Radio Mirchi : It's hot!

Credits: medianewsline.com

Profile:

Owned by Entertainment Network India Ltd(ENIL), Radio Mirchi is an Indian FM station that goes on air from 32 cities across India and also one in UAE. It is under the bigger umbrella of The Times Group and operates under the frequency 98.3. Mirchi is a Hindi word which translates to Chilli and there is no surprise in its tagline being ‘It’s hot!’.

Started in 1993, Radio Mirchi is known for its weekly music rating charts for the top 20 Bollywood (Hindi Cinema) and Angrezi (English) songs. Radio Mirchi Music Awards recognizes the best in 17 categories of music across the various leading movie industries of India including Bollywood (Hindi), Kollywood (Tamil), Tollywood (Telegu), Sandalwood (Kannada) and Malayalam Cinema. 

Platforms and Content:

Development in the radio industry of India is still in the pipeline, when compared to USA or UK or Australia. Radio played a major role in the Indian Independence movement and it has come a long way today to adapt itself to the new social media scenario.

India hasn’t incorporated digital radio in a full-fledged form owing to the less penetration rate of internet in the country but all major stations are available online. Radio Mirchi can be listened online and also has content flow in platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+
and Youtube.

Facebook- With over 2.5 million followers, Facebook Radio Mirchi has content updated on a regular basis. It can be said that on an average there are 4-5 posts everyday on various subjects. The subjects include Memes on recent trending topics or general topics, Bollywood Gossip, Top Songs of the week, Radio Mirchi RJs/ Programs or events like the Radio Mirchi Music awards.

Official Facebook Page

Credits: Radio Mirchi Facebook

Twitter- The 50.8k followers on twitter are fed with tweets which are same or similar to the content on Facebook. Twitter, which is regarded as the celebrity platform, has however enabled Radio Mirchi to tag the celebrities in their tweets, generating more traffic. The content on twitter also has retweets of certain tweets by the actors. Official Twitter Page

Radio Mirchi Twitter

Youtube- Youtube is the platform where Radio Mirchi’s street talks, social experiments and studio activities can be seen. The 192k+ subscribes also get access to the videos of the Radio Mirchi Music awards. Official Youtube Channel

Radio Mirchi Youtube

Google+ - It has a followers base of over 650k and except for a few posts, the content is the same as that on Facebook or Twitter. Official Google+ Page

Radio Mirchi Google+

Instagram- Radiomirchi India’s official instagram handle has fewer followers, actually half of Radiomirchi UAE’s. This comes as an interesting factor to be looked into when the population of the countries is taken into account. But, the variation in the number can easily be related to the content because the Indian station has filled its account up with pictures from just the Music awards while the UAE handle has pictures and posts about Bollywood, music, memes and the awards.

Online Radio- Radio Mirchi’s online radio content is very different to what is aired in the stations situated in the cities. There are 12 online radio stations with each station active for only a particular set time period on each day. The online stations are classified based on the genre of music. For example, ‘Mirchi Tapaka’ is a Telegu radio station while ‘Pehla Nasha’ is a station for old songs, the 90’s especially. ‘Mirchi Devraag’ plays devotional songs while ‘Club Mirchi’ is for the Indian or desi party songs. ‘Cassette Classics’ is an English retro station that plays songs from the 60’s to the 90’s. 

Credits: Radio Mirchi official website

An interesting aspect of each station is the limited number of Radio Jockeys used. As these stations aren't active throughout the day, they have one, two or three RJs in total who take care of the proceedings every day. Also, every show has its own Facebook and Twitter page but they are nowhere closer to the main station’s reach. The content on each page differs from the others’ and the main page’s.

Relevance to the platform:

Leaving aside the Youtube channel, we find the same kind of content across the all other platforms. Though it seems repetitive to the ones who follows the channel on all platforms, it can seen as a move to attract listeners who are addicted to just one or two social media platforms. Radio Mirchi has made sure to deliver answerable content on Facebook a lot because of the interactive nature of the platform while it focuses more on posts that can be retweeted/tagged in twitter.

The Instagram handle functions more like the one that exists for the sake of it but the content shared on all platforms make sure that they redirect to either one of the station’s programmes or a video on Youtube, thus making the user click to both the platoforms.

The online radio has its own pros and cons. The classification of the programmes based on the genre has eased up things for the audience as they can tune in to the program of their choice when they want and need not wait as during an on-air programme. However, this feature itself is the drawback because the listeners shall opt for selective listening. Also, the timings might or might not be suitable for a certain group of listeners.

Cycle of Content from air to on-line:

The content aired isn't available directly on the station’s site. If at all the listeners are interested in listening to any of the station’s programmes, they can do it only through the “Best of Mirchi” tab in the site. But, only selected programmes go up online and they are categorized as:

• Editor's Pick
• SUD
• Mirchi Murga
• Most Liked

Credits: Radio Mirchi official website

To access the selected shows by the stations in each city the city is chosen before heading to the 'best of Michi' page. The social media platforms serve as a guide between the “Best of Michi” tab and the listeners as they redirect the listeners to the content links through their posts.

Audience Engagement:

Despite having a whooping 2.5k million likes on Facebook, Radio Mirchi doesn't have consistent interactions with its listeners. Videos of award shows, in-studio activities and polls get the maximum response, followed by memes and then the program posters. Also, hardly has there been any reply to the comments on the posts by the station. However, it has managed to edge over its competitors by a huge margin of likes. On a whole it can be rated 3.25/5.

When it comes to Twitter, Radio Mirchi loses to its major competitor, Red FM India in terms of followers. Though the retweets and likes depend on the kind of posts, Red FM shows better consistency, neglecting the fact that both stations don’t have a fair amount of interactions. But Red FM has achieved consistency with lesser number of tweets which eventually drops Mirchi’s rating to 2/5.

