Role of FM Radio as an Information Source among Youth in

Urban Thiruvananthapuram
Name

: Arya U R (MCJ Sem IV); Co-Author- Dr. Nirmal Jacob

Qualification : PhD ( Communication & Journalism), M.A ( Communication & Journalism),

University of Mysore.

Work Experience

11 Years

Official Address

: HoD, School of Media & Communication

: DePaul Institute of Science & Technology [DiST]

Home Address

: Chirakkal House, Paduapuram P.O, Karukutty, EKM Dist

: Kerala, Pin-683582

E-mail

: nirmaljacob@depaul.edu.in

Mob:

:9946641749

ABSTRACT

The present study focuses on the role of FM radio as an information source. The overall aim is to
develop knowledge on how the FM radios contribute as a source of information and help the
urban youth to improve their knowledge and keep them updated. It expounds the relationship
between FM radios and urban youth from the perspective of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation..
The researcher has selected 110 samples from colleges, shops and household within
Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. Data are collected from male and female youth. Questionnaire
was used as a tool for data collection. The study established that though as an entertainment
media, FM Radio has worked to improve awareness and knowledge among youth, ranging from
social issues, development, women empowerment, health and hygiene to local governance. The
station FM has been an appropriate medium that has facilitated an interface between duty bearers
and rights holders. The findings of the study also throw light on the urban consumerism on
advertisements by FM Radio. The study ends with some recommendations on how the FM radio
can best serve the interests of the listeners with informative and innovative programmes which
could contribute as a tool in the process of social development.
Key Words:FM, corporation, women empowerment, awareness.

Role of FM Radio as an Information Source among Youth in

Urban Thiruvananthapuram
Introduction
A combination of a number of discoveries of electro-magnetic waves, radio waves, the wireless
telegraph and the triode amplifier valve by technicians and scientists from different countries
gave rise to the development of wireless telegraphy and later to radio broadcasting. It took ten
years for wireless telegraphy, whose sole use was point-to point tele-communication, from ship
to ship and ship to shore, to become a broadcasting system that was one of the main media for
mass culture.
In 1896 Italian inventor Gugliemo Marconi created a wireless telegraph that used radio waves
to carry messages in Morse code. This was the first practical use of radio. Marconi employed his
business flair to establish the Marconi Wireless Telecommunication Company, in Italy, then
Britain and the USA, setting up a series of shore-based radio stations to receive and retransmit
telegraph signals to oceangoing ships, where telegraph wires could not reach. The company also
manufactured and operated the radio equipment. By 1913 Marconi dominated radio in Europe
and United States. This shift from one type of technological and social usage to another took
place in relation to two developments: Frist World War promoted the industrialization of
wireless telegraphy; secondly in the United States the radio created a communication
environment in which amateurs could operate freely. Radio broadcasting needed the mass
production of receivers and marketing for it to be commercially viable. This came about during
World War I largely because of military requirements. After the War, radio founded its
commercial base and was given a social form through a combination of several traditions- those
of telecommunications, mass industry and the press. The earliest radio transmissions in 1915
were by universities to disseminate news. The first radio stations were set up in Pittsburg, New
York and Chicago in the 1920s to broadcast election news, sporting events and opera
performances. By mid 1923 as many as 450 stations sprouted across the United States - all run
by amateurs. In Britain and in Europe, however, radio broadcasting was felt to be much
important a mass medium to be left to private profit oriented companies. Public service
broadcasting supported taxes or license fee and hence the advertising oriented commercial
3

