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Tag: FM radio

  • IPRS secures injunction against Hello FM

    IPRS secures injunction against Hello FM

    MUMBAI: The Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) has secured an injunction against Hello FM Radio (Malar Publications Limited) from the Delhi High Court restricting Hello FM Radio from playing music without obtaining a license from the IPRS.

    This order would technically mean that Hello FM would either have to stop broadcast, obtain a license, or both. Lawyers Praveen Anand, Ameet Datta, Bhagwati Prasad and Shrawan Chopra represented IPRS.

    The IPRS says that this order comes as a warning to all such establishments operating without a license that they are not above the law, and they will not be allowed to continue functioning. IPRS is a non-profit making company authorised under section 33 of the Copyright Act 1957 to operate as a copyright society for Musical Works and Literary works performed along with the Musical Works. It is a body that has more than 1500 members who are local composers, lyric writers and publishers and also represents International Music.

    IPRS adds that all users of music including radio stations, television channels need to obtain a license for public performance whenever they broadcast or perform /play these Literary and Musical Works, the license must be obtained prior to the event/broadcast else it is a violation of the Copyright Act, 1957.

    IPRS CEO Rakesh Nigam said, “The consumption of entertainment is changing and so will the earning pattern of artists. Newer forms of entertainment need to compensate artists adequately. such ruling will set the correct bench mark ”

    IPRS says that with the advent of the FM Radio industry starting in India there have been numerous Court Cases wherein the radio stations have tried to circumvent the rights of the Copyright Holders. However, the Hon’ble Courts in the Country have always upheld the rights of the Copyright holders.

    Hon’ble Justice Pradeep Nandrajog of the Delhi High Court has said in his order dated 15-11-2006, “Restrained the Defendants (Hello FM – Malar Publications Limited), their Servants, Agents, Director, Subsidiaries, and all other acting on their behalf from causing the broadcast or broadcasting / performing or communication to the public, literary and / or musical works of the Plaintiff Society or those of the foreign sister societies of the Plaintiff or broadcasting any works of the Plaintiff by any means without obtaining a license from the Plaintiff thereby amounting to infringement of the Plaintiff Society’s Performing Rights and communication to the public rights in the same.”

  • Sun TV brands FM radio stations as ‘S FM’; launches 3 more stations

    Sun TV brands FM radio stations as ‘S FM’; launches 3 more stations

    MUMBAI: The southern media emperor Kalanithi Maran has finally made its official entry into the private radio FM operations under the second phase by unveiling the brand name and the frequency. 

    The FM radio operations managed through its subsidiaries Kal Radio Ltd and South Asia FM Ltd will run stations under the brand name ‘S FM’.

    Starting 6 November, the company will launch three more FM stations on 93.5 MHz FM in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Jaipur. 

    Sun will be the fifth player in Bangalore and competing for mindspace with players like Radio City, Radio Mirchi, Radio One and Big 92.7 FM. 

    In Hyderabad too, Sun will be battling out with the existing players — Radio Mirchi, Radio City and Big 92.7FM. While, in Jaipur, Sun will be sharing the space with Radio City, Radio Mirchi, Radio Tadka and MY FM.

    With this, the total FM Stations of Sun TV group operational goes to seven as it already operates FM stations in Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and Visakhapatnam. 

    Works of another 38 FM Stations are in progress as it has retained 45 FM Radio stations across India out of 68 FM stations successfully bid.

    Maran will operate 46 stations across the country through Sun TV Ltd’s two subsidiaries, Kal Radio and South Asia FM. Sun TV owns 89 per cent in Kal Radio and 94.91 per cent in South Asia FM. Maran holds 10.5 per cent in Kal Radio and 5.1 per cent in South Asia FM.

  • Branded ‘Big’, ADAG’s FM venture targets 12 October launch

    MUMBAI: The Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) is entering the final stages of preparation for its “Big” bang entry into the FM radio field.

    The Ambani brothers are known for doing everything on a big scale and it is certainly no different in this case as younger brother Anil’s ADAG gets set to launch its 92.7 FM stations across India. It is only fitting, therefore, that ADAG is launching ahead of the Diwali festive season under the brand name Big Radio.

    According to sources, the group is targeting 12 October for the launch of its radio station in cities where the common infrastructure network exists. This includes Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Jaipur and Surat.

    Big Radio is expected to be on air in Mumbai first, with a fast-paced rollout in the other cities where the common infrastructure exists. The teams for the radio stations are already in place with radio jockeys and other engineers hired and ready.

    Big Radio will be facing a phalanx of established players when it launches services in Mumbai. The group will have to compete with players such as the Times Group’s Radio Mirchi, Radio City, Red FM and Radio One (Formerly was known as Go FM), who have been in this game for over five years.

    One advantage Big Radio will be looking to leverage upon is the massive mobile phone user subscriber base that sister concern and telecom major Reliance Infocomm provides. Big Radio will be introducing a lot of interactive features with the specific aim of building a community of cell users hooked in to the station, industry sources have told Indiantelevision.com.

