Raaga (radio station)

Raaga (THR Raaga)[1] is a Malaysian Tamil-language radio station operated by Astro Radio. In 2015, as according to Nielsen RAM Survey Wave #1, THR Raaga maintained its position as Malaysia's leading Tamil-language station with over two million listeners.[2] It also emerged as South East Asia's No.1 Tamil radio station by beating Minnal FM and Singapore based Oli 96.8FM.

Raaga
CityKuala Lumpur
Broadcast areaWest Malaysia, Singapore and South Thailand
SloganAahaa... Sirantha Isai! (Aahaa... the best music!)
Programming
Language(s)Tamil
FormatContemporary hit radio
Ownership
OwnerAstro Holdings Sdn Bhd, under Astro Radio
Hitz, Lite, Mix, My, Melody, goXuan, Era, Sinar, Gegar and Zayan
History
First air date
1 January 2005 (2005-01-01)
Links
WebcastTHR Raaga eAAC+
Websiteraaga.my

The station is well known for its breakfast show, Kalakkal Kaalai, which began broadcasting on 1 August 2006. The Hindi Power is also carried on the station since early 2010, which was previously broadcast on Gegar.

THR Raaga became a 24-hour radio station on all FM frequencies for the first time in July 2018, removing the entire Gegar broadcasts during 02:00 to 06:00. Previously, Raaga's broadcasts during these hours was only available via online and Channel 859 Astro.

History

The radio station began broadcasting on 9 September 1994, after having started test transmission nine days before (31 August). It was known as TIME Highway Radio until 2005 and includes segments in Malay (Gegar), English and for a short period, in Mandarin (Mun Toh Tak), with Tamil-language segment (Raaga) being introduced later, as well as Hindi Power, a segment that focused mainly on Bollywood music. By March 2002, Tamil programs on THR accounted for 40 percent of THR's daily broadcasting time.[3] AMP Radio Networks acquires the radio station in 2005 to relaunch a brand new radio channel to broadcast in Tamil.

From 2 January 2018, with the reformulation of radio stations owned by Astro, the "THR Raaga" name was simplified to Raaga, ending the usage of THR name. The change also happens to THR Gegar, which is now known as Gegar. As with other radio stations within Astro Radio group, the "FM" suffix is no longer used and a new logo was given to each of the radio stations.[1]

Frequency
Frequencies Broadcast area Transmitter site
99.3 MHz Klang Valley and Kuantan, Pahang Gunung Ulu Kali
102.4 MHz Kedah, Perlis and Penang Gunung Jerai
97.9 MHz Ipoh, Perak Gunung Kledang
101.5 MHz Seremban, Negeri Sembilan Gunung Telapak Buruk
99.7 MHz Malacca and North Johor Gunung Ledang
103.7 MHz Johor Bahru, Johor and Singapore Gunung Pulai
Batam, Indonesia
101.9 MHz Langkawi, Kedah Gunung Raya
102.1 MHz Taiping, Perak Bukit Larut

(Via satellite TV)

Web Streaming Restrictions

Due to legal restrictions, the streaming of this station is only available in Malaysia and Brunei. Other Astro Radio stations are available internationally via their respective website.

Awards
  • Kancil Festival 2007 - Silver Award
  • Previous logo.

References
  1. "Astro Radio refreshes 11 brands to deliver better value to fans". Astro. 2 January 2018. Archived from the original on 12 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  2. "71% of Malaysians Listen to Astro Radio". Astro. 19 June 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  3. Musthafa, Saharuddin (3 March 2002). "Format baru THR.fm - Tidak berniat bersaing dengan radio ERA". Utusan Malaysia. Retrieved 12 July 2016.

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