The Morning Radio Show Queen: RJ Chris

Radio Jockeys become a part of our days and lives effortlessly and even though we don't see them, they are our daily companions when we are driving, cooking or just idle. Australian Politician Malcolm Turnbull once said, "I love Radio- Its immediacy and especially its intimacy... its a part of your life, whispering into your ear. You can't see it, but equally importantly, it can't see you." This one statement defines the importance of radio in our lives.

Introducing you to one such companion, Shubhangini Arora interviewed Christina Fernandez, popularly known as RJ Chris, the host of 'Good Morning Delhi' on Radio One, for SheThePeople.TV. Here is an excerpt from the conversation.

As a Radio Jockey, what does a typical day at work look like? and What is the most exciting part of your job?

My day starts really early.  Starting 7am, it’s a marathon till 12pm. After the show, I sit around with my gang trying to figure out what we’re going to do next. Even though the soul identity and the spirit of the show remain intact, we have new elements every day. Sometimes we have special guests that need to be discussed and sometimes we have a different segment. All of which requires work.

The most fun part of my show is the nine-to-ten interactive hour. We have people coming in from all walks of life: we have entrepreneurs, people from entertainment, corporate honchos, singers, authors… sometimes there are such interesting testimonials about people with humble beginnings that are excelling in their fields today. All of this is very inspiring.

 You are really popular with your audience and are really god at what you do. What, according to you, distinguishes you from other RJs?

First of all, thank you for saying that. I think it’s my love for music- my music is a part of my soul and life. And the fact that I speak English yet I’m as Indian as they come. I’m versatile; I can go from talking about business one day and to talking about entertainment the next. I can juggle a lot of things at the same time and my show covers what an average nine-to-five-guy needs.

So an average person would wake and go for a walk: we talk about fitness on the show. Then you go to work, we talk about the new tech apps and new science experiments. We have entrepreneurship stories.

If you are a mother, worried about your child’s nutritional requirements, we have experts coming in to talk about it. If you have behavior issues with your teenager, we have experts talking about that. Some days I’m discussing yoga the next day we are talking about work… I love variety, I love all the different things in life and that is what I bring to my show.

RJ Chris
Picture Credits: Facebook

World over, do you think there is any disparity between men and women in radio?

I don’t think so. Women around the world have already proved their worth, so I just want to talk about India. Look at women in India, they have staked their claim in radio. I feel that they could inform and entertain better but clearly they are not shying away! Take my station, Radio One, for example. We have 3 women radio jockeys and 2 male jockeys.

What specific traits or qualities do you think are required to succeed as a Radio Jockey, especially when you work for a channel that only plays international music?

Well I think it is very important to be well-read and well informed. It’s important to know about all different things. You need to know about the economy, scientific discoveries, what’s new and trending, entertainment, etc. and of course you need to know your music. Most people come for the music so you need to love what you do because if you don’t like what you play, how do you expect others to like it?

 Radio has been here for a long time. It came way before television and despite the popularity of TV and internet, it continues to be as popular. Why do you think that is?

Radio is the only medium that has continued to keep its audience at the centre. It’s a medium the audience can relate to. It isn’t preachy and it does not stand on a pedestal. Radio works for you and has gone out and above to reach its audience. It’s responsive and reactive. If you want to hear a song, we play it for you then and there. Unlike TV, the reaction time is less. The audience gets to participate in whatever you do; they aren’t just sitting on a couch taking what you are feeding them.

We don’t have access to news, though. That’s something we could’ve done a lot with.

Who are your favourite RJs? Who inspires you?

This is a difficult question for me to answer. I think I’m more inspired by personalities than people. I find inspiration in TV hosts and a few stand-up comedians. There is Eddy Murphy, Ellen DeGeneres, Conan ‘O Brian, Oprah Winfrey, Jay Leno and many others.

 How do you think women can use Radio to their benefit? 

I think there are tones of ways in which women can benefit from Radio. Take women’s safety. It’s a big concern in Delhi right now. We talk about and highlight stories around the issue: stories about their insecurities and experiences. Women can use radio to reach out to other women. They can talk about their professions and inspire others. I think listening to people’s stories really helps one, I think more personal the story, the bigger impact it has on people.