broadcasting found widespread favor. Thus it was while the NBC and CBS were established as
private commercial stations in in the United States, the British Government took initiative to set
up the BBC in 1920 as an autonomous public service corporation. Other European countries
established national public service networks, some directly under government control, others as
autonomous establishments. Colonial powers like Britain and France opened broadcasting
stations (BBC World Service and Radio France) in Asia and Africa to extend their governance
over local populations and to propagate their interests in politics and trade. The United States
Government established the Voice of America.
The UK has a strong tradition of public service broadcasting, a flourishing commercial radio
industry and a growing community radio sector. The majority of stations in Britain are owned
and operated either by the British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC) or commercial companies.
BBC stations provided a wide variety of entertainment and information in both music and
speech formats.
South Africa is African continents major media player and its many broadcasters reflect the
diversity of population. The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the state
broadcaster with 20 regional and national services in 11 languages including English language.
network SA FM, contemporary music station 5FM, national Afrikaans station SonderGrense,
national Zulu Station Ukhozi FM and Sesotho station Lesedi FM.
The radio market place in the Far East is also growing rapidly with a number of private operators
growing alongside public broadcasters. Japans broadcasting scene is advanced and vibrant with
established public and commercial stations competing for audiences. The public broadcaster,
NHK is financed through a license fee and operates news and speech based Radio 1, cultural and
educational network Radio 2, classical music based network FM Radio and external service
Radio Japan.
FM Radio
FM has a much higher band of frequency than AM radio. FM has many advantages over
standard AM radio. It is ordinarily free from fading interference and noises. All stations within
reception range come in with equal strength and sound and is transmitted with much greater
clarity than AM radio.
4

FM was introduced in India in 1977 but was not really activated. It was activated in 1992. FM
service of AIR has two channels FM Rainbow and FM Gold. The programs content of these
channels are Indian and western music, contemporary style society, news bulletin and some
current affairs programs. The introduction of FM Channels in the metro centers has added a new
dimension to broadcasting and has raised the expectations of listeners countrywide. The private
FM broadcasting gave a distinct niche to FM culture in India. On August 15, 1993 a Frequency
Modulation Channel was launched in Bombay, with nine hours of radio time leased to private
producers like Times FM, Radiostar and Radio Midday. The AIR stations in Delhi, Bombay,
Panaji, Bangalore, Madras and Calcutta sold FM slots to private producers. The broadcasts in
most of cities were oriented to urban English speaking youth, with western pop music
dominating. Beside sponsored hit parades and count-downs, the FM programs included chat
shows contests and quizzes. Phone-ins, Page-ins and write-ins were the strategies used to involve
listeners. Advertising support for the leased slots are generous and as a result, revenue began to
soar. The new mass medium of urban India was ready to take off.
The style, format, content and personality of radio jockeys position in FM is a medium for the
youth. FM radio over the year has become the choice of more and more young people who also
include the mobile population- those switching it on in their vehicle. Most of the private FM
players own cross media ownership, these come in handy for publicizing the FM stations. The
private FM channels produce programs in formats that appeal to the largest common audience
based. They actually broadcast film songs, weather news, traffic information, interactive chats,
news and current affairs programs.
FM Radio in Kerala
Even though FM radio came a little late to Kerala after spreading its wings in different parts of
the country, it had led to a revolution among the radio listeners in Kerala. The historical launch
of first FM radio station, Radio Mango by Malayala Manorama group in Calicut on November
29, 2007 was followed by Mathrubhumi Publications FM, Asianet Communications Best
FM, Sun Networks Red FM and Times of Indias RadioMirchi. Big FM a joint venture
by Adlabs and Reliance joined the brigade later. The FM culture brought a change in terms of
entertainment for Kerala audience.

Kerala always had strong set of radio listeners. The

emergence of private FM players further led to the expansion of already existing market.
5

Presently, Kerala has FM radio stations in Calicut, Cochin, Kannur, Trissur and Trivandrum.
Akashvani had complete control and monopoly in the radio market of Kerala until the FM
stations flooded the state. FM stations gave a wakeup call to the monotonous radio presentation
style as well as the advertisers. The biggest trend of FM radio is that the youngsters of Kerala
who had no time for listening to boring programs of radio are now plugging in their headphones
and are listening to radio. The new style and format of the FM radio seem to have changed the
spirit of Kerala. The FM boom had also led to decline in the sales of music CDs and VCDs.
The non- keralites especially from other cities like Bangalore and Chennai feel good that they
can follow the same listening trends at their home in Kerala. But unlike other cities, the listeners
for FM radio stations are not the car riding population. It is the house wives, the aged, and the
students who tune in to these stations. Accordingly, the content of the radio stations are also
different. The infotainment factor is the key for the success of FM stations in Kerala. The usual
ad driven and urban youth based programming content that are followed in other parts of the
country is not the trend that is followed in these FM stations. Instead, social issues mixed with
humor, cookery and beauty tips occupy the top listing the favorites of the listeners.
YOUTH, THE INDIAN LISTENERS OF RADIO: SOME OBSERVATIONS a research
By Binod C Agrawal, TALEEM Research Foundation, Bhopal, Ahmedabad, India. Presented in
RadioAsia2011 Conference, February 21-23, 2011 at New Delhi India.
The aim of the study was to understand the radio listening by youth in sub-continent of India.
The observations made in the study are based on meta-analysis of several media studies
conducted over a period of time having a subsample of youth radio listener in each study. The
conclusion that was drawn from the brief observations is that over a period of timeradio
continues to thrive on the Indian film songs and music without generating much of its original
sound track of music and sounds. Youth listeners like other listeners are attracted to this genre of
song and music though among the urban youth listener western music is also making its mark.

Objectives of the Study:

The objective of the study is the role of FM radio as a source of information among youth in
Thiruvananthapuram

corporation

mainly

Vellayambalam,

Vazhuthakadu and Thambanoor.

Palayam,

Pattom,

Ulloor,

To study the attitude of youth about various contemporary topics discussed by R.J in
popular programs in FM .
To Study the influence of FM Radio in the safety and empowerment of women in
Thiruvananthapuram city.

Sample Selection
The sample of the study is those who listen to FM and between the age group of 17 years
to 30 years. The questionnaire survey is conducted among 110 youth. The demographic
variables that are used in the study are age, gender, education and occupation.
Source of Data
Two types of data collected through Research:
Primary Data
Data collected directly from the listeners through Questionnaires.
Secondary Data
Data collected from researches, books, newspapers, and online media.
Hypotheses
H0: FM radio is an information source for the youth in urban Thiruvananthapuram.
H1: FM radio is not an information source for the youth in urban Thiruvananthapuram.

Data Analysis

Chart : 1

Primary Data

Chart 1; Illustrates programs that have been ranked based on listeners interest on program
content, presentation style and importance. Majority of the respondents 59 percent (34% male
and 25% female) admitted they most liked is to listen the show Good morning. The other
55percent (24% male and 31% female) respondents like the show Clubmates which is a fun
and interactive program. The next 53 percent (27% male and 26% female) states that they enjoy
Hindi Company, a Hindi language based entertainment show. Whereas 48 percent (23% male
and 25% female), 47 percent (25% male and 22% female) and 42 percent (21% male and 21%
female) respondents said that they like Kalakkan Recharge, Salt & Pepper and KabadiKabadi
respectively. While 38 percent (17% male and 21 % female) respondents like the Film show
Balcony. In the same manner 37 percent (9% male and 28% female), 36 percent (24% male
and 12% female) and 14 percent (7% male and 7 % female) respondents said they like to listen
Ladies Neram, Motorcycle Diaries and It Happens Only in India respectively. At last 12 percent
(2% male and 10% female) respondents admitted that they dont listen to FM Radio or even like
the shows.

Chart 2 Primary Data

In figure 2, the respondents 13 percent (7% male and 6% female) admitted that they enjoy
participating in FM talk shows where as the majority 71 percent (41% male and 34% female) had
the opinion that they do not take part in the talk shows. This investigation shows that the
youngsters who were the respondents are less interested in participating in the talk shows.

Purpose of youngsters listening Club FM

Total

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Chart 3

70
48

44
24

24

22
12

Primary Data

Majority of the respondents 70 percent (45%male and 25% female) admitted that they listen to
FM for an entertainment purpose. And 48 percent of the respondents disclosed the purpose was
to enjoy listening songs, while 44 percent (25% male and 19% female) said that they use FM as
an information source. Whereas the respondents 24 percent each share the same opinion that they
enjoy FM for education as well as for health & cooking tips. Here the 22 percent (7% male and
15% female) respondents self-confessed that the purpose involves everything including
entertainment, education, information, health and cooking tips and last for listening songs. And
about 12 percent stands with the opinion that they are not even the listeners of FM.

Chart 4 Primary Data

Here the respondents about 40 percent argues that the show Ladies Neram empowers and
guides women. Whereas the 5 percent opinions that the show doesnt practice quality like
empowerment and guidance. Above all the 54 percent of the respondents admitted that they
dont know about the facts in Ladies Neram or about the show

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Chart 5 Primary Data

As shown in chart 5, the respondents have chosen the topics that they find in the show Ladies
Neram which they feels that empowers women. In this study, out of 100 respondents 12 percent
are non-listeners of the FM station. So according to the rest of the respondents, 40 percent (12%
male and 28% female) admitted that they find health and family care subjects that endows
women. The next 39 percent (12% male and 27% female) points out that the topic that they feel
empowers women from the show is about special awareness program. Whereas the 34 percent
(7% male and 27%female) and 32 percent (8% male and 24% female) respondents share that
they think the show empowers women in Beauty tips and Childcare respectively. On the other
hand the 30 percent (9% male and 21 % female) respondents argue that they think the programs
like Self-employment programs are empowerment for women. A total of 27 percent respondents
said that they felt fashion statements in the shows empower women the most. Similarly the other
group of about 26% indicated that the show gives details on profitable cottage industry; which
the respondents felt to empower women the most. A 12 percent stated that the topics related to

11

culture empowers the women from the show. At last a 5 percent and 4 percent of the respondents
responded that topics like gossip and politics were also attained by the women from the Ladies
Neram show.
Recommendations
Regular feedback from the listening public is essential in order to identify listeners preferences.
The taste of various listeners (youth, women, men) should be taken into consideration. The
shows like Kalakkan Recharge should include more topics relating to social and environmental
issues like land degradation, waste management and how these impact on peoples lively hood.
The use of local language, and local content generally, by the FM radios is another important
element of development and updating the public. The FM radios should also play a significant
role in promoting information on how to successfully start income-generating projects, or where
to acquire small-scale credits/loans to kick-start or expand ones business. This should be done
mainly focusing on the women target groups. Beside as an entertainer FM should promote
programs relating to upliftment of women society and their participation in many fields.
Interviews with social icons and special women related programs other than Ladies Neram can
be added with a different genre. Not only for youth but FM station can also start a new segment
mainly oriented to children, including songs, games, stories etc. which will enhance the listening
skills of children. Thus they will get more peculiar with the radio medium. The FM stations must
not be focused on profit motives, feed the audience on too much advertisement, music and DJ
jokes, it should have a quality of infotainment and must contribute as a tool in the process of
social development.

12

Conclusion
Role of FM Radio as a source of information among youth in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation
with special reference to FM, the demographic variables tend to play a very important role in this
study. With respect to the findings the researcher has found out that one of the hypotheses was
the result of the study. So that H0, the FM radio acts as an information source for the youth in
urban Thiruvananthapuram is the outcome of the research. Even though majority of these
respondents are females that is about 55%, the study finds that about 45% males tune in to the
station more often. The main objectives of the study included: to know the attitude of youth
about various contemporary topics discussed in talk shows like Good morning, Kalakan
Recharge, Ladies Neram, and It Happens Only in India; the influence of women oriented
programs in empowering women in the city and last the influence by the FM advertisements in
product consumption.

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