RADIO PATROL
Got the gift of imagination? Think you can operate on the maxim that there is no visual element, you have to function only with audio? You could think of a career in radio broadcasting, finds Reena Jhaveri REENA JHAVERI
Sector overview
With 245 private FM stations operating in 86 cities, the Indian radio sector has been growing at a robust rate of 14% annually. The revenue of the sector was an expected ` 13 billion in 2012–13, according to an Ernst and Young industry report which reflects the “views and opinions of 23 survey respondents including Indian radio companies, advertisers, media agencies and other industry stakeholders.”
Entertainment Network (India), or ENIL, India's leading Private FM Radio operator popularly known as Radio Mirchi, reported a net profit growth of 53.6%. According to newspaper reports, its profit after tax (PAT) for the quarter ended June 30, 2013 was at ` 19.9 crore. ENIL ED & CEO Prashant Panday opined at that time that the quarter was strong for media, especially radio broadcasters.
Many find the word ‘radio’ synonymous to FM, but the AM and satellite radio also have a huge impact on the industry in India. With such figures, the stage is set for major growth among the various radio channels. Needless to say, growth will bring more opportunities for those looking to be employed in this sector.
Radio is not new to India or the world, it is one of the foremost mediums of mass communication, especially digital mass communication. Even within the limitations of the government regulations, the country has witnessed a major change with this medium. A majority of the country’s population relies on this medium for entertainment. In fact, the radio can easily be termed as ‘the poor man’s five-CD changer’.
It is the age of information, communication and entertainment. Media has an instrumental and developmental role to play in any country, and in ours, it is playing its part really well.