ITV

Category: Music and Youth

  • Radio Mirchi lines up shows for Christmas

    Radio Mirchi lines up shows for Christmas

    MUMBAI: Radio Mirchi gears up for the festive season with a special Christmas and New Year line up.

    Hello Mumbai which airs every morning between 9 and 10 am, will have RJ Harsh conduct a fun Q&A session allowing listeners to win gifts. To participate in the show which will continue till 31 December, listeners will have to dial 40983983 or sms their answers to 8888.

    RJ Tarun will host a special Christmas Carol game show on the evening band Bumper to Bumper. The game would revolve around translating popular Christmas carols in Hindi and singing it on air. What’s more, Santa Claus will host the show with Tarun on 25 December. In addition to this, artists such as Shankar Mahadevan, Vishal Dadlani, Daler Mehndi, the famous Petra Church Choir and a singing parrot of Singapore will sing Carols.

    As part of an on ground evevnt, on 23 December Santa Claus with his sack of goodies along with RJ’s from Radio Mirchi will visit The Shelter at Byculla, an orphanage run by Bombay Diocesese to celebrate Christmas with the children. They will distribute gifts; sing Christmas carols and Mirchi songs with the children. Listeners too will also be invited to be part of this party. While on the day of Christmas, Santa will visit popular spots in Mumbai city on the Mirchi canter and all those who locate him and wish him Mirch Meri Christmas will get a special gift.
    From December 26 to 30 December, Radio Mirchi will present the Mirchi Top 100 songs of the year from 7 to 9 pm and will be hosted by RJ Tarun and an anonymous ‘Boss’. On 30 and 31 December, there will be the wrap up of biggest events of the year with sound bytes of each event called 6-7 Mirchi ke Saath. While the big party will unfold on 31 December with non-stop dance tracks from 9 pm flowing into 9 am on 1 January 2007, informs an official release.

    For all those listeners who are keen to peep into the future, Radio Mirchi will bring the world famous Marjorie Orr on Indian radio for the first time. She will present Astro predictions for all sun signs from 26 December to 30 December. On 31 December Sanjay Jumani will also present his predictions for the year 2007 during a two hour special.

    Listeners will get the chance to win loads of gifts including invitations to christmas and New Year parties, holiday packages, from club memberships to mobile phones and diamond pendants.

  • Big 92.7 FM Jammu to go live on 18 December

    Big 92.7 FM Jammu to go live on 18 December

    MUMBAI: Big 92.7 FM is all set to launch in Jammu on 18 December. It claims to be the first private FM Radio station to be heard in Jammu.

    The launch in the city is part of the company’s endeavor to make itself available in earlier untapped cities of India, thus making them a part of the nation-wide Big FM Radio revolution, asserts an official release.

    The programs on Big 92.7 FM are based on extensive research and in-depth analysis of the preferences of the people of Jammu. The shows on the Radio station will not only offer local flavor and city-connect through relevant content and interesting information and updates, but will also play music which appeals to the local tastes, adds the release.

    Additionally, the Radio Jockeys on Big 92.7 FM will have a strong appeal and recall among listeners and trigger high aspiration amongst them.

    Commenting on the station’s entry into Jammu Big 92.7 FM COO Tarun Katial said, “With six stations having launched, we have been receiving very encouraging responses from all over India and are confident of the same from Jammu too. We are especially excited since we are the first Radio station to open doors to a new form of entertainment for the people of Jammu.”

    “The programming mix of the Station has been put together after much research and understanding of our listeners requirements. It is our aim to create content that is relevant, credible and has an aspirational value to the listeners. We are completely geared and are excited to entertain the people of Jammu.” he added.

  • MTV Networks creates MTVN Entertainment Group for adult male audiences

    MTV Networks creates MTVN Entertainment Group for adult male audiences

    MUMBAI: MTV Networks (MTVN), a unit of Viacom, has announced the formal creation of the MTVN Entertainment Group, a multi-platform portfolio featuring the company’s adult- directed and male-skewing brands, including Comedy Central, Spike TV, TV Land, AddictingClips.com, Atom Films, IFilm, GameTrailers.com and XFire.

