Prime Time with NetIP – A look behind the scenes of our most successful visibility campaign

by Pooja Dhawan, Brand Strategy Chair for NetIP North America

The Network of Indian Professionals North America launched its radio show in 2009 under the leadership of then VP External Affairs, Sundip Arora (2010 President, NetIP NA).  It was marketed as a series of teleconferences and webinars to increase the value of NetIP’s paid membership.  The idea behind the series, originally called “Chit-Chaat, all spices considered”, was to have guest speakers that were experts or prominent figures in the South Asian Community.  Arora’s team member, Brand Strategist, Pooja Dhawan, stepped in to refine the concept and its impact.  The series was re-named Prime Time with NetIP and the name struck a cord.

The first guest was relationship expert Jasbina Ahluwalia of Intersections matchmaking. Callers dialled in to learn effective ways to balance Professional, Social and Personal Demands with questions and answers with Ms. Ahluwalia. The teleconference received a positive response and along with requests for more teleconferences, the idea for a real radio show took root. In Q2 of 2009, HumDesi Radio, a division of World Band media (WBM) contacted NetIP for a possible alliance. Through strategic planning and foresight, NetIP and WBM began Q2 with a partnership (Click here for our press release).

The show debuted with Super Model Saira Mohan (the podcast can be heard here ) and we were off to a running start.  During this regular show, leading business, financial, arts and media professionals discuss issues such as surviving the financial turmoil by leveraging South Asian roots, the political voice of South Asian, the face of the 21st century Indian American professional, struggling for the American dream, immigration, economics. and much more.  As of the publication of this article, the show gets over 6000 listeners on the internet alone.  Every show brings NetIP’s social networks to life with questions, comments, status updates and more. There is a huge marketing component to the show. NetIP has over 21,000 Facebook users and more than 1200 Twitter followers.  We market the show aggressively on all our social platforms.

A wide range of South Asians honor us with their presence on the radio.  Some of our previous guests have been Saira Mohan, economist Ravi Batra, NYT bestselling author Ramit Sethi, Maulik Pancholy, Comedian Vidhur Kapur, eBay’s founder of worldofgood.com Robert Chatwani, GM of eBay’s world of good Seema Shah.  We spoke to Simran Sethi on Feb 17th, lauded as one of the top ten eco heros of the planet, an environmental specialist and Green Movement spokesperson on Oprah.com (Click here for our press release).

This March we have two great Primetime shows for you!  We are talking to Naresh Vissa from CNN Radio on March 17th 7pm EST (click here for related Facebook event) and Fox Business News Reporter Shibani Joshi on March 31st 7pm EST (click here for related Facebook event). Join in the conversation, listen in live at www.HumDesiRadio.com.

Our media partner HumDesi radio is always coming up with innovative ways to increase their listenership with our help. They offer free HD radios in their broadcast cities for your car and much more. Their newest business opportunity is a strategy to launch in more cities. We are excited as this means our show Prime Time will get an even greater visibility. Click below for details

Hum Desi Radio is a division of World Band Media, North America’s first Ethnic Digital Radio Network.

Listen live on HD Radio on
New York – 98.7 FM (HD2)
Washington DC – 103.5 FM (HD2)
Chicago – 101.1 FM (HD2)
Los Angeles – 105.9 FM (HD2)
Or anywhere in the world via the internet, humdesiradio.com
Please join us for a live broadcast, call toll free 1-877-DESI-321 Ext 370 to ask questions during the show.

Email us at primetime@netip.org, Tweet us on www.twitter.com/netipna

www.NetIP.org

Edited by Latha Nehru, VP of External Affairs, NetIP NA

NetIP goes Primetime on HumDesi Radio

Network of Indian Professionals goes Primetime on HumDesi Radio

Programming for South Asian professionals arrives on HD Radio

New York, NY (PRWEB) April 30, 2009 — The South Asian community is set to go live with HumDesi on HD Radio. The Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP), North America’s premier non-profit networking organization for South Asians, and HumDesi Radio (HumDesi), North America’s first Ethnic Digital Radio Network, have partnered to host ‘PrimeTime with NetIP’.

 

During this regular show, leading business, financial, arts and media professionals will discuss issues such as; surviving the financial turmoil by leveraging South Asian roots; the political voice of South Asians; the face of the 21st century Indian American professional; and North American immigration.

“NetIP and HumDesi Radio are both premier North American organizations. For us at NetIP, the synergy was obvious,” says Sundip Arora, Vice President, External Affairs at NetIP North America. “We are embarking on increasing our national visibility and it was important for us to choose a partner that would help us realize our vision of making NetIP a household name in North America.”

“HumDesi is very excited to embark on this partnership with NetIP. This fabulous and informative program will further enhance our reputation as North America’s best source for South Asian radio content, says Prabha Selvadurai, CEO of HumDesi. “PrimeTime on HD Radio will allow our South Asian listeners access to valuable information on topics highly relevant to their day to day lives and is just one more reason for them to buy an HD Radio receiver for their car or home”.

The first scheduled PrimeTime episode is set for May, live on the HumDesi Radio Network. It can be heard on HD Radio on 97.1 FM in New York, 105.9 FM in Los Angeles and 101.1 FM in Chicago with HumDesi’s partner Emmis Communications; and on 103.5 FM in Washington DC through another HumDesi partner, Bonneville International Corp. Click here to keep informed about the guests and show dates – NetIP Prime Time

NetIP has chapters in 22 cities across North America with more scheduled to launch this year. HumDesi Radio broadcasts in 4 cities with more to follow later this year. With this partnership comes a great opportunity to leverage the reach of both organizations to bring awareness and knowledge to the South Asian community.

About HumDesi Radio
A division of WorldBand Media LLC, HumDesi Radio’s (‘HumDesi’) vision is to be “North America’s leader in South Asian content and delivery”. Led by a team of ethnic and mainstream media entrepreneurs, HumDesi understands the unique characteristics, demands and potential this market presents. HumDesi enables North America’s South Asian population to have access to the highest quality content while at home, in the car or on the move; while providing an effective and reliable outlet for its partners and advertisers to reach this growing and largely untapped market segment. For more information, go to www.worldbandmedia.com or www.humdesiradio.com.

About NetIP
The Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP) is a professional, non-profit organization dedicated to the overall achievement and advancement of South Asian professionals. The primary focus of the organization is to foster a bond among South Asian professionals to unite and support each other locally, as well as to give back and contribute positively to the communities in which they live and work. NetIP evolved in Chicago in 1990 initially as a small-scale forum. Today, the organization includes over 3,000 members and more than 40,000 subscribers in 22 cities across United States and Canada. NetIP has become a premier networking brand in our community over the years. It is the unequivocal voice for an emerging group of South Asians, who excel in every aspect of western society, from business to politics to the arts. The rise of NetIP and its affiliated chapters reflects a general “Coming of Age” by South Asian professionals. For more information, go to www.netip.org.