One of the things I look forward to the most in my CAIR (that’s computer-assisted investigative reporting for you) class are the site visits we get to do to different companies or organisations in the media industry. Recently, we had the opportunity to meet Mr. Teoh T. Hoong-the man behind Subang Jaya’s first community newspaper, at his office in Subang Jaya.
Last week, our lecturer decided that our next site visit would be to the radio station, BFM 89.9. Some of you may have heard of it while some of you may have not. For those of you who haven’t heard of BFM 89.9, allow me to brief you on this recently launched radio station. BFM 89.9 is not the kind of station that you would come across every day. Its concept is very different from the radio stations that you would normally listen to and indeed, the first of its kind in Malaysia. The reason behind it being so unique is because it is the first of its kind to be set up in Malaysia. BFM was launched last September and unlike other radio stations, its content is focused solely on business news and current events happening in the world of business. Don’t get me wrong-the station does play music too. However, don’t expect to tune in to BFM to listen to the latest by Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. This is because the selection of music played is quite different. Tune in to BFM 89.9 and expect to hear music by the likes of Eric Clapton and The Beatles.
Our lecturer, Ms. Anita set up an appointment to meet with the founder of BFM, Mr. Malek Ali. However, he had to apologise due to work circumstances, and so we arranged to meet with Ms. Annie Wong-one of the producers at BFM.
I had never visited a radio station before; hence I’m not one to judge. However, when we reached the premises where BFM is located, I couldn’t help but notice that the setting of the place seemed more like an office than that of a radio station. I expected to see a number of studios with radio deejays; however there were only two studios present. The office was quite small and didn’t have a lot of employees. It has only been a year since the radio station was launched and that explains the small office space. One thing I liked about the office’s setting was the fact that it was set up in such a way so that it was open plan. Employees were not separated from one another by tiny cubicles. In addition, the atmosphere seemed very informal and friendly, where people were speaking on the phone, or chatting to one another and laughing.
We were greeted by one of the staff from the sales team and he informed us that Ms. Wong had not arrived yet. He ushered us to the canteen and the charming, young man left with us no opportunity to get bored, where we had an off-the-record conversation with him about the station. Later on, Ms. Wong showed up and she took us to the meeting room, where she was happy to fill in Mr. Malek’s shoes and answer our questions and talk to us about the station. Through Ms. Wong, I came to know that BFM is targeted to professionals and entrepreneurs, young and old who were looking to be empowered by the issues that the radio station covers in its different programmes. I also found out that the radio station is only broadcast around the Klang Valley and some parts of Melaka, since these were areas where you could find listeners who were interested in listening to the type of content that the radio station has to offer.
To familiarise us on the programmes that BFM usually airs, Ms. Wong went through a quick rundown of the shows aired on the radio station. A day at the radio station usually starts with the 6am-10am ‘Morning Run’ show. In this show, you can look forward to the ‘Breakfast Grill’ segment, where you can expect to listen to interviews with CEO’s and founders of different organisations. If you’re a new entrepreneur, or thinking of setting up a business, tune in to ‘The Enterprise’ from 10am-2pm, to find out about ways in which you could make your business a success. For those of you not interested in business news, don’t worry. There is something for everyone. From 2pm-5pm, you can tune in to ‘The Big Picture’, where topics beyond business are covered, such as lifestyle, parenting, relationships and health. Lastly, from 5pm-9pm, you can tune in to ‘The Late Late Business Show’, where listeners are kept up to date with events that have happened around them whilst they were at work. Basically, the show is to help wind down listeners after the long day. I asked Ms. Wong how the radio station comes up with its different shows. She said that meetings are usually held where everyone is invited to contribute their ideas.
Ms. Wong told us something that I found particularly interesting. She said that the radio station does indeed play Malaysian music and this is because it is a requirement of their license that they have to fulfill.
Later on, we were taken around the station to meet and talk to the other employees of the radio station. They were busy, but that didn’t stop them from taking time off to talk to us and explain to us what they did. Everyone was very chirpy and lively, probably because it was the end of the week (We visited BFM on a Friday).
All in all, it was a visit that enlightened both my classmates and myself. It is definitely a place I would consider doing my internship at because of the exposure I would get, mainly because of it unique concept. Next time, if you’re in the car and on your way to work or college, tune in to BFM 89.9 and you’ll see what I mean when I say that BFM is one of its kind in Malaysia. It hasn’t been around for long but it is definitely here to stay.
