THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Minister V Muraleedharan has submitted a petition to the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, L Murugan, to rename ‘Vividh Bharati Malayalam’ to its original Ananthapuri FM and to bring back its Malayalam content.
Besides the name change, the minister noted in his petition that the popular morning slot for the Malayalam programme of Ananthapuri FM station has been replaced with Hindi content, said a source.
Muraleedharan pointed out that the name Ananthapuri is linked to Thiruvananthapuram.
“Listeners have been emotionally connected with this FM station and its name. These changes at Ananthapuri FM station have resulted in hurting local sentiments,” he noted. The Ananthapuri FM channel, which was run by All India Radio’s Thiruvananthapuram station, has had a large audience of children and adults alike with its programmes being hugely popular, he told Murugan. He also pointed out that the changes have reduced the number of listeners.
The FM station had enjoyed the patronage of listeners in most parts of Thiruvananthapuram and some parts of Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts. Muraleedharan cited Murugan as saying that he understood the emotional connection the capital has with Ananthapuri FM channel and that he would consider the issue.