    This combination of television, online, broadband, user-generated content and gaming platforms positions the MTVN Entertainment group to serve a range of adult demos and collectively deliver scale with the male 18 to 34 year old demographic, informs an official release.

    “The individual brands in the Entertainment Group have significant growth potential in their own right, but we can now position them to aggregate and deliver men and adults across all platforms and on a scale rivaling other players in our industry,” said MTVN Entertainment Group president Doug Herzog.

    “The MTVN Entertainment Group creates a portfolio of television and digital brands that can collectively deliver under-served demos through killer content like comedy, gaming, video, news and information, and some classic TV, too,” said MTV Networks Chairman and CEO Judy McGrath. “Formalizing the Entertainment Group under Doug organizes us into three focused portfolio groups and highlights our overall strategy to provide the communities that form around our brands and content with immersive, multi-platform entertainment experiences.”

    The MTVN Entertainment Group brands deliver original content across television, online, and wireless to highly targeted male and adult-focused audiences. By targeting expanded demographics across its brands, the MTVN Entertainment Group offers advertisers more ways to reach their consumers, and gives MTVN the potential to establish additional revenue streams.

  • Radio City, Chennai gets hip ‘n’ happening with new programming

    MUMBAI: Radio City 91.1 FM, has changed its programming in Chennai to cater to the cr?me de la cr?me, following the recent change of its frequency to 91.1 FM for uniformity on all its stations across India It will now play 70 per cent content in English and
    the rest in Hindi and Tamil Chennai from 9 November 2006.

    Along with this new frequency, actor Madhavan has unveiled a fresh new Fixed Point Chart (FPC) with loads of innovative shows, more interviews with hot stars, more contests and prizes, and definitely a lot more English music.

    Radio City 91.1 FM has always believed in providing its listeners with the best. Radio City 91.1 FM, Chennai, which earlier used to operate on the frequency -105.8 FM and predominantly had Tamil content, has undergone a revamp and will now air content, predominantly in English, along with a right mix of Hindi and premium Tamil music. The content is tailored to suit the day part and audience who specifically tunes in and will follow the mood map concept, which is followed by Radio City across all its stations.

    Listeners can now look forward to start their day with Radio City 91.1 FM, the only station to air western classical, fusion and world music on Morning Raga from 5 am to 7 am in the early morning band. Additionally, there will be dedicated housewife and student time-bands specifically scheduled in the FPC.

    Targeted at the discerning music lovers cutting across premium audiences comprising of students, housewives and working men, the innovative and fresh Radio City 91.1 FM programming is an outcome of an in-depth study undertaken by the station to understand the listening habits and tastes of Chennai-ites.

    The findings confirmed that there is definitely a large audience just waiting to listen to the Radio City kind of programming mix.
    Radio City therefore has very clearly filled a huge need-gap in Chennai, where every other FM station plays Tamil music predominantly.

    Elaborating on the strategic importance of the change, Radio City head marketing Rana Barua said, “We are thrilled and proud to announce the strategic changes in programming for Radio City, Chennai. Our research helped us to understand the minds of the traditional and Tamil film music inclined Chennai listeners. We have customised our programming with afantastic blend of English, Hindi and Tamil programs reflecting the true sound of cosmopolitan Chennai”

    “Our content is tailored to suit the day part and audiences who specifically tunes in within that day-part, which will ultimately give advertisers a great value for their money spent. Our music expertise and innovative programs will stir listeners to indulge in their kind of music. We would continue to play the best and make Radio City an integral part of the lives of Chennai-ites,” he added.

    As part of the big activation idea, Radio City 91.1 FM has planned a host of exciting on-air and on-ground activities at happening malls across the city like Landmark, across multiplexes like Satyam and several hangouts like Café Mocha.

