"After TV, the medium that people spent the most time on during COVID was radio": Ashit Kukian

The CEO of Radio City talks about the marquee show 'Super Singer', and the challenges that the radio industry is facing in India today.

Dainik Jagran's Radio City, India's first private FM station, has announced that it will continue with its marquee show 'Super Singer' this year (2020) too, despite the disruption caused by the COVID pandemic.

'Super Singer' aims to discover singing talent among its listeners. It was launched in 2011 in 14 cities - Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Nagpur, Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Visakhapatnam, Coimbatore and Pune.

This year, the show will go digital and most auditions will be virtual. Not doing it ('Super Singer') was never an option, says Ashit Kukian, CEO of Radio City. 

The challenge for him, however, is not just the digital dependence to broadcast one of his biggest properties, it's much deeper. The leading global consulting firm KPMG, in its report 'A year off the script', stated that radio, as an industry in India, is set to contract by 11.1 per cent, which will take it back to FY17 levels. 

With 381 stations operational in 107 cities, radio (in India) has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years. However, the ad rates have come under stress. KPMG assesses that when the pandemic struck, the advertisers shifted their (ad) spends from radio to print and television.

Around the world, radio gets 8-9 per cent of the total advertising, while in India, it has always been a subdued 3-4 per cent. The rates are also a challenge. According to KPMG, non-Hindi content providers struggle to get Rs 15 per second (from the advertisers), whereas for Hindi, it is Rs 50 per second. 

Amidst all the challenges, Kukian asserts that recovery has started, and Radio City, as well as the (radio) industry, has recovered quite a bit. 

In an interview with afaqs!, he talks about 'Super Singer', and the challenges that the radio industry is facing in India today.

Edited Excerpts: