THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: We live in an age where we are bombarded with an overdose of news and entertainment, all courtesy of the visual and the social media platforms. But in all the melee created by the visual and the social media platforms a very old source of information got lost. However, with the coming of FM radios, the medium is no longer relegated to being the poor cousin of the much glamourous visual and social media platforms.
For Anjali Rajan Dileep, programme head of Club FM, radio is an interesting medium through which different people within the same locality can share unique ideas between themselves. And this makes it inspiring. Being one among the first RJs of the station, Anjali says her journey as a radio jockey has been a wonderful one. Believing the mantra is all about fun and being happy, she adds, “It is a wonderful job. The idea is to share interesting stories and to bring in creativity among people.”
Though not a regular listener, Suraj S R, a music composer, feels tuning into a radio is much more enjoyable than watching television. He says, “The best thing about radio is that you can listen and enjoy it even while doing something else. I prefer to tune into my favourite stations while driving or doing some other work. You get to listen to some wonderful songs, and sometimes old evergreen songs.”
According to Kidilam Firoz of Big FM, the concept of private FM stations have made radio more accessible. He adds, “Though private FM stations were launched in other places, it came into 9 vogue here a bit later. While the style of anchoring is very formal in AM stations, in terms of accessibility and influence, FM has managed to come forward.”
Rahul, a radio jockey, feels the medium has evolved very much in the past ten years and still continues to. He says, “Back in 2006, private FM stations were not common in the city. Ever since then, much has changed with regard to the medium, especially in terms of presentation.” He says in the case of other mediums, one has to set aside some amount of time for them. But in the case of radio, time is not a restriction. “A person can listen to the programmes played on the radio anytime. The medium has always been a part of people’s daily lives and will always remain
so, he adds.
Radio comes handy anytime. While some tune into an FM station when caught in a traffic jam, others find their mornings incomplete if they are unable to tune in to their favourite radio channel. It is as important as a shot of caffeine. Saga Thomson, a school teacher, is one such radio junkie. She feels that it is fun to listen to and very relaxing. She says, “Every morning, I switch on the radio while doing my chores in the kitchen.
I find it a simple and informal medium compared to others. Apart from being able to listen to nice songs, you tend to feel more connected to the RJs, who interact with people in a simple language while sharing facts. Of course, there are television channels which are informational, but they have a formal approach to them.” That being said, even the older citizens find radio programmes appealing. Prakash Gopinathan, a senior citizen says, “Though I am not a regular listener, I know many who prefer to listen to the FM stations during long car journeys. Compared to the programmes aired by AIR, the FM programmes are more interactive and appealing.” With private FM stations giving an interactive and innovative touch to a radio, it seems the medium is indeed here to stay.