FM stations of All India Radio (AIR), No.1 in listnership

FM stations of All India Radio (AIR) have highest number of listeners in metros as compared to private stations. The average listener ship of AIR's Rainbow and Gold channel in the country stood at 49.5 percent and 29.5 percent respectively followed by private-owned stations like Radio Mirchi, Red FM, Radio City and Suryan FM among others.

The results were the outcome of a listeners survey conducted by Audience Research Unit  of All India Radio (AIR) during 2008-09 in 18 metros across the country.

In Delhi,  47 percent of the listeners tuned in to FM Gold while 28 percent tuned in to FM Rainbow. Among the private players, Radio Mirchi has the highest listenership of 38 percent followed by Radio city with 26 percent. 

Similarly in Mumbai and Kolkata, AIR stations ruled the airwaves. In Kolkata, Radio Mirchi, however, gave a tough competition to FM Rainbow with a listenership of 27.5 percent as against Rainbow's 28.7 percent.

In Mumbai, FM Rainbow and FM Gold were the choice of 45.5 percent and 51 percent respectively, the Minister said. Chennai was the only city where private-owned Suryan FM topped the list with 52.5 percent listeners tunning to the station. 

The listenership for FM Rainbow stood at 24.3 percent and only three percent for FM Gold. Among other cities, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kanpur and Lucknow had a large number of FM Rainbow followers with the listenership figure ranging from 69 percent to 79 percent.