'RJ Khoj' a no-show

THE disappointed winner of a high-profile talent search who was hoping to become a star on the airwaves says her bid has been thwarted by the station which hosted the contest.

Listeners' favourite Aarti Sharma took the RJ Khoj competition crown, organised by Asian radio channel, 104.2 Voice FM, and is still waiting for her prize spot having being told that she must wait for Labour Market Regulatory Authority permission to perform.

However, the LMRA says it is unaware of this particular issue although a spokesman said that the station has had RJ visa issues in the past. She pointed out that Bahrain's labour laws do not allow individuals holding student visas to work.

Runners-up Ajay from India and Aamir Saleem from Pakistan, however, have already had a small taste of stardom voicing-over advertisements - with one of them even filling in for a seasoned presenter - but say they were disappointed about not getting a longer stint to shine.

Overall winner, Aarti, 21, was hoping to host a show for the young people of Bahrain who she felt needed a voice for their aspirations, problems and desires. The MBA student at the Birla Institute of Technology International Centre in Janabiya, said: "I feel cheated. Everybody who knows me and knows that I have won come to ask me the same question - when are you going to be an RJ?

"It kills me when I have to answer that I've been told that there are problems with the LMRA. I have received so many excuses from radio station officials on why I cannot be an RJ that I am totally disappointed and cannot make myself listen to the station any more.

"Our hopes were very high when they constantly labelled the contest with words like 'aapka RJ' - your RJ. Listeners voted and they have been denied too. Initially the station controllers said there were problems with the LMRA. Then they said that if you are on a student visa you cannot work. As I badly wanted to be an RJ, I even gave them the option that I would give up my student visa. And, finally they told me that giving an RJ's job to the winner was not part of the contest."

The contest encouraged listeners to SMS in their votes for a radio jockey of their choice. RJ Khoj was organised on a reality show format in the summer months this year where 25 aspiring young voices won through auditions at the radio station and vied for the top three positions.

Officials of the radio station had announced that all three finalists would get prizes from an electrical store, the programme sponsor, and the winner would be given an opportunity to host a show on 104.2 Voice FM.

However, P Unnikrishnan, the station's chairman and managing director, appears to be unaware of the controversy. In a statement to GulfWeekly he said: "Let me tell you that they never came to me or tried to meet me to resolve this issue.

"I have never received an email from these winners.

"If they prefer to join our team, I will surely try to accommodate them after fulfilling the technical and legal formalities.

"Whatever the other verbal communication they have had with my staff was only a friendly discussion and should not be taken as a statement from Voice FM management."

Aamir, 28, training manager at Saber Travel network, was asked to provide voice-overs for a couple of advertisements. He said: "I was called a couple of times to fill in when a regular RJ was on leave but could not do so at short notice. I think the station could have done more to solve this issue."

Ajay, 32, sales executive at Unilever Bahrain, has also been featured in advertisements and filled in for a regular presenter.

Mr Unnikrishnan has asked the contestants to make an appointment to meet with him at his office.