The Department of Liberal Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (DLHS) at MAHE Bengaluru organized a Media Workshop on creating potent aural experiences for contemporary listeners, conducted by Dr. Padmakumar K on 6th October 2023. The workshop was attended by students of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The workshop commenced with a brief introduction of Padmakumar, a former Radio Jockey at Radio City, and an established professor at 沙巴体育 Institute of Communication (MIC). Mr. Padmakumar shed light on the fact that the radio is still kicking in the digital age, highlighting the ritualistic nature of radio, and how music has always been psychologically connected to human emotions.

He went on to state that the target audience for any radio station has always been the population between 18-25 years of age. “The opinions of your age group are valued the most, because teens want to be you, and older demographics miss being you. You are the influencers” Padmakumar stated. He elaborated on his statement, introducing the concept of ‘theatre of the mind’. He defined the concept as knowing the right balance of creativity, details and relevant humor, so as to understand your target audience and capture their attention effortlessly.

“Radio and podcasts are emotion-based mediums, they’re meant to have the effect of one-on-one personalized conversations. Almost exactly like a first date.” He told the audience. Padmakumar went on to explain the integral role of ethnography and establishing a casual connection with your audience to facilitate relatability, emphasizing the importance of humility and avoiding putting oneself on a pedestal.

He elaborated on the structure of a radio station, and how each show, depending on the time of the day, must align with the personality of the radio jockey. The audience was tasked with curating a radio station of their own, with apt radio shows while maintaining the structure of opening and closing links per hour. The task was followed by a volunteer-based activity, wherein two students sat face to face in front of the audience to carry a lively conversation, imitating a radio show. The activity proved to be next to impossible for students, mainly due to the pressure of having an audience watching them intently. The activity accentuated the presence of dead silences between sentences. “Dead air while you’re on a live radio show is a crime. It kills the atmosphere immediately.” Padmakumar warned.

He then introduced the idea of creative monetization, following up with an example of Pepsi and Coca Cola monetizing on their competition. “When Radio Mirchi acquired advertising for Coke, Radio City knew we had to get Pepsi under any circumstances” he explained. He went on to assign a final activity to the audience, which was to come up with a promo piece based on creative monetization, and to pitch it to the class. The lively workshop was chock-full of anecdotes and interactive sessions, concluding with a group photograph of the attendees and Padmakumar to commemorate the workshop.

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Outcome of the Workshop:

1. Knowledge to solve problems in professional fields in a creative and innovative way.
2. Communicates clearly and precisely knowledge, methodology, ideas, problems, and solutions.
3. Use language that respects gender.

Applying techniques and skills of production and realization of the usual formats on the radio.