Have given the program idea to my program officer and have got it approved. As of now we have got Ramanujam Sridhar to speak on PR. This coming Monday we will be having Oum Pradutt to speak on event management as a career.

Hoping to rope in some more people from the field to speak on various careers like animation, hotel management, travel and tourism and more.

In case if anyone is interested, do tune in every Monday   on FM Rainbow on 101.3MHz between 2.00 and 3.00 pm. In case you need will send you more details if you send across a mail to me.

The other day, I was listening to Radio One just before dozing off in the night. Yes, I have absolutely no qualms in admitting that I do listen to other stations as much as I listen to the station I work for, which happens to be FM Rainbow on 101.3MHz.

So coming to Radio One and the RJ’s show. A person who has been an RJ at Rainbow; in fact almost all RJ’s on Radio One have worked at rainbow. Nevertheless talking about the show I listened to, Anjaan the RJ mentioned he would give couple passes for an evening party at Hint. To be able to go the party one had to get the name of the lounge restaurant Hint right. Three options were given, in that one happened to be HYNT as well. I thought for fun let me send out an SMS. So there I sent out the SMS like a ordinary listener with the answer as HYNT. In a couple of minutes I got a call from Anjaan. He didn’t recognize me at that moment that I was Reshma Krishnamurthy, RJ of FM Rainbow & his ex-colleague. Anyway he asked me the question and I gave the answer as HYNT.

Overexcited Anjaan said I have won the tickets and mentioned I could go HYNT the next evening and ask for my name in Radio One guest list. I said fine as I was happy to be present the next day at the said venue.

Oh, not to forget most private stations including Radio Mirchi and Radio One record the so-called live calls, so if you listen to a listener on air speaking to the RJ, it is most likely to be a recording done a couple of minutes ago. Thankfully, even now we have live calls at FM Rainbow, which does make the job all the more challenging than playing a recorded version of the live call.

All right coming to the goof up, so myself like an ordinary enthusiast intending to have a good time at the restaurant, asked for my name in Radio One guest list at Hint, above Bangalore Central. The lady at the venue – Hint, yes firstly I realized I had given the wrong answer and was announced as the winner on air. With me were several others who gave the same answer as HYNT while the place is spelt HINT!

So, I asked the lady to check my name in the Radio One guest list. She looked at me weirdly and said my name cannot be found, as they do not have a tie up with Radio One but with Radio Indigo. Stunned, I asked her how could the RJ announce on air that there is a party over here and I have won the couple pass. I showed her my SMS too. And then I mentioned how did Anjaan do this?

Suddenly the lady sprung up in action almost screaming, “ Oh, Anjaan! that guy has been sending listeners here while we do not have a tie up with the radio station.” I decided I’ll walk out as it was no fault of the restaurant. Just then the manager intervened and said myself and my husband could walk in.

I finally did have a good time though I wondered the so-called private radio stations boast of flawless transmissions and ‘connecting’ with the listener. If this is how you connect, then the government run radio stations are much better! At least they don’t put you in embarrassing situations!

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People say wisdom comes with experience and more likely you will get that experience as you age. But of late the people I have seen in their old age they seem to be completely disconnected with what’s going around them. The grasping power, alertness, fitness level, and enthusiasm everything comes down. Sad but true, such points make me feel I hope I will be in my senses completely till I am laid to rest.

Difficult but one day we too will be old and youngsters around us may feel at one point we are a burden. So the next time your granny or any other aged person around you, show that extra bit of courtesy, which requires extra effort from your end.

Until then age gracefully. So while you contemplate on getting botox or other modern day treatments, try and keep your brains active too if possible.

Here are a few tips for all those would be RJ’s. These suggestions are based out of my experience as a RJ at FM Rainbow, 101. 3MHz in Bangalore.

RADIO AND YOU
Reaching to the TA – Target Audience

·Connecting with people – Relate to people, understand their routine, talk about what affects them.

·Talk as though you are talking on a one-on-one basis to each individual listener.

·Extend your personality through your voice.

·Communication and Language skills – The shows you host should not be for a dead audience. You obviously need to posses good language skills; be warned I don’t mean that you use words that no one will understand but use simple and clear words – do not chew up on words, every breath you take and the gesture you make is heard and I think it is as good as ‘seen on radio’. The listener gets to know if at all you are interested in being there or not. And do not show off your language skills by using hi-funda words – it’s not required.

