Staying on top of the game

Taking care of listeners' needs will keep gn broadcasting a step ahead of its rivals, says VIkram Dhar, Head of gulf news broadcastin

All it takes is the touch of a button for the radio to fill in the blanks - blanks created by a long day at work, a fight with a spouse, traffic blockades or simply the need to unwind.

Radio is popular and to tap into this market, the Al Nisr Group launched Gulf News Broadcasting (GNB) which includes Radio 1 and Radio 2.

According to Vikram Dhar, Head of GNB, it was a pursuit that started seven years ago.

"We were unsuccessful in our first attempt to start GNB. To set up a radio station, one has to go through third parties for licensing and frequency allocation," Dhar said. That did not work out.

The opportunity came up again in 2005 when Emirates Media Inc. (EMI), the media wing of the Government of Abu Dhabi, closed down its newspaper and was looking to diversify into English media. A year later, EMI and Abu Dhabi Media Co. consented to allow Al Nisr Publishing (ANP), the media house that publishes Gulf News, to manage two English channels on their behalf. Gulf News Broadcasting was launched in August 2006.

For ANP, functioning predominantly as print publishers with Gulf News as its core business, the launch of GNB was a "logical and planned expansion" into broadcasting. "It was the next step as print publishing had already acquired certain stature," Dhar said.

Fifteen months into the business, Dhar is confident that Radio 1 and 2 will soon make their mark in terms of audience interactivity.

"There is no reliable research and there are no measurements. As long as the short text messages are on an upward curve we know that our audience reach is improving as more listeners interact. We are our only comparison," said Dhar.

Radio by itself is relatively young in the UAE - ten years to be exact. Any research done in English media to gauge an audience reaction or reach is based on information collected "from census data provided by the government or by various independent research bodies".

At GNB much emphasis is laid on "researched music" to understand the needs of its listeners. All play lists in the database are derived from multinational samples collected every year, an annual exercise to stay "on top of the game".

Dhar said: "We are constantly updating our music database to make sure our music is focused and listeners get what they want. It's music by the people and for them."
GNB is spreading its wings as one of the "new initiatives of Al Nisr Publishing".

Does it add to the brand building? "There will be a brand rub-off, as there is a reminder of Gulf News in our news bulletin sweeper. Each brand is in the business of building its own identity. We do the same," Dhar said.

As Gulf News corners a greater revenue share of the advertising basket, "the group becomes an influential player".

It is the case with an umbrella organisation. When each brand becomes valuable in its own right, the umbrella becomes even more powerful.

"Gulf News cascades its strength to all the other brands. When these brands get better, they return the strength. Already there are very high standards set to be attained," Dhar said.