Nagaland: FM Tragopan creating waves

In India, FM (FM Rainbow) was first introduced during the 1980s when radio listening was declining in urban areas. Today, FM is an essential medium of entertainment and news for most metro cities especially for young Indians. Although, delayed by a few decades the introduction of FM Tragopan in Nagaland last month is already creating waves in the State as well as neighboring states. Renzamo, a listener from Wokha admits that he recently tuned in to FM Tragopan in his car and liked it, leading him to buy radio from Dimapur. Viewing FM as an agent of change in Nagaland, Renzamo suggests the young and old to listen to the newly launched station because it not only provides good entertainment but also creates awareness on health, cleanliness and other social issues. FM Tragopan also covers many parts of Assam (Diphu, Karbi Anglong, Sivasagar, Lakhimpur) and Arunachal Pradesh. In just a few weeks of the launch, messages started pouring in from Nagaland as well as Assam. Messages mostly sent by the young range from song requests seeking encouragement in their frustration (one listener from Ekhao Village writes- “Nowadays feeling bored and discouraged due to unemployment so play me a song of encouragement to go on seeking for jobs”) or just simply thanking the station for the music as one cooks listening to the show.

A listener in Kohima notes that FM Tragopan is a “whiff of fresh air” in Nagaland. Although it still needs a lot of improvement, the station has revived the essence of mass communication. Following the policy of the Government of India to install FM transmission, FM Tragopan was officially launched in October. “A major objective was to provide better communication, information, education as well as to entertain the people of the State with quality coverage system,” said DDG (E) & Head of Office, All India Radio (AIR), KV Ramachandran. Named after the State bird ‘Blythe Tragopan’ –a rare and endangered species found in Nagaland, the FM station aims to create awareness on conserving the flora and fauna of the state. It caters programs related to all dialects of Nagaland, news, music and entertainment targeting the youth. “Since FM receivers are available cheap and easy to access in mobile phones and cars, the future of FM is bright as it provides good quality of coverage. FM will stand for many years till the digital radio mode receiver is available. FM Tragopan is also self-supporting transmission which needs to generate revenue,” stated Ramachandran, adding that once FM starts to generate revenue it will open a way for the youth of Nagaland to be employed as part time workers.

“Only after joining AIR as a Radio Jockey (RJ) did I realize that a huge part of the population still tune in to radio,” says RJ Atu of FM Tragopan, who is a favorite among listeners. The FM or radio trend might be outdated to many in Nagaland, however Atu views that in many developed countries, radio is an important medium of information. “FM Tragopan has been made available through DTH which means it is globalised. News and event updates are just a tap away from us, so it is much faster and easier for the people. It has so much to give and so much to learn at the same time,” Atu added. During a recent radio discussion on the scenario of media in Nagaland, News Reader Jonas Yanthan noted how radio has remained resilient over the years. When television first came to Nagaland, Yanthan recalled how many had predicted that that will be the end for radio. However, the good old fashioned radio has continued to be the favorite medium of mass communication for the greater part of Nagaland. “Radio is here to stay,” stated Yanthan, reminding that the advent of new media will not lessen the impact of radio as it still continues to reach out to people where other media cannot penetrate.