    Additionally Radio City 91.1 FM also has entered into an exclusive tie-up across the 28 Spencer’s Dailies outlets in Chennai, which will make the visitors ‘hum’ and groove to Radio City’s foot-tapping music all day long. Its interactive programming content will mesmerize and connect with the people of ‘Chennai’ offering a unique listening experience.
     
  • MTV Intl is showcaing Jay-Z in series of specials

    MTV Intl is showcaing Jay-Z in series of specials

    MUMBAI: MTV’s music channels across the globe are presenting a special series of programming featuring hip-hop mogul Jay-Z in support of his highly anticipated new album Kingdom Come, which was recently released worldwide on Universal Music.

    MTV Live: Jay-Z and Diary Of Jay-Z is airing across MTV’s channels globally. The raft of programming gives MTV viewers access to the hip-hop exponent to celebrate his return to the stage.

    To promote the launch of Kingdom Come, MTV is featuring music videos and long form programming dedicated to Jay-Z including an exclusive 30minute or 60minute MTV Live performance from Milan featuring hit tracks Encore and 99 Problems.

    Additionally, a Diary of Jay-Z shot by MTV International on the artist’s African, European and Asian tour dates featuring the hip-hop icon on safari and meeting Nelson Mandela in South Africa and being dressed up by local tribes in Tanzania and Lagos. The diary also features footage of Jay-Z’s Royal Albert Hall performance in London; the first by a hip-hop artist at the venue.

    A documentary special, Jay-Z: Water For Life, filmed by MTV US in which Jay-Z partners with MTV and the United Nations to visit several regions around the globe that have been most devastatingly hit by the world water crisis will also air across selected MTV channels globally.

    MTV International senior VP talent and music, Jamie Caring says, “It’s a rare privilege to see a hip hop legend like Jay-Z doing such a big tour outside the US. Creating a host of must-see live music and diary specials to document Jay-Z’s travels and phenomenal live shows is a great example of the highly collaborative partnerships we do with A list artists these days. It’ll allow our TV and online audiences to connect with him like never before across multiple music brands and platforms’

    The programming complements the recent Jay-Z tour partnerships of MTV channels in France, Germany, Poland and Eastern Europe, Holland, UK, Australia, Africa, Korea, Thailand and Taiwan as well as dedicated broadband content and ticket competitions enabling fans to experience the ultimate thrill of Jay-Z’s recent comeback tour via their TV, PC or up close and personal.

    MTV.com in the US recently unveiled a Jay-Z fan site at jay-z.mtv.com. This Jay-Z ‘Video Vault Experience’ offers users a comprehensive timeline of his career through footage from MTV’s archives including all of Jay-Z’s music videos, dozens of live performances, every MTV interview, including never-before-seen interviews, and more.

    In addition, US fans can enter the The Jay-Z Platinum Experience contest at www.mtvjay-zplatinumexperience.com for a chance to live like a hip-hop superstar including a private helicopter trip to NYC, a private tour of the Island Def Jam offices, a personalised JAY-Z platinum album and NJ Nets tickets. The contest closes on 9 December, 2006.

  • MTV unveils Rubber Sing as Aids ambassador

    MTV unveils Rubber Sing as Aids ambassador

    MUMBAI: Fit Me baby One More Time! If You Wanna Rock Please Roll! These are among the words of cheeky and sage advice that music channel MTV’s new Aids ambassador Rubber Sing for its viewers.On the occasion of World Aids Day 1 December 2006 MTV unveiled its plans to create awareness about the menace of Aids. Rubber Sing its ambassador is an animated character in the shape of a condom. By singing, and playing the guitar and offers advice in a way that is entertaining. The ambassador was unveiled by Hollywood actor Rupert Everett ‘My Best Friends Wedding’ who is also the UN ambassador for Aids and by MTV VJ Sophia.

