Best FM is both

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

's first private

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

(not the first commercial station, Time Highway Radio is the first), and the first to be based outside of

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

, in

Johor Bahru Johor Bahru, abbreviated as JB, is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Johor. It is the core city of Johor Bahru District, Malaysia's second-largest district by population and the second-largest district economy. Covering an area of ...

Johor Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore ...

. Its studios are located in the royal town of

Pasir Pelangi Pasir Pelangi is a royal village in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. This royal village was established in the early 1900s (decade) during the reign of Sultan Ibrahim of Johor. The main attractions of Pasir Pelangi are the several palaces situated he ...

. Targeting listeners aged between 25 and 45, the station plays modern keroncong, traditional Malay music and popular music from the 1990s to the present day.

History

Best FM began transmission as Best 104 in 1989, primarily as a music-oriented station and acts as an alternative to its competitors Batam's Zoo FM and Singapore's Perfect 10. The owner of the station at launch was Syarikat Mados, a local company specialising in timber and aviation business closely connected to the royal family of Johor. The launch was set for September. It used to

broadcast Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...

in both

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and Malay, but fierce competition with other private stations broadcasting in English forced it to focus on the Malay speaking audience. Azmil Mustapha, an actor, became the station manager in April 1991. The station had a staff of 17 people in 1992. Also known as Suara Johor, it was regarded as "the best FM broadcast in the country". Best FM was suffering from losses in 1993 as it was unable to sustain the operating costs. Best FM began broadcasting 24 hours a day on 1 January 1996. On 9 March 1996, Best FM became a commercial station, with the launch officiated by the then-Crown Prince

Ibrahim Ibrahim may refer to: * Ibrahim (name), including a list of people with the name ** Abraham in Islam * Ibrahim (surah), a surah of the Qur'an * ''Ibrahim'' (play) or ''Ibrahim The Illustrious Bassa'', a 1676 tragedy by Elkanah Settle, based on a ...

. Its commercialisation began when it extended its broadcast area to outside its native Johor state and the commencement of round-the-clock broadcast in 1996. Best 104 was at one time one of the more popular bilingual stations with listeners in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

and the national capital

; stiff competition for the English speaking audience caused the station to stop its English broadcast in 2001. DJ Burhan Mohtaruddin, also known as BBD, held the world record of the longest on-air announcer after conducting the radio station non-stop for 104 hours, from midnight of 2 October 2000 until 8.00 a.m., 6 October 2000. Julie Diana Omar Shariff, a deejay with Best FM, was almost kidnapped and killed by eleven men in October 2012. In February 2014, Best 104 changed its name to Best FM. In 2015, Best FM planned to open a studio at

Berjaya Times Square Berjaya Times Square is a 48-storey, twin tower, hotel, condominium, indoor amusement park, commercial offices and shopping centre complex in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was opened to public in 2003. Background The developme ...

in Kuala Lumpur. As of 2019, Best FM was the second most listened Malay radio station in terms of listenership.

Frequency

References

External links

* 1989 establishments in Malaysia Radio stations established in 1989 Radio stations in Malaysia Mass media in Johor Bahru Malay-language radio stations {{Asia-radio-station-stub