“Akashavani, aap sun rahe hein Subah Prasaran” those golden and lovely words formed the starting sentence of a morning broadcast of All India Radio and what is primarily being broadcast even today but only to a very few listeners. The divinity of the morning is brought in by the announcements that came in from the morning braodcast till ten years ago. What we have now in this radio set on the cell phones is the raucous sound from the film music that is played to wake up the listeners. There has been a paradigm shift in the way radio has earned its listeners and it is the trend that is causing the disturbance. The FM channels, that ‘manufacture’ the noisy ‘wake up sessions’ have a lot to learn from the traditional Akashvani or Vividh Bharti. What forms an important part of transmission in the morning is presentation of ideas or music in a presentable and enjoyable manner. No trumpets to wake up listeners please!
Jockeys, the other name for announcers of yester years All India Radio have been busy using their mouths as instruments to drill holes into listeners’ ears. From the beginning of the day, there seems to be an endless jabber about some of the most insignificant issues to society and in general, everyone. But you may say, that’s not the purpose of the radio. I disagree and do so with reason. There is a responsibility that lies on the shoulders of every information disseminator towards the society. If there is just some directionless talk, then the purpose is a prodigal one. There is every need to have a meaningful and definitely enjoyable means of broadcasting on the FM medium. And this is what makes the Akashavani so special, that,10 years ago had a great listener database, that was and is, its pride. What FM channels aim for is cheap publicity that can be proved by the programmes that they continuously, on a daily basis, broadcast. Akashvani programmes were meaningful, helpful and most importantly, inspiring to the women and children in particular and the public in general and were a companion to the listeners. There were all kinds of programmes involving science for the children to morality expressed by plays and audio-skits and jingles. They were scheduled for a time every week and were worth the wait.
The announcers of Akashavani had pleasant tones and their way of making announcements or replying to listeners’ letters was a beautiful experience. But today’s jockeys have the motto of causing pain to the ears by using high notes of their voice and make a mess of the issue they want to talk about. It, for all reasons, irritates the listeners and sometimes even causes pain to the feeling of several listeners. The trend that has been observed for the recent few years is a disturbing one and the listeners ought to check this trend by giving positive feedback on the way the Jockeys perform their ‘so-called’ duties.
Jockeys have their own way, and I strongly refer to a personal of speaking about issues that concern general public. Radio has been a source of information and has always called for informative and thought provoking discussions and debates- Courtesy: AIR New Delhi, but today’s FM channels have caused much trouble by bringing up issues that are totally meaningless and just for cheap fun all the time. Radio has to be a friend one must cherish to carry along with oneself. The moment the Jockeys start speaking, it is just like a train that runs past at 80 mph speed and nobody was able to get a glimpse of it.
Providing information in a melodious tone was the motto of Akashvani and FM Jockeys should learn the same. Do not try to lose listeners by making them lose the attention and giving them a tiny attention span. Learn the basics of announcing on radio and do not try to be overbearing on the listeners. Listeners would react if entertainment is provided in a balanced and presentable way. There’s a lot to learn from the Announcers of Akashvani- those working and retired.
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