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Vijay Sethumadavan and Mridula Menon at the Madhurageetham Studio in Toronto, Canada.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
An enterprising Malayali couple from Palakkad is making waves through their radio station Madhurageetham 101.3 FM in Toronto, Canada. The Malayalam FM channel has completed 18 years and 11 weeks, and continues its musical journey by winning many a Malayali heart in Canada.
Managed by Vijay Sethumadavan and Mridula Menon, Madhurageetham 101.3 FM is the most popular Malayalam radio station in Canada. Started with two radio jockeys, this oldest Malayalam FM station in Toronto has now a dozen odd. While Vijay is the chief executive officer and producer, Mridula is the creative director.
“We are so happy that we have become the most-loved FM channel among Malayalis in Canada. We try to engage them in endearing ways,” says Mridula.
The couple had hit the FM waves in Toronto much before the social media boom. And Madhurageetham continues to enjoy that legacy in Canada, offering its audiences a variety of programmes.
From film and music to current affairs and cookery, Madhurageetham covers a smorgasbord of programmes. It would go to town with Malayali festivals such as Onam and Vishu. And whenever Kerala suffered, Madhurageetham was in the forefront with a helping hand. In less than four months after its launch in 2004, it raised a handsome sum of money to help Kerala when tsunami hit the coasts.
The recent spurt in the migration of Malayali population to Canada has been reflecting on the popularity of Madhurageetham. “We grew in popularity by upscaling the hours of broadcast and enhancing the quality. The growth of social media helped us break the borders of broadcast area,” says Mridula.
It has given 100-odd celebrity interviews, covering names from K.J. Yesudas, K.S. Chitra, Sujatha, Suresh Gopi, Jagathy Sreekumar, Tovino Thomas, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Jayaram, Sheela, Madhu, Vineeth, Renji Panicker among others.
The FM channel has ventured into hosting events such as ‘Canadian Malayalee Idol’. Naadan Ruchi, a culinary show hosted by chef Asha Reji, has crossed 200 shows. Whle the channel hosts Movie of the Week for film buffs, the programme titled Parichayam introduces personalities who have made it big in their respective areas. Music Without Borders goes beyond languages and genres and is hugely popular.
Madhurageetham 101.3 FM broadcasts its Morning Drive on Saturdays from 8.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. EST, Spotlight on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. EST, and the Sunday Club on Sundays from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. EST. Apart from its social media platforms on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, the channel is available on the CMR FM mobile app and Malayalis Near Me social media app.
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