ITV

Tag: Abraham Thomas

  • BIG FM announces AI-enabled BIG DHUN platform

    BIG FM announces AI-enabled BIG DHUN platform

    Mumbai: AI is not just a mere buzzword; its assuming a central role and reshaping the future across various sectors. Known for being in line with the rapidly evolving technological advancements, BIG FM, one of India’s leading radio networks, is leveraging its offerings under its integrated marketing brand architecture – BIG World, enabling them with the power of AI. Taking a leap, the radio network aims to create a cohesive and dynamic ecosystem that enhances user experience and fosters a deeper connection with its audience. Kickstarting the first leg of its offering, the radio network announces its distinctive AI-driven initiative – BIG Dhun: a custom song generation platform.

    Taking personalisation a step further, BIG Dhun is an exclusive AI-powered song-creation platform which will revolutionise the way audiences experience music. The interactive platform will enable users to input different prompts to generate a unique song in seconds. It invites listeners to share specific details reflecting their mood, preferred genre, language, gender, personal story or any chosen theme. The AI platform will generate custom songs that encapsulate the essence of these elements. BIG Dhun is all set to be launched on Friendship’s Day, making the celebrations special for everyone. The songs, crafted with precision reflecting different kinds of relationships that friends share, will be accompanied by touching testimonials. This innovative use of AI not only highlights the technological prowess of BIG FM but also underscores its commitment to foster genuine connections through the power of music and storytelling.

    Commenting on the same, BIG FM CEO Abraham Thomas said, “At BIG FM, we’re leveraging AI to transform our content strategy, enhance engagement and set new benchmarks in consumer experience. It allows us to deliver real-time, data-driven content and interactions, ensuring that our offerings are always relevant, engaging and tailored to individual preferences. We have an impressive lineup of offerings in this space which we are sure to get all our stakeholders excited.”

    BIG FM COO Sunil Kumaran shared, “Through BIG World, our endeavour has always been to provide end-to-end solutions to all our stakeholders. With the introduction of AI, we were leveraging it as a tool to create personalised content and gain deeper consumer insights, but now we are applying it in a more analytical direction. In the age of digital media and entertainment, interactive campaigns that engage users creatively are at the forefront of innovations. Our new platform BIG Dhun aims to harness the power of artificial intelligence to create a unique experience where users can generate personalized songs. It embodies the philosophy of innovation, connectivity and personalized engagement, underscoring our dedication to delivering a holistic experience.”

    BIG Dhun anticipates high user interactions, fostering a vibrant and active community.  As pioneers in embracing radio + digital advancements, BIG FM continues to innovate and adapt, leading the way whilst merging the best of both worlds- radio’s classic charm with modern digital experiences.

  • Reliance broadcast network limited on boards Abraham Thomas as company ceo

    Reliance broadcast network limited on boards Abraham Thomas as company ceo

    MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network Limited, one of India's largest network has appointed Abraham Thomas as its Chief Executive Officer. As BIG FM looks at charting newer benchmarks with technology-led propositions, platform-agnostic content, incubating audio and video talent, branded content and original music led spikes on digital, the appointment of Abraham Thomas with his complementing ideologies will trigger a swift phase of growth. The industry veteran will leverage his deep insights into the multi-media platforms to drive and sustain the network's vision of being a leading platform-agnostic radio player.

    Abraham Thomas comes with more than two decades of experience and has a proven track record of propelling businesses across print, radio, TV and digital to newer heights in India, China and South Asia. Under his leadership, he has built robust organisations and added volume to the business inventories through high performing teams. A multi-faceted media professional turned entrepreneur with One Network Entertainment, he has previously worked with Radio City, RED FM, Indian Express, Sony, Astro Broadcast and MTV.

    He has always been extremely passionate about innovation in the audio entertainment space through various means such as content marketing, newer music formats and multi-platform approach.

