of music discovery for respondents.

7. To know the perception of respondents towards the level of effectiveness of

advertisements (social, political and corporate) on radio.

8. To know the level of participation of respondents in different on-air and on-ground

activities.

9. To know the most acceptable utility service offered by radio.

10. To know the level of acceptability of radio as a source of information, education and
entertainment.

11. To analyze the potentiality of radio as a medium that addresses to the career related
problems of respondents.

12. To know, according to the target audience, which medium has the highest potential to
create awareness on a particular issue among the common men?

13. To know the level of information sharing among the respondents which they receive
from radio.

14. To analyze the preferred feature/quality, language/language style and talks of the
radio jockey.

15. To know the level of acceptability of traditional entertainer Vividh Bharti in

comparison to new age commercial FM stations.

16. To know the potentiality of radio as a source of entertainment.

1.4 Review of literature

Radio in India is more than 90 years old. Technology has brought many changes in radio.
Started with transistors, now radio has many shapes like internet radio, visual radio and
Satellite radio etc. with community radio being the latest sensation.

Radio has served the society in many ways. There are lot many studies of radio’s content and
radio’s contribution in agriculture, education, information and entertainment along with

8
radio’s social awareness campaigns etc. There are lot many researches also on radio’s
impact. Few selected works have been discussed here.

“Youth, The Indian Listeners of Radio: Some Observations” a research By Binod C

Agrawal14, TALEEM Research Foundation, Ahmedabad, was presented in Radio Asia 2011
Conference, February 21-23, 2011 at New Delhi, India. The purpose of the study was to
understand the radio listening by youth in sub-continent of India. The findings in the study
are basically based on meta analysis of several media studies conducted over a period of
time having a subsample of youth radio listener in every study. The findings that were drawn
from the brief observations is that over a period of time radio continues to thrive on the
Indian film songs and music without generating much of its original sound track of music
and sounds. Youth users and listeners like other listeners are attracted to this genre of songs
and music though among the urban youth listener western music is also making its mark.

According to analysis by Radio Audience Measurement (‘RAM’) 15 which covered four

metros – Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata, in 2013, found that the contribution of
audiences tuning on to radio from out-of-home mediums such as cars, as compared to in-
home listing increased from 21.3 percent in 2012 to 23.1 percent in 2013.

Indian Entertainment and Media (E&M) Outlook16 (2010) report suggested that Many FM
radio stations are encouraging their RJs (Radio Jockeys) to reach out to young listeners using
social networks like Facebook, Twitter etc. preparing a fan base for themselves and the FM
radio station. This particular activity assists the youth to get engaged with their favorite RJs
even after the airtime on the radio. Furthermore, the FM stations themselves have also their
fan page where the listeners can bond with the station. My FM is one such station which has
taken these initiatives and has elicited an extremely favourable response in fulfilling the
entertainment needs of the youth. Also, Radio City’s online venture www.planetradiocity.com
has launched their internet radio station called ‘Fun Ka Antenna’ especially for young
listeners.

14
Agarwal, B. C. (2011). Youth, The Indian Listeners of Radio: Some Observations. TALEEM Research
Foundation, Ahmedabad, India. Presented in Radio Asia 2011 Conference, February 21-23, 2011 at New Delhi
India

15
Radio Audience Measurment (RAM) Report of 2013
16
Indian Entertainment and Media (E&M) Outlook (2010). Price Waterhouse Coopers, Page 17

9
 17
Indian Readership Survey (2012) , the largest readership surveys conducted in India
captured the listenership for radio. IRS 2012 Q3 results suggested that majority of radio
listenership comes from the age group of 20-40 years of age. In their findings it is observed
that 27% listenership was below 20 years of age whereas 26.00 % above 40 years of age. But
most of the chunk falls between 20 to 40 years of age which is 48.00 %. As a consequence,
stations continue to focus on youth by developing youth centric programming which fulfils
their entertainment needs.

The study of Sandeep Jain (2004) 18 focusing on media behavior, listening habits, popularity
of F.M. radio channels, language used and effects of programme on listeners suggested that
maximum people preferred listening to Radio Mirchi F.M. channel and especially youth
preferred listening to Radio Mirchi whereas older generation liked Vividh Bharati because of
its language simplicity. Further, the study suggested that originality of the language was in
danger because of the mixture of Hindi and English was used very frequently by Radio
Mirchi and affected the audience significantly.

