The conception of “J&K Bank Diary” was nothing short of a pioneering step in the history of All India Radio. At a time when there was no established sponsored- category in the rate card of All India Radio, where an entire programme could be commissioned by a corporate institution, the idea was both unusual and audacious.

The Commercial Broadcasting Service of Radio Kashmir Srinagar had, under the stewardship of Dr. Rafiq Masoodi, achieved an extraordinary distinction: the station won three consecutive awards for the highest revenue generation in late 90’s. This was no ordinary achievement. The economic conditions were extremely difficult, largely because of the prevailing political turmoil, yet the station managed to generate substantial revenue through its commercial operations.

What distinguished Dr. Rafeeq Masoodi was not merely his position, but his business acumen, persuasive ability and extraordinary energy. He could see commercial possibilities even when the prevailing economic environment offered very little encouragement. More importantly, he had the conviction to sell an idea and the persistence to turn that conviction into results. His energy was infectious and his motivation was on another level.J&K Bank was one of our most important supporters. The Bank contributed significantly through advertisements and was, in many ways, a major source of revenue for the station.

Then came an unexpected setback. Someone wrote to the Chairman of J&K Bank questioning the propriety of the Bank sponsoring programmes such as Hello Farmaish and other popular programmes. The Bank took the objection seriously and decided to withdraw its advertisements from such programmes.

The decision naturally caused considerable anxiety at CBS Radio Kashmir Srinagar. The Station Head was deeply concerned because the withdrawal of J&K Bank’s advertising would have a direct and substantial impact on revenue generation. A meeting was called, and the matter was discussed with considerable seriousness.Since I was handling marketing and had experience and specialization in that area, the responsibility of finding an alternative fell upon me.I went home and began thinking about how the Bank could be associated with the station without simply sponsoring conventional entertainment programmes. The idea was to create something that would be professionally relevant to the Bank, useful to its customers and, at the same time, capable of generating revenue for the station.That evening, I worked out the concept of a dedicated programme on banking and finance. I prepared the draft, took a printout and placed it before the Director the next day.Dr. Rafiq Masoodi looked at the proposal and asked me, “Can you do it? In the beginning, we will have to do it ourselves.”I replied in the affirmative. Currency and Banking had been one of my subjects during........

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