Tune into 104.2 FM for live Malayalam music

The new Indian FM channel, set to go live on November 4, will cater to the Keralites in Bahrain.

Keralites in Bahrain will soon be able to listen to their favourite numbers or catch up on news from home with an all new Indian FM channel.

Bahrain's information ministry has granted a licence to India's Strategic Publicity & Advertising Company (SPAC) to run 104.2 FM.

"SPAC will produce five hours of programmes from Kerala for the Bahrain channel," chairperson P Unnikrishnan told the Gulf Daily News.

"Voice FM 104.2 will broadcast 60 per cent programmes in Malayalam, 30 percent in Hindi and 10 per cent in Tamil," he added.

The channel will officially go live on Saturday with an interactive chat with radio star Sreekandan Nair, who will be present at the Bahrain studio.

"We will start with a two-hour show on Saturday, and will become a 24-hour channel before November 15," Unnikrishnan said.

"Eighty percent of the programmes will be telecast live. These will include interactive dedicated songs, and youth-oriented and student-focused educational programmes. Also, there will be an hourly news update from Kerala," he added.

Fourteen private radio channels, catering to different Indian languages, already operate in the United Arab Emirates. However, 104.2 FM will be the first Indian private radio channel to be established in Bahrain.

The launch of the radio channel also coincides with the south Indian state of Kerala celebrating golden jubilee of its formation this month.