Who stole radio’s magic?

I don’t know if you still listen to conventional radio – Akashvani, Vividh Bharati, and the BBC. The valve radio and later the transistor radio, both of which enjoyed pride of place in our drawing rooms, have disappeared from modern-day homes. The radio is now mostly heard on the car stereo. Cab drivers are among the biggest patrons of the medium today.

A lot is said about the romance of the radio though, and it is often the subject of fond nostalgia. Who robbed conventional radio of its allure? Television, for one. The visual medium, first in black and white and then in colour, was able to lure audiences away from radio listening. Television serials took away the avid readership print magazines had cultivated for serialised fiction, and that is another story. As TV technology and programming got better, it became an all-consuming medium. Today, it can afford to feature the biggest stars from cinema – they are regularly hired to host reality shows. When a majority of folks began to go home and switch on the TV for their daily dose of entertainment and news, the radio was pushed into silence. All that changed again. Now, almost all the watching is being done on mobile phones.

The advent of private FM stations in the first decade of the millennium was expected to revive the good old days of radio. The new channels did generate excitement in the initial years. The presentation moved away from the measured tone of the state-run channels. The RJs became more chatty, and it looked like they had a hand firmly on the pulse of younger listeners, but the limitations of private FM programming didn’t take long to surface.

All India Radio, with its well-equipped studios and knowledgeable staff, regularly produced music, radio plays and talk shows. The programmes brought together the best talent around. The Bengaluru station of AIR, for instance, had a reputation for high-quality music. It recorded not just Karnatik, Hindustani, and Western classical music, but also sugama sangeeta and folk music, providing a platform for hundreds of composers, singers and instrumentalists.

The commercial FM channels, on the other hand, largely play film and pop music, which they license from the audio labels; they record no original music of their own. FM licences are auctioned to the highest bidders, and so the altruistic philosophy of public broadcasting doesn’t come into the picture. In traditional radio, programming executives worked like journalists, but commercial FM recast them in a marketing role. That is the reason the hyper-cheerful RJ talk is marked more by brand mentions than informed commentary.

They say the typical range of an FM channel is 64 to 160 km, and the signal clarity depends on the terrain and distance from the tower. The initial promise of FM serving local needs, not just of the listeners but also of the artists, poets, writers, doctors and scientists, has faded away. We occasionally hear of community radio stations run by academic institutions – they have a long way to go before they can capture a non-academic audience.

Of course, radio is not just about music. Literature, theatre, art, cinema, politics, health, food, and fashion are among the many things that enrich the life of a city, and with the right presenters, they can make for lively subjects on radio.

Bengaluru boasts 14 radio channels. But can you name a single musician discovered, nurtured, and promoted by a commercial FM channel? Singers end up with no route to fame other than films. Not every talent gets into film music. And with no radio support, independent music is the worst hit. Some of Prasar Bharati’s policies date back to the pre-Internet era, when AIR was the only auditioning, recording, and broadcasting authority. A lot needs to change to make the airwaves exciting again.

The Chinese are catering to the nostalgia of radio lovers, making sets whose designs hark back to the second half of the 20th century, when brands like Murphy, Telerad, Philips, and Bush ruled the Indian market. I just got myself one, in a sentimental attempt to experience the glory days of radio again. Not much to write home about when it comes to what I heard, so let me end with two mobile app recommendations for radio lovers. One is called Radio Garden. It plays music from stations across the world. And the second is Jazz Radio, which streams jazz in nicely curated categories.

The writer often sees high art in kitsch and vice versa.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.