Another study was conducted by Anjan and Priyankita (2013) 19 on youngsters, working
professionals and housewives in the middle income segment in the North East. The
researcher has done the study to understand the mentality of people which has an effect on lot
of factors. The findings suggested that radio is more popular in the urban area and also people
felt that FM radio was more as a source of entertainment than as a source of information or as
a means of communication for young population.

Amrita Nair (2003) 20 examined the nature and growth of FM radio in India. The study
covered the cities of Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai and involved 1,200
participants. As per the study, on both counts, Delhi has had a significant impact, while
Kolkata was more conservative. Results also revealed that on regular listenership, Radio
Mirchi and Radio City had a struggle for the top spot across different segments in Delhi.
Radio Mirchi was far ahead of Radio City as far as students and housewives were concerned,
while for executives and businessmen, it was opposite. About Kolkata, the research showed

17
Indian Readership Survey (2012). IRS Q3 2012
18
Jain, S. (2004). Effect of Different F.M. Radio Channels on Audience. AVRC, DAVV, Indore
19
International Academic Journal of Information Systems and Technology. Volume 1, Issue 1, Page 6
20
International Academic Journal of Information Systems and Technology. Volume 1, Issue 1, Page 7
10
that Radio Mirchi had strong competition from Aamar Radio as both were at par for young
listeners. Among housewives and non-car owner executives and businessmen though, Aamar
Radio led. In contrast, among car owner executives and businessmen Radio Mirchi was the
leading radio station.

Vijayakumar (2014) 21 concluded that the FM radio is an entertainment means for lonely
listeners and students’ up-to graduation. He also added that the business people happened to
be the frequent listeners of FM programmes. He further pointed out that the quality, relevance
and suitability of FM programmes were largely discussed with the friends and very rarely
with parents, family members and relatives. Finally, he suggested that the corporate
authorities of FM radio may think of redesigning the programmes such that they are well
received and accepted by a wide range of FM listeners including unemployed youth or
students.

Ernst & Young, (2010) 22 suggested that the radio and music industries contribute just 2.40 %
of the total Indian music and entertainment industry revenues. They also pointed out that both
music and entertainment industry provide highly popular forms of entertainment whereas FM
radio reached approximately 30% of Indians, while Indian youth are the second largest
audience for paid digital music globally.

Ghatak (2014) 23 also found in her research that radio is a powerful communication medium,
especially in India where, regular and stable electric supply in rural and far flung areas is
absent most of the times. She further added that people had to depend on radio to meet their
needs of information, education and entertainment.

21
Vijayakumar, N. (2014). An evaluative study of healthy listening pattern among fm radio listeners: a special
reference to Mysore district. International Academic Journal of Information Systems and Technology, Volume
1, Issue 9

22
Ernst & Young. (2010). Spotlight on India’s entertainment economy: Seizing new growth opportunities.
Annual Report

23
Ghatak, P. (2014). A Report on Development of Mass Media and its Extension In Agriculture: A Feedback
Review of Audience Research Survey in AIR, Murshidabad, West Bengal. www.asiawaves.net

11
Basu (2011) 24 also discussed that radio has travelled a long way and modified itself into the
FM with which all its fresh entertainment contents provides updates of utility. Roughly every
station constantly provides traffic updates to its listeners cautioning them of the areas
clinging on to huge traffic clots. She further added that, no doubt, radio enrich the spirit of the
youth and fulfil their entertainment needs.

In November 2008, Fever 104 FM25 , a leading radio station of Delhi with the target group
of 20-35 age group run a listenership survey to know the opinions, preferences and views
pertaining to music and programming content of the radio station. The target of this study
was to provide its listeners a truly compelling and relevant radio listening experience.
According to the then station head of Fever 104 FM, Mr. Neeraj Chaturvedi, "We have
adopted a policy of 'listening to our listeners'. This is purely an effort to understand what
Delhi-ites want in their radio station. We are inviting our audience to help us build a better
radio station for Delhi. All comments will be taken into account in designing and refining
the programming on Fever 104 FM". The survey was conducted on a huge scale in Delhi
among the listeners of different age groups. As the outcome of this survey, it was found that
the listeners of Delhi primarily expected entertainment from the radio station and listening to
radio was their favourite time pass. The listeners demanded more local content on radio.

