India’s Jagran Prakashan promoted Music Broadcast Ltd (MBL) has announced the  rebranding of its eight Radio Mantra stations as Radio City – the company’s larger brand.

While Radio Mantra operates in Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Karnal, Hisar, Ranchi and Jalandhar, Radio City operates in 31 markets.

Jagran Group merged Radio Mantra with MBL in 2014 after acquiring a majority stake in Radio City.

MBL has also been opening new stations on the frequencies obtained under the first batch of Phase 3 of radio privatization auction, in which it had acquired 11 frequencies in cities like Patna, Kanpur and Kolhapur. It also operates an online web radio portal PlanetRadiocity.com.

Earlier this month, MBL launched its initial public offering (IPO) in a bid to raise up to $61.73 million (Rs 4 billion) in primary capital. The issue was subscribed 39.3 times and the shares closed 12 percent higher on their stock market debut.

This rebranding will further strengthen Radio City's brand presence and expand its reach to a much larger set of audience.

The programming of all newly branded stations will revolve around Radio City's philosophy of Rag Rag Mein Daude City which celebrates the pride and spirit of the city, amplifying their national presence with hyperlocal comprehension of markets and listeners.

The brand has built various national properties such as Love Guru, Babbar Sher, Radio City Freedom Awards, Radio City Super Singer, Gig City to name a few which will now play out in the 8 additional markets of Mantra as well.

Abraham Thomas, CEO, Radio City 91.1FM said: “The synergies of both the brands Radio Mantra and Radio City will allow room for further innovation in terms of greater reach and listenership leading to a more meaningful brand and consumer connections.”