RJs We Like: Archana Pania, fondly called Archu by Radio City Mumbai listeners (and also Archie by her friends), is a vivacious veteran of FM Radio-jockeying in India for the past 20 years. Archana’s been with Radio City Mumbai since 2005, and has been a mainstay of the station, priming drive-prime mornings over the years.
MediaBrief.com has created RJs We Like to help the FM Radio industry by highlighting the strong and beautiful human and local connect that only its most valuable asset, the wonderful presenters or Radio Jockeys, popularly known as RJs, can help FM Radio provide across the length and breadth of India.
We thank the Association of Radio Operator for India (AROI) for its support of RJs We Like.
We hope RJs We Like will help each network and its stations get their popular, hard-working RJs profiled and highlighted in a way that, in the process, will also bring out the USPs and strengths of the network and station. After all, it is the RJs who give FM Radio its invaluable strength of a hyper-local connect that is both – an emotional and empowering link with its listeners.
And here’s from RJ Archana Pania of Radio City, on RJs We Like
Archana is a naturally warm and friendly person with a cheerful, smiling voice that also has excellent felicity with Hindi and English. Her innate sunny disposition and exuberance, and her very natural delivery, coupled with her ability to instantly put every caller at their ease, have combined to make her a strong symbol of Radio City Mumbai’s brand personality.
And that, perhaps, is why the station decided to bring her on the 11 am to 2 pm slot with Archu Ka Show – to bring in its most powerful vocal magnet to try and give a morning drive prime kind of feel and pull to this show for women, which has become very popular.
Airlifted into radio? To share the genesis of her love for Radio, Archana tells us was born in Kuwait, and that Airlift the movie is her story — she was a refugee in that sense when she arrived in Mumbai in 1990. But radio was her mode of connect as a kid in Kuwait, and little did she realise it was subconsciously making a home in her personality.
2002 June was when her journey began with Radio Mirchi 98.3 fm. Up until 2005, Archana hosted the afternoon band and the evening driver time Bol Baby Bol College Se Canteen Tak to Bumper To Bumper. Then, Internet radio came calling, and she was on rediff.com radio for 6 months.
Thereafter, Radio City needed someone to host a music special morning show which was to feature greats like Lata Mangeshkar to Jagjit Singh. The name of the show was Musical-E-Azam, and several musical greats came to the studio to render unplugged sessions, which was something that had never happened on private FM.
Archana remembers getting calls from competitive radio stations about how they loved our morning shows with these greats. Before this, movie stars and actors were celebrated more than the singers. But Musical-E-Azam changed all that.
Tell us about your show, and what it’s all about. What it means to you, and why you like doing it. What makes it unique?
My show is called Archu Ka Show, which is the mid-morning show, starts at 11am and goes on till 2 pm. It’s all that a woman wants – wellness, gossip, celebs, contests and all things happy.
To me my show is an opportunity to fill sunshine, hope, and a friend in the lives of those who are listening in.
The uniqueness about AKS (Archu Ka Show) is in its showcase-all nature. Like we had a cafe run by the LGBTQIA community that got featured on my show and we were so happy they have jobs. So we reached out to a community that had 500+ job opportunities for them, and made this community feel inclusive with its endeavour.
Were you always planning to be an RJ, or did you sort of stumble onto it?
Totally stumbled in! I was a keen listener since I was little, growing up in the Gulf (Kuwait). The medium meant a lot to me even when I had very little knowledge of it. Especially the immediate gratification it offered – we called in, sent letters, and the RJs shared music and their warmth.
But years later, when private FM was being launched on Radio City, my art teacher told me, “You are meant to talk!” Pushed me to go to an audition, which I did purely for her sake. (That audition was for Radio Mirchi in 2002: Editor)
I met the most wonderful mix of people at the audition studio and was, like, wowed! Meeting new people was clearly my high.
Luckily, legendary RJ Jeeturaaj liked my style and I was in. I thank Jeeturaaj till today for changing the course of my life! (Archana was with Radio Mirchi from 2002 to 2005: Editor)
Did you undergo any special training to become an RJ?
Well, once I was hired, our radio station did bring in experts from across the globe to take us through what it entails to be an effective RJ. So I was trained on the job. It entailed how we approach our talk, its structure and its sentiment. It made a huge difference in the way we approached radio and the technique of talking.
What do you like most about being an RJ?
The fact that I have an opportunity to make someone’s day, perhaps even make a little impact, play the latest and bestest music, and that I get to interview everyone — from an SRK and an A R Rehman to the common man with equal access. Because radio has a huge ‘familiarity quotient’, people love to open up and talk to us… well, most of the time.
Also pushes me to stay updated and also to do one of my favvvv things that we have to do as groundwork — watch movies!
What kind of impact does your show have on the city and its listeners?
Voice has a quality on radio that can’t be faked. So most people listening in usually read my spirit that wants to radiate warmth and hope, primarily, and if I can make them smile, I feel my half job is done.
And speaking of impact, well, one of the best things that I feel radio can do is mobilise everyday people for bigger causes.
Aarey colony – Water for the farmers faced with drought (I took tankers of water to the village. We asked people to sponsor water for them, too. I painted speed breakers with white paint and we called it Black And White Holi.
We collected mango seeds for farmers so that we could save major costs for our kisaan.
We filled up very many potholes all over Mumbai with the help of Dadarao, a vegetable/fruit vendor, who had tragically lost his 16-year-old son to a bike accident owing to a pothole. Everyone filled up at least one pothole everyday on their own.
My favourite endeavour was helping Radio City distribute laptops to households that couldn’t afford two meals for their children; in the process, spreading the message: Friend in Need is Friend Indeed.
I believe niceness begets and breeds niceness. That’s my aim as an individual and as an RJ.
Radio is a friend to those who are stuck at home and don’t have many friends, because the radio jockey doubles up as a friend to them whenever they want to reach out and talk.
Radio impacted my one personal life too, beautifully. Radio has been most memorable in my personal journey since I met my husband who joined us as the winner of the first RJ hunt, and our life paths crossed thanks to this.
I have also to meet almost all my idols from Jagjit ji to Marjorie Orr (a celebrity ASTRO guide from Scotland). I got a chance to feature in Lata ji’s video Mujhe Khabar Thi, which had Mona Singh too. Had a special appearance in Sunju’s film because Raju Sir and I hit it off in our first meeting.
So I am truly lucky that Radio chose me to become a sutrdhaar every day for my listeners.
List three traits and skills that you consider important for anyone who wants to connect with listeners on FM Radio as an RJ.
One: Listen to them as they listen to you. Two: Be patient with them when they call in, since they may not possess the trait or quality of precise communication that an RJ does. And three: Make them laugh without offending anyone. Oh, also: Always talk about what matters to them, and that could be Cricket, the weather, the latest movies and music…
If someone wants to become an RJ, what kind of training can one get… avenues in and around your city? Any tips?
Our network of Radio City 91.1 offers a fabulously comprehensive course. Although I feel the best way to learn is to listen to as much of the radio as you can, and intern with a radio station to get under the skin of how it all works.
Which voices from the radio industry – presenters, newsreaders (male/female), others have you liked – growing up, or even your contemporaries. People you’ve learnt from, too, just by listening to them.
A VJ called Nonie on MTV was my initial inspiration on how to be perky, smart and cute all at once.
Cyrus Broacha was an RJ on Radio Midday. I would send him requests all the time. I also loved the style of Brian Tellis and Jeeturaaj — always!
Who are your most important work partners at your station – Music manager, Producer, Social Media Managers, Native content ad marketers, and why?
The Producer is Numero Uno! They are our guides, BFFs, and pretty much all things needed on a minute-to-minute basis.
Music Managers because they set our songs, and Sound Engineers for packaging all things from our segment packaging to any promos of shows to specials.
Of course ‘Jo dikhta hai wo bikta hai’ (only what is seen, sells) and from our social media presence to promoting our good content in news articles or our presence on TV — Marketing looks after it all. Recently I got the chance to be on Ranveer Singh’s show ‘The Big Picture’, and my listeners were soooo happy! Increases our reach and presence across!
And last but cannot be the least — our online content creators who edit our videos, who ideate with us for reels and overall, keep our social media presence at its best!
On Social and digital, send us your three favourite posts, content pieces, that display your talent, or are just about things you liked doing.
What advice would you give to young people who want to join the Radio Industry either as an RJ or in any other production functions?+
My advice is simple – Keep It Simple. The listener wants the real you. You’re a rapper, be a rapper; you’re a storyteller? Be a storyteller. Be authentic. Be what and how you are in real life. Makes you look good.
You have a great opportunity and are doing good work. How do you try to make your show more engaging? What is your constant quest as an emotional and welcome connection with listeners’ lives?
I guess Instagram and Twitter are also mediums listeners share their views on now, so keeping active on social media and then for sure keep asking them what they like to listen to and about their lives and what’s happening in their world, is important to stay emotionally and creatively connected with them.
Your top 5 favourite songs from the last year, of all time. Also, movies of last year and of all time.
Songs are Rattan Lambiya – Shershah/Rang- Shekhar Ravijiani/; Oo Antwama – Pushpa/ Hai Chakachak/ Paramsundari.
As for movies, some all-time favourites are Masoom, Mr India, Sixth Sense (Bruce Willis), Karma, Satya, Appu Raja, Chaalbaaz, Rafoochakkar, Chupke Chupke
And amongst the latest movies, I’ve liked 83, Mimi and Sardar Udham Singh
