What you shouldn't say on radio

A DH journalist debuts as an RJ after a weeklong training

For many years, my day began with Sri Venkateswara Suprabhatham in the voice of M S Subbalakshmi, played on a commercial FM radio.

My father plays songs as he drives to work, but l have a list of favourite radio shows that involves RJs: Mad mornings with RJ Shraddha, Unplugged with Mayur, Retro Savari with Rapid Rashmi, Full Time Pass with RJ Pradeepa, and RJ Sunil’s prank calls. Some have gone off air.

Some time ago, singer Vijay Prakash’s interview on the radio kept me calm in a traffic snarl that did not move for an hour. Many years ago, I got to speak on the radio debate Should women work after marriage? and I was over the moon.

Being a Hindustani classical singer, I had the voice but could an introvert like me ever be a radio jockey (RJ)? Let’s find out, said a colleague, and put me on to RJ and emcee Sriram Sullia. He agreed to mentor me. He did not come across as an extrovert and that was reassuring.

Fanboy at the station

I visited the Fever 104 FM radio station in HAL Industrial Area in Bengaluru, my first time at a radio station, on December 9. Sriram is the voice of the station’s famous ‘The Superhero Show’, and also its head of content. Incidentally, he had been the first person to intern at the station in 2008.

Sriram’s story is interesting: he gave up job offers by corporates such as Goldman Sachs to pursue media studies. He wanted to be an RJ. This is his 15th year on the waves.

On the walls, portraits of legendary actors Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan and Shankar Nag, and actors from Bollywood, caught my attention.

“Hi Rakshith,” I heard Sriram’s crystal clear voice. He quickly introduced me to his colleagues. As we got chatting, I found they were musicians and theatre artistes, and naturally funny. My first apprehension: How am I going to be an RJ when I have no sense of humour?

Soon, I got to see professional headphones, monitors and consoles. I could not keep my phone down. I clicked a lot of photos.

Social media presence

Radio has ceased to be a primary source of entertainment in the cities. It has ceded that space to TV and the many visual attractions on the Internet. Nowadays, RJs need to double up as content creators, and have a good presence on social media, Sriram said.

His team records reels for Instagram every day, and they garner quite a few views. In one case, they clocked 12,000 views in a day.

On commercial FM, RJs can’t speak about religion and politics. “We get a licence, follow government norms, and pay royalties to the music labels to use their songs,” Sriram said.

Just like how Television Rating Point (TRP) is used to rate TV shows, Radio Audience Measurement (RAM) and Indian Readership Survey (IRS) are used to measure radio traffic. Traffic jams bring radio shows a lot of listenership, I learnt.

“All RJs are on a WhatsApp group where they get updates about traffic jams,” he said. Bengaluru has a network of three Kannada, three Hindi and two international radio stations, he told me.

RJs off air

Good RJs are good storytellers and getting there takes practice. “There are three types of RJs — some write down the full script, some jot down the bullet points and then speak, and a few talk without making notes,” he said.

Regrets are commonplace as RJs go blank on air sometimes. RJ Prithvi, host of the Mad Mornings, pitched in: “During the All India Radio (AIR) days, we did not have the technology to record. If we goofed up, we went home disappointed. I once announced one artiste and played another’s song.”

Most RJs, especially the newcomers, record their part a few hours before it goes on air, and then coordinate the songs, ads and recorded talk.

Awkward situations are not uncommon. RJ Sheetal Shenoy, the voice behind Bangalore Café, shared, “I ask 10 random questions about Bengaluru in a segment called Rapid Fire Round. A woman called up but didn’t want to respond to any question. She just wanted to be on air,’’ she recalled. And once, she had to promote “an energy pill for men”.

Presence of mind is critical in this medium. “I was hosting a show with a senior RJ. She forgot we were on air and asked me which song was lined up next. I covered it up saying it was a surprise and asked listeners to guess the song. Being silent for even two seconds on air is disastrous for an RJ,’’ Prithvi said.

RJs must also be willing to admit their mistakes on air. Prithvi once did a show on orphaned kids and his comments weren’t received well. “I am an atheist, and some listeners don’t like my opinion on matters related to God,’’ he said.

RJs get requests from boys to play Cupid. “We make surprise calls to these girls and facilitate the proposal. Most cases are successful,” Prithvi said.

First day nerves

Barely a week away from my radio debut, I wanted to know what their first day on air was like.

“I was scared to go live till I did about 100 shows,’’ Prithvi said. His story illustrates the lure of radio: A tennis player, he had participated in the US Open in 1997, and was on the verge of scalping a world ranking. Encouraged by his friends, he attended an audition at FM Rainbow, AIR, and made the cut. He has been RJing for 16 years. RJs like Suresh Venkat, Chaitanya Hegde and Rohit Barker inspire him.