The audience research unit of All India Radio26, regularly conducts surveys to know the
perceptions and feedback of the listeners of Kisanvani programme. The survey is conducted
to know that what new and beneficial can be done to improve the programming of Kisanvani
which may lead to the betterment of farmers. These surveys are conducted in deffrent states
because the challenges for farmers are different in different states and that’s how the varied
feedback matters for All India Radio.

Radio Audience Measurement’s (RAM) 27 in its radio establishment survey showed a

significant increase in FM penetration in the four RAM markets, from around 59% in 2007 to
around 77% in 2011. Penetration significantly increased in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore

24
Basu, S. (2011). Social Responsibility: The Obligation of Mass Media. Global Media Journal, Volume 3

25
http://www.radioandmusic.com/content/editorial/news/fever-alters-delhi-content-after-listeners-survey
26
www.allindiaradio.gov.in
27
RAM Radio Establishment Survey, Universe update 2011
12
while Kolkata remained flat. While music remained the primary format for the industry, the
year also saw some radio channels experimented with new content forms. Categories like
cellular phone services, TV channel promotions, independent retailers, jewellery and
educational institutions remained strong advertisers in 2010. Real estate, which had hit during
the recession, jumped to the number one position during the year. Automobiles, cellular
phone equipment and corporate/brand image advertisements were new entrants in the top ten
during the year.

According to the RAM28 study of 2011, it is revealed that Delhi is the biggest radio market
with maximum radio listeners.

According to the report “Poised for Growth: FM Radio in India” 29 of Ernst and Young Pvt.
Ltd. Of 2012: “Radio is primarily an entertainment medium and the programming in Indian
FM culture included primarily the bollywood music”. Apart from that the report points out
towards the increasing presence of radio on internet. Radio Mirchi alone has four online radio
stations. These are- Meethi Mirchi (Modern bollywood songs), Prani Jeans ( Retro bollywood
songs), Mirchi Edge ( Music other than bollywood) and Club Mirchi (Hindi and English mix
music). Radio city also operates three online radio stations- Web Radio, Freedom Radio and
Non Stop Indie Pop.30 Big FM is active on internet with the name- Big Net Radio. Radio
whiskey is the otheronline radio which focuses on playing unheared exclusive original music
from independent artists.

FICCI KPMG report on Indian Media and Entertainemnt (2013) 31 “The Power of a billion:
Realizing the Indian dreams”, said that according to IRS and RAM of 2012, people spent
more time on radio in movement or transit from one place to another. That’s why some radio
companies like radio Mirchi, Big FM have launched radio apps with which the listener can
listen to the radio of one city in another city.32

28
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-04/india-business/28357610_1_listenership-enil-fm-radio
29
Ernst and Young Pvt. Ltd. (2012). Poised for Growth: FM radio in India. Annual Report
30
Radio one witness rapid increase in Mumbai and Delhi. Radio and Music, 2 July 2012.
31
http://www.ficci.com/spdocument/20217/FICCI-KPMG-Report-13-FRAMES.pdf
32
ENIL (Entertainment Network India Ltd.) Investor Updates of 2012
13
FICCI KPMG report on Indian Media and Entertainemnt, (2014) 33 “The Stage is Set”, says
that after phase three of FM channels, the projected growth of the industry would be 33.6
Billion INR (Indian National Rupees) in 2018 as compared to 14.6 Billion INR of 2013 with
18.10 percent growth in CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate).

As published in TRAI (Telephone Regulatory Authority of India) 34 recommendations of

2012, According to RAM study of 2011, in all the metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and
Chennai), the listeners preferred to listen to radio mainly on their mobile phones with Delhi
and Mumbai leading a little in this context.

Since last fifty years radio has been working for education in many parts of the world,
particularly for adult education (McBride 1980, Basu 1992 and Ghosh 2006)35. In India, the
first initiative to use radio for education was an experimental project named as ‘Rural Radio
Forum’ started after independence (Mathur and Neurath 1959)36. Rural Radio Forum was
started around the same time the Canadian Rural Radio Forum’s was broadcasted i.e. in
1941. Despite of Rural Radio Forum’s achievements beyond anticipation within 15 years, it
ended up and surprisingly, after that there were no efficient rural radio forums in India
(Yadava 1989). 37

Sharma and Dey (1970) 38 conducted a study on the role of radio and television in extending
agricultural ideas and information to the village farmers around Delhi and National Capital

