20 yrs on, Kodai FM has fans from 24 dists hooked on

Madurai: R Saravanan, 53, a farmer from Chinniyampalayam in Erode district every day wakes up to Kodai FM (100.5 MHz) and when he is on his farmland he listens to it through an amplifier tied to his pump set room.

An ardent fan of Kodai FM, Saravanan has been listening to it for the past 12 years. Vaanavil, a discussion involving listener’s participation, broadcast between 9am and 10am is his favourite. “My first alarm is my cockerels and Kodai FM is my second. It not only keeps us entertained, but also enlightens us,” he said.

Kodai FM (owned by All India Radio) completes 20 years on July 1. The FM offers programmes for all sections like women, Tamil lovers, youth and elderly people. To encourage participation of women and first-time callers, a separate line for each have been dedicated. Apart from Vaanavil, Vannathurigai (riddle, cinema quiz and one-minute pure Tamil speech challenge) and Ilamai Pesugirathu (for college students) are popular too.

The FM is transmitted from the less populated Kodaikanal town in Dindigul district, but is one the flagship revenue generators among FM Rainbow channels throughout India. The cost of advertisement in the channel is equal to stations like Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata, say officials.

N Jamal Moideen, a listener from Vandanmedu in Idukki district said, “I have been listening the to FM since its inception and most of the RJs are like my family. I am drawn too close that I have taken part a few annual functions.”

L S Devasenathibathi, casual Radio Jockey associated with the FM since 2003, said there are 80 radio jockeys of which around 50 of them are from Kodaikanal villages and small towns nearby.

“There is no separate RJs for each programme unlike other private commercial FMs. Whoever is on shift will take care of the programmes, which gives an opportunity to learn a lot,” he said.

Located in a high altitude, the FM reaches 24 districts in Tamil Nadu. Programme Executive cum office head M John Prathap Kumar said that normally an FM has range of 80 km radius, whereas Kodai FM can reach up to Hosur in Krishnagiri district in the north and Nanguneri in Tirunelveli district in the south.

He claims that the FM has an audience of 2.5 crore as it also reaches Munnar, eastern parts of Idukki and parts of Palakkad district in Kerala and occasionally Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.

“Some of the private FM stations would be envy of our revenue. It has crossed Rs 12 crore a year, though the revenue has fallen to Rs 8 crore in recent years due to various factors,” he said.

During Tsunami, the FM was quick in alerting fishermen in deep seas to bring them to safety. There were feedbacks that time from fishermen that they could listen to announcements from the FM from some parts of Sri Lanka, although there is no proof to show regular listeners from the Island nation.


Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.