adio Mirchi's newly-appointed chief programming officer (CPO) Tapas Sen describes himself as person "over-passionate" about radio. Sen has been associated with the channel since 2001, where, surprisingly, he started off in a sales function. But that, according to Sen, helped him in programming later on because "I understand the requirements of the clients as well as the brand." But what is the role of a CPO in radio where differentiation in programming is almost a myth?

Explains Sen: "The radio industry is evolving and a whole lot of functions which were earlier very simple have started becoming very complex. Moreover, my earlier designation as national programming director was becoming a bit generalised." Mirchi has created some verticals within programming such as content, creative and operations. These functions will report to the CPO. ... more