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The RJ hunt received whopping response from the GenX
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A rather serene Shabdalaya on Road No 2, Banjara Hills was abuzz with young 21 somethings in flashy tees and denims -- some filling up application forms, others busy rehearsing their lines. Others waited in the hush lobby of the studio -- nervous, eager and exited at once. The occasion was Radio City FM's RJ Hunt in the twin cities.
As the city soon wakes up to smell the beans with a racy broadcast, thanks to the new FM radio channels that will storm the airwaves, GenX are gung-ho about the broadcast revolution. At the crack of dawn, they were all there, for their five minutes under the sun, as the broadcast company's programme heads heard them out virtually. Music they love, mock announcements and their ability to gab, in Hindi, English and Telugu, were scrutinised. And the overall response put the judges in a quandary.
"We received 600 entries. These were the ones who registered with us on telephone and booked their slots for audition. Apart from this we have walk-ins. We are figuring it out how we are going to accommodate them," says Vikas Verma, national programming head, Radio City. Few of the entries were voice over artists and some with prior radio experience who walked in with a demo CD of their work. But for most, it was a first time exposure to the mike. Some walked in from their offices in the lunch break while others dropped by after a long day at college. "It was a great experience. I did not prepare for it but I have been listening to the FM on All India Radio, Hyderabad," says an elated S. Bindu, working as a PRO in the twin cities. "Do you have to prepare for the audition? I guess you need to have a good voice, nice modulation and don't have a put on accent," adds Aditya, a III year computer engineering student and a Hip Hop buff.
"Every city I go, I get to learn more. The response in Hyderabad has been overwhelming. It felt as if the youth were waiting for the FM. For us this is also an occasion to check the kind of music people listen to and the Hyderabadi culture, before we arrive at a programme mix for the city," says Verma. So when do the RJs go on air? "Ideally in about 45-60 days after the audition. We will be short-listing about 20 RJs out of which 10 will go through training in technical aspects and modulation in Mumbai and subsequently in Hyderabad before they go live," he says.
The event that came up with a pool of talent also received moans. "They had this 18 years minimum age limit. There is something called child prodigy," says a tad unhappy Chitra, a first year BA (mass communication) student at St Mary's Yousufguda as she hopes to make it to the audition sometime later. Meanwhile stay tuned as we bring you updates on the radio stars who will rule the airwaves in days to come.
SYEDA FARIDA
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