MAM
Radio Mirchi swells ad rates by 25%
MUMBAI: On the heels of recently launching new radio stations in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Jaipur, the Entertainment Network India Ltd, which manages the brand Radio Mirchi has introduced a hike in spot prices ranging between 10 and 25 per cent for all their stations.
The prices for their older network of seven stations – Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune & Indore – have gone up by 25 per cent and for the newly launched stations an increase of 10 per cent has been announced from the introductory prices of April when the stations were launched, according to an official release.
Radio Mirchi sales head Naveen Chandra says that the price increase was part of the normal price increase the brand takes every September.
Radio Mirchi, Chandra adds, “Radio Mirchi had quickly attained leadership status in the Bangalore, Hyderabad and Jaipur markets and added to its significant lead over its competition in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkota.”
Chandra further states that Radio Mirchi was the only medium to provide large numbers of urban audiences when compared with TV where audiences are increasingly fragmenting and the reach is significant outside of the urban areas. Radio Mirchi for instance delivers 15.5 million listeners on a daily basis in its 10 cities of operation, compared with a reach of 9.9 million for Star Plus and a cumulative reach of 10.1 million for all the No. 1 newspapers in these 10 markets.
Given the fact that radio is 60 per cent as effective as television in building awareness, while coming at a cost of just 14 per cent, it was felt that pricing for radio could increase marginally in the Indian context.
In the April – June 2006 period, Radio Mirchi’s revenues grew by 63 per cent compared to the same period last year, informs an official release.
Brands
Uidai partners with Google to help users locate Aadhaar centres
Verified Aadhaar centres to appear on Maps with services and access info
MUMBAI: Finding an Aadhaar centre may soon be as easy as finding your favourite café. In a move aimed at making public services more accessible, the Unique Identification Authority of India has partnered with Google to display authorised Aadhaar centres on Google Maps. The feature, expected to roll out in the coming months, will allow residents to locate verified centres quickly and confidently.
More than 60,000 Aadhaar centres, including state of the art Aadhaar Seva Kendras, will be mapped. When users search on Google Maps, they will be directed to authorised facilities rather than unverified listings, helping curb misinformation and confusion.
The listings will do more than drop a pin. Users will be able to see the nature of services offered at each centre, whether it is adult enrolment, child enrolment, or limited to address and mobile number updates. Details such as operating hours, parking availability and divyang friendly infrastructure will also be shown wherever applicable.
Uidai CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar, said the collaboration is part of the authority’s continued effort to improve ease of living for Aadhaar holders by making authorised centres simpler and faster to navigate.
The partnership will deepen in its next phase, with Uidai using Google Business Profile to manage information and respond directly to public feedback. Looking ahead, the two organisations are also exploring the option of enabling appointment bookings through the Google Maps interface, potentially allowing residents to plan their visits with greater efficiency.
Google India country head, strategic partnerships Roli Agarwal, said integrating verified Aadhaar centres would help millions access trusted services with confidence, bringing essential government infrastructure closer to the people who need it most.
If all goes to plan, a routine Aadhaar update may soon begin not with a queue, but with a search bar.
