Bukit Palong transmission for Penang, is it able to attract advertisers?

Back to 2015, actually I began involving as volunteer behind the scene to help BFM 89.9 to do some research on Penang frequency planning, I heard that their Penang frequency applications were rejected by MCMC (Malaysia Communications Multimedia Commission) when I read few articles before, so I tried to help BFM 89.9. First, I was doing research about Bukit Palong coverage in order to cover Penang. Why Bukit Palong? This was because I could receive Bukit Palong RTM radio stations in Penang, mainly Georgetown in December 2013, signal was moderate.

Bukit Palong actually is located in Baling, Kedah, a hill between Kedah and Perak border. Its main coverage areas are East Kedah (Baling) and Hulu Perak (Pengkalan Hulu), Betong Thailand is bonus area, but Bukit Palong transmission can be received in some Penang areas, just distant signal form.

Because of my listening experience of receiving Bukit Palong radio station in Penang, so I decided to make my personal suggestion to MCMC for BFM to get Bukit Palong frequency in order to cover Penang alternatively, but I was receiving result that Bukit Palong was unable to cover Penang as it is far away from Penang and it has no commercial value. Although I could receive Bukit Palong radio station in Penang, but the reception is unstable and Penang got partially covered only. Unlike Gunung Jerai and Bukit Penara where fully cover Penang, Bukit Palong covers partially Penang areas, even quarterly covers. Bukit Larut has better coverage than Bukit Palong for Penang seriously.

I look back about the radio station profile of BFM recently, BFM is English business radio station in Malaysia where currently covers Klang Valley, South Perak, West Pahang and parts of Negeri Sembilan/Melaka. I usually listen to this business radio station, regardless peak hours or non-peak hours, so I also do listen to BFM advertisers' radio commercials, most of advertisers' products and services on BFM are telecommunication, education, health, business solutions, and cars (luxury cars, but minimum D-segment saloon).

I pick car advertisers as main topic. As BFM is business radio station in Malaysia, the radio stations attract few automakers to advertise their new cars on BFM, such as:

1. Volvo (XC40, XC60, XC90 and S90)
2. Mercedes-Benz (Switch to EQ)
3. BMW
4. Renault (Koleos)
5. Nissan (Serena and Teana)
6. Toyota (service or new car purchase promotion)
7. Honda (Accord)
8. Peugeot (3008)
9. DS Automobiles (DS5)
10. Audi
11. Subaru

Among these automaker companies, their target consumers are in the city, and premium urban areas. Penang is premium urban state within northern region of Peninsular Malaysia.

Note: Perodua and Proton are not advertised on BFM, but they advertised on mainstream radio where are entertainment-based stations.

I pick Lexus is an example, although Lexus is not used to advertise its car on BFM before. Lexus is a luxury division company of Toyota Motor Corporation, it is premium brand by Toyota. So, the competitors of Lexus are Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Acura, Volvo, Jaguar, and DS Automobiles. In Malaysia, Lexus Malaysia was established since 2006 officially, currently Lexus has eight showrooms and service outlets in Malaysia, covers Kuala Lumpur, Damansara, Ipoh, Penang, Melaka, Johor Bahru, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.

If one day BFM uses Bukit Palong transmission site to cover Penang, meanwhile Lexus is willing to advertise the all-new Lexus ES250 on BFM to attract buyers in Klang Valley and Penang from the radio station listeners, but the advertisers may not invest when Bukit Palong mainly covers Baling and Pengkalan Hulu.

Lexus ES250 2019

Currently Lexus has no showrooms and service outlets in Kedah, even Baling and Pengkalan Hulu are not premium areas. There have no Lexus buyers in Baling, Kedah, so Lexus may not be able to attract more buyers to own ES250 in Penang because Bukit Palong cannot cover many Penang areas, even may face loss revenue on advertisement due to effective-less advertising.

Advertisers are looking at strategic transmitting location, rather than alternative transmitting sites where can't cover those urban areas completely. Same as Kuantan, Lexus has no any outlets in Pahang areas because less people owns luxury vehicles there. So, this means that Kuantan has no commercial value to BFM.

In conclusion, based on my own personal research by putting Lexus as an example, Bukit Palong cannot create commercial value as Penang is not its target coverage. Since this opinion is made, I'm no longer putting Bukit Palong as proposed site for my research anymore. Therefore, what I recommend about the transmission site for BFM Penang frequency is either Bukit Penara, TM Gelugor, Seberang Jaya, BM Hill, Penang U4 or Gunung Jerai, depends on the availability of the tower infrastructure. If uses transmission sites where are mainly for Penang, regardless main site or new site, the commercial driven is high as they attract more advertisers.