News Broadcasting
‘Differentiated programming’ helps Radio City score in ORG Marg study
MUMBAI: Radio City has reason to feel satisfied with the latest wave of AC Nielsen ORG Marg study on radio listenership in Mumbai.
The study, done every two months, has been putting Radio City on top of the heap since June 2003, approximately the time when the radio station started putting out what it terms ‘differentiated programming’. The first phase kicked off with eight vignette shows like Pareshan Hoon Main, Rollywood, Babbar Sher and Shanta Bai, all aimed at tickling the funny bone, all of which commenced airing on 2 June.
In November, the channel followed up the act with the launch of 16 new shows, covering family drama, humour, action, mystery, suspense, horror and infotainment shows, besides regular broadcast of Hindi Bollywood music. These included radio adaptations of sibling Star Plus’s soaps like Saans and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. The ploy has worked, according to Sumantra Dutta, who says the shows essentially tapped into the 28 to 30 per cent of total listenership which regularly tunes in during the forenoon and afternoon.
Emboldened, Radio City now intends to launch shows in a new genre, details of which Dutta is loath to reveal, though he says, the station will stick to its agenda of producing new shows every quarter. While rivals have been insisting that differentiated programming may not work on FM stations, which are essentially music stations, Dutta begs to differ.
The station has been trying its hand at broadcasting live events, beginning with the airing of the Indian Telly Awards 2003, the latest being the Grammys awards yesterday. The listener response has been tremendous, says Dutta, who is happy with the ‘slick and smart’ presentation of such awards for the first time on Indian radio.
“Radio has made it to the media plan of most advertisers. It now needs to come to a stage where planners will use radio stations selectively, also bringing in an element of accountability.” Currently, Radio City has 220 brands in its kitty. FM radio listenership in Mumbai has shown an increasingly upward trend, with the latest study pegging it at 52,70,000, while average time spent listening to FM radio is 147 minutes.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
