Joydeep Karmakar

A new jingle, new programmes and a whole new feel greeted the buddy brigade of 91.9 Friends FM and when they tuned in on Monday morning. All these changes simply mean that there will be something for everybody, right from Ghanchakkar babu to One, two, three, four/Get on the dance floor to Cactus, Fossils, Chandrabindoo and James. All the sweet rocking stomp will be accompanied by shows that cut across age groups, mindsets, tastes and sensibilities.

“We will be more relevant to the need of the hour. 91.9 Friends FM is presenting an all-new offering, aimed at listeners who are young in age, at heart and in the mind,” says Jaideep Banerjee, GM, programming and brand.

I for Innovation

The change he is talking about is all about innovation. From a music competition to a quiz show and much more. The special programmes over the weekends will be all about “appointment listening” or tuning in for a particular show at a particular time.

Olympic marksman Joydeep Karmakar will shoot from the lip on Saturdays (10-11am) to give a different spin to sports programming. “He will be speaking from a sportsman’s perspective… the psychology of a sportsman; how young listeners can prepare for a sporting event. Plus, of course, you will get to hear his experiences of being part of the Indian Olympics team,” adds Jaideep.

Sidhu of Cactus

Another high point of the change is Friends Live, a bid to encourage young musicians by giving them a platform to perform live in the studio in languages they are comfortable in.

Making a comeback is a quiz show. This time it will be an inter-school quiz hosted by Krishnendu Banik. His target group? Class IX to XII.

There’s more. Sidhu of Cactus will be on air with Friends Music Challenge, an interactive competition to test your knowledge of music through antakshari and other contests.

Game for more? English music will be thrown into the mix with a two-hour show on Sunday nights. “We will be playing songs from the ’60s to the present stuff –– Beatles, Eagles, Dire Straits, Abba, Osibisa to Linkin Park and Jay-Z.”

MIX 'N' MATCH

Even the daily line-up has undergone a change, starting Monday morning (7am) when RJ Radhica presents her “morning magazine” Good Morning Friends peppered with three features –– Abak Kabi (fun poems), Minumashi and a listeners’ opinion poll…. You can now leave home informed, high on entertainment and in a positive mood.

RJ Ryan is at the station with Barota Bajbe, a show on which you can “gift compliments” to people you care about. Then there is RJ Jinnia’s show about modern women, RJ Raja’s music mix Gaaner Pheriwalla, RJ Nilanjana’s shot of Tolly-Bolly-Holly entertainment and RJ Neel’s high-on-energy programme for the youth.

And oh, there is 44 Park Street with RJ Purbasha. Her show will complement retro music with some interesting concepts, like Paye-paye Kolkata which is an “audio documentary” on our city, and Arabian Nights.

And your friends at Friends FM will not leave out romantics. Gurukool will take on your love problems and offer solutions straight up.

So, tune into 91.9 Friends FM and find new friends for life.