SS Music lines-up new shows, veejays; looks to strengthen position in south

To increase viewership, music channel SS Music’s ambitious plans include strengthen in-house shows, introducing reality programming and focusing on innovation

When SS Music was conceived three years ago, company officials were conscious of the fact that if the channel was to stand out of the clutter, a unique programming mix that targeted south Indians as a whole - as opposed to content created with one specific linguistic community in mind - was the need of the hour. While southern music channels usually telecast programmes in only one or the other of the four primary south Indian languages (English music is sparingly included to appeal to viewers with an ear for international fare), national-level music channels that beam into south Indian homes bank on the appeal of Hindi (and, of course, English) music.

The opportunity that Southern Spice Music (SS Music, that is) espied was a plunge into multi-lingual programming, where it aired content in all four south Indian languages (Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu), apart from English. As a consequence, the channel was assured of a wider canvass compared to other regional music channels, and could look to all the four southern states for viewership. According to Bryan Peppin, head, production and programming, SS Music, the channel is currently available in at least 15 million homes, and plans include shoring up viewership even further. "The idea is to see how we can deliver numbers," he says. "Media planners look at numbers very seriously, and we intend focusing on it in earnest."

To this end, SS Music proposes to strengthen its in-house shows, introduce reality programming and keep innovation levels high. On April 24, for instance, the channel launched Connect, a unique request show that allows viewers to interact with the veejay and make requests through a video conferencing facility provided by Sify Ltd. Plans are to take the show live in the next three months, and according to Peppin, Connect has received good feedback so far. Connect, incidentally, is not the first instance of innovative use of technology by the channel. Virtual Request, which allowed viewers to make requests through kiosks placed at specific retail outlets, was launched some six to eight months ago, and the idea even fetched SS Music a media innovation trophy at this year's Chennai Ad Club Awards, says Peppin.

Apart from the use of technology to increase sampling and viewership, the channel will kick-off a reality music talent hunt titled Spice Jammers in the next one month. Modeled along the lines of CHannel 's Popstars, the hunt will result in the formation of a band that will cater to south Indian audiences. Alongside, the channel will introduce three new veejays - Vijay Abraham, Paloma Rao and Shyam - who were adjudged winners in the final leg of SS Music's veejay hunt - titled VJ Factor - held in Hyderabad on April 30. The three were selected from a list of 17 probables on the basis of "talent and spontaneity", says Peppin. Three shows - one on travel, another on style, and a countdown show titled High Five - will be launched by the end of June this year, with the three new faces as anchors, Peppin adds.

Original programming on the channel commences from 4.00 pm in the evenings and is on till 11.30 pm every night. Back-to-back English music happens overnight from 11.30 pm to 8.00 am, while general music plays during the day from 8.00 am to 3.00 pm. The channel has set aside a one-hour block from 10.00 pm to 11.00 pm every night for Hindi pop music (the show is called Gaana Bajaana), while its number one show, Hot, Hotter, Hottest, is telecast immediately after, from 11.00 pm to 11.30 pm. © 2004 agencyfaqs!