    MTV India VP, GM creative and content Ashish Patil says that the campaign is called ‘Listen To Rubber Sing’. Creatives featuring him will air on the channel from 1-7 December 2006. He will also appear in radio spots on Red FM as well as in print. MTV is is also using outdoors in the form of bus backs, hoardings.

    Online one has to choose a condom before one can enter the MTV India site. One can also get wallpapers, screensavers and words of advice. On the mobile one can SMS Rubber to 6882 for advice Patil says, “It is important that MTV not only defines a generation but also leads it. One half of MTV’s target groups 15-24 in India are HIV infected. So it is important that we play our part in getting the word out. While MTV is not an expert on Aids we know how to talk to young people. We will also be conducting road shows in terms of our VJs visiting popular youth hangouts. Over the next week we will have special half hour programming from 4:30 – 5pm. On 1 December at 9:30 pm we will be doing a Zindagi Zindabad initiative which basically aired clips from our music summits.

    “On air we will be having graphics, lower third innovations and bugs. For instance the channels logo has a ribbon. Our VJs will also mention the problem in shows they host. In an episode of our show Kya Baat Hai we have a sting operation of sorts. This sees an MTV employee pretending to be a client and asking a prostitute for a favour. Our show Super Select will also have messages inserted.”

    MTV VJs also appear in spots. One of them sees a VJ addressing the problem of men embarrassed of buying condoms. ‘Do you want to die of embarrassment or do you want to die of Aids?’ is the message. Another message attacks the misconception that Aids only affects homosexuals and prostitutes. Then how do you explain a five year old child dying of the infection? asks the message.

    Everett pointed out that the best way to deal with the problem is to talk about it. “We have to fight the problem of Aids together. I know that in India it is considered taboo to talk about sex in some quarters.

    This is something you’ll got from the British. Not talking about sex is a British tradition and I am surprised to hear people say that it is an Indian tradition. If you look at India before the British landed here India was more open to dialogue on sex. In that sense as a Briton I feel a little guilty that some of the effects of the British Empire are still being felt. It would help if Bollywood stars got into the act of spreading the message. It would give a face to Aids and help get the message out to some conservatives who try to pretend that the problem does not exist. Having said not talking about Aids is something that America went through in the 1980s.

    Throughout the Reagan era you never heard the Aids word. The only public personality who spoke was actress Elizabeth Taylor which is not surprising given that America is conservative.”

    When asked by this writer about the role a celebrity plays he pointed out that a celebrity helps get the message out that much faster. Of course having a celebrity makes the media more interested in what is going on. He also rebuffed the notion held be religious clerics that talking about sex is tantamount to propagating it. “Talking about sex helps demystify the subject. What might propagate sex is consumerism.By this I mean parents not having enough time for their kids and so feeling guilty allow them access to things like the internet.

    “So you have nude photos appearing on a child’s computer before he/she is mature enough. The problem with any religion is that clerics do not want to confront humanity as it is. They want to look at it as it should be – an idealised state. The other problem in India are your laws which make homosexuality illegal. So many of them have gone underground which it makes it that much more difficult to help them.Also I believe that legislation in India is going to change which will not only make the prostitute a criminal but also the client and the pimp. So that whole profession will go underground. So to reach out to them will that much more difficult.”

    In criticism of humanity as a whole he points out that Aids, which is an extraordinary disease, has shown humanity to be bigoted, judgemental and self-loathing.”It is amazing how much we hate each other. Sometimes I feel that we would rather let a person with Aids die rather than approach him and offer help. That being said my aim is to at least prevent the next generation from getting it. We also need to get treatment in the form of drugs to more people. Right now as I understand it only a fraction of Indians infected with HIV are undergoing drug treatment.”

  • Red FM joins Greenpeace in attempt to protect Mumbai from dramatic climate changes

    Red FM joins Greenpeace in attempt to protect Mumbai from dramatic climate changes

    MUMBAI: Red FM, which positions itself as India’s station of expression has announced its support for ‘Switch for Mumbai’.