    At BIG FM, he will take forward the mantle of driving meaningful partnerships, enhancing multi-platform reach, brand integrations, developing original content and music led programming and digital campaigns. As a media brand specialist, his association will strengthen the network's core functionality and leadership team with strategic alignment of goals across verticals.

    Speaking about his role at BIG FM, Abraham Thomas said, "Audio entertainment is ever evolving and players are bringing formats that are new and engaging to drive listenership and enhance advertiser relationships. BIG FM's programmatic and tech-driven developments paired with content marketing offerings by BIG Thwink, support the objective of pushing more original content and innovative brand integrated campaigns across platforms. In an evolving era where audiences are consuming audio content across multiple platforms, I am excited to join this evolving business and be a part of the successful transformation and growth that lies ahead.

  • Radio City makes us experience Mumbai

    Radio City makes us experience Mumbai

    MUMBAI: Radio City has created a campaign that makes us experience a city even with eyes shut. The film Taxi Driver, is based on this emotion. To make this idea more experiential, the thought will be adapted in print, on-air, digital and on-ground. 

    In this film, the story is about a taxi driver of Mumbai. Conceptualised by Scarecrow Communications, the film starts with the taxi driver being put to test by two youngsters. He is blindfolded and taken to one of the most nostalgic lanes of Mumbai. Just using his other senses he guesses the place. The script is a journey that takes us to places that have been the most cultural parts of the city. Powerful performance by Rajan, documentary-style cinematography, blend of Arabic, western classical, and Indian music, and an honest script makes this film a treat for all senses. The Azaan at the end of the film creates a heart wrenching moment in the film. 

    To make the film more honest, team Scarecrow took a taxi and actually travelled through the lanes and consumed the cultural nuances. From jalebi to itr, everything about the film has come from their real experience. The screenplay and dialogues were written there itself.

    The guerrilla shoot and the documentary style of capturing were figured by the director Tathagata Singha and the DOP, Sylvester at the actual locations.

    Radio City CEO Abraham Thomas says, “The campaign is an attempt to highlight the power of radio as an experiential medium building a very strong imagery in the minds of the consumer. It also showcases that radio is a theatre of the mind that transcends beyond being just a mere audio medium. The campaign seamlessly resonates what our brand stands for and we are hopeful that it will further help drive synergies in every city we are present in.”

    Scarecrow Communications founder director Manish Bhatt adds, “It was really a goosebumpy experience for me and my team to write the story of a storyteller who can impeccably describe our city with his eyes closed and yet manages to evoke all our senses. Especially the story for a brand which entertains all our citizens without using visuals for almost two decades.”

    To bring alive the sound nuances of the film the composer duo Kedar and Bhargav too went to the actual location and recorded the actual sounds of the film. Whether it’s the bargaining sound of the foreigners or the sound of jalebi being fried, every sound present in the film is the real sound of the location.

  • Radio City becomes first Indian network to offer curated playlists on Apple Music

    Radio City becomes first Indian network to offer curated playlists on Apple Music

    MUMBAI: For a radio station, both talk shows and music, play an equally important role in order to entertain listeners. The uniqueness that any radio station has is its exclusive list of songs. As iPhone users cannot enjoy the feature of FM radio on their phones, Radio City has stepped in to give them the experience on their devices.

    Radio City has an exclusive collaboration with Apple Music to offer thematic playlists to users. The exclusive tie-up will allow music lovers across the country to enjoy a world-class music experience through dynamic playlists curated by the FM player in India.

    The playlists will be inspired by Radio City’s popular shows like Love Guru, Radio City Top 25, Suno Na Dilli and Kasa Kaay Mumbai; two other thematic playlists include Flashback Cassette and Chillout Zone. Featuring songs from the 80s, 90s, 2000s to the recent hits, the playlists will span across different genres, from older melodies to the grooviest of all tracks. At the same time, all playlists will be dynamic and will be updated based on current trends and consumer preferences.

