In the last few years the flurry of Radiostations that have come up thanks to the government regulation have thrown up too many questions on their credibility.
There used to be a time when radio was the defining stop for good music and it was the place where music legends and stars were born. But it was once upon a time.
What stares into our eyes right now, in stark contrast, is something that is driven by money……and just money.
I think the Bombayites around will know more on this issue. There was a plethora of radio stations that sprung up in a small amount of time. All of them daunted by the so called whacky-tacky radio-advertisements. They are still driven by those mindless freaks who fund commercial music blindly. Apart from two channels these stations have never had the guts to air good music. Music that is actually for the soul. Stations like Radio Mirchi and Radio City are largely driven by media giants and by reams of currency that is pumped in. They play music which is played on the TV. Then what is the possible difference between the TV and the Radio??
I mean, does it really make sense to play dance songs on the radio? Dont you think that people who really want to dance and party will never listen to the radio while doing so? Whats the whole discotheque culture of Bombay meant for then? There are too many questions that remain unanswered. But out of this commercial heap and skewed interests, two channels that air good music rise like the phoenix – Go 92.5 FM to some extent and of course the golden oldie and the ubiquitous All India Radio (AIR) FM 107.1.
These people have dared to be different over a period even though the market was hostile to them. GO 92.5 FM dared to air RadioX which played music that actually leads you into peaceful sleep and culminates you into tranquility. And now that has got metamorphosized into the Night Shift, which is even better. AIR FM, with its years and years of music collection is the big daddy of all the channels. They play classics at night and believe me after all these years it still is the best. It has downplayed the initital competetion offered by the new upstarts.
And after all these years, things are finally looking up. The connoiseurs of music are back knocking at the doors of the once popular mecca of music, FM.