Channel 4 Radio to expand across GCC

One of the oldest radio operators in the country, Channel 4 Radio Network, plans to expand across the Arabian Gulf countries, executives of the network disclosed in an interview with Emirates Business.

"We are in the process of expanding our foreign network in other Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries and will announce details of the plan by the end of the year," said Mohammed Al Murad, Marketing Director, Channel 4 Radio Network.

The network that started way back in 1996 with one radio frequency, today handles five frequencies in the country; two in English and one each in Arabic, Hindi and Malayalam. In fact, the Malayalam frequency is yet to be formally announced but has been running non-stop music without any Radio Jockey (RJ) interaction for the last two months.

"Right from the beginning, the plan was to spread the network into all the major languages that are prevalent in the region," said Murad. "We started with one frequency and only after establishing and growing in the business, did we venture into taking over new frequencies."

The radio network has also taken over the Fujairah-based Coast FM and is "keen to acquire more frequencies from other emirates," said Murad. "With limitation on allotted frequencies, we have to count on acquiring frequencies from other emirates and pursuing our expansion plans."

The network already has radio stations abroad with frequencies in Sudan and Iraq. "This is part of our expansion in radio network and spreading into the neighbourhood is next on the cards," he said. The network has already invested in other GCC countries for FM frequencies and is awaiting approval from local authorities.

On the involvement of local authorities, Murad conveyed his confidence in the countries' Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and highlighted the necessity of such a body. "We have been, in the past, dealing with government authorities that were not specialised in this, and radio stations were communicating without any regulations and control over the industry. Now, the regulatory authority of each country in the region is communicating collectively and is guiding the entire industry with a focused approach."

"This is particularly of relevance when handling issues of frequency allocation and implementing power of transmission. With humidity and heat as the two most common elements in the region that contribute to the free-flow of signals, it's very difficult to control the reach of analogue signals that overflow into the neighbouring countries," explained Murad.

However, this will be resolved and controlled with precision, when radio stations in the region switch to a digital platform that will enable broadcasting into CD quality, he said. "It's already started in the developed markets, and is proving to be very effective. In fact, in the UK, all radio operators are supposedly told to convert to the digital platform by 2015."

Speaking of the development of the industry and radio networks in particular, Murad opined that just one radio station's efforts wouldn't be efficiently effective for the industry. "Some of the radio stations are making efforts to educate the market and highlight the reach of radio waves but, I believe, it has to be a collective effort and radio operators have to come together on a common platform to create awareness and educate the market of the effectiveness of ad dollar spent on radio in comparison with other mediums," he said.

Asked if an association or a common platform was in the pipeline to unite all industry players, he insisted that only under the guidance of official authorities could such a platform exist and work positively. "Of course, such a platform has to be under the umbrella of the TRA and a properly defined affiliation of industry members will strengthen our efforts and establish the UAE as the regional leader in this medium," he said.

He added that a combined effort by all radio operators would not only give the industry a platform to voice its concerns, but would also contribute to quality in all aspects of broadcasting. "At the moment, there's a reluctance to investing in creating radio spots, with most radio stations offering that at no additional cost, using their in-house creative team and their RJs. Of course, it does affect the quality and I think with a combined effort, the radio industry can work in tandem with creative agencies and raise the standards of radio spots.

"We have a dedicated creative team for radio spots, but their effort is limited by the investment that clients are willing to make. Once they show courage to invest big in creating radio spots, the message conveyed will surely be longer-lasting. But it's only a matter of time when this will become a reality as we are already noticing a positive swing in the mind sets of clients that are taking radio waves with more seriousness than before," he said.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.