RTM Labuan FM 89.4MHz dari Bukit Timbalai diterima di Tamparuli, Sabah dengan melalui pemancaran bersifat troposfera (RTM Labuan FM 89.4MHz was tuned in Tamparuli, Sabah via tropospheric propagation)

 

 

RTM Labuan FM menyambut ulangtahun ke-40 pada tahun ini, ia ditubuhkan sejak tahun 1986. Stesen radio ini bersiaran di Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan pada dua frekuensi, iaitu FM 103.7MHz dari RTM Labuan dan FM 89.4MHz dari Bukit Timbalai. 

 

RTM Labuan FM celebrates 40th years anniversary this year, it was established since 1986. This radio station broadcasts in Federal Territory of Labuan on two frequencies, such as FM 103.7MHz from RTM Labuan and FM 89.4MHz from Bukit Timbalai.

 

Selain daripada Pulau Labuan, siaran radio RTM Labuan masih boleh didengari dengan isyarat sederhana di Menumbok, Sabah pada frekuensi FM 89.4MHz yang dipancar dari Bukit Timbalai. Walaupun kekuatan pemancar RTM Labuan FM (tanpa mengira 89.4MHz atau 103.7MHz) ialah 0.1kW sahaja, tetapi isyarat RTM Labuan FM 89.4MHz diterima di Tamparuli, Sabah beberapa bulan lepas oleh seorang peminat radio, iaitu Kisah Alkisah.

 

Other than Labuan Island, RTM Labuan FM can be tuned moderately in Menumbok, Sabah via Bukit Timbalai transmitter on the frequency FM 89.4MHz. Although the transmitter power of RTM Labuan FM (regardless 89.4MHz or 103.7MHz) is only 0.1kW, but this radio station was received in Tamparuli, Sabah few months ago by a Sabahan radio DXer, known as Kisah Alkisah.

 

 

Tamparuli terletak di Daerah Tuaran, Bahagian Pantai Barat, Sabah. Berdasarkan pada video tersebut, isyarat RTM Labuan FM 89.4MHz from Bukit Timbalai adalah lemah di Tamparuli, Sabah. Penerimaan siaran RTM Labuan FM 89.4MHz di Tamparuli adalah bersifat troposfera kerana ia tidak dapat diterima di Tamparuli dan mana-mana kawasan Pantai Barat Sabah (kecuali Menumbok) pada hari biasa (pemancaran bersifat normal).

 

Tamparuli is located in Tuaran District, West Coast Division of Sabah. According to the videos above, the signal of RTM Labuan FM 89.4MHz from Bukit Timbalai was very weak in Tamparuli, Sabah. The radio reception of RTM Labuan FM 89.4MHz in Tamparuli was considered as tropospheric propagation because it is not receivable in Tamparuli and elsewhere in Sabah (except Menumbok) during normal propagation.

 

Jika KK12FM 89.5MHz di Kota Kinabalu masih bersiaran pada hari ini, RTM Labuan FM 89.4MHz tidak akan diterima di Tamparuli, Sabah, manakala ia akan bertindih dengan KK12FM 89.5MHz di Menumbok.
 

If KK12FM 89.5MHz in Kota Kinabalu is still alive today, RTM Labuan FM 89.4MHz is not receivable in Tamparuli, meanwhile it will have interference with KK12FM 89.5MHz in Menumbok.

 

Tamparuli ialah kawasan yang paling jauh untuk menerima siaran RTM Labuan FM 89.4MHz di Sabah dengan jarak 152km dari Bukit Timbalai, sedangkan ia adalah pemancaran bersifat troposfera.

 

Tamparuli was the furthest location to tune RTM Labuan FM 89.4MHz in Sabah with 152km distance from Bukit Timbalai, whereas it was troposferic propagation.

 

==Penerimaan siaran RTM Labuan FM di Tamparuli, Sabah (Radio reception of RTM Labuan FM in Tamparuli, Sabah)== 

* Frekuensi/Frequency: FM 89.4MHz

* Kuasa pemancar/Transmitter power: 0.1kW

* Tempat pemancar/Transmitter location: Bukit Timbalai, Labuan

* Tempat penerima/Receiver location: Tamparuli, Sabah

* Jarak/Distance: 152km

 

==RTM Labuan FM 89.4MHz/103.7MHz @ Menumbok, Sabah (19th April 2026)== 

Is it suitable of BFM Radio to expand coverage in East Malaysia (Kuching and Kota Kinabalu)?

