New programme director for Kiss92, One FM

Radio veteran Bernard Lim hosted his last show on Money FM 89.3 yesterday.
Radio veteran Bernard Lim hosted his last show on Money FM 89.3 yesterday. PHOTO: BERNARD LIM

After being a presenter on Money FM 89.3 for more than two years, radio veteran Bernard Lim will go off the air to take on a new role as the programme director of sister stations Kiss92 FM and One FM 91.3.

All three stations are run by SPH Radio.

He replaces Mr Jamie Meldrum, who died of natural causes at the age of 50 in August.

Lim hosted his last show on Money FM 89.3 yesterday and will start his new position on Monday.

"Nobody expected what happened to Jamie - we're all quite shocked," he says. "The two stations have been handled very well by him and, moving on, we will continue to do what Jamie has done. But we will also think about how to make some improvements."

Lim is no stranger to radio management. He first made his name in 1992 as a DJ on the Mediacorp radio station now known as 987, and became programming manager at Class 95 in 1996.

He later became vice-president of integrated media planning and managing director for television in the company.

He also spent time in the nightlife and entertainment industry as chief executive of entertainment group LifeBrandz.

In 2014, he suffered a stroke and had to undergo two operations. He has since fully recovered.

When he joined Money FM as a presenter in 2018, it was his first time going on the air in more than two decades.

While he is familiar with many of the seasoned presenters who used to work with him in Mediacorp - including One FM's Glenn Ong and the Flying Dutchman, as well as Kiss92's Maddy Barber - Lim acknowledges that the radio scene has changed a lot since the 1990s.

He says: "Radio is not what it used to be. Listeners today have a lot of other distractions. So I see this role as a new challenge and I'm looking forward to taking on that challenge."

He will be working closely with the personalities from the two stations, he adds. "I need to understand their mindset and really help them improve their performance."

A key focus will be on the new team that helms Kiss 92's morning show, comprising DJs Barber, Divian Nair and presenter and executive producer Andre Hoeden, previously from One FM.

Former Kiss 92 DJ Jason Johnson left the team in late August to "pursue other personal interests", says Lim.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 10, 2020, with the headline New programme director for Kiss92, One FM. Subscribe