I'm a Malaysia Chinese blogger regarding broadcasting topic. Let's reflect some moment that I did fight for.
Malaysia has only two Tamil language radio stations, they are THR Raaga from Astro Radio and Minnal FM from RTM. Let me to share about my moment of fighting for Indian listeners right of THR Raaga, this story will be divided into two sections.
1. THR Raaga frequency in East Coast Peninsular (Kuantan)
The first year that I realized Time Highway Radio (THR) became Tamil radio station Raaga was back to 2007 on Astro when I saw the radio menu list on a magazine back then. Since 2010, I just found THR Raaga and Minnal FM completed frequencies list. RTM Minnal FM is government service radio for Indian listeners in Malaysia, so its broadcast coverage in Peninsular Malaysia is wide.
Back to 2010, when I helped my parent to pay monthly security maintenance fees to Indian security guard, I saw the guard house window had THR Raaga car sticker, then I looked into its content, the sticker contained completed frequency list information. After I read the entire information on the sticker, I began to realize that THR Raaga had no Kuantan frequency.
I visited a website of radio frequency list, THR FM had frequency in Kuantan on 88.8MHz, Kuala Terengganu on 106.8MHz and Kota Bharu 88.1MHz. I thought THR Raaga was available there, but in fact Time Highway Radio Kuantan frequency FM 88.8MHz is THR Gegar, not THR Raaga.
This already gained my attention and concern since the moment. As I realized there are Indians in East Pahang (Kuantan), then Kuantan only has Minnal FM, therefore I start to make suggestion to Astro Radio to expand coverage for THR Raaga in Kuantan.
I started to fight for Malaysia Indian listeners rights to listen to Raaga in Kuantan by having frequency since 2012. The main reason that I did this was about equality, because there are Malay, English and Chinese radio stations in Kuantan, but no Tamil radio (commercial). In addition, I expected Astro will end monopoly of Minnal FM in East Pahang by launching Raaga there via radio frequency under political reason.
Until 2013, I highlighted my concern and opinion about THR Raaga Kuantan frequency to Astro via email. Initially I did not want to expect that I would receive feedback from Astro, but surprisingly I received a feedback, even a phone call from person in charge.
I might not understand in detail during that time before receiving explanation. Astro told me that the company was not able to expand THR Raaga coverage to Kuantan due to license condition.
THR FM was not allowed to operate 2 frequencies in Kuantan for Raaga and Gegar at the same time due to license restriction, actually THR FM was only a radio station back to 1990s. Before THR FM joined Astro, actually the management of defunct company already did Kuantan market study, Kuantan had more Malays than Indians, so THR FM decided to put Gegar in Kuantan and removed Raaga from Kuantan frequency, that happened in 2003.
Raaga and Gegar were under Time Highway Radio, initially they were just a radio programme slot, then slowly upgraded to standalone radio stations.
The decision of Time Highway Radio might increase the revenue of the radio station. Now I think it back, Raaga may have no market value in Kuantan, so THR did not want to reach there for its Tamil radio station.
During that time, I only concerned about Raaga in Kuantan only, minus Kuala Terengganu and Kota Bharu because very less Indians in Terengganu and Kelantan, compare to Pahang. Besides that, even some of Chinese radio stations such as 988 and One FM did not expand coverage to two states in East Coast.
Yes, we may understand that it is very perfect if Astro is allowed to expand coverage of Raaga in Kuantan by MCMC, but commercial market value in Kuantan for the Tamil radio station and other factors must be considered.
For now, it is no longer important because growing of technology and digital platforms. Indians in East Pahang can listen to Raaga via Astro/NJOI DVR CH 859 and Syok mobile app. Internet package nowadays is cheaper, so there is no limitation access of listening to Raaga via online streaming.
Digital platform technology is by-pass to traditional platform for radio station as it provides alternative.
Although THR Raaga has no Kuantan frequency, but listeners in the location can receive the radio station partially on FM 99.3MHz or FM 99.7MHz. Thanks to Fazrien for sending me video footage of receiving Raaga in Pekan and Kuantan last year.
When I travel Pahang state, I target THR Raaga in FM DX list for signal test video filming. My aim of making these videos are to let Indians in Pahang (mainly east) to know that Raaga may be available there, positively it is part of promotion.
2. Making THR Raaga as 24 hours Tamil radio station on FM radio
After Astro told me that the company could not expand Raaga coverage to Kuantan, so I withdrew the suggestion and did something alternative. Then I wrote a complete frequency and coverage list for THR Raaga in Pahang.
Back to July 2013, when I woke up around 4am in the morning, then I turned on radio FM 99.3MHz, I heard Malay songs on the frequency, it was THR Gegar from East Coast. Hmmm... I asked myself... "Where was THR Raaga, how about the content on Astro DVR and online?. I went to check THR Raaga online streaming, it was Tamil songs.
THR Raaga frequencies aired THR Gegar program from 2am to 6am already gained my concern in 2013.
I was not happy during that time and felt symphatize to Malaysia Indians listeners who tune to THR Raaga. Therefore, I highlighted this issue to Astro Radio. I was told that Astro Radio could not make Raaga as 24 hours Tamil radio station on FM radio because of license condition of Radio Lebuhraya Sdn Bhd, MCMC stated that Radio Lebuhraya Sdn Bhd must obtained at least 30% Malay content during that time. If Astro Radio made Raaga as 24 hours Tamil radio station on FM frequency, then the license could be revoked as breaching MCMC regulation.
I was very speechless after I heard those news, then I blamed on government politically, but what I fought for this had finally come to reality.
On April 2018, THR Raaga announced that the station would become 24 hours Tamil radio station on FM radio frequency. This created a new milestone and history of Tamil radio broadcast in Malaysia. From that time, Raaga was no longer airing Gegar from 2am to 6pm.
I was very happy for Indian listeners actually, they deserve it nicely by having 24 hours Tamil radio station for Raaga.
What I expected in the past had finally arrived after 5 years from the moment that I suggested Astro to make Raaga as 24 hours Tamil radio station.
On November 2018, I woke up at 3.30 a.m. in the morning, turned on radio, and tune to Raaga, it really played Tamil songs, so I recorded the video and published on YouTube.
What I fight for is about equality of Malaysia ethnics, it is about fairness too.
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