KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 (Bernama) — Reaching the age of 15 tomorrow (Sept 3), Bernama Radio continues to make strides as a broadcasting platform which is always committed to delivering news-based content and channelling information to Keluarga Malaysia.
Thus, Bernama Radio fulfills its role as part of the media network of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), which is an agency under the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (K-KOMM).
In addition to the radio platform, Bernama, which celebrated its 55th anniversary in May, offers news and content services, including through the Bernama.com portal; photo services and Bernama TV broadcasting services; as well as Digital Media which supplies multimedia content.
When it was established in 2007, Bernama Radio was initially known as Radio24, featuring the concept of a 24-hour radio news station with FM93.9 as the first frequency for listeners in the Klang Valley.
The new idea brought a considerable change to the local radio broadcasting industry which directly gave the community the option of obtaining uninterrupted access to news in addition to content that always covers current developments.
In diversifying content and improving service quality, Bernama Radio has been making various transformations and improvements from time to time, to meet the needs of its listeners, who are professionals, aged 35 and above.
Steps include increasing the reach of listeners in Johor through frequency FM107.5 in 2012, before expanding the network in Kuching, Sarawak (FM100.9) and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (FM107.9), about four years later, in 2016.
The move is to ensure that Bernama Radio remains competitive and relevant by bringing a different concept from other commercial radio stations.
During its 15 years of establishment, Bernama Radio has also received recognition for the hard work of its staff in several prestigious awards.
Among them is the gold medal winner of the Best Radio Report category of the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) – Petronas Journalism Awards at ‘Malam Wartawan Malaysia’ (MWM) 2021, in addition to taking home trophies in several categories at the 2010 and 2016 editions of Seri Angkasa Awards.
According to Bernama chief executive officer, Roslan Ariffin, Bernama Radio’s excellent achievements throughout the 15 years of its establishment are something to be proud of.
“Bernama Radio has gone through a very good era in expanding its role as an information delivery platform, in line with Bernama’s mission and vision, which is to provide up-to-date and accurate news reports,” he said.
Roslan said that Bernama Radio will also always ensure that its content and delivery meet the needs of listeners so that it is more dynamic and informative.
“After 15 years, we feel that it is necessary to breathe new life into every Bernama Radio presentation pattern so that it is in line with the tastes of the community at the moment, and there is definitely something new awaiting its loyal listeners ahead of Bernama Radio’s anniversary tomorrow (Sept 3),” he said.
The rapidly changing landscape of broadcasting requires Bernama Radio to constantly innovate, covering various aspects, particularly related to news delivery and program content that can meet the needs of listeners.
Meanwhile, Azlan Idris, who has been at the helm of Bernama Radio since 2011, stressed that the radio station is still looking for a suitable formula to break into the commercial market, since the majority of listeners in Malaysia still choose radio stations which offer entertainment content over ones which use news and information formats.
According to the head of Bernama Radio, the explosion of technological development has seen Bernama Radio also take advantage of the use of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, in expanding the reach of its content, as well as disseminating information to its listeners.
“Putting Bernama Radio’s content on social media is now a priority, taking into account a large number of users, and the platform offers such a wide reach; these relevant factors, if not given priority, will cause us to lag behind,” he said.
Commenting on the direction of Bernama Radio, Azlan, who has been involved in broadcasting for more than 25 years, said that the station will provide more comprehensive content to meet listeners’ tastes, while still maintaining its identity as radio that channels news and informative content.
“The news belongs to everyone; we want the content of Bernama Radio to be heard and meet the tastes of Keluarga Malaysia irrespective of background and age; the change will be felt by listeners in conjunction with Bernama Radio’s 15th anniversary,” he said.
In addition to broadcasting content in the form of news, Bernama Radio also presents listeners with interesting programmes such as MyCheck, Kartini, Rasuah 360 and Jendela Fikir, which are also broadcast on Bernama TV from Monday to Friday starting at 8 am, via Radio@TV.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency