Vividh Bharati
Encyclopedia
The Vividh Bharati Service of All India Radio
was conceptualized to combat Radio Ceylon
in 1957. Within no time it proved to be a popular channel of every household. Vividh Bharati radio channel was launched on October 3, 1957. The service provides entertainment for nearly 15 to 17 hours a day. It presents a mix of film music, skits, short plays and interactive programmes, Some of the old popular programmes of Vividh Bharati are 'Sangeet Sarita', 'Bhule Bisre Geet', Hawa Mahal
, 'Jaimala', 'Inse Miliye', 'Chhaya Geet' etc., are still distinctly recognized by the listeners. From time to time new programmes were introduced like 'Biscope Ke Batein', 'Sargam Ke Sitare', 'Celluloid Ke Sitare', 'Sehatnama', &' Hello Farmaish'.
All these programmes are produced centrally at Vividh Bharati Service, Borivili, Mumbai
and up-linked to the satellite. 40 Vividh Bharati stations across the country down-linked these programmes through captive earth stations provided at each of these AIR stations. Some local programme windows are also provided at these stations to give regional flavour to the listeners. These 40 Vividh Bharati stations are known as Commercial Broadcasting Service Stations and are located at all major and commercially vibrant cities covering 97% of the Indian population.
Over the years a number prominent people from Hindi cinema have lent their voice to the channel, including, Lata Mangeshkar
and actors Raaj Kumar
and Amitabh Bachchan
, who worked as a radio broadcaster in his early career, many celebrities take part in the popular show Vishesh Jaimala to encourage Indian Army
and BSF
soldiers. Today its archives which started the record of film, Yehudi Ki Beti in 1933, has 22,000 ghazal
s, geets
and Hindi film song
s. The station celebrated its golden anniversary on October 3, 2007.
In 1999 Vividh Bharati Service proved its success connecting Indian Soldiers posted on remote border areas to their family members through a special programme entitled "Hello Kargil" (during Kargil War
), through which not only the family members of the soldiers , but even a layman including young and old conveyed their best wishes to the soldiers to keep up their morale. Eminent actors, play back singers, renowned writers, lyricists, directors and music directors have found way to express their experience and opinion through the Vividh Bharati Platform . A special programme entitled "Ujaale Unki Yaadon Ke" takes the listeners into the world of nostalgia dipping into the memories of the artists of the yester years. With the advent of new technology the transmission of programmes gradually migrated from earlier medium wave transmission to high quality digital stereo FM.
This service now enjoys global listenership through Direct to Home Service (DTH) besides other 11 channels of All India Radio.
AIR had been receiving advertisements through its registered agencies only. With the changing demand of the environment, direct clients are also entertained by all AIR stations. In remote and far flung areas, canvassers are appointed for bringing in local business. There are 15 main CBS Stations, located in each state capital responsible for booking for their entire state. Besides there is a Central Sales Unit called as CSU at Mumbai meant for booking for more than one state. A single window booking facility is available in CSU to facilitate bulk booking with a single contract. Further details of CSU are available at their website" www.csuair.org.in".
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
was conceptualized to combat Radio Ceylon
Radio Ceylon
Radio Ceylon is the oldest radio station in Asia. Broadcasting was started on an experimental basis in Ceylon by the Telegraph Department in 1923, just three years after the inauguration of broadcasting in Europe.- Edward Harper :...
in 1957. Within no time it proved to be a popular channel of every household. Vividh Bharati radio channel was launched on October 3, 1957. The service provides entertainment for nearly 15 to 17 hours a day. It presents a mix of film music, skits, short plays and interactive programmes, Some of the old popular programmes of Vividh Bharati are 'Sangeet Sarita', 'Bhule Bisre Geet', Hawa Mahal
Hawa Mahal (radio program)
Hawa Mahal is a popular nightly radio show in India broadcast on the Vividh Bharati service. It has a skit-format, where stories from various writers were dramatized into plays...
, 'Jaimala', 'Inse Miliye', 'Chhaya Geet' etc., are still distinctly recognized by the listeners. From time to time new programmes were introduced like 'Biscope Ke Batein', 'Sargam Ke Sitare', 'Celluloid Ke Sitare', 'Sehatnama', &' Hello Farmaish'.
