MUMBAI: When India?s No. 1 Radio Station Network BIG 92.7 FM hosted its RJ Marathon for the 3rd year in the row, it did so with ?lan! Year 2009?s Marathon, titled, BIG Parle G ? for Green, G for Genius, it partnership with FMCG player Parle G saw the kick off in the cities amidst full pomp and show. While the Delhi Team had none other than Hon?ble Chief Minister Sheila Dixit bless the duo of Ramit and Parikshit for the feat, the Mumbai Station had leading Bollywood Stars Bipasha Basu and Ajay Devgan visit the studio to wish the jocks Meera and Vrajesh ?All the Best?. The rest of the cities also saw local personalities and listeners come forward in large numbers to cheer the jocks and wish them luck.

The Marathon which kicked off on the morning of October 2nd will see the jocks hosting the show non-stop, till such time as the respective cities do not sms 9270 messages in support of the cause. This activity in association with Parle G is an attempt to raise social awareness over local environmental issues. Issues ranging from water conservation to power saving, air pollution, increasing city greenery etc. Te Station?s are leaving no stone un-turned as they put together a holistic offering of on air and on ground promotions around the marathon to ensure highest listener participation, not just by tuning in, but by sending in their sms in support of the cause. Through this initative the radio station is awakening a sense of awareness and responsibility in the local populace. Small steps in everyday life make the BIG Difference!

MUMBAI: If you thought that completing the Hunk-Rider task and playing football with your nose/face/mouth was hard-hitting then this episode of Dadagiri will leave you dumbfounded. The dare on Vishal?s macho zone and the task on Sonalli?s play ground on the 13th episode of DADAGIRI this Saturday, 3rd October, 7:00 to 8:00pm only on UTV Bindass will be a real fight for survival.

With every passing day, the journey to the top is only getting harder and on this 13th episode the contestants are in for a very rude shock. They are woken up and ordered to eat breakfast which is cornflakes and milk from a bowl like dogs, after which they are taken to Vishal?s Macho Zone. Here the ?Quad Drag? awaits them and this task consists of a zig-zag path with metal plates and the contestants are dragged through this track by a Quad bike for over half a kilometre. To make the dare even more nerve-racking, the fighters are given strict instructions to hold the rope with only one hand, making even the fittest fighter get nervous. The bottom three performers of this task are then sent away to Sonalli?s Playground for another daunting task.

At Sonalli?s playground this week, the bottom three contestants have an extremely difficult task awaiting them. The contestant?s hands are tied with 2 locks and they are made to hang upside down before they are introduced to their new ?friends? who will accompany them through the task. These ?friends? are big nasty crabs put in the bowl along with the keys and the bottom three fighters have to pick out the right key from this bowl to free themselves!

Watch the contestants as they struggle to survive the meanest show and face elimination in the 13th week of this journey!!!

Catch the 13th action-packed episode of the ?baap? of reality shows ? Hero Honda Hunk Bindass Dadagiri, this Saturday, 3rd October, 7:00 p.m. only on UTV Bindass!

MUMBAI: This week on ?A Journey Like Never Before?, meet Nagesh Kukunoor, winning film maker who brought a refreshing approach to Indian cinema with his experimental films. Nagesh in a candid talk admits how the tyranny of a typical life motivated him to shift from his career as a chemical engineer in Atlanta to make off-beat Bollywood movies.

On the show, he reveals his healthy altercations with Naseeruddin Shah and his numerous accidents that he met with in his life. Tune into Fly Kingfisher presents ?A Journey like Never Before? on 3rd October, Saturday at 8.30 pm with a repeat telecast on following Sunday 10:30am and 5.00 pm only on NDTV Profit.

MUMBAI: CNBC AWAAZ Consumer Awards 2009 was held in Mumbai today to felicitate India‘s most preferred brands. The award ceremony, presented in association with ICICI Bank was presided over by esteemed luminaries like Digvijay Singh - General Secretary, All India Congress Committee, Chanda Kochhar - MD & CEO, ICICI Bank, Nitin Paranjpee - MD & CEO, Hindustan Unilever and O P Bhat - Chairman, State Bank of India.

Leading research organisation, The Nielsen Company conducted the research across 12 cities spanning 11 states in India, a total of 2066 consumers were approached covering all strata of society, presenting a comprehensive analysis of consumer preferences. The research was conducted via the random sampling method to ensure proper representation of the universe in the North, East, Central, West and South zones of the country.

