Blue Ocean Strategy for FM Channels

The launch of FM channels has put radio entertainment back on the map. So much so that phone makers were forced to bundle FM radio with the instrument and the move has helped broaden the reach and appeal of FM. In a city like Mumbai, where the average commute time is more than an hour (one way), FM has become the staple form of entertainment for commuters.

It is, but natural, that FM players are vying to attract the most number of listeners during rush hours so they can jack up advertising rates. Which is why they have their marquee RJs hosting shows, and extensive brand building to raise their profile. But such differentiation ceases to matter when everyone follows the same strategy. Trying to get better RJs or changing the tone of these shows can hardly be termed innovation. This is a typical example of trying to compete with what’s called “Red Ocean Strategy”.

When markets get competitive, one should step back and assess the situation afresh. What pulls listeners to an FM station? In my mind, the top three factors are: good music, more music/fewer ads, and interesting/funny RJs. The first and third are pretty much standard so the way to break out is the second option. (Am not saying all RJs are good, just that they are equally bad.)

The solution is simple. Eliminate RJs. That will allow more time for ads because time that was earlier split three-ways (music, RJ and ads) is now split two-ways. You may choose to slip in an occasional interview to keep listeners curious. Otherwise, listening to one star or the other everyday has become a boring thing. This is “Blue Ocean Strategy”. The only potential hiccup here is if FMs have to pay royalties based on the number of times a song is played, in which case the expense will shoot up. Can that be offset by the savings in RJs’ pay is something that needs to be worked out.

I must confess this is not my original thought. Jack FM in Los Angeles plays rock 24x7, has no RJs, doesn’t take any requests, but has some self-deprecating and condescending recorded messages that play between songs. (“Broadcasting from a dumpy little building in beautiful downtown Culver City”), and is a popular station out there.

Of superstitions and Traditions

FM radio is my only source of distraction during my commute to work and back. Something to keep me sane lest the traffic and the driving skills of fellow commuters drive me crazy. Yet, FM itself drives me crazy sometimes. We have 8 FM channels, so at any given point, the probability that one of them is playing a song I like is pretty good. Yet, it routinely happens that every channel is running an ad or their RJs are blabbering away to glory. And sometimes the trash spewed out by these RJs gets to my nerves.

Like today, for example, every RJ was extolling the virtues and traditions of Rakhi. Listeners can win gifts for calling in and sharing their memorable Rakhi experiences. Even celebrities were interviewed to throw light on this great tradition of bonding among siblings. Some RJs had tied Rakhis to government servants as a token of gratitude and love for keeping the city going. I don’t know the exact genesis of the ritual, or its symbolic meaning, but I am sure it is in the lines of the protective band on the brother’s wrist warding off evils, or even better, the sister taking on harm that was otherwise intended for the brother. This is undoubtedly a big event in many Indian families, and its fine to maintain that tradition.

But the same RJs were making mockery of the rituals we perform during an eclipse. That throwing away all food before the eclipse was blind faith. That asking pregnant women not to venture out was being superstitious. RJ after RJ was shunning these superstitions and proclaiming to be free of blind faith.

I wonder where tradition ends and superstition starts. Too much to expect the RJs to know this. If they had better IQs they wouldn’t be making a fool of themselves on radio.