Sheetal was emotional on her first day as an RJ. “My co-host RJ Rishi made a surprise call to my mother. My sister was also on that call. It was a proud moment for me and my family. They shared some nice and ugly stories from my childhood,’’ she said, chuckling.

While Sheetal is the only female RJ at the station currently, female RJs are a norm, not an exception. “They are preferred because they have a natural rapport with listeners,” she explained.

Training begins

Sriram began my training with theory. Guglielmo Marconi invented the radio in 1886. The first programmed radio broadcast in India was made by the Radio Club of Bombay in 1923. Bhoole Bisre Geet, Sangeet Sarita, Hawa Mahal and Jaimala were popular Indian radio shows in the early days. The first private FM station of Bengaluru, that is, Radio City, was set up in 2001.

Practical exercises followed. I was given a sheet of jumbled words and asked to read them out correctly. I was told to practise voice modulation and learn belly breathing, 4-7-8 breathing (involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds), and morning breathing. Sriram also gave me tips on how to pronounce articulators (such as b, f, ch, ng) and resonators (a, e, i, o, u), and improve tonal quality. Read the newspaper loudly to acquire clarity of speech, he said.

It was time for homework. I had to record a voice-over for a mock advertisement for a car brand. After 10-15 takes, I sent him the sample. He said I was speaking fast, and demonstrated how to pronounce the brand ‘Skoda’. I controlled my speed and gave it another shot. It sounded better. “Did you use any software to modify your voice?’ Sriram said, as a compliment.

The final goal was to host Sriram’s The Superhero Show. I started writing my script a day in advance. I trashed four drafts before settling on one. I shortlisted two ideas from a list of 12-13 that I wanted to talk about. The script contains a self-introduction, information about the subject, and an outro (a teaser for the upcoming segment). Song and ad cues make up the rest of the script.

During the rehearsals, I fumbled while pronouncing 104. Sriram said the numbers must be spoken individually — one, zero, four, and not one hundred and four. I said ‘Tune in’ when ‘enjoy’ and ‘listen’ are standard. I forgot to introduce myself as a journalist. I gave awkward pauses. Once, I forgot to press the ‘record’ button. This, because an RJ’s job is not only to rattle off lines but also to manage volume and mic, and play music.

In another recording, the background music was louder than my voice — I was inaudible. I felt embarrassed. Sriram gave me one last piece of advice: “No swear words. Or our station could be banned.’’

Going live

When I entered the radio station the next day, I was nervous. Sriram’s show runs for four hours and it took me seven hours to record 16 links (segments when RJs speak, which can be either recorded or live). The rest of the show is made up of songs
and ads.

In the first few links, I spoke about the life of a journalist. Sriram kept reminding me to say Ram Rakshith from Deccan Herald (jock ID), 104 FM (station ID) and the ‘The Superhero Show’ (show ID) at the start of every link. I also managed the audio of the show’s signature tune. It felt tedious to multitask but gradually I learnt to edit my recordings and store them in the right order.

I spoke to listeners for a contest segment. “In 30 seconds, name 10 Bollywood songs that have the word ‘Pyaar’,” I asked one. She could not think beyond three but we still gave her a restaurant voucher for Rs 1,500.

“Which celebrity’s wedding did Sufi singer Sonam Kalra perform at?” I asked the second caller. The celebrity is called ‘Desi girl’ — No sooner did I drop the hint than the caller screamed ‘Priyanka Chopra’. I asked her to name another big wedding where Sonam had played. Kareena Kapoor, came the response. We gave her a ticket to Sonam Kalra’s concert.

“You made the second caller comfortable and then asked the question. You are getting a hang of it now,” Sriram gave me feedback.

In later links, I switched to newsy stuff. I shared that work on the Whitefield and Electronic City Namma metro lines might get done by year-end.

Sriram joined me during the second half of the show and we discussed the proposed return of double-decker buses in Bengaluru. He recalled seeing one many years ago while I spoke of the competition it may face from Namma Metro.

Like RJ Sheetal, I made a surprise call to my mother Padma. “This is RJ Ram Rakshith on Fever 104 FM,” I said. She thought it was a prank and spoke to me normally. I had to convince her that we were on a live show. She came around and said she was proud that her son was an engineer, journalist and singer. I tried to control my tears. Switching the topic, she asked me to go home quickly as she had to go to a temple. Sriram could not control his laughter hearing our exchange. Make me a good dinner, I requested her, and disconnected the call.

I wound up reflecting on my first show as an RJ and singing Kesariya by Arijit Singh.

Sriram analysed my debut: “You handled some buttons well, and you spoke the right way today.’’

I went home and asked my friends and relatives to catch my show. A few joked that they would save my number as RJ Ram or RJ Rakshith. After my show went on air, many messaged Sriram on Instagram to ask how they could host the show.