    Radio City CEO Abraham Thomas said, “We are known for our well-researched and mood-mapped music. Curating playlists on Apple’s platform will help us utilize these strengths to offer our listeners content that enhances their music experience. Furthermore, the availability of our playlists on Apple Music will make it easier for our listeners to enjoy quality music on a device of their choosing, at a time and place of their convenience.”

    Jagran New Media COO – digital Rachna Kanwar said, “Radio City’s tie-up with Apple Music will add tremendously to our mobile-first approach. Our highly curated playlists will be the first of its kind by any Indian radio network on Apple Music. Digital audiences will be able to discover, first hand and on a highly engaging platform like Apple Music the results of our complex research analytics. Radio City’s analytics engine blends years of consumer preferences, helping us deliver the most enjoyable and relevant music experience to have ever been offered by an Indian radio network.”

    For detailed report, read here:

    Radio City becomes the first Indian radio network to offer curated playlists on Apple Music

  • Radio City starts offering locally relevant content at metro stations

    Radio City starts offering locally relevant content at metro stations

    MUMBAI: Giving a new dimension to travel entertainment, Radio City 91.1 FM, a leading radio network, has partnered with LMRC (Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation) to offer specialised content across all stations.

    The service, inaugurated by the home minister Rajnath Singh and the UP chief minister Yogi Aditya Nath, the Lucknow Metro will make commute trendier.

    Radio City has partnered with LMRC to create customised content packages during peak and off-peak hours respectively which comprises songs, jingles and a special trivia from ‘City ke Kone Kone Se’ to integrate Radio City’s ideology of ‘Rag Rag Mein Daude City’.

    A TOH jingle has been specially composed and produced in house for Radio City LMRC that will be integrated on an hourly basis. In tandem with Radio City’s terrestrial music strategy of offering mood-mapped music, the playlist will be topical and in sync with the city’s listener’s preferences. An all-encompassing capsule, the content created will be a healthy mix of local happenings and music, refreshed every fortnight.

    Radio City 91.1FM CEO Abraham Thomas said, “Radio City has been a pioneer in launching path breaking initiatives and Radio City LMRC is a testimony that reflects our leadership stance.”

    Radio City surprised Lucknowites with a special message from actor and singer Farhan Akhtar on air during their first metro ride in the city.

    Akhtar said, “Music and travel go hand in hand I believe every metro rider will enjoy the interim journey to the fullest.”

    To kick off proceedings, Radio City installed a studio set-up at Char Bagh metro station where Radio City RJs will broadcast their shows live. In addition to this, Radio City has also created selfie zones across all eight metro stations where commuters can click and post it on their social media pages tagging Radio City and stand a chance to win a free monthly pass of Lucknow Metro.

    This partnership further amplifies Radio City’s brand philosophy of “Rag Rag Mein Daude City” by providing locally relevant content.

  • Radio City launches initiative to felicitate regional film fraternity

    Radio City launches initiative to felicitate regional film fraternity

    MUMBAI: Radio City 91.1FM, a leading radio network, in yet another pioneering move, announced Radio City Cine Awards, its first ever award initiative to felicitate regional film fraternity in India. There are 10 different categories like favourite actor, favourite actress, favourite director, favourite lyrics, favourite music composer, favourite singer – male, favourite singer – female, favourite comedian, favourite cinematographer and favourite movie.

    Radio City Cine Awards 2017 aims to empower listeners to recognize and celebrate the efforts of artists and technicians. Radio City Cine Awards 2017 Tamil, which is a one of its kind, listener choice award on radio that will give a transparent access to the listeners to cast their vote and support for their favourite Tamil stars of the Kollywood industry.

    Listeners can share votes on WhatsApp from Chennai: 7845 911 911, Coimbatore: 7200 911 911, Madurai: 7845 919 919 and cast their vote directly on the website.

