Worldspace shutdown - the death of a prodigy

Dec 25, 2009: I returned to my tent at the Kali Wilderness Camp, Dandeli after enjoying an hour-long coracle ride with family amidst the mesmerizing beauty of Kali rever and migrating birds. And, awaiting me was this shocking email from Worldspace on my IPAQ phone that my favorite radio would not be working after Dec 31, 2009. As if the news about Michael Jackson and Jack Rose were not enough, I was disheartened to read about the sudden demise of my favorite radio.

I have been an avid music lover since my childhood, with equal passion for good quality of sound. When I bought Worldspace in 2006, it was like winning a lottery. Apart from good choice of songs and sound quality, what I also loved was the class with which each channel was managed and broadcast by Worldspace. Unlike the FM radio channels in India, where apart from advertisements, most of the remaining time is taken away by the RJs themselves, it was like magic to listen to Worldspace for hours without any such nonsensical interruptions. In fact, I had bought high-end speakers exclusively for my Worldspace receiver, and was very proud of my investments. My favorite channel was #13, i.e., Radio 'Amore' that used to play love songs. Last year, I had bought another receiver and gifted to my parents, so that they could also enjoy spiritual music and discourse every morning.

Needless to mention, I am deeply saddened by this sudden and unfortunate development. It's not the loss of unutilized subscription money that's hurting... I really miss my favorite music channels. At the same time, I feel extremely sorry for the 300-odd staff members of Worldspace India who continued to work till 31st Dec with the same passion and commitment, but were asked to leave without settlement of their dues, let alone any reasonable severance package. Similarly, the subscribers have been asked to seek remedy under the U.S. bankruptcy law if they wish to seek refund of their unutilized subscription money. No doubt, the whole process has been played out in a hush-hush manner, which is indeed unfortunate.

Given there are 450,000 subscribers of Worldspace in India, I believe there is a great business opportunity for the existing FM Radio operators to launch a similar high-quality, no-nonsense service. There would be lakhs of people willing to pay for it... I surely am. Hopefully, we will hear some good news in the near future... the true 'music to our ears' !!!