Shimla: Himachal got its first private FM radio station as chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today launched BIG FM, a radio initiative from Adlabs Films, an ADAG Reliance venture.
After the launch, Himanshu Shekhar, business head BIG FM said that an investment of over Rs 2 crore was made in setting up the station in Shimla. He said the station would have a 60 Km radial coverage and expected to reach an audience of about 10 lakh people.
Starting out with devotional music at 6 a.m. programs on the station would be broadcast for 16 hours a day, ending at 11 p.m. The station would have a distinct local flavour.
Based on the advertising returns projected, the management expected the new station to break even in two to three years, said Shekhar.
“We are committed to create a radio station which will positively impact people’s lives and become a preferred entertainment option, he said.
Speaking at the launch chief minister said, “radio is still of importance, even in these times of information technology and holds much sway over the people of Himachal where about 90 percent depend on it for their information and entertainment needs.â€
Whereas BIG FM is tuned at 92.7 frequency in the rest of the country in Shimla it would be broadcast on 91.9 frequency.
In a span of over three years, to cash on the fast expanding entertainment medium, Adlabs has launched 45 FM station, which includes Shimla.
Besides the 45 cities, the network claims to reach another 1000 towns, 50000 villages and 200 million listeners.
With each city having entertainment preferences of their own, the company has done an in-depth research on requirements of the people of Shimla and we are going to offer a tailor made package, company spokesman said.
RJs who would be hosting the shows on BIG FM also hail from Shimla and have an added advantage of carrying an inherent knowledge of this city.
Other cities where the company has put up stations include Jammu, Srinagar, Aligarh, Agra, Kanpur, Allahabad, Jodhpur, Kota, Ajmer, Udaipur, Asansol, Jamshedpur, Guwahati, Jhansi, Bikaner, Chandigarh, Hisar, Bareily, Bhopal, Goa, Mangalore, Mysore, Rajkot, Rourkela, Solapur, Surat, Tirupathi, Trivandrum, Vadodara, Vishakhapatnam, Guwahati, Gwalior, Indore, Jalandhar, Patiala, Amritsar and Bhubaneshwar.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
