BHUBANESWAR: Is your radio set gathering dust? Now it is time to make it work. At least two private FM radio channels are all set to go on air this month.

Adlabs Films Limited's BIG 92.7 is likely to become the first private radio channel to hit the State within 10 days. It will be followed by city-based Eastern Media Limited's CHOKLATE 104 by the end of this month.

"We have fine-tuned all our preparations to go on air very shortly. Ours' will be a 24X7 channel, which will cater to infotainment needs of population around 60 km radius of Cuttack city," BIG 92.7 station director Sandeep Jena told The Hindu here on Monday.

Freelancers

The BIG 92.7 with a tagline of `Suno Sunao, Life Banao!' has already completed its recruitment process and put its five radio jockeys under regular practice. Besides, the Adlabs' radio channel will depend on service of freelancers who will be engaged for outdoor broadcasting.

"Through the channel, we will be adding utilities to daily life of our radio listeners. If someone wakes up in the morning, he will have all the information such as traffic congestion, water supply, market price of vegetables and power-cuts. These information will be disseminated with heavy doses of popular Hindi as well as Oriya numbers," Mr. Jena said.

The station director said "acknowledgement of local heroes in our society will be another important segment that aims to honour the deserving common man who works relentlessly and voluntarily for the betterment of society." He said the composition of Hindi and Oriya songs would be in 70:30 ratio.

Intense preparation

Similarly, CHOKLATE 104 is making intense preparation to hit airwave by April end. "Eight regular jockeys, who are young, have been picked from the state. They will make our programme interactive and build a unique brand. These radio jockeys have been imparted training through a consultancy agency," Monica Nayyar Patnaik, station director of CHOKLATE 104, said.

Only a couple of days ago, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi had hinted to strengthen FM Rainbow, which was within the Prasar Bharati, in the State.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail