Bliss.

Bliss.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

6th March, 2013 : Radio Gaga

  • Tune into any radiostation and brace yourself for the barrage of advertisements. Ranging from Real Estate (Zonasha Paradiso) to silks and even schools. What is particularly galling is that occasional ad about an ordinary property at a godforsaken end of the city having the usual amenities but voiced in the most sultry/throaty voice possible. Gosh, the nerve.
  • How is that silly voice supposed to attract me towards buying a piece of land?
  • Or how about that ad which proclaims "Now everybody wants to get married!". Sheesh.
  • And when hospitals begin to advertise commercially, I tend to wonder if I'm too idealistic.
  • There is that sheepish moment when you begin to take note of the new song you're listening to when suddenly, it hits you; It's not a movie song. It's a cunningly composed Advertisement.
  • All this is bearable and well within "limits" because when you hear a father informing a child (financially inclined, whatte prodigy!) about a certain mutual fund/ insurance policy you can't help but wonder what's wrong with the world. And our finance-Champ doesn't stop there. "Papa, can I also have this policy?" #FacePalm
  • Kindly tell me why a Chinese guy mumbing his Cantonese will entice me to try their technology? Even if its the exotic sounding foot reflexology.
  • Any advertisement veteran will dismiss by laments with a languid "We Mean Business" or suchlike but I'm still the naive idealist.
  • True enough, they want to sell their product. But why make it so blatantly obvious? (!) I've seen and heard some very creative/ intelligent ads that do a lot more than stubbornly insist that we buy their wares.

    Now let me appreciate the esteemed RJs/MJs in their venerable radio waves.
  • Most are bearable. I'll go even further to say that some are even good. I don't wish to be critical because going on air knowing that half the city is listening to you can be an intimidating fact. From exam tension related talk to the latest buzz in Btown, Radio hosts surely deserve credit for innovation and spreading cheer.
  • Most RJs have interesting shows and are up to date with the latest news ("I wish I had such a high IQ!" ) and even conduct polls "Do you think Rahul Gandhi is right in deciding not to marry and start a family (sic) ?" [Yeah. Ok.]
  • The Bakra/ Supari/ Shendi where they prank an unsuspecting soul is pretty hilarious.
  • RJs have certainly come a long way from 2007-08 when my favorite RJs were RJ Pavithra and RJ Pallavi. 
  • The frankness of some RJs can be disarming.("It's a mad morning!") The other tidbits like "Koffee with Kiran" or "Sultan's School of Speech" oscillate between garish/borderline vulgar and funny.
  • The occasional irritants are those who sound too lazy and lackadaisical or with interesting pronunciation. (I know Women's Day is around the corner but what is this about "Wemen"? Or is it, God forbid, Wee-Men?!)
  • Are some voices modified to sound more "Radio Friendly"? Because, surely, not every male is blessed with that deep baritone (HAHAHA. *Cough*) or every female with a glamorous sounding sexy voice. (What am I saying?)
  • How these composers manage to give a seemingly simple number like 94.3 or 93.5 a tune is beyond me. Interesting or not, after some time it tends to grate on (my) ears.

    Oh Yes, amidst all of this, there are the Songs!
  • What I appreciate is the Sunday/Thursday show at 10pm on Radio Indigo hosted by Dr. Shyam Bhat to address issues of a few people related to family, career and relationships. Good Job :)
  • All said and done, whether its 94.3, 91.9, 104 93.5 FM (or even 102.9 and 100.1 which surreptitiously listen to), a friendly voice is always a great comfort (when your away from friends and family in a hostel).

    All said and done, it's a LOT  better than listening to the monotony of 95.6 MHz.

  • Written when Radio was a companion. 


2 comments:

  1. And i thought i was the only one who listened to shyam bhat!
    -makshi(lol)

    ReplyDelete

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