    Radio City Cine Awards is a first initiative by a radio station that would strengthen the connect between the listeners and their favourite stars. In its first leg, Radio City Cine Awards 2017 Tamil is all set to applaud the artists and technicians from the Tamil Film industry. The unique selection process will determine nominees and crown winners based on public voting which will be available via traditional mediums on-air, SMS, and new-age mediums Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp.

    Radio City 91.1FM CEO Abraham Thomas said: “Radio City Cine Awards is one such initiative that helps to strengthen our city connect between listeners and their favourite celebrity. Very few award platforms aim to empower the consumer and recognize talent based on public opinion. Post the success of Radio City Cine Awards 2017 Tamil; we will soon launch this initiative for our Kannada, Telugu, Marathi Gujarati, Bhojpuri and other audience.”

    He further added, “We are certain that the listeners will eagerly look forward to the grand finale and witness their favourite celebrities being awarded. Radio City extends its best wishes to all the artists and technicians who have made 2016-17 an entertaining year for Tamilians across the country.”

    Voting for nomination starts from 24 July and public voting to choose their favorite stars starts from 31 July across platforms like SMS, new-age mediums Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp. This will culminate into a grand award night on air where the winners will be announced and felicitated.

  • Great Place To Work Institute ranks Radio City among India’s Top 3 media firms

    MUMBAI: Radio City, a part of Music Broadcast Limited (MBL), has emerged as a leader in the ‘India’s Best Companies To Work For – 2017’ study.

    Radio City has had a consistent presence in the list and the inclusion of Music Broadcast Ltd., has earned the radio network the coveted position for the 6th year. The list places Music Broadcast Ltd. amongst the top three media firms and top 50 companies overall in India.

    Conducted by Great Place To Work Institute, the study measures employee experience and evaluates the people practices of participating organizations to arrive at the final list of companies.

    Known for its employee-centric practices and policies, Music Broadcast was especially called out for its ‘Cheers to Peers’ programme. This allows the employees to recognize a colleague who has helped them complete a challenging assignment. As a part of this activity, employees get to present a ‘Cheers to Peers’ card, in front of a large audience, to a co-worker from their own department or another, in order to recognize his or her efforts. In addition to this, the radio network follows a culture deeply entrenched in its core values that seeks to enhance employee engagement and satisfaction.

    Radio City 91.1 FM CEO Abraham Thomas said, It is a perfect blend of culture and process orientation that has helped Radio City retain its leadership position year after year.”

    Radio City 91.1 FM chief people officer Sagorika Kantharia said, “Our culture and value system allows our employees to innovate, grow and become leaders in their own right. Initiatives such as ‘Cheers to Peers’, Ring Aloud and Star and Sher of the month help us promote the spirit of unity while at the same time recognising individuals for their extraordinary work.”

  • Radio City aims to teach spoken English to 3 million street kids

    Radio City aims to teach spoken English to 3 million street kids

    MUMBAI:  In a first of its kind innovation, Radio City 91.1FM has partnered with cycle candy vendors to create pop-up English schools across Dharavi and like slum areas. Radio reaches more than 99% of India where approximately 30 million children live in slums. Candy vendors on bicycles who visit slum dwellings daily have been provided FM receivers and megaphones and have been incentivised to park their cycles in specific localities every week at a certain time.

    During these time bands, Radio City 91.1FM is airing specially designed lessons on spoken English. Candy being a natural draw for the kids, all the vendors have to do is tune in to Radio City on their FM receivers at the designated time slot, play the on-air English lesson and hand out free candy to every kid who sits through it.

    Initiated in the slums of Mumbai, the network looks to scale the program up to 10 cities to begin with.In a country where the knowledge of English is an economic enabler, Radio City looks to use their reach to broadcast primary lessons in spoken English.

