Necessity is the mother of invention and it holds true for our entrepreneur of the month, Renuka Arora Bhagat, who co-established our ONLY Hindi radio station Masti 96.3 FM in Singapore!
Renuka is a Delhiite and she’s always loved music. When she moved to Singapore she really missed her radio channels back home. She took a step and started exploring the media world around. That’s when Renuka was introduced to Rafiqul Haque, who after successfully running 8 radio stations back in Bangladesh, was pursuing his interest in expanding his radio business in Spore. Together, they worked towards the establishment of Masti 96.3 FM, on AIR from 28 Nov 2009. Masti 96.3FM, the ONLY Bollywood radio station in Spore, broadcasts Hindi programmes LIVE daily from 5 pm to 8 pm. A variety of programmes catering to all age and interest groups, regular updates on weather in Singapore and the main cities of India, traffic, business, sports, all within the blanket of not only the latest Bollywood music but also the golden music from yesteryears! Radio Masti 96.3FM has LIVE streaming (www.xfm963.sg) too. It is available for iPhone and selected HTC phones too, under the umbrella of the MeRadio app.
Like most other entrepreneurial ventures, Radio Masti also faced the initial challenges of establishing themselves and creating a “brand”. However, with focus, hard work and dedication of the team, things have certainly started working positively for them. Today, advertisers are happy to endorse for using Radio Masti as the medium to reach out to a large number of target audience out there. MediaCorp estimates Radio Masti’s listeners’ base to be approx 1.4mil, which includes not only the expat Indians but also a percentage of Sri-Lankans, Pakistanis, Nepalese, Bangladeshis, Malays, and local Singaporeans – all with a common passion for Bollywood music.
The partners, Renuka and Rafiqul complement each other in many ways – be it managerial, technical, production, sales, strategy and much more! Of course, the team consisting of RJ Mehak, production lead, Dewan Hasan along with others – continue to be strong pillars in their own areas as well!
Hats off to Renuka’s multi-faceted, entrepreneurship and hands-on managerial skills. Mind you, she is a high profile corporate lady, really proud of her current global position at a large MNC where she manages multi-million projects. A Business management degree from Delhi and an SAP certification to her credit, Renuka loves the voice of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, the king of Sufi!
Renuka loves challenges and aims to come out of them successfully with her sheer dedication, focus, and determination to succeed…Masti is her foray into the media world and not only does she work hard towards managing the station but also towards establishing herself as an RJ! Her weekend program Hafta Wasool is quite popular with the listeners too!
While answering the question of requirements to be a good RJ, Renuka answered: “Voice is no more the triumph card for winning listeners on the radio”. The job of a radio jockey involves much more today. Ready wit, smiling voice, extempore ability, humor, knowledge, and, of all things, a genuine effort to closely associate yourself with the listeners – all this put together with help play the perfect tune for radio jockeying. “Your personality must be portrayed through radio”.
Being the only Hindi radio station in Spore, there’s a lot of personal touch and openness to interaction with the audience in each program. RJs become a part of many listeners’ lives and there is an unspoken emotional bond that binds audience with the RJs.
Her corporate life satiates her intellectual competence and her media life helps in building social capital as she loves music. Being an HR professional, Renuka loves to interact with people too!
The sky is the limit when you are determined, committed and have the support of your family! Who says it’s difficult to pursue your passion for your profession? Here is Renuka, who is successfully pursuing both – besides of course the personal commitments and challenges all women have! After all, she is a true face of an Indian woman, a successful multi-tasker! Cheers for Indian superwomen!
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