Infrastructure proves to be major hurdle for setting
up radio stations in smaller towns
With the radio industry spreading to smaller cities
and towns of India with the phase II of FM radio
licensing, it has brought to light some of the common
problems faced by broadcasters while setting up radio
stations in these places. While infrastructure and
quality manpower seems to be a major issue, revenues
and growth prospects also play a big role in the
process.
Broadcasters affirm the issue of infrastructural
difficulties like availability of electricity and
other basic resources. Soumen Choudhury, Chief
Technical Officer, Big FM, pointed out some of the
roadblocks faced. Smaller cities and especially
virgin territories which are experiencing radio
entertainment for the very first time come with
roadblocks, ranging from setting up offices and
studios, to getting electricity connection of
requisite power in given time frame, he explained.
Meanwhile, Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City, noting
that the station had presence only in select metros
and mini-metros, explained, For us, the process went
very smoothly with great support and cooperation from
regulatory authorities. However, possibly for players
who have entered small markets, the challenges of
setting up FM stations would largely arise from the
perspective of sourcing talent. Agreeing with them,
Nisha Narayanan, Business Head, S FM, also stressed
the need to resolve power issues in some of the towns
where S FM operated in.
Considering some of the other issues faced by
broadcasters in smaller towns, Narayanan was of the
opinion that talent was not a problem in these places,
but professionalism was. There is a lot of quality
talent in the small towns of India, but understanding
of the medium and the required professionalism is not
present. Another major issue plaguing almost all radio
players is the availability of local music content. As
the local music companies are not part of any industry
body, there is a great difficulty in getting the
content, she added.
Another major subject of concern for broadcasters is
the revenues and growth prospective for players in
these towns. The revenue potential of such cities
vis-à-vis the investment tends to be rather limited,
added Purohit. Meanwhile, Narayanan is assured that
the future of FM radio lies in smaller towns, although
revenues were not high in smaller towns at present.
But, it will continue to grow in the coming years,
she expressed.
Choudhury also stressed that the biggest challenges
involved profitable economies for FM radio station
operations and getting quality skilled manpower
available locally.
Suggesting ways to overcome some of these issues,
Narayanan expressed the need to have some industry
body for local music companies, and scout for
employing part-timers in such markets. Elaborating on
ways to overcome such problems, Big FMs Choudhury
said, Each problem is workable and we are working
towards seeking full advertising potential of the
stations, in addition to seeking talent from the local
populace. We are also in talks with government bodies
and officials to get several other issues sorted for
the industry.
Source: exchange4media.com 2008
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