    Speaking about the initiative, Radio City 91.1FM CEo Abraham Thomas said, “Candy Class is an ambitious project and we have rolled out the first phase. Dharavi, as one of Mumbai’s largest slums, seemed to be the right place to start our efforts to give back to Mumbai in a special way under the ambit of Rag Rag Mein Daude City. Using the power and reach of radio to make a difference to the lives of these children might help them gather a lifeskill that they might not otherwise have been fortunate enough to get”.

    Radio City has launched a promotional campaign to stimulate this initiative and will follow up with on-ground promotions and special activities for children conducted in slum settlements by radio jockeys and other personnel. The idea for Candy Class was developed in partnership with GREY group India and looks to impact 3,000,000 children nationally. ACORN Foundation India, affiliated to ACORN International, is partnering on the activity in order to help build a sustainable model to popularise and scale up this project in Dharavi.

    “What’s really interesting is the way this initiative brings together the power of radio with the cycle candy vendors for a common purpose. Candy Class is not elaborate, does not require huge infrastructure and investments, yet is incredible when you consider the economic and social implications of speaking the language in a country such as ours”, opined Sandipan Bhattacharya, Chief Creative Officer, GREY group India.

    Radio City 91.1 FM is a 100percent owned subsidiary of JagranPrakashan Ltd. Radio City 91.1 FM. India’s first & oldest FM brand has been synonymous with the category since its inception in 2001.  The station has ruled the airwaves, by being No.1 in Mumbai & Bangalore for over 451+ weeks and a consistent top-2 across all other operating markets, reaching out to over 2.2 crore listeners across the country. A pioneer with first on dial, first on web and first to microlocalise themselves, Radio City was the first to introduce humor on radio with BabberSher, first to launch agony aunt solving love problems with Love Guru, first to launch the biggest singing reality show in India with Radio City Super Singer, first ever FM station to recognize the independent singers & musicians with Radio City Freedom Awards and the first FM station to launch internet radio streams in India with 21 stations & counting!

    With a reach across 39 of the most important towns of India, dominating the most important advertiser markets, for the fifth year in a row the brand has been ranked among the Top-25 brands to work for in India by the ‘Great Place to Work’ survey. Led strongly by the philosophy of Rag Rag Mein Daude City, the brand is firmly driven by the passion and the pride that listeners feel for it and associate it to. For further details, log on to www.planetradiocity.com.

    About GREY group India:

    GREY group ranks among the largest global communications companies. Its parent company is WPP (NASDAQ:WPPGY). Under the banner of “GREY Famously Effective Since 1917,” the agency serves a blue-chip client roster of many of the world’s best known companies: Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Volvo, Britannia, ITC, Ferrero, Saint Gobain, Wipro, BIG, Dell, Adobe, Mondelez, to name a few. GREY was named ADWEEK’s “Global Agency of the Year” and AD AGE’s “Agency of the Year” in 2014. In Asia, Grey Group covers 28 cities in 16 countries, which includes Bengaluru, Gurgaon and Mumbai in India. www.grey.com/india

  • Radio City aims to teach spoken English to 3 million street kids

    Radio City aims to teach spoken English to 3 million street kids

    MUMBAI:  In a first of its kind innovation, Radio City 91.1FM has partnered with cycle candy vendors to create pop-up English schools across Dharavi and like slum areas. Radio reaches more than 99% of India where approximately 30 million children live in slums. Candy vendors on bicycles who visit slum dwellings daily have been provided FM receivers and megaphones and have been incentivised to park their cycles in specific localities every week at a certain time.

    During these time bands, Radio City 91.1FM is airing specially designed lessons on spoken English. Candy being a natural draw for the kids, all the vendors have to do is tune in to Radio City on their FM receivers at the designated time slot, play the on-air English lesson and hand out free candy to every kid who sits through it.

    Initiated in the slums of Mumbai, the network looks to scale the program up to 10 cities to begin with.In a country where the knowledge of English is an economic enabler, Radio City looks to use their reach to broadcast primary lessons in spoken English.