Variety – the Keyword

·Do not have a set format- don’t get the listener predict your show. It shouldn’t be that the listener gets to speak out as to what you are going to do next. You can have some things like one of our rj’s has this doom pataka gana of the week and another rj puts indi-pop hit of the week but it shouldn’t be that everything is textbook format.

·Modulate your voice. Know very well which pitch is to be used in what situation. Immediately after a song like Paani Paani re from Maachis which is a slow and soft number; suddenly at the end of the song the listener does not want a voice coming up and saying “ Yo that was Paani Paani re from Maachis, a soothing number by the nightingale of India and so on. Your voice does not make a pleasant hearing and on the other hand you have a number like Dus Bahane, a foot tapping number and when it’s time to speak you start of with “ That was dus bahane from the movie dus”. That can really irritate your listener, as you don’t sound enthusiastic after an energetic song. The point being -Analyze the situation and then speak.

·Choice of music can be varied as well; but be sure to know your music. If you don’t know the song take time to play that in the Cd library the previous day or just before your show so that you know the tempo of the song and you also know which song is to be played at what time of the show. Like for example selection of music for the morning programmes should be a mix of energetic wake up numbers and soft music.

Do the back end work·

Listen to other shows hosted by other radio jockeys of all transmissions. Do listen to other stations also. You definitely get to know what competition is doing.

·If need do have a written script; but do not read them – Please remember RJing is not News reading.

·Get the right feedback from people who are willing to give constructive criticism. Mind you ignore cynical critics.

·Be well aware- RJing is not only about music. If there is a current event happening in your cityor anywhere else, that is of major importance get some knowledge before you enter the studio.

Be Careful- It’s a Live and Hot medium

·Be responsible in your work- your image may be fun loving, cool but you are representing the station.

·No slang, offence to any religion, be careful while pronouncing names of people.

Critical things to remember

·Stay local – speak the lingo of your city people. Know the regional language of the city you belong. It helps to connect with a wider audience.

·Talk on things that you are aware of.

·Common complaint – All RJ’s sound the same. Don’t be under the false impression that speaking fast, high pitch, jabbering away is RJing.

·Try and develop your own style – Add a zing to your show.

·Do not copy others.

·Don’t have a fake accent. Listener is not foolish to accept your accent.

·Image, popularity is all like age, withers away soon. So you may be the rj of the current times but do not let this get into your head and behave normal in public. You don’t have to let everyone feel that you are carrying the baggage the being an rj.

·Don’t use slang after you keep the phone with the listener. You had it if the call is not disconnected completely.

·Most importantly remember that Rjing is there for today and maybe gone tomorrow. So don’t carry around this ego that you are a celebrity. Keep your head firmly on your shoulders – as long as you are in this profession do your best.

So good luck to all those who are dreaming of grabbing that hot seat!

I have a friend who literally pushes me to do more work particularly on writing. This is so if I have taken it easy and not got into writing in the last few days.

While I do feel it helps me as I get the pressure and as a result I do write more. However I am also brought to think about countless children whose parents act pushy to make them ‘The Wonder kids’. Does it help them or does it add to the pressure. It is not only students. I have found this tendency in some of my earlier bosses who thought being pushy helps.

Guess it is the choice of the individual whether he/she wants to be encouraged this way or does a person feel it is little too intrusive if someone keeps saying ‘You need to do better, you can do better, you are not doing much”.

All said and done, If I want to be pushed to do more work by a person like my friend then I think it helps. It really didn’t work with me when my ex-boss was trying the same trick.

So be careful if you want to be pushed around even if you or the other person thinks it is for betterment in work.

If spitting on roads would only be viewed as a serious crime in our cities, I am sure it would have made a difference in improving the image of the city. Yesterday after work at the radio station I was rushing back home beating the unexpected showers that hit Bangalore and guess what???? All throughout the way every two-wheeler, which was ahead of me, had a rider who was spitting on the wet roads. I wanted to stop each one of them and ask what would you do if one-day mother earth will spit back at you. Would you like it? But hey until a kind of enforcement is put and people are made aware that this is not good etiquette. Oh yes I know about etiquettes. Yesterday on my show I had Kauser Khan, grooming and etiquette expert in Bangalore and we had this amazing live chat on etiquettes on radio. May be on my way back home I was thinking about the right Indian etiquettes that we already have and those which we have lost. Probably this is an etiquette we need to learn afresh.

DON’T SPIT AT PUBLIC PLACES. It most definitely doesn’t speak good about you.