    Another “Big” advantage ADAG is banking on is that it has the ultimate brand icon in the “Big B” Amitabh Bachchan endorsing the station. If ever there was a case of the brand and the ambassador fitting to a T, it is this.

    ADAG originally secured its FM licence through Adlabs Films Ltd (AFL) in which it has a controlling stake. But post the demerger of the radio business, the company has transferred its FM operating units to Reliance Unicom Ltd.

    Big Radio will manage 45 FM stations. The frequencies were bought out for approximately Rs 1.60 billion. Initially, the company had bagged the licence for 57 frequencies but had to surrender the licence for 13 cities as per the norms, which do not allow one single company to hold more than 15 per cent of the total allotted frequencies.

  • Cinema India Expo 2006 kicks off in Mumbai

    Cinema India Expo 2006 kicks off in Mumbai

    MUMBAI: The sixth successive International Exhibition and India’s only established tradeshow and convention Cinema India 2006 began in Mumbai today. The three-day conference will take a look at Digital Cinema Technology, Film Production, Cinema Theatre Equipment and Multiplex Design and Solutions.

    Global players in the film technology industry including Kodak, Real Image, Sim2, Projection Design, Panasonic and Kinoton will be present on the Cinema India exhibit floors. Valuable Media, E-City Digital and Real Image has set up digital cinema demos in their auditoriums o the floor of the expo.

    The highlight of the opening day has been a panel discussion on FM Radio industry. The panel featuring India Today Group GM Commercial Uday Chawla, Radio Masti CEO Rajiv Mishra and BMG Deep Emotions Music Publisher Achille Forler discussed the opportunities and challenges of FM Radio. The session was moderated by Pro Sound Magazine editor Anil Chopra.

    Explaining the challenges FM radio industry faces, Mishra highlighted the lack of effective government policies on the satellite radio sector. “FM radio is targeted at people on the move, while satellite radio is understood as a stationary medium. The repeater technology can change this scenario for satellite radio operators. So we need solid government policies on satellite radio,” opined Mishra.

    On Internet Radio, Chopra said the technology was not feasible in India at the moment. “But the cost will surely come down in the near future once the technology gets cheaper.”

    Speaking on the niche spaces for FM radio, Chawla said it depended on the intensity of competition. “If we have three or four players in a market, everybody would be targeting the same general audience segment. But once you have about ten players fighting out in a market, some of them would obviously go for niche segments such as western music and classic music,” he said.

  • Adlabs Films to list demerged radio business, swap ratio at 2:1

    Adlabs Films to list demerged radio business, swap ratio at 2:1

    MUMBAI: Adlabs Films Ltd (AFL) board has approved the proposal for demerger of its FM radio business to a wholly owned subsidiary.

    According to the scheme, the shareholders of Adlabs will get two shares of the new company for every new share held. The new entity will be listed on the stock exchange, the company said in a release.

    The scheme also envisages amalgamation / merger of two AFL subsidiaries, Entertainment One India LTD and Mukta Adlabs Digital Exhibition Pvt LTD, with itself. “The aforesaid scheme will be subject to all requisite permissions, sanctions and approvals including, inter alia, of share holders, lenders, stock exchanges, High Courts, regulatory authorities,” the company said in a release.

    Adlabs had made its debut in film production in the year 2002 through its 100 per cent subsidiary Entertainment One India Ltd. A year later, the company entered into a 50:50 join venture with Mukta Arts for digital delivery of movies.

    Adlabs board has also recommended a dividend of 45 per cent (Rs 2.25 per share) for the year ended 31 March 2006, subject to approval at the ensuing annual general meeting.

  • Radio Mirchi launches in Bangalore and Jaipur

    Radio Mirchi launches in Bangalore and Jaipur

    MUMBAI: Entertainment Network (India) Limited (ENIL), which runs radio stations by the brand name – Radio Mirchi, has launched FM radio stations in Jaipur and Bangalore under the same brand name.

    Radio Mirchi 105 FM (Jaipur) and Radio Mirchi 93.3 FM (Bangalore) have become the first private FM radio stations to be launched under the Phase II of radio privatisation.

    In the Phase II bidding process over 250 frequencies across 90 cities were successfully auctioned in a process that lasted five weeks in January and February this year. ENIL won 25 licenses in addition to the seven stations it already operates.

    ENIL managing director and CEO A P Parigi said, “ENIL had established a landmark by launching radio stations barely two months after the completion of the bidding process. This was due to the meticulous planning and speedy implementation by the team at Radio Mirchi. This would not have been possible without a proactive ministry of information and broadcasting and other agencies like the Wireless Planning Cell and SACFA that put various permissions on a fast track basis and made the launch of radio stations possible in a short period.”

    Under the Phase II rules, radio stations are permitted to commence broadcasting by way of interim transmission facilities in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Jaipur. ENIL is already present in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.

    The seven stations that ENIL already operates Radio Mirchi in the cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Indore, Ahmedabad and Pune.