Indian radio stations can now draw on extensive international experience to improve their ratings and increase their revenues. UK-based international radio consultancy United Radio has become the first such organization to establish direct operational resource in India - providing its services to the existing operators, investors, the government and the regulatory bodies.
United Radio already has experience working in the Indian radio market - it has been the consultant to Malayalam Manorama’s Radio Mango and provided extensive technical, programming and music support to Music Broadcast PVT Ltd (Radio City) in the past.
The focus of United Radio India will be on creating new programming formats, setting up newsrooms and providing training in radio journalism, programming, sales and station management to existing radio companies. It will also provide business planning and support services to the new entrants in the radio business, following the likely announcement of the Phase III of FM licensing in India early next year, as indicated by the Minister of Information & Broadcasting Ambika Soni at the India Economic Summit of the World Economic Forum on Monday 9 November, 2009.
United Radio is also in talks with several companies establish India’s first radio news agency, which will provide content for news and current affair activities either directly to radio stations or through All India Radio. Moreover, the company is planning to offer advice and support to radio groups wanting to set up news and talk radio stations subsequent to the Indian government allowing news and current affairs programming on FM radio stations.
Explaining the scope of the services to be offered by United Radio in India, Paul Chantler, Director and Senior Partner of the company said, “Our services will supplement the experience Indian operators have gathered over the last three years. We bring to India the knowledge and insights of the UK radio industry which is nearly 30 years old and has seen virtually every phase of market development. United Radio partners have worked for almost all the large radio companies in the UK. Between us we also have the experience of working with the country’s regulatory authority, Ofcom, and the public service broadcaster, the BBC. Here too we would like to approach the regulator, the Public Broadcaster and other stakeholders to offer our services”.
(Source: United Radio)