33
https://www.kpmg.com/IN/en/Topics/FICCI-Frames/Documents/FICCI-Frames-2014-The-stage-is-set-
Report-2014.pdf
34
http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/Recommendation/Documents/Reco-on-FM-19042012.pdf
35

a. McBride, J. (1980). Many Voices, one word. London: Kogam, UNESCO, Paris
b. Basu, S. (1992). An Innovative Radio Pilot Project for Literacy in Selected Districts of West Bengal.
ICCTR Journal, Volume 4, Page 55-71
c. Ghosh, A. (2006). Communication Technology and Human Development. Recent Experiences in the
Indian Social Sector. New Delhi: SAGE Publications.
36
Mathur, J. C. & Paul N. (1959). An Indian Experiment in Farm Radio Forums. UNESCO, Paris

37
Yadava, J. S. (1989). Development Communication Research: An Overview and Needed Conceptual and
Methodological Departures. In Communication and Indian Agriculture. New Delhi: Sage, Page 66-67

38
Sharma, S. K., and Dey, P. K. (1970). Relative effectiveness of Radio and Television as Mass Communication
Media in Dissemination of Agricultural Information. Indian Journal of Extension Education, Volume 6, Page 62
– 67

14
Region. They found that the influence of Doordarshan was much more and lasting than
radio. The information imparted through television had more visual impact on the mind of
the farmers than the information conveyed through radio and it stayed with them for long
time. They suggested that television was relatively better to radio in communicating
message to the farmers effectively. They also added that though, radio could efficiently
supplement the communication once made through television. Dey (1981) further reported
that farmers living in urban area or near urban area put first choice to radio as a
communication station, whereas farmers of a low urbanized village gave second preference
to it.

Sharma and Kishore (1970) 39 studied the effectiveness of radio as a mass communication
medium and concluded that radio was very effective in bringing a significant change in
knowledge and farmers’ attitude towards various socio economic issues. They stated that
farmers also considerably retained the communicated knowledge even after 15 to 30 days of
transmission. The study also identified that there was a positive effect of radio broadcast on
gain in knowledge of each respondent for all the programs which were broadcasted on health
and environment under the special programs. They also concluded that mass media like
radio were the crucial means to create and generate awareness and interest with respect to
innovations and information broadcasting.

Saini and Reddy (1982) 40 in a study on ‘Information source content of rural youth club
leaders’ found that most of the rural youth club leaders regarded radio as the first and most
important source of information. Reddy (1982) further conducted a study on ‘Field
experiment on the use of radio and news paper in agricultural communication” and found a
significant association of radio listening with the newspaper reading of farmers. Reddy
(1990) also found that 72 percent of the respondents were having radio sets and the rest were
not but those who did not possess the radio set were also listening to the radio bulletins from

39
Sharma, S. K. & Kishore, D. (1970). Effectiveness of radio as a mass Communication medium in
dissemination of agricultural information. Indian journal of Extension Education, Volume 6. Page 12-14

40
Saini, C. S. & Reddy, G. S. (1982). Information source content of rural youth club leaders. Indian Journal of
Extension Education, Volume 20, Page 55-59

15
the neighbors. These findings were also supported by Rai and Choudry (1985)41 who found
that among various communication channels, radio was ranked third with respect to
usefulness. They further observed that first and second ranks were given to demonstration
and field visits, respectively.

Siddaramaiah (1971) 42 reported that the dialogue method of farm broadcast compared to
straight talk was the most preferred programs by the farmers. Manandhar and
Srinivasmurthy (1989)43 suggested that farmers preferred the dramatized dialogue mode of
presentation of message followed by discussion and clarifying doubts through question-
answer rather than the straight talk mode of presentation.

Chandramouli (1990) 44 reported that majority of the radio listeners wanted information to be
presented in conversational dramatized form. It can be concluded from the reviews
presented that straight talk was the least preferred mode of delivery style. Dialogue,
discussion and interview which involve a conversation between more than one person and
permit the discussion of subjects matter by splitting it into several units were the most
accepted modes of presentation.

Hopkins (2001) 45 made an evaluation of a radio drama targeting men and promoting male
motivation to adopt effective family planning practices. The objectives of the project were to
increase knowledge of family planning methods among men of reproductive age, alter
attitudes regarding family planning, the use of modern family planning methods between
men and their partners and to promote male involvement and joint decision making between
spouses on family planning issues. The results showed that the decision of the people to opt
for the family planning has been largely influenced by the radio drama.