The precursor to the award ceremony was a panel discussion hosted by Mr. Sanjay Pugalia to understand today‘s consumer trends. Mr. Digvijay Singh, General Secretary, All India Congress Committee commented on the significance of rural India in the consumer market. To explain the consumer scenario, Mr. Singh cited a Chinese adage, ‘Don‘t give them fish but give them the skill to fish‘, which explains the crying need to educate consumers rather than forcing them towards the products. He reiterated how the Congress, since the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru era, has always focused on the agricultural community which, even though, has been perceived as weak, has proved to be India‘s economic growth driver in today‘s scenario. Ms. Chanda Kochhar, MD and CEO, ICICI Bank brought to light the responsible and balanced approach of the Indian regulatory environment that has helped significantly in maintaining debt at a manageable level. Mr. Nitin Paranjape, MD & CEO, HUL mentioned that the FMCG sector has not been hit despite the slowdown. He also advised that the companies should not compromise on quality to save costs. Ad Guru Piyush Pandey stressed the importance of going down to the grass-root level to understand the exact needs of the consumers.

As per the research conducted for the awards, the consumer continues to be the ‘king‘ despite the economic slowdown. He is empowered not only with monetary purchasing power but also with a variety of choices at his disposal that keep increasing year on year. In order to simplify the decision process for prospective consumers and honour the achievement of brands that have made it big, ICICI Bank presented CNBC AWAAZ Consumer Awards 2009.

Commenting on the CNBC AWAAZ Consumer Awards, Mr. Neel Chowdhury, Vice President, Marketing CNBC-TV18 and CNBC AWAAZ said: "Over the years, CNBC AWAAZ- Consumer Awards have proven to be the unequivocal voice of the consumers. The awards, fifth year in running will salute those brands that millions of Indians have chosen to buy, experience and own."

Consumers today are well - informed of the choices available to them in the market hence brand building has become much more vital and competitive. Brands are evolving everyday and trying different avenues to cater to the changing preference of today‘s consumer. Keeping in mind the current Indian scenario, CNBC AWAAZ has arrived at a list of the "Most preferred Brands" (as perceived by the end-consumer) for each of the product categories covered in this study. Financial Services, FMCG, Consumer Durables, Telecom, Automobiles, Retail are the categories that the research covered.

MUMBAI: Fever 104 FM, Mumbai?s most popular music station in association with Saregama launched Ameen Sayani?s latest album, ?Geetmala ki Chaaon mein? (Vol 6-10). The compilation comprises rare interviews and interactions with Bollywood veterans and celebrities of yesteryears like Madan Mohan, Kishore Kumar, B R Chopra, Raj Kapoor, Praan, Wahida Rehman etc.

As a part of the association, Ameen Sayani was featured all through this week on Roobaroo with RJ Karan Singh at 9 p.m, the most popular evening show on Fever 104 FM, Mumbai.

?Roobaroo?, is a unique show that airs every day 9pm onwards on Fever 104 FM! DJ Karan Singh with his inimitable style captivates listener?s imagination by sharing soul-searching music, romantic poetry, his philosophy on love, life and much more.

In a freewheeling chat with RJ Karan Singh, Mr. Sayani revealed how he got initiated into radio, Geetmala‘s journey over the years and delved on some of the most memorable cinematic moments of the past.

Commenting on the initiative, says Mr. Neeraj Chaturvedi, National Marketing and Promotions head, Fever 104 FM, ?Ameen Sayani is a legend in the radio world, and we are very pleased to extend our association with Saregama to launch this wonderful album. We have also tried to capture some of the magic on our show Rubaroo, which we hope our listeners will enjoy listening to.?

MUMBAI: The first episode of Sony‘s Entertainment ke Liye Aur Bhi Kuch Karega was opened by bollywood‘s hearthrob Salman Khan. Seems like apna bollywood machos love to have fun when not shooting.

After the hearthrob the next to grace the sets of Sony‘s Entertainment... is none other than the Khiladi man Akshay. Before your thoughts go wild... its not the superstar Akshay Kumar, but Vikalp Bhatti who is an exact replica of the superstar. This 19 year old who comes from a small town Pali in Rajasthan even managed to fool Alampana Anu and Queen Farah Khan. Vikalp not only has an uncanny resemblance of actor Akshay Kumar but an amazing sense of humour which made the audiences go crazy.

Judges Anu and Farah were so surprised, as Vikalp even sounded like Akshay Kumar! A surprised Farah quizzed Vikalp,"If Akshay sees you, he himself will be shocked! What will you give me if i introduce you to him?" Vikalp couldn‘t believe his ears when he heard this and quickly responded, "I will give you whatever I possess!" While Akshay Kumar is a superstar, Vikalp is also famous in his Pali and is fondly named as "Pali ka Akshay"!

Don‘t miss "Pali Ka Akshay" on the big stage on Entertainment Ke Liye Aur Bhi Kuch Karega
This Friday, October 2nd at 9.00 pm

Only on Sony Entertainment Television.