    This is an initiative by Greenpeace to protect the city of alarming climate changes such as Global Warming and subsequent results such as Flash floods and Cloud Bursts.

    The station gives the example of Pirates of the Arabian initiative. the aim was to visit locations using the high-energy guzzling bright light bulbs (regular light bulb we see all around). The aim was to switch them with energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). CFLs consume five times less energy and last 10 times longer in energy conservation and cost savings.

    Red FM COO Abraham Thomas says, “Switch for Mumbai initiative by Greenpeace is an attempt to look beyond the role of government and question ourselves on the root causes of these unusual climatic changes in the region. This initiative is our attempt to positively contribute towards the awareness of global warming and our environment.”

    Greenpeace India executive director Ananthapadmanabhan said, “Switch for Mumbai is a call to all Mumbai citizens, especially the youngsters to come forward to demonstrate their willingness to guard our city against adverse climatic changes. I am very happy that Red FM has taken the lead in making sure that the Switch For Mumbai message reaches million of Mumbaikars. We as Greenpeace couldn’t have done it by ourselves.”

    Greenpeace says that an initiative at such a mass scale required a platform like Red FM to spread awareness amongst common people. Red FM’s interesting take on the campaign was to involve the people into making small changes in their daily lives to help save the environment. So be it RJs endorsing and accompanying the Pirates in their Raids, or celebrities like Vasundhara Das, Nikhil Chinappa, Sushma Reddy endorsing the cause and talking about it on-air to the listeners, Red FM is doing its very best to involve the masses.

    The station says that hundreds of callers are calling in everyday to talk about the change CFL has made in their lives such as decreasing electricity usage, and reducing electricity bill amounts. There have also been cases of complete colonies of more than 12,000 families having switched to CFL resulting in a huge reduction in energy consumption for the colony.

    Red FM has also started its recruitment for Pirates. For more details regarding how to apply, one can tune in to it call in to` Red FM at 66935935 or SMS “Switch” to 4646.

  • Radio City appoints Hemant Jain as VP strategic planning & alternate revenue

    Radio City appoints Hemant Jain as VP strategic planning & alternate revenue

    MUMBAI: Radio City has appointed Hemant Jain as vice president – strategic planning and alternate revenue.

    Hemant Jain will be the chief architect of Radio City’s growth plans, helping redefine systems and processes, forging strategic alliances and focusing on convergence of radio across multiple media platforms which include mobile, internet, broadband and out-of-home, states an official release.

    On his appointment Jain said, “I am really excited about joining Radio City’s talented and vibrant team. Radio is in the booming phase with many new entrants there has been a rapid growth in the industry. It’s thrilling to be part of an organization, which is all set to sustain and grow its leadership position. It will be really challenging to guide Radio City to a knowledge- driven, process oriented organisation.”

    Earlier Jain was with Reliance World (formerly Reliance Web World) as national head – brand management and marketing services, where he spent close to five years setting up a personal services and telecom retail business model, adds the release.

    Commenting on this move Radio City CEO Apurva Purohit added, “Radio City is in the process of consolidating its operations. We are building a strong and talented team to drive a sparkling brand and fresh, innovative content. Since our shift to 91.1 we have rolled up our sleeves and I am delighted to have Hemant join us, as this is the kind of leadership we require to keep Radio City on the expansion path.”

  • Radio Mirchi makes appointments for senior positions

    Radio Mirchi makes appointments for senior positions

    MUMBAI: Soon after the launch of radio stations in Bangalore, Jaipur and Hyderabad, Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM gears up to launch new stations, including Nagpur, Lucknow, Surat and more.

