The Hindu Business Line : FM matters... in Mumbai

On a recent Saturday morning, at an hour when much of the city was just waking up to its morning cuppa, a group of children stood expectantly in an early empty office in South Mumbai. The two speakers on a desk nearby pounded out Bryan Adams, but their ears perked up when the song ended and two voices came over the speakers: first, a question, then the answer, in a voice they knew and loved, of Pervin Varma, CEO of CRY (Child Relief and You).

The eight kids and a couple of CRY representatives were all in the studio of RED FM 93.5 (of the India Today Group), on a programme called `Bombay Matters', to tell Mumbaikars about the cause, and raise money for various CRY projects in Mumbai.

The fact that they were on `Bombay Matters' was not surprising: the show, which airs on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, prides itself on giving a voice to important issues that concern Mumbai. Since its launch last July, the show has featured such topics as alternate careers, drug abuse in colleges, sexual abuse, the English theatre scene, waste disposal, civil rights for the city's citizens, and homosexuality. "Radio as a medium is generally frivolous, while there are many burning issues that the city of Mumbai needs to deal with," says Aditya Patwardhan, Station Head at RED. "We've had people sobbing on air, people coming out of the closet."

Certainly, while Mumbai has perhaps the highest FM radio listenership — with Radio Mirchi, Radio City and GO 92.5 leading the race — the stations all have only the usual mix of music, countdown shows, call-ins and chats. Of course, it could be argued that since listeners typically tune in while driving, or that shops and restaurants air the channels, more heavy material is largely unsuitable.

But that hasn't stopped RED from trying: on the show that day, `Care for Mumbai's street children' — which Natasha Borges hosted and Freishia Bomanbehram produced, Varma spoke of CRY's origins in India, described the various projects in Mumbai, and spoke of the children that CRY has been involved with. The kids got on air to talk about their lives — what an average day was like, what they liked to do, what music they liked, and what their dreams and hopes were. These were peppered with calls to listeners to send an SMS or make a call and pledge their support with a donation — a first for RED.

"This is the first time that we're actively raising money for a cause — and the aim was to get funds from everyday citizens of Mumbai," Patwardhan says. "Radio can be very important in a city — it can drive people to spend money on a cause." While RED is not "an official charitable trust", it would consider tying up with other organisations that worked in similar areas, he adds.

There were eight kids from three CRY projects that morning: Aarambh — which works with slum kids in New Mumbai, Saathi — which works with street kids in Central Mumbai and the Experimental Theatre Foundation. There was Meena, who wore a bright yellow dress, Chandni in pink, Raju, who talked the most, in a striped shirt, and Keshav Kishore, who wore a cap with a Nike swoosh that hid most of his face. On the promo for the show, the kids had spoken about their dreams: one said he wanted to be a soldier, another said he wanted to be a pilot, another said she wanted to be a doctor, and one guy said he wanted to be an actor — but not a hero. "We're not trying to raise sympathy for these kids, just awareness — we are giving listeners an insight into their lives," Patwardhan says. "And, we also wanted them to have fun — we played their favourite music, asked them to sing."

Promotions for the programme had gone on air earlier that week, and also appeared on Aaj Tak, the group's news channel. Listeners could either call or send an SMS, and a CRY representative would get in touch with them to collect their donations. The India Today Group also pledged Rs 1 lakh to CRY, and about 150 pledges were received by the end of the programme, says a CRY spokesperson. "It wasn't really about the money, it was more about raising awareness," the spokesperson says. "And this is was a first-time effort that worked because we gave people an opportunity to contribute easily."

At a time when advertisers are keen to tap the growing potential of radio, the four-hour programme has no sponsors, and prefers to be that way because it is not a commercial effort that needs to be economically viable, Patwardhan says. Besides, it would be hard to find brands that can connect with every issue that RED chooses to focus on. "The point about `Bombay Matters' is to showcase any issue that is important to Mumbai, and to show that yes, we do have a heart, even though we're completely desensitised to people," Patwardhan says. "As a responsible broadcaster, we are making an effort to create awareness."

Picture by Paul Noronha

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