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Publication:Times Of India Bangalore; Date:Jan 22, 2008; Section:Times Business; Page Number:20

Sakkath Hot Kannada — Mirchi No. 1 Magaa

Here is one more statistic to emphasize the Kannadiga character of Bangalore. FM radio, the medium that has captured the imagination of young and old alike in Bangalore, shows that an average of 75% of all listenership is for Kannada radio channels.

The rest of the radio stations, primarily programmed in Hindi and English, manage to attract only 25% of the audience. Radio Mirchi is ahead of the pack with a lead of 20-25% over the nearest station.

“This is not surprising at all. Two years ago, when we launched, we found that AIR Rainbow had more listenership than the only private FM channel in Bangalore at that time — which stunned us. When we looked at secondary data like mother tongue, language spoken and written and TV viewership figures, it was pretty obvious that Kannada was the language of a large majority of Bangaloreans. This was across all strata of society, and more so in the higher socio-economic (SEC) groups. Today, the four Kannada channels — Mirchi, Big, SFM and Rainbow add up to 75% of all listenership” says Rahul Balyan, business head, Radio Mirchi (Karnataka and Kerala).

The skew to Kannada is maintained even in the younger age groups.

Is this not a surprise for radio channels in Bangalore? “It is a surprise. However, we have to remember that the Kannada film industry that went into a slump in the early 2000 revived itself in 2005. As a result, the output of quality films and music has increased dramatically. FM radio added the fuel to the fire. We believe that increased playout of Kannada music resulted in “latent demand” coming to the surface. Music directors like Mano Murthy and Gurukiran have brought a new hip flavour to Kannada music. Kannada music and, therefore, Kannada radio programming are of a quality comparable to Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. No wonder Kannada radio rocks in Bangalore” explained Kaushik Ghosh, national marketing head, Radio Mirchi.

“Advertisers need to break out of the common perception that Kannada is not hip. Kannada is very hot right now. Kannadigas have the highest purchasing power in Bangalore. We had commissioned a mall research in Bangalore through IMRB in 2007. It showed us that of all people visiting malls, Kannadigas had the most purchasing power and were the most likely to purchase goods and services available at malls. If any advertiser wants to reach the best audience in Bangalore, they have to bet on Kannada. The fact that The Times of India has started its Kannada edition in addition to Vijay Karnataka demonstrates that Kannada is the most important vehicle to reach Bangaloreans,” adds Naveen Chandra, Radio Mirchi’s national sales head.

With eight private radio stations, Bangalore is spoilt for choice. However, it looks like the Kannada radio stations are walking away with all the glory.