41
Rai, B. D. & Choudry, C. C. (1985). Creditability, usefulness and utilization of communication sources and
channels as perceitved by farmers. Maharashtra Journal of Extension Education, Volume 4, Page 59- 65.
42
Siddaramaiah, B. S. (1971). Influence of farm broadcast on the knowledge
of farmers and radio owners (M.Sc. Thesis). University of Agriculture Science, Bangalore (India)
43
Manandhar, M. K. & Srinivasmurthy. (1989). Listeners, characteristics and their preferences on different
nodes of presentation of farm broadcast among the farmers in Nepal. Madras Journal of Agriculture Science,
Volume 22, Page 126-130
44
Chandramouli. (1990). A report on ‘Sasya Sanjeevini’ serial programme. All India Radio, Bangalore.
www.asiawaves.net
45
Hopkins, J. (2001). University Center for Communication Programming. Impact , Volume 3, Issue 2

16
In 2004, the Uganda Broadcasting Council (UBC) 46 produced The national Electronic
Media Performance Study, which found out that community FM radio stations had “the
potential to take care of unique features of specific communities” (UBC, 2004). The study
reported that community radios helped to meet the needs of the people by producing local
content in the local language, and hence providing people a platform to put in their views on
the programmes pertinent to their needs. The aims of the study were gathering people’s
opinions to inform a review of the current national broadcasting policy and regulation. It
used household surveys and focus groups, covering five sample districts. With regard to
community broadcasting, it concluded that the FM radios had helped to meet the rural
people’s information, education and entertainment needs.

Another study conducted on community radios in South Africa and Namibia in January
2005, also concluded that community radios promoted democracy and citizenship in rural
areas by giving voice to the voiceless. “The single most important factor in this process was
the fact that community radio taped into and reinvented community communication. The
study was done by Ullamaija Kivikuru47, a professor of journalism at the Swedish School of
Social Science, University of Helsinki in Finland. The study relied on interviews, discussion
forums and survey materials.

Maraa (2008) 48 discussed in his research article that in the corrupt, naxalite and drought-
prone areas of Palamau, Jharkhand, an NGO (Non Government Organization) set up a
community radio station, Vikalp, the first one to go on air in the state. Vikalp, which means
alternative, in reality, observed at providing people with different options. He said that the
area was notorious for drought, dacoity and almost complete power breakdown. Maraa
opined in his article that Vikalp was one of the most promising community radio stations in
India. Further, with the emphasis being on exactly the issues which concerned the
community, and having a good community base, it was observed to be a thrilling time, a
time to prove to the government and all the other doubting that community radio could

46
Uganda Broadcasting Council (2004) Report of the Public Hearings of the Draft Broadcasting Policy.
Makerere University Senate Building on Thursday 5th August 2004. Kampala: Uganda Broadcasting Council
47
Kivikuru, U. (2006). Top-Down or Bottom-Up? Radio in the Service of Democracy: Experiences from South
Africa and Namibia. The International Communication Gazette, Volume 68, 5-31, London: Sage
48
Maraa, (2008). Vikalp Community Radio in Jharkhand.
www.communityradio.in

17
indeed be a legitimate tool to involve communities to address their own problems and speak
about their own lives.

A study done by Dr P Govindaraju, M Kalavathy (2008) 49 on the Holy Cross Community

Radio, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, found that mostly respondents were of the views that the Holy
Cross Community Radio initiative had fostered local involvement and awareness creation.
44.00 percent of them acknowledged that the radio programme created awareness on
epidemics and child healthcare in their area, 22.00 percent of them agreed that the radio
programme created awareness on AIDS and cancer. Findings of the survey also revealed that
some people living in the two communities living in slum areas of Jeevanagar and
Dharmanathapuram found resource constraints that debared them from engaging themselves
in any form of community initiatives whatsoever.

50
Kumar (2005) in her studies on ‘Community Radio in India: Opportunities and
Challenges’ captures the essence of community radio initiatives across India, setting the
context for its successful deployment. The research investigated how access to radio could
transform the dominant public sphere, by establishing decentralized public spaces for
dialogue and collaborative action controlled by the marginalized sections in India. It also
wanted to explore conditions for the creation of an enabling environment for democratic
media by taking into consideration the history of broadcasting and the issues that currently
challenged the media policy formation in India. According to her, community radio
initiatives deserved to be encouraged for facilitating participatory communication and
development.