All these programmes are produced centrally at Vividh Bharati Service, Borivili, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
and up-linked to the satellite. 40 Vividh Bharati stations across the country down-linked these programmes through captive earth stations provided at each of these AIR stations. Some local programme windows are also provided at these stations to give regional flavour to the listeners. These 40 Vividh Bharati stations are known as Commercial Broadcasting Service Stations and are located at all major and commercially vibrant cities covering 97% of the Indian population.
Over the years a number prominent people from Hindi cinema have lent their voice to the channel, including, Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
and actors Raaj Kumar
Raaj Kumar
Raaj Kumar , born Kulbushan Pandit was an Indian actor in Hindi movies. Raaj Kumar started out as sub-inspector of Mumbai police in the late 1940s before he turned to acting with the 1952 film Rangili...
and Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
, who worked as a radio broadcaster in his early career, many celebrities take part in the popular show Vishesh Jaimala to encourage Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
and BSF
Border Security Force
The Border Security Force is a border patrol agency of the Government of India. Established on December 1, 1965, it is one of the Central Armed Police Forces. Its primary role is to guard India's international borders during peacetime and also prevent transnational crime...
soldiers. Today its archives which started the record of film, Yehudi Ki Beti in 1933, has 22,000 ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
s, geets
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
and Hindi film song
Bollywood songs
Bollywood songs, more formally known as Hindi movie songs, are songs featured in Bollywood films, often performed in item numbers.The language of Hindi movie songs, generally termed Hindi, can be complex. Some songs are saturated with Urdu and Persian terms and it is not uncommon to hear use of...
s. The station celebrated its golden anniversary on October 3, 2007.
History
Commercials were introduced initially in the Vividh Bharati Service in the year 1967 on an experimental basis. Realising the role of advertising in accelerating the social and material progress of the country, commercials were extended to Primary channels including FM & Local Radio Stations MW 1KW in a phased manner. Advertising on Radio is not only cost effective to the advertisers but also has the potential to reach far flung areas where no other mass media has succeeded in making any tangible dent.In 1999 Vividh Bharati Service proved its success connecting Indian Soldiers posted on remote border areas to their family members through a special programme entitled "Hello Kargil" (during Kargil War
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
), through which not only the family members of the soldiers , but even a layman including young and old conveyed their best wishes to the soldiers to keep up their morale. Eminent actors, play back singers, renowned writers, lyricists, directors and music directors have found way to express their experience and opinion through the Vividh Bharati Platform . A special programme entitled "Ujaale Unki Yaadon Ke" takes the listeners into the world of nostalgia dipping into the memories of the artists of the yester years. With the advent of new technology the transmission of programmes gradually migrated from earlier medium wave transmission to high quality digital stereo FM.
This service now enjoys global listenership through Direct to Home Service (DTH) besides other 11 channels of All India Radio.
AIR had been receiving advertisements through its registered agencies only. With the changing demand of the environment, direct clients are also entertained by all AIR stations. In remote and far flung areas, canvassers are appointed for bringing in local business. There are 15 main CBS Stations, located in each state capital responsible for booking for their entire state. Besides there is a Central Sales Unit called as CSU at Mumbai meant for booking for more than one state. A single window booking facility is available in CSU to facilitate bulk booking with a single contract. Further details of CSU are available at their website" www.csuair.org.in".
Hindi language
- Hawa MahalHawa Mahal (radio program)Hawa Mahal is a popular nightly radio show in India broadcast on the Vividh Bharati service. It has a skit-format, where stories from various writers were dramatized into plays...
- Sangam
- Sangeet Sarita
- Bhule Bisre Geet
- Jaimala and Vishesh Jaimala
- Inse Miliye
- Chhaya Geet
- Biscope Ke Batein
- Sargam Ke Sitare
- Celluloid Ke Sitare
- Sehatnama
- Hello Farmaish
Telugu language
- Eka Chitra Geetalu - Telugu songs (4-5) from one film
- Harivillu - Programme on a specific topic using Telugu film songs
- Hello F.M. - Live Phone-in programme on Telugu film songs
- Janaranjani - Telugu film songs on popular demand