Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) has announced that Money FM 89.3 and 96.3 Hao FM, the two new radio stations joining its stable, will hit the airwaves in January.
The announcement of the launch dates at a trade engagement event with media and advertisers yesterday follows a successful tender in March. This brings the total number of radio stations managed and operated by SPH Radio, an SPH subsidiary, to five.
Singapore's first business and personal finance radio station, Money FM 89.3, is set to launch on Jan 29. It will be hosted by industry veterans including Claressa Monteiro, Yasmin Jonkers and Elliott Danker.
Aimed at PMEBs (professionals, managers, executives and businessmen), financial market participants as well as the general audience, the talk-format English station will have content from The Straits Times, The Business Times and SPH's subsidiary, ShareInvestor.
Ms Loretta Lopez, assistant programme director of Money FM 89.3, said: "It is a rare experience for one to see a station up from ground zero.
"The team is working hard on their shows with the approach that every minute on air matters."
96.3 Hao FM will be a Mandarin infotainment station targeted at those aged 45 and above, playing classic hits by artists such as Wakin Chau, Faye Wong, Jacky Cheung and local xinyao music.
The station, scheduled to start on Jan 8, will also discuss topics ranging from lifestyle and healthcare to wealth planning.
The current line-up of hosts includes radio personalities such as Jackie Liu, Tan Li Yi, Hong Wei Wen and Wen Guo Xian.
Ms Carine Ang, senior programme director of 96.3 Hao FM, said: "This is a very exciting project for the entire team... After many months of hard work, we are finally closer to launching a brand new Chinese radio station in Singapore."
Mr Sim Hong Huat, general manager of SPH Radio, said: "These are exciting times for SPH Radio as we gear up to the launches of our two new stations next year.
"With strong editorial support and great production teams, we are committed to offering the best to our listeners."
More than 400 clients attended the trade event hosted by SPH's Integrated Marketing Division (IMD) at the Parkroyal on Pickering hotel.
Key personnel from the media giant also shared upcoming changes to its print and digital products, including newspapers The Straits Times and The Business Times.
ST executive editor Sumiko Tan said a priority for the coming months is creating more premium content, such as investigative stories and cutting-edge commentaries.
BT editor Wong Wei Kong said the paper's weekend magazine, currently published on Saturdays, will be distributed with the main paper on Fridays starting next year.
The Friday paper will also be redesigned to carry popular weekend features such as personal columns and car reviews.
On SPH's latest digital offering Stirr, Mr Chew V Ming, deputy head of digital strategy at SPH's English/ Malay/Tamil Media group, said the team differentiates itself from other similar products with the fact that it is made up of full-fledged journalists.
This is an advantage because "journalists are simply more aware of the big picture concerns that maybe some of the younger influencers out there may not be aware of", he said.
