Radio City to extend gameshow by another three weeks

A month since Radio City 91 FM Suno Aurr Lakhpati Bano hit the airwaves, the station has had four lakhpatis and 360 overall winners, convincing station authorities to extend the show by another three weeks. "We've had an overwhelming response and are certainly increasing the duration of the show," says Sumantro Dutta, chief operating officer, Radio City.

The station claims to have received over 10 million responses in terms of phone calls and SMS messages so far, adding that since Diwali, the per day count is a whopping 4.8 lakh. "Day one had 10 lakh responses; that has come down to 3 lakh now," claims Dutta. "However, since getting our fourth lakhpati, a family, responses have increased again," he adds.

Incidentally, the station also claims that tune-ins or listenership has been highest between 5.00 pm and 11.00 pm in the evening, highlighting an important point in the process - contests alone do not drive listeners to the station. "Programming is key," emphasises Dutta. "I guess what strikes us apart is gripping content in an interactive format."

Programming on the station is broadly divided into five day parts with the morning show Kasa Kai Mumbai stretching on from 6.00 to 10.00 am during weekdays, followed by Mid Morning Masala (10.00 am to 2.00 pm), Radio Raaga (2.00 pm to 6.00 pm), Sawari Dismiss (6.00 pm to 9.00 pm), Yaadein (9.00 pm to 12.00 pm) and Night Mix, which goes on through the night.

Weekends see a change in schedule with Kase Kai being replaced with Weekend Bun Maska, Mid Morning Masala with Pyaar Ke Pal on Saturdays, and Radio City Flashback on Sundays, Radio Raaga with Mangta Hai and a one-hour talk show in the evening at 5.00 pm on Saturdays. Sawari Dismiss continues on a Saturday but is replaced on Sunday with Dhoom Pichuk Dhoom India Chart Show and Yaadein, the prime time show is replaced with Nasha on Fridays and Saturdays, with Safar taking its place on Sundays.

To spice up programming, the station has introduced a number of one-minute features that come on air during these shows. "Every programme has its segmentation," claims Dutta. "These features could include characters that come up with funny messages or it could be a spoof on movies," he adds.

Apart from city-specific, traffic, weather and business news updates, the station is also gearing up for the upcoming cricket world cup, though Dutta is tight-lipped about the entire exercise. "We are launching something new every week, but I can't disclose anything right now," is all that he would say. Currently, like most other stations, Radio City informs listeners about the goings-on of crucial cricket matches. © 2002 agencyfaqs!