The silent listeners

They form the biggest chunk of any channel’s listener base — people who tune in to listen to the shows, but would not call in. “Five years back, the people who called in were not more than 7 per cent of the listeners, a survey conducted in Delhi said. The figure may have gone up now, but it’ll certainly not be more than 10 per cent of the total listeners in Calcutta,” says Jaideep Banerjee, national programming head, Friends FM.

They are the passive listeners — satisfied as long as there is an uninterrupted flow of music in the background. We further divided them into three types.

The autorickshawallah: They are a big segment of listeners for any FM channel. Call out the destination, get your five passengers in, put the vehicle into top gear and switch on the FM with a single mover in one motion — and here’s the noise to beat the street. At each signal, they’ll stop and switch the channel, probably to track a Himesh number. If not, something else loud enough to pummel the ears flat. What they definitely don’t care for is the RJ speak. “They are so wrapped in the music that it becomes really dangerous. And you cannot hear your phone ring or have a conversation, because these days many even refuse to turn down the volume,” says 28-year-old Poushali Bandopadhyay, a daily commuter by auto.

Things may change now, though. They have Mamata Banerjee speaking up for them in more than two strokes, 24x7. Why didn’t someone give her voice modulation lessons and make her an RJ?

The daily commuter: It is his or her habit to switch on the FM the minute of stepping into the car, or bus. But the commuter-listener may not be very attentive — “Unless it’s a song that I particularly like. But I like some catchy or soft number playing on FM while I travel. Though of course, I make a lot of my calls while I am travelling and then I don’t pay attention to what’s on,” says Devleena Chakraverty, a media personnel.

The workplace listener: This is what the commuter morphs into in the workplace, if FM is allowed. You know them by their absorbed look. They comprise a major part of the workforce, in the organised and unorganised sector. The headphone in a snazzy office is the equivalent of the “Do Not Disturb” sign. It means: “Do not speak to me, unless it is to tell me that I have got an incentive.” (But it is not easy to send the same message with a big radio set, say, at a carpenter’s workshop. It’s an unfair world.)

The vocal

So who listens to the RJ? The active listeners do. They call in with views, requests and answers — making it easier for the channel to gauge the popularity of the show and making listening more interesting for the other listeners. They are in great demand. They can be divided into several categories:

The lover: All the world loves a lover but an FM channel is devoted to them. Especially to a pining heart. “My boyfriend is not taking my call. I have done everything I could to reach him. What do you think I should do?” Any self-respecting RJ will lend his or her shoulder to cry on, right there.

RJ Nilanjana speaks to callers at the Friends FM studio. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

Veteran RJ and Red FM station head Jimmy Tangree agrees that the “largest response comes from people who want to share their feelings”. He adds: “We have husband and wives, we have lovers who have fought and called, sometimes we connect lost lovers. Not all calls can be taken on air, but we talk to them and help them as best as we can.”

The distraught mother: Like love, anything to do with children, their education, upbringing and health, is sure to be a hit. “My son is six and he has suddenly started putting on weight. He used to swim and I have noticed that he has gained a lot of weight in the past month, ever since he stopped swimming,” a mother cries to a consultant pediatrician on a show. Another mum cribbed: “My 10-year-old daughter doesn’t eat. She is active and well, but I fear she is not getting the right amount of nutrients.” The harassed mom can always talk here, if not anywhere else.

The opinionated: For many — and Calcutta is famous for this type — FM is the best platform to air views, for the reach extends much beyond the para adda circle. Whatever the topic — Nano or auto, first love or first job — this listener must have his say. “It gives me a sense of involvement,” says Deep Chatterjee, a 30-year-old frequent dialler.

“I just want India to have a peaceful year in 2009,” says one caller on an FM channel, while on another frequency, a Calcuttan is heard saying, “I love the Calcutta winter. As a kid I used to hate going to school in winter, but now I miss the holidays.” It is added attraction to hear your own voice, again.

The contest freak: The avid, fanatic kind, obsessive about incessantly trying the hotline to answer who stars in the next release and win a free ticket for two to the movie. For some of them, no matter what the prize is, just getting the answer in is a huge high. And so the lines are always busy when a question is to be answered. “On-air contests get the highest number of callers,” says Nilanjana of Friends FM. But Jimmy cautions: “Keep the quiz simple. You can’t be very serious on FM.” No wonder film quizzes are the most popular.

The working-person on a break: Lunch hours and breaks get a lot of working people calling in with their requests and views on an ongoing discussion. “I remember we got a call from a surgeon who had just come out of an open-skull surgery and tuned in to the FM for some relaxation,” remembers Rakesh, of the Rakesh and Pragya duo on Big FM. “We get a lot of calls from BPO workers at night. They tell us that they are taking a break from work, chilling in the canteen with friends and call in to request their favourite songs,” says Jimmy. FM gives call-centre employees a chance to call someone.

The flirt/ the eager/ the listener who wants to get close: Every RJ has to handle them, listeners wanting to get close and personal with their favourite RJ. “Where do you live?” “Do you have a boyfriend?” “Can I get your personal contact number?” “I love your voice, can I meet you?” “Will you be my friend?” — this caller has lost his heart to his unseen RJ. “Sometimes I flirt too. But if they ask for my number I give the office number. If they ask for my mobile...I say something like I have lost five mobiles and my parents are not buying me another,” says RJ Neel of Big FM with a laugh. But if he gets out of bounds, the young RJ’s sensual drawl at midnight changes somewhat. “If they ask for my address... I might say, who knows I might be very close to you. May be you sit next to me on the bus every day,” Neel adds.

But of course, the most common introduction from a caller on FM still remains: “I am a housewife…” Are they the loneliest of people?