    According to Radio Mirchi deputy-CEO Prashant Panday, “We are in the process of hiring professionals with a wealth of experience and knowledge for key positions like station directors and regional marketing heads. Each candidate is being carefully hand picked by the company with the objective of putting together the best team in the business. Each new recruit will be playing a pivotal role in sustaining the leadership position of the brand Radio Mirchi.”

    Radio Mirchi has appointed Mahesh Shetty and Sriram Kilambi as Station Director for Chennai and Kolkata respectively. As station directors both Shetty and Kilambi will be responsible for all operational related activities of the brand in their respective cities, such as sales, marketing, finance, programming initiatives, technical, HR and other expansion plans, informs an official release.

    The current station directors Anand Parameswaran, Chennai and Nipun Bhardwaj, Kolkata, will be moving into national level assignments.

    Shetty comes with over 10 years of experience in sales, marketing and operations. His last assignment was with Pepsi Co. where he was responsible for handling on-premise channels for the brand nationally. Kilambi was working with Coca Cola India, prior to joining Radio Mirchi and comes with over seven years of experience in marketing, sales and operations.

    To meet the growing need of marketing the brand Mirchi on a more aggressive basis, the radio station will be appointing regional marketing heads across India. Shivangini Jajoria has recently joined the Delhi team as AVP marketing north-India. Her previous assignment was with Bharti Airtel Ltd, in the broadband and tele services division and she was responsible for establishing the brand pan India. At Radio Mirchi, Jajoria will be able to utilize her invaluable experience in marketing Radio Mirchi across North India, according to the statement.

  • Zee Music to launch a new programme ‘B News’

    Zee Music to launch a new programme ‘B News’

    NEW DELHI : Zee Music today announced the launch of its brand new programme on Bollywood, B News, which promises to get the ‘under belly of Bollywood” for the viewers for the first time. B News, is all about the glamour, the scandals, the fights, the love stories, the make ups, the break ups, the tensions, the laughter, the tears and the fears, that makes every celebrity in the world of glitz and glamour, the ‘different’ people that they are! People who are not like the rest of us . People who do not talk the normal talk, or walk the normal walk, like other ordinary citizens,” an official of Zee TV said.

    B News promise also to be a “show that will perhaps open the doors to the paparazzi”. It will “capture the uncaptured moments of Bollywood”, Irshwin Balvani, Business Head of Zee Music said.

    However, it will be a largely diluted version of what the paparazzi does the world around. On asked how close to the under belly of Bollywood the channel would get, and if they are planning the sort of kiss-‘n-tell work that has become a hazard to celebrities, Balvani retracted and said that “we would leave their private lives to themselves”. Paparazzi can do two kinds of work, he averred: one that harms the celebrities and the other that brings out the humans in them, “the same way they are much normal people as we are”, Balvani held.

    Asked how they will be different from other channels and newspapers that also cover Bollywood, Balvani said that they would have a lot of features unlike in the other media, where they only serve news. Gossip? Yes, gossip too, Balvani said, saucy, but not raunchy; “gossip that is fact-based, not something cooked up by someone”. If that seems anachronistic, so be it. Will that satiate the kind of appetite that B News is trying to whip up? The assembled media persons remained sceptical and B News did not have too many clear cut answers, and did not divulge any of the specific programmes that the new programme will host.

    “We are launching the programme from December 1 and shooting has started two months ago,” Balvani revealed. The show will be co-hosted by Zee Music’s old hand Vikas Bhalla and “sultry, sexy, saucy” Nethra Raghuraman, both of who were present at the press meet. What was the criterion for the choice of hosts? Balvani said that Bhalla had been with Zee Music for the past one and half years. “In choosing the female partner for Vikas, we gave primacy to a person who could speak.

    “Nethra has been a model but more importantly, she has done a few films and knows how Bollywood functions and will be able to articulate well.” It seems that Zee Music is keeping its programming aspect on B News guarded. But given the fact – which Balvani admitted to – that Indian sensibilities did not allow much raunchy programming, not even too much of real-life scandal, there could more hype than substance in the new programme.