Mumbai: 92.7 BIG FM, the radio arm of Reliance Broadcast Network (RBNL) has appointed Pankaj Vassal as vice president- regional business head for West and East.

Vassal will report to 92.7 BIG FM business head Rabe T Iyer.

He will be responsible for business growth and overall P&L for the business vertical. His key focus areas will be to grow the radio business, expanding the West and East Zones of the network from the revenue point of view.

He will be working closely Neeti Virmani who has been appointed as station head for Mumbai. Her role will involve - managing overall business and operations of the Mumbai station while managing the P&L, by driving functions including sales, programming, and marketing.

Iyer said, "We are happy to have the talented and well endowed duo of Pankaj Vassal and Neeti Virmani come on board 92.7 BIG FM. Am confident, their vast and in-depth understanding of the mass markets, coupled with their ability to delivery outstanding solutions to marketers requirements will deliver optimally to the business. I wish them the very best."

Vassal said, "I feel proud and excited to have joined a growing and vibrant organisation like RBNL at a time when the organization is transitioning into a media giant. I respect the vision and culture of the organization, and look forward to taking on new challenges and to contributing towards helping RBNL reach greater heights."

"I am delighted to have joined the dynamic RBNL family. The world of multi-media entertainment has fascinated me and I am eager to the take up this challenging role, and learn and contribute to the best of my ability", Virmani added.

Vassal brings with him close to 15 years of experience, having worked across organisations like Amway, Motorola, Asian Paints and Essel Packaging.

Virmani comes in with over 14 years of experience across general management, marketing and sales at mass consumer focused organisations like Aircel, Pepsi, Airtel, Aptech and STG.

MUMBAI: Reliance Capital has increased its stake in the group?s entertainment arm Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd. (RBNL) by 2.03 per cent over the last three months.

The investment arm of Reliance ADAG has in tranches picked up the additional equity through market purchase to now hold 9.91 per cent in RBNL, the company that owns and operates a clutch of TV channels and FM radio brand Big FM.

Reliance Capital?s most recent purchases were on 5 and 6 July, buying a total of 506,161 shares of RBNL, amounting to 0.64 per cent stake in the company, for Rs 25.81 million.

Reliance Capital now owns a total of 7.87 million shares in RBNL. The company held 6.26 million shares earlier, according to data provided on the BSE.

Reliance Group held 7.88 per cent stake in RBNL till 31 March 2012. While Reliance Land owned 44.57 per cent, AAA Entertainment held 10.38 per cent and Reliance ADA Group Trustee had 2.54 per cent stake in the company.

RBNL scrip ended Friday at Rs 51 per share, up 0.20 per cent from its previous close.

MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) will be launching a show simultaneously on its FM radio and television channels, the first time that this has happened in India.

Titled ?Hasya Panchayat?, the special show with Hindi poet and humourist Surender Sharma will be broadcast on Big FM and Big Magic simultaneously.

The television series will first premiere on Big Magic from 13 February. The radio broadcast will start sometime around Holi festival, from which date it will be simultaneously broadcast on the TV channel as well.

The hasyakavi, popularly known as Sharmaji, will feature daily across 92.7 Big FM stations in Hindi speaking regions for an hour.

The comic artist will feature simultaneously on Big Magic?s daily show titled ?Hasya Panchayat? in a special segment, where he will present viewers with his hilarious take on different topics. People from the Hindi heartland of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand will also get to watch shorter capsules featuring Sharmaji?s celebrated one-liners.

A company spokesperson said, "Few things in life can compare to the joy one gets in making someone laugh. We?re proud to bring a much-loved persona like Surender Sharma into the lives of our consumers and trust his wittiness will give us many reasons to laugh. This double treat on 92.7 Big FM and Big Magic will ensure people never miss out on the King of Kavi?s rib tickling humour."

The time slot of the show on both platforms is yet to be decided.