This article is in continuation of the earlier one on the topic
https://www.boloji.com/blog/1714/vividh-bharati-the-need-for-more-balance)

A few more relevant statistics and information to reinforce my line of thought are presented here.

1.       There are a number of listener’s request programs in Hindi such as  Aap ke Farmaish, Mann Chahe Geet. In these programs the requests come mostly from Hindi speaking regions.
 
2.       Similarly there are also phone-in programs (Hello Farmaish, SMS ke Bahane  ..) in which the messages are received only from Hindi speaking listeners.
 
3.       Though there are similar programs in regional languages between 8 AM and 12 PM, there is need and scope for including more such.
 
4.       Of particular significance are the programs (Hindi) which are broadcast between 3 and 5 PM.  As I stated earlier this is prime time for housewives for relaxation.
 
5.       From 3 to 4 PM, a program for ladies (Sakhi Saheli) is broadcast. This program is partly interactive and spoken words , for example concerning recipes, children’s problems, are critical for understanding the contents and hence are of little value to those  who don’t know the language.
 
6.       Between 4 and 5 PM, a program called Pitara is broadcast.  This is mixed fare covering  Phone-in service for listeners song requests, interviews with film personalities, and health talk. In these programs also, language happens to be critical for them to be useful. Particularly, this is true of the health related talk (Sehatnama on Mondays).

There is thus  a need to make the programs more useful and effective. The Vividh Bharati  channel  will thereby become more popular.

In line with the recommendations of the last post I suggest change in broadcasting schedule as below. This will give about 60 per cent of time for the regional languages as against the prevailing 42 per cent. This, in my opinion, is a fair balance.