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Singapore to go Big on Bollywood music

Bollywood music, celebrity interviews, comic capsules and news from India will be aired on the radio station

Asians, particularly Indians, in Singapore will now be able to listen to Bollywood music. MediaCorp Radio, Singapore's one of the leading media companies, and India's radio channel, BIG 92.7 FM (an Adlabs Films initiative), have come together to launch a station catering to this segment of listeners. The station, which will be called BIG Bollywood 96.3 FM, will go live on July 1 and broadcast Bollywood entertainment every day - initially for three hours - between 5pm and 8pm. On course, it will become a 24-hour channel.

Singapore to go Big on Bollywood music
Tarun Katial
Singapore to go Big on Bollywood music
Philip Koh
As per Big FM’s policy in India, the channel will play only the latest Hindi film songs. However, it will be a little flexible in Singapore and play songs released in and after 2000. In addition, the station has an interesting mix of programming, which includes Bollywood gossip and trivia, interviews with Bollywood celebrities, and humour capsules from Shekhar Suman, Raju Shrivastav and Sunil Pal. It will also air news from India, covering general news, financial news and sports news. Government regulations don’t allow private radio stations to air news in India.

Tarun Katial, chief executive officer, Big FM, says, “This partnership allows Big FM to strengthen its reach to an international audience that is interested in Bollywood entertainment.”

Philip Koh, managing director, MediaCorp Radio, is confident that the addition of Hindi programming on Big 96.3 FM will further reinforce the station’s position amongst the expatriate community. “The Hindi expatriate community is possibly the fastest growing one in Singapore,” he says. “We are honoured to partner with Big FM to reach out to this audience and play a part in helping them associate with their cultural roots.”

Big FM has 45 stations in India, while MediaCorp Radio has 13 stations (FM 96.3) in Singapore.

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