 

 

It has been 18 years of BFM 89.9 broadcasts in Greater Klang Valley since September 2008. BFM 89.9 is an independent English language business radio station, founded by Malek Ali.

 

During these 18 years, BFM Radio had launched several attempts to expand its coverage outside Greater Klang Valley such as Penang and Johor Bahru. Unfortunately, the frequency applications for Penang and Johor Bahru were rejected by MCMC (Malaysia Communications Multimedia Commission) as there were no available frequency slots. Hence, BFM Radio is not available in Penang and Johor Bahru via frequency transmission, the listeners can tune BFM Radio digitally via online streaming or BFM mobile app.

 

BFM Radio is only available in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, South Perak, West Pahang, part of Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor on the frequency FM 89.9MHz, transmitted from Gunung Ulu Kali.

 

As BFM Radio could not expand coverage in Penang and Johor Bahru, how about East Malaysia cities like Kota Kinabalu and Kuching?

 

Yes, apparently BFM Radio can expand coverage in East Malaysia by launching tuning frequencies in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu because there are available frequency slots, but there are several limitations needed to be considered deeply.

 

1. The listeners in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu

* BFM 89.9 is a business radio station in Greater Klang Valley, targeting the PMEBs (Professionals, Managers, Enterprises, and Businessmen/Businesswomen) in busy Klang Valley, but the content may not guarantee to meet East Malaysia's market as the lifestyle and business operation between Klang Valley, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu are different. The former Chinese business radio station CityPlus FM was used to launch in Kuching (FM 92.5MHz), but it only survived up to 2 years. At the end, the radio station was closed in April 2020 and replaced by Kupi-Kupi FM Sarawak in June 2023. Hence, business radio station may not work well in East Malaysia as people prefers more localized content, rather than Kuala Lumpur centric content, unless BFM Radio carries East Malaysia related content in Klang Valley, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu together.

 

2. Impact to the existing clients (advertisers) who promote their products/services on BFM Radio

* The main clients of BFM 89.9 are actually finance services, insurance and banks, then universities and cars.

* About car advertisement, usually luxury automakers such as BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke/Bavarian Motor Works), Mercedes-Benz, Audi and less extensive Jaguar advertise their cars on BFM 89.9, however these cars are not sold more in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, compare to Klang Valley.  

* The existing clients of BFM 89.9 usually focuses to advertise their products and services via radio advertisement in Greater Klang Valley, but most of the clients don't even have any branches in East Malaysia cities such as Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. 

* East Malaysia car drivers usually drive Proton, Perodua, Toyota and less extensive Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Honda, the people who own luxury car brands in East Malaysia are not much actually.

 

Several survey companies like GFK and AC Nielsen conducted radio audience measurement (RAM) survey for many mainstream radio stations, but the RAM survey was only applied in Peninsular Malaysia. So, the result did not include East Malaysia listenership. Actually RAM survey is not relevant to any radio stations nowadays because the clients are smarter by not looking at the "manipulated" RAM survey.

 

RAM survey can be manipulated by having "fake figure/insight" in order to "fool" the radio clients. 

 

If BFM Radio really wants to expand coverage in East Malaysia, between Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, I would suggest to expand coverage in Kuching first because Kuching is likely more potential than Kota Kinabalu.

 

Regarding the transmission site, BFM Radio can use either Gunung Serapi or Bukit Djin/Antu transmitter tower for Kuching, Sarawak. Although Gunung Serapi has wider coverage than Bukit Djin/Antu, but it suffers intermodulation interference at Jalan Batu Lintang where located in the vicinity of Bukit Djin/Antu as the towers are occupied by many Kuching commercial radio stations. To avoid intermodulation interference at Jalan Batu Lintang in Kuching, BFM Radio is recommended to use Bukit Djin/Antu tower, but the coverage will not be greater as Gunung Serapi. Commercially, it is already sufficient of BFM Radio to cover Kuching by using Bukit Djin/Antu tower.

 

As the people can access BFM Radio easily nowadays without frequency transmission through digital platform such as BFM Radio mobile app and online streaming, even Apple CarPlay and Android Auto become very common nowadays, compare to 2017, so the coverage expansion via frequency transmission is no longer important to BFM Radio anymore.

 

While many commercial radio broadcasters are struggling as they cannot earn much revenue in East Malaysia, it is not necessary of BFM Radio to launch frequencies in East Malaysia.