Madhu & Nithya (2010) 51 Conducted a study on listening behavior of KCRS (Krishi
Community Radio Station) users in 4 villages that were Chikkamalligawada, Narendra,
Mangalagatti, and Hiremalligawada from Dharwad Taluk of Dharwad district. The
structured personal interview schedule to collect the data and collected data were analyzed
by using different descriptive and analytical statistics. The result reported that majority

49
Govindaraju, P. and Kalavathy, M. (2008). Serving Communities: The Holy Way. www.asiawaves.net
50
Kumar, K. (2005). Community Radio in India. A Study conducted by S N School of Communication,
University of Hyderabad.
51
Madhu, P., & Nitya. (2010). Awareness and Listening Behavior of the Listeners of Krishi Community Radio
Station. Deptartment of Extension Communication Management, UAS, Dharwad

18
(81.58%) of the listeners belonged to youth category, married (over 69%) and around 44
percent were literates and had medium (53.95%) level of mass media participation. It was
also evident from the results that the listeners had medium (68.42%) level of listening
behavior and over half of the participants (57.24%) listened to the programs only for half an
hour. Most (64.47%) of the listeners listened to the KCRS during free time. 56% of the
listeners discussed with others sometime after listening to the programmes whereas 32.89%
did not discuss.

Basavraju (1993) 52 in the study on listening frequency of farmers to farm broadcast and
their characteristics in Bangalore, identified that there was a significant association between
education and farm broadcast listening frequency of respondents. Discussing impact of
radio lessons Krishnamurthy (1999) 53 stated that farmers’ knowledge increased due to
participation in radio lesson programs and it was significantly related with education.

Kimutai (2011) 54 noted that in Kenya, radio broadcast is still the preferred medium. A study
commissioned by the Kenya Audience Research Foundation (KARF, 2011), and conducted
by Synovate, a media research company reported that radio listening leads in media
consumption or utilisation. It was followed by the mobile phone, television, newspapers, and
the internet respectively. This study was conducted on a sample of 8504 showed that about
54 percent of Kenyans were listening to more than one radio station. The average time spent
listening to radio programs per day was six hours. The findings also pointed towards the
growth of FM radio channels in the country offering a variety of programming that included
music and talk shows.

Bhosle et al (2000) 55 in a study in Parabhani district of the Maharashtra region, revealed that
remarkable percentage (46.00 %) of the radio listeners were educated up to secondary
education, 18% of them were higher secondary education, followed by 14.67% educated up
52
Basavaraju, V. (1993). Listening frequency of farmers to farm broadcast and their characteristics (M.Sc.
Thesis). University of Agriculture Science., Bangalore
53
Krishnamurthy, A. T. (1999). A study on radio listening and televiewing behavior of farmers in Karnataka
(M.Sc. Thesis). University of Agriculture Science., Bangalore
54
Kimutai, C. (2011). Research shows radio is king in Kenya.
http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/111/19/68555.html
55
Bhosle, P. B., Jondhale, S. G. & Patil, B. (2000). Effectiveness of farm broadcast as perceived by listeners.
Maharashtra Journal of Extension Education, Volume 7, Page 28-31

19
to college level and above. As much as 12 percent and 9.33 percent of the respondents were
illiterate and educated up to primary education respectively. It can be concluded from the
study that majority of the radio listeners completed secondary level education. There was a
highly significant relationship between education and radio listening behavior.

Radio returned into media scene with an image of entertainment medium. In the era of
intermedia competition and in the era of technology, no medium can confined itself to a
particular image. Many studies in the past and many experts in their works have established
the fact that radio focuses itself to the youth. This particular study tries to find out how much
radio gratifies the entertainment needs of the youth in National Capital Region. To the best
knowledge of the researcher, no such study has been conducted in the past.

1.5 Summary

Radio as a medium of communication plays a vital role in the development of any country.
The significance of radio as a medium increases more for the developing country like India.
Radio plays very important role in the nation’s social, political, economical and cultural
development. Interestingly over the years, radio has inclined more towards entertaining the
audience along with informing and education them. In the present chapter all the three tiers of
radio broadcasting in India- Public radio, FM radio and Community radio have been
discussed and explained in detail keeping in mind the present research problem. Along with
this, the comeback of radio after the television revolution has also been discussed with
highlighting the status of FM radio in the multicultural metropolitan area like National
Capital Region. The significance of the study has also been discussed here in this chapter to
justify the nature of respondents selected for the study. The objectives of the study are also
listed in detail in the chapter with the review of related literature at the end.

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