Saturday, June 18, 2005

On the nightshift

I couldn't sleep last night. So I got up and switched on the FM radio at 3.15 am. Go 92.5 FM was playing a series of not-so-well-known - although pleasant - English songs.

A while ago Go decided to accept that there is no life without Hindi music and went 70: 30 (Bollywood: English Pop). I think at the time the Boss must've said, "Look - you can play WHATEVER you want at night (when no one's listening anyways...)".

Initially the station was rather apologetic about 'having' to play Hindi but over time they've struck a good balance. Their songs are slightly less faltu than Mirchi (which will even play 80s Sridevi/ Jaya Prada numbers - some of the most horrendous music ever created).

And Go's RJs have more interesting banter and better chemistry - esp. Jaggu and Tarana in the mornings.

Whatever the quality of the films we are producing, the Bollywood music machine sure is getting better and better. Thanks to the 'item number' culture even the flop films produce a couple of catchy 'radio' songs.

Agreed, some of the best stuff - like Woh Lamhe - is inspired or hijacked. But there's enough originality around for one not to get worried. Dhadak dhadak (Bunty aur Babli), Piyu Bole (Parineeta) and even the Kaal title song are testimony.

They're unlikely to be 'classics' remembered fondly 20 years from now but that's what pop is mostly - a quick and easy musical snack. How many of us can recall Rick Astley or the Bangles... two of my favourite pop artistes back in the '80s!!

Jaago Mohan pyaare
Incidentally, someone believes people DO listen to FM at 3 am which is why Go's 'Nightshift' is sponsored by E-serve - the financial services BPO. I bet it's the idea of some clever media planner ("Who's awake at night? BPO workers!")

Except they would - should - be busy working. Taking or making calls, not listening to FM on those big black headsets!

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:05 PM

    true there IS no life - or market opportunity - without hindi music - MTV learnt it the hard way (or was it the easy way ?) years ago - and look at discs and pubs - even the uppity ones - the only music that gets all kinds of people on to their feet is the jhankaar types:)
    btw, Mirchi is terrible - radio City used to rock in Bangalore - when I used to live there a coupla years ago - is ok here in Bombay - good old Hindi music is Red FM

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  2. You wonder who listens to FM at 0300? The answer - Truck drivers and watchmen who keep a watch on the neighborhood. Right?

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  3. Do BPO's play FM as channel music during the night time? This might be a way to keep their employees awake. If such be the case, then the advertisers are justified in advertising at such odd hours.

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  4. oh another reason...that's the time the US shifts might be ending and the ANZ shifts beginning...so they might be catching a lot of BPO employees in their cabs when they are half sleepy...subliminal advertising to switch to e-serve?

    You have got to hear about this e-serve ad billboard that came up near Fidelity and Glodman Sach's BPO in Bangalore...it said "Why pay rent when you can stay at home? Chennaites move to e-serve Chennai and save money on rent" !

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  5. You hit it on the head there. I gave up listening to radio altogether after the initial euphoria, purely for the sickening songs dished out, more so for the unbelievably irritating RJ's - think Jeeturaj, sayaani-ladki-Laavanya (?) and Anurag (ugh). Win, Red and Go all started off with a bang bang smashing set of English superhits, but tragedy struck. Win went under. Red gave up on English and Go decided to go 70% Jaya Prada. The remaining 30% sometimes makes me log on, as do Jaggu and Taraana.

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