Weekly Media Scene in India.
Published by Ardic DX Club, India.
Flowers wilt as FM, TV channels bloom this New Year
Florists here are ruing the loss of business with an increasing number of people preferring to send their greetings over the ubiquitous FM radio and TV channels, instead of ''saying it with flowers.'' ''Ten years ago, we used to do roaring business during New Year and Christmas. But with the coming of a number of FM radio and television channels, Asia's largest flower market here is doing lean business, as people prefer sending their wishes through them.'' Mr Brij Mohan Khanagwal, President, All India Cut Flower and supplier association told UNI.
-Deccan Herald 29/12
Second round for FM radio licences sees All Media
The second round of bids for FM radio licences saw the who's and who of the media and entertainment industry. The bids include Anil Ambani's Adlabs along with Subhash Chandra's Pan India Network Infravest Pvt Ltd, Malayala Manorama, Asianet Communications, HT Music and Entertainment, Bag Infotainment and Sri Adhikari Brothers Media among various other companies. The first list includes as many as 70 probables who have qualified for the financial bids, the union information and broadcasting ministry announced the list.
-Televisionpoint.com 29/12
'Gyanwani' radio station to launch 600 educationl programmes in Bhopal, India
The Bhopal FM radio station 'Gyanwani' of IGNOU will soon launch an intensive series of 600 educational programmes related to higher secondary, graduation courses and general knowledge. The under-graduate students of BA, BCom, BSc along with the higher secondary students of science and commerce would benefited from the series of educational programmes.
-Digitalopportunity.org 28/12
Infotainment panel to look into media business
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has set up a high-powered committee on information, communication and entertainment (ICE) which will be headed by the Principal Secretary to the PM. The committee would identify new opportunities in the areas of information, communication and entertainment where the government was expected to play a pro-active role to promote Indian media and entertainment industry, Sanjaya Baru, media adviser to the PM said in a statement.
-Business Standard 29/12
Regional entertainment channels dominant in Chennai
Regional entertainment channels are dominant in Chennai with a viewership of 62 per cent, while Hindi general entertainment has the highest viewership in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, according to a report of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, TRAI.The share of cable programmes is the second largest in terms of viewership percentage in all the four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata, says TRAI.
-Televisionpoint.com 28/12
DTH: Direct from government?
The launch of INSAT 4A, India’s most powerful communication satellite. It will provide Direct-to-home (DTH) telecasts from early 2006. This is good news for all those of us who have had to suffer the cable TV operators’ mafia. DTH services cut out the middlemen completely, as satellite TV programmes are beamed directly to individual homes through a set-top box. Not only is the quality of the reception much better, since it is digitalised, the number of channels available are also much more.
-Financial Express 28/12
Maheshwari launches magazine arm..
The Navbharat Group’s Sunjeev Maheshwari has ended the year by foraying into the magazine segment. Maheshwari has launched a division called 'Maharshi Enterprises', which would be launching five magazines – the first of which is titled 'The Observer of Management Education' and was launched on December 27. Janardan Pandey has been taken as the Project Head for all the magazines.
-Exchange4media 29/12
WorldSpace adds 12,000 subscribers in first month of festive offer
Within the first month of the launch of its festive season offer of a satellite radio with a three-month subscription at just Rs 1,999, WorldSpace has added 12,000 subscribers to its kitty. The original cost of the receiver is Rs 3,790, while the yearly subscription fee is Rs 1, 800. The figures seem whopping when compared to the performance of WorldSpace during the period July to September, when it added 7,737 subscribers. “We’ve had an excellent response to the festive offer. We added over 12,000 new subscribers in October 2005 itself, the first month of our festive offer. Customers have tuned in to our service from across the country – getting an experience of our superior programming and content,” said Andy Ras-Work, Worldwide COO, WorldSpace Satellite Radio.
-Excange4media 29/12
Second round for FM radio licences sees Second list
The Information & Broadcasting has came out with the second list of FM radio operators on Friday, so as the total number of companies that have qualified for the second stage has gone up to 84.The other applicants who have qualified include, Cyberspace Entertainment Network Private Ltd, Lahari Recording Company Pvt Ltd, Music Broadcast Pvt Ltd, City Sound and Music Pvt Ltd and Singla Property Dealers Pvt Ltd. |Read more Finance news.| The financial bids would be obtained and opened in January-February. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has invited pre-qualification bids in September this year for expansion of FM radio broadcasting through private agencies. Another list of companies, which may have qualified for financial bidding, is likely within the next few days.
-Televisionpoint.com 02/01
The winners' curse: FM radio phase II
2006 promises to be the year of the coming of age of private FM radio. Since the Phase I bidding in ’00, it has taken two governments, one committee, the TRAI and 3-and-a-half years of lobbying by the radio industry to change the rules to a more equitable revenue-share licence fee regime. But it could well be a year of failed promises, if qualified bidders walk in with their eyes closed.
-The Economic Times 03/01
Bangalore set to see FM boom
Radio fans are abuzz:With Bangalore set to have seven FM stations by end-2006 - in addition to the existing two - a boom of stirring and varied programming where the listener is the king is on cards. Keeping the experience of Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai in mind, radio watchers are predicting exciting times ahead.
-Times of India 01/01
Television gets into marketing overdrive
When the history of television in India is written, 2005 will be hailed as the YEAR OF MARKETING. The year when shouting was not enough, channel marketers had to scream to be even heard. And the high decibel noise continued through the year, in fact getting deafeningly louder as the year progressed. General entertainment channels (GECs), kids' channels, sports channels, music channels and to some extent even the news channels left no stones unturned and no TG (target group) untapped to hammer their message across.
-Indiantelevision.com 02/01
FISCAL REVAMP FOR PRASAR BHARATI
Prasar Bharati Corporation, India's government-owned broadcasting agency, is currently reeling under accumulated losses amounting to nearly Rs60 billion (US$1.33 billiion).The sheer size of the figure has forced the government to direct the Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry to make a detailed financial evaluation of the public sector broadcaster so that it could embark upon a capital-restructuring plan.
-Apb-news.com 01/01
Cafe Coffee Day tunes in to WorldSpace
WorldSpace® Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: WRSP), one of the world leaders in satellite-based digital radio services, announced that it has formed an alliance with Café Coffee Day, India’s largest coffee chain to play its satellite radio content throughout the day for patrons at 100 cafes across India.
-Webindia123.com 02/01
BBC picks up 17.5% stake in Radio Mid-Day
BBC, the global media major, and leading investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala are set to invest a combined Rs 42 crore in Radio Mid-Day West (India), the Mid Day group arm that runs FM channel Go 92.5. BBC will pick up 17.5 per cent stake in Radio Mid-Day West for Rs 31.85 crore, putting the valuation of the radio company at Rs 182 crore. The investment of BBC is part of the joint venture the global media company has forged with the Mid-Day group to enter the country's radio space. The investment is lower than the 20 per cent permissible limit by a foreign company in an Indian radio company.
-Business Standard 03/01
'Broadcast industry to boom in '06'
Having laid out a broad policy framework for regulation of the television industry and growth in the FM radio sector, the government has expressed optimism that the broadcast industry would make more waves in terms of growth in 2006. Our interest is that growth should not be impeded and we should not give a signal that we are overbearing," Information and Broadcasting Secretary S K Arora said.
-Sify.com 03/01
Radio Mirchi to hit the bourse
Radio Mirchi is all set to emerge as the first Indian pure-play radio broadcasting business to list on the bourses. Entertainment Network (India) Ltd (ENIL), a Times Group company, which runs the radio broadcasting business under the pan-India brand Radio Mirchi, is all set to hit the capital market in January. ENIL has already received the regulatory nod for its maiden offer comprising of a maximum of 1.3 crore shares, to be priced using the book building route, AP Parigi, MD, ENIL, said.
-Times of India 01/01
Indian Media Group meets Dasmunsi
A group of top honchos from the Indian media and entertainment sector met Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi and sought the formation of a Broadcast Regulatory Authority.In an interaction with Dasmunsi, the Indian Media Group (IMG) welcomed the changes in the downlinking policy carried out recently. The IMG delegation included Subhash Chandra of Zee Telefilms, Aroon Purie of TV Today Network and Markand Adhikari of Janmat, apart from senior officials from NDTV, Zoom TV, Bhaskar and Sahara group.
-Chennaionline.com 03/01
Compiled by
Jaisakthivel.T,
President of Ardic Dx Club
7-1-2006
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