    Speaking about the initiative, Radio City 91.1FM CEo Abraham Thomas said, “Candy Class is an ambitious project and we have rolled out the first phase. Dharavi, as one of Mumbai’s largest slums, seemed to be the right place to start our efforts to give back to Mumbai in a special way under the ambit of Rag Rag Mein Daude City. Using the power and reach of radio to make a difference to the lives of these children might help them gather a lifeskill that they might not otherwise have been fortunate enough to get”.

    Radio City has launched a promotional campaign to stimulate this initiative and will follow up with on-ground promotions and special activities for children conducted in slum settlements by radio jockeys and other personnel. The idea for Candy Class was developed in partnership with GREY group India and looks to impact 3,000,000 children nationally. ACORN Foundation India, affiliated to ACORN International, is partnering on the activity in order to help build a sustainable model to popularise and scale up this project in Dharavi.

    “What’s really interesting is the way this initiative brings together the power of radio with the cycle candy vendors for a common purpose. Candy Class is not elaborate, does not require huge infrastructure and investments, yet is incredible when you consider the economic and social implications of speaking the language in a country such as ours”, opined Sandipan Bhattacharya, Chief Creative Officer, GREY group India.

    Radio City 91.1 FM is a 100percent owned subsidiary of JagranPrakashan Ltd. Radio City 91.1 FM. India’s first & oldest FM brand has been synonymous with the category since its inception in 2001.  The station has ruled the airwaves, by being No.1 in Mumbai & Bangalore for over 451+ weeks and a consistent top-2 across all other operating markets, reaching out to over 2.2 crore listeners across the country. A pioneer with first on dial, first on web and first to microlocalise themselves, Radio City was the first to introduce humor on radio with BabberSher, first to launch agony aunt solving love problems with Love Guru, first to launch the biggest singing reality show in India with Radio City Super Singer, first ever FM station to recognize the independent singers & musicians with Radio City Freedom Awards and the first FM station to launch internet radio streams in India with 21 stations & counting!

    With a reach across 39 of the most important towns of India, dominating the most important advertiser markets, for the fifth year in a row the brand has been ranked among the Top-25 brands to work for in India by the ‘Great Place to Work’ survey. Led strongly by the philosophy of Rag Rag Mein Daude City, the brand is firmly driven by the passion and the pride that listeners feel for it and associate it to. For further details, log on to www.planetradiocity.com.

    About GREY group India:

    GREY group ranks among the largest global communications companies. Its parent company is WPP (NASDAQ:WPPGY). Under the banner of “GREY Famously Effective Since 1917,” the agency serves a blue-chip client roster of many of the world’s best known companies: Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Volvo, Britannia, ITC, Ferrero, Saint Gobain, Wipro, BIG, Dell, Adobe, Mondelez, to name a few. GREY was named ADWEEK’s “Global Agency of the Year” and AD AGE’s “Agency of the Year” in 2014. In Asia, Grey Group covers 28 cities in 16 countries, which includes Bengaluru, Gurgaon and Mumbai in India. www.grey.com/india

  • Abraham Thomas is the new Radio City CEO

    Abraham Thomas is the new Radio City CEO

    MUMBAI: As of Monday, 23 November 2015, Abraham Thomas will join Radio City as CEO, after serving seven months as CEO for Hit FM. Thomas will replace Apurva Purohit, who was recently elevated to President of the Jagran Group after it acquired Radio City earlier in the year.

     

    Commenting on the new appointment Purohit said, “We couldn’t have got a better person than Abe to run Radio City. He is not only a highly experienced business manager but also extremely passionate about radio’s various facets- content, marketing and new distribution platforms like digital. Over the last decade we have built Radio City into a market leader in the FM industry, as well as a Great Place to Work across industries. Abe brings with him maturity and an outstanding ability to work with high quality teams which will only help take the culture of Radio City to greater heights.”

     

    To read full report click here