Hitz (formerly Hitz FM, stylised as hitz on radio) is a Malaysian national radio station managed by Astro Radio, a subsidiary of Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad. The radio station name was changed from Hitz.FM to Hitz FM in 2014. In 2015, as according to Nielsen RAM Survey Wave #1, Hitz FM maintained its position as Malaysia's leading English-language station with over 1.2 million listeners.[2] Hitz FM has a weekly audience of more than 2.2M listeners on radio.[3][better source needed] It targets listeners between the age of 10 to 29, according to Astro Radio.[citation needed] The radio station's slogan is "Malaysia's #1 Hit Music Station."
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| Broadcast area | Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei |
|---|---|
| RDS | HITZ |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Format | Top 40 (CHR), US Top 40 |
| Affiliations | Astro Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad |
| History | |
First air date | 1 January 1997 |
Last air date | 1 October 2023 (Hitz Sabah & Sarawak)[1] |
Former names | Hitz.FM (2001 - 2014) Hitz FM (2014 - 2017) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Syok TuneIn (Klang Valley) |
| Website | hitz |
History edit
January 1997: HITZ was launched into Malaysian FM airwaves in January 1997 after being one of Astro's audio-only channels since the launch of the satellite network in October the year before.
2000: the Malaysian Top 10 (later renamed Malaysian English Top 10) was introduced, airing every Sundays at 4pm to bring the limelight into local Malaysian music which would suit the tastes of Hitz FM's listeners, especially indie acts.
April 2001: [HITZ] undergoes rebranding as Hitz.FM (with a dot), introduces new online features like webcasts of their on-air announcers in action and radio streaming.
In August 2003, a rift between Li'l Kev and the management of AMP (Airtime Management and Programming) over the contract between them caused him and FlyGuy to leave Hitz.FM abruptly.[citation needed] Jason Lo and Rudy Sufian were called up to fill in their places and eventually became the new Morning Crew. (Later, Lo switched time slots with JJ Fernandez for the drive-home slot.) Later in the same year, HITZ.TV (Astro Hitz) was launched as a complement to the radio channel until it ceased broadcasting on 16 May 2016.[4]
2005: The introduction of the Hitz FM Malaysian English Top 10 Awards to "honour the best of Malaysian English-singing musical talent and compositions".
2008: Rudy announced his decision to give up his morning show, confessing to having problems getting up in the mornings and needed to change his work pattern.[citation needed] Ean (real name Tengku Mohd Ean Nasrun) takes his place alongside JJ following the resignation until 2016.
September 2010: Hitz.FM was launched alongside its respective Malay and Chinese counterparts Era FM and My FM in East Malaysia - the three channels began broadcasting in Kuching on 25 October of that year followed by Kota Kinabalu on 1 December.
2014: Hitz.FM was rebranded again, this time it changed the name to Hitz FM.
On 1 January 2018, the station reverted to its original name as part of the Astro Radio's major rebranding project to focus on digital platforms. A new logo for Hitz was also unveiled during the rebranding.[5]
On 19 October 2020, Hitz ended their "Gotcha" calls after more than a decade. It was a popular prank call segment on the Hitz Morning Crew show hosted by Ean and Arnold.[6]
On 19 February 2021, Yusuf Shukri (widely known as Yusuf), an announcer from HITZ Sarawak received backlash and condemnation when he uploaded a video on his personal TikTok account that belittled the English intonation of a Science teacher, Rafidah Rahmat about human reproduction in the newly launched DidikTV channel by the Ministry of Education. Following the incident, Yusuf was suspended from his duties by Hitz and Astro Radio's management board while they investigate the matter. He then apologized for the outrageous action caused by him through a video posted on his Instagram. Three days later, Hitz accepted his resignation and have confirmed that Yusuf has resigned from his role as an announcer, the station did not elaborate on findings from an internal inquiry it launched after that deleted TikTok video of Yusuf.[7][8]
Beginning 18 June 2021, HITZ started streaming their radio webcast through YouTube live on its channel round the clock non-stop.[9]
On 1 October 2023, Astro Radio has stopped its operations in Sabah and Sarawak. Despite this move, radio broadcasts for ERA Sarawak and ERA Sabah will continue as usual but operations will be moved back to Kuala Lumpur from 1 January 2024. The English language channel, Hitz Sabah and Hitz Sarawak will have their broadcasts returned to Kuala Lumpur.[citation needed]
Frequency edit
| Frequencies | Broadcast area | Transmitter site |
|---|---|---|
| 92.9 MHz | Shah Alam, Selangor | Gunung Ulu Kali |
| 92.8 MHz | Alor Setar, Kedah and Perlis | Mount Jerai |
| Penang | ||
| Kota Bharu, Kelantan | Bukit Panau | |
| 92.4 MHz | Langkawi, Kedah | Gunung Raya |
| 93.6 MHz | Taiping, Perak | Bukit Larut |
| 92.7 MHz | Ipoh, Perak | Gunung Kledang |
| 95.0 MHz | Seremban, Negeri Sembilan | Gunung Telapak Buruk |
| 93.0 MHz | Malacca and Northern Johor | Mount Ledang |
| 97.6 MHz | Johor Bahru, Johor Singapore | Mount Pulai |
| 93.2 MHz | Kuantan, Pahang | Bukit Pelindung |
| 94.8 MHz | Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu | Bukit Besar |
| 95.3 MHz | Kuching, Sarawak | Bukit Djin |
| 105.8 MHz | Miri, Sarawak | Bukit Lambir |
| 100.8 MHz | Kota Kinabalu, Sabah | Bukit Karatong |
| 99.8 MHz | Sandakan, Sabah | Bukit Trig |
| 105.1 MHz | Sibu, Sarawak | Bukit Lima |
Internet radio edit
Note: Internet radio broadcast online on SYOK website and SYOK App.
- Hitz TikTok
- Hitz Dance
- Hitz Urban
- Hitz Workout
- Hitz Top 40
- Hitz Local
- Hitz Throwback
- Hitz Chillest
- Hitz Kpop
Television satellite edit
- Astro: Channel 852
Similar radios edit
References edit
- ^ Astro Radio Sabah goes off the air
- ^ "71% of Malaysians Listen to Astro Radio". Astro. 19 June 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ "Our Brands | Astro Radio". Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "Astro Hitz to be ceased on 16 May 2016". Astro B.yond Info. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ "With multiplatform the new reality, Astro Radio drops 'FM', refreshes 11 brands". Digital News Asia. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- ^ Dorall, Anne. "HITZ Finally Puts An End To Gotcha Calls After 10 Years, A Fight, & A Bit Of Drama | TRP". The Rakyat Post. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ "Radio DJ who laughed at science teacher's pronunciation 'taking a break' | Coconuts KL". Coconuts. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- ^ "Radio deejay who laughed at teacher's English resigns". The Star. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- ^ "Now Streaming on YouTube! Stream Live 24/7 at HITZ!". Retrieved 10 August 2021.
External links edit