The most active post in the recent days

The numbers in Youtube, however are remarkable, standing out as a good example for Television convergence. The Facebook page has an played a vital role in directing the viewers to the videos here that have earned a good number of views as shown. There is a good flow of response in the form of comments centred around the RJ involved or the theme taken up. Radio Mirchi’s Youtube channel can be rated 4/5.

Credits: Radio Mirchi Youtube

The Google+ profile also fails to capitalize on the 650k followers. One of the important reasons is the lack of constant updates on the page. As a result, the audience engagement level is poor, giving it a score of 1.5/5.

The Instagram handle has a consistent number of likes and comments on each picture but the flow of content is highly monotonous with pictures of celebrities forming the majority. Instagram is a suitable platform for celebrity pictures but mixing it up with some other elements would cater to a wider audience. As per which, Instagram can be rated 2.25/5.

Online Advertising:

The website doesn’t house any advertisements but all online stations do carry advertisements. Radio Mirchi has been following a jovial and hilarious style in its programs and advertisements. Advertisements are usually colloquial in a language to which the listeners can connect. The use of punch lines or mimicking actors/actresses has been a trump card behind the advertisements.

Advertisements don’t feature just the corporates but the government as well. Recently, Radio Mirchi has launched a campaign which aims at creating awareness about the importance of casting votes in elections in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. This has been started ahead of the state elections which are scheduled for May.

Advertisers also sponsor certain programs which are announced before the radio name is read out during programs.

The top three categories to advertise are Real Estate, Cellular Services and TV Channels. 40% of their revenue comes from advertising.

Impact of Radio Convergence:

The publishing of content in social media has a vital role in popularizing the Radio Jockeys. Comments on the various videos on Youtube or on other media platforms reveal how listeners follow the channel for their favorite RJs.

Social media is an important source of story ideas for the jockeys and production managers. Issues and news that have been missed out by newspapers and television make it to the social media and eventually to radio. For example, a university in South India which came up with bizarre rules that imposed strict restrictions on students led to an outrage on social media. This was eventually picked up by the jockeys and the story went on-air to make the news widespread among the citizens.

Radio Mirchi is available online in gaana.com while RJ’s have their own Soundcloud accounts, in which they are found coming up with their own content apart from the radio content. This indirectly boosts up the station’s listeners target as every RJ is under an established station.

Credits. www.gaana.com

Radio Mirchi has also used the space on its website to provide separate blogs for its jockeys which also serve as interaction platform between them and the listeners, bringing them closer. Radio Mirchi also hosts online competitions for listeners, and the winners are given some incentive in return.

To categorize radio Mirchi’s various types of convergence:

Industry Convergence – ENIL which owns the station is a subsidiary y of Times Infotainment Media Limited (TIML), the holding company promoted by Bennett, Coelman & Company Limited (BCCl) – the flagship company of the Times of India Group. There are TV Channels and News Channels owned by the same parent company and Radio Mirchi wa ‘Times FM’ before the name got changed.

Platform Convergence – Radio Mirchi’s presence across the above mentioned social media platforms proves this point.

Television convergence- The impact of the videos of the in-studio activities of Radio Mirchi on Youtube has been discussed above.

Technology convergence- The availability of Radio Mirchi on sound cloud and gaana.com which are available as music apps in mobile phones stands as an example for technology convergence.

Audience convergence – Audience form an integral part of the live talk shows and street interviews.

Own Radio show:

Name : ‘Badiya Bollywood’ (Perfect Bollywood)

Category : Talk show with a stand-up comedian/film critic

Description: With a sarcastic name, this show shall host comedians and film critics with funny reviews of Bollywood movies. Bollywood movies have been under the hammer for quite some time with the commercial part of the industry taking over the critically acclaimed ones. With comedy shows that make fun of Bollywood on the rise, a radio show that takes a funny take on the movies will attract a lot of listeners. Making use of stand up comedians and film critics will add strength to the show while the videos of the recording can go up online on Youtube. 

The listeners will be engaged through phone calls and the number of calls shall be limited. Also, prior to the show a teaser or poster promoting the show shall be shared across social media platforms to which the listeners must reply with the best one line review of the film to be discussed in that show 

(One each from Facebook, twitter and Instagram). The top 3 comments shall be discussed on the show. A podcast of the show will be released after the show on the site and the mobile music app.

Relating the content with Jenkin’s theory the content flows across all social media platforms and brings the Bollywood and Radio industry together. Bringing in film critics also brings the journalistic stream to radio and Bollywood being one of the biggest forms of entertainment in India, a show on it would never fail to entertain.

The delivery of the content as videos on Youtube and podcasts on the site and consequently on the mobile app brings together contemporary digital media along with the changing technology, thus serving as an example of Hugh Chignell’s theory.

Conclusion:

Radio has been one of the fast growing media forms in India and the rise of the digital media has helped in boosting the growth of the industry. It can clearly be seen as to how convergence has become inevitable in today's picture. The scenario of internet penetration is either white or black in India. There is no grey. And Radio Mirchi is not just one of the radio stations, but one of the media companies that has established itself in a sustainable manner to compete with the growing contemporary media.

References:

http://www.radiomirchi.com/

http://www.ymirchi.com/radio-mirchi-98-3-tamil-fm-live-streaming-online.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Mirchi

https://plus.google.com/+Mirchi983Fm/posts

https://www.youtube.com/user/Mirchi983Fm

https://twitter.com/mirchi983fm

https://www.facebook.com/mirchi983fm