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Photo: M. Moorthy

New found attraction Fast catching up with youngsters

Radio Jockeys are a different breed, not quite like the monotonous news readers or anchors of film-based programmes. With more and more private channels opening up to connect to listeners, one continuously gets to hear fresh voices and phrases on air — from cricket commentaries to reports on traffic snarls or the latest arrivals in the market.

Young voices have done away with the textbook language, typical of radio. Rather, they prefer to strike a chord with the listeners in the local lingo. It is for this reason that the voices heard through microphones sound friendlier than ever before. FM channels are targeting the youth while mobile phones are donning the new avatar of music rendering machines.

Radio is fast becoming an industry and is all set to mould itself in a big way in tier II cities, predicts Anil Machado, the Director-Programming of Radio One, a BBC Worldwide and Mid Day publications’ tie-up channel.

After a stint with All India Radio and international experience in radio production, the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer got into Radio Jockeying with a passion to reach out to the people.

“In foreign countries, radio is more popular than television. Radio is also an important medium for advertisements.” Commercial radio stations and community radios are a major breakthrough in popularising radio among masses.

Photo: R. Ashok

Programming Head Anil Machado

The niche market for radio will open up in a big way here soon, making radio jockeying a lucrative profession, he predicts.

So how has the radio evolved to suit the needs of listeners? It is no longer about cueing songs and getting the spools ready ahead of the broadcast time. Radio-computing softwares have made the job of both the production head and jockeys effortless.

In fact, Anil Machado has a success mantra to share. Presence of mind, a crucial aspect of RJing, can save the programme from glaring cuts and pauses.

“Any experienced RJ would rehearse quite a number of times before going on air. One got to be on the toes all the time when speaking to the public. Since most of the radio programmes go on air live, RJs got to be doubly careful of every word they utter.”

While Mr. Machado agrees that voice can enchant the listeners faster, he maintains voice isn’t the magic key for successful RJing. “It helps you win half the battle. But the rest is in your attitude and communication,” he says.

“Remember Rani Mukherjee, who despite critics’ advice to go for dubbing to camouflage her gruff voice, insisted on using her own? Hasn’t her voice, along with her acting, won the heart of many?”

Machado’s colleague and popular RJ, Suchitra, endorses: “RJs must make sure that their personalities come out strong through their voice. It must be spontaneous to strike a good rapport with callers.”

An old hand in the job, Suchitra feels RJing is a medium to showcase one’s attitude. “A successful jockey gets the listeners excited when they hear the voice. Even if a RJ has astoundingly gripping voice, people tend to get bored if the RJ doesn’t know the ways to hook the listeners.” A good dose of humour and listening skills are crucial for any budding RJ, she adds.

For aspiring radio jockeys, RJing is exciting, given the sheer number of people they get to speak with everyday. Some of city’s aspirants, all from Visual Communication Department of Holy Cross College, see this as a promising profession.

And with a good reason. Their FM channel at 90.4 MHz has given them the opportunity they were looking for. The department also plans to shortly go on air live.

“We are excited. Live programme is challenging and it will train us for the better. Communication skill is the key aspect of good RJing,” shares Christina Sonali, a second-year undergraduate student of Visual Communication.

But jockeying on a radio channel, Mr. Machado observes, demands more than mere communication skill.

“RJing is not an in-born talent. Anyone can become a RJ if they understand the nuances of getting connected to people.”

What do successful RJs have to say for the wannabe ones? “Be yourself,” says Mr. Machado. “Emulating others’ accent or diction wouldn’t lead you anywhere.”

So if you are ready to connect to people, the road ahead is promising.

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