Abu Dhabi Classic FM fills slot vacated by BBC

Abu Dhabi Classic FM has already begun broadcasting on 87.9 FM, following the termination of BBC World Service and BBC Arabic on the frequency late last week.

The frequency is the third owned by the expanding classical music station – which also owns 91.6 FM in Abu Dhabi and 105.2 in Al Ain.

Abdulrahman Awadh Al Harthi, Director of Abu Dhabi Radio Network, of which AD Classic FM is a subsidiary said that the frequency would boost audiences in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

“It is an important milestone in the evolution of AD Classic FM and reaffirms our earlier commitment to broadcast UAE-wide,” he said in a statement.

“We are confident this will further boost the station’s popularity.”

A spokesman for the BBC said that the reason the World Service and BBC Arabic were no longer on air was due to a “cessation of our licence”.

“Due to pressures on budgets for distribution of our radio services at BBC World Service, we were unfortunately unable to reach a financial agreement with the licensor that provided adequate value for money for the BBC,” the spokesman said.

“These financial constraints limit our ability to invest in FM distribution at a time of increasing costs of licences generally around the world, especially in that part of the Middle East.”

The cuts to World Service is likely to significantly cut audiences in the UAE, although the spokesman said that both the World Service and BBC Arabic were available for streaming online.

“The BBC has an audience of 730,000 in the UAE across radio and television,” the spokesman said.

“Of that figure, BBC World Service has just under half a million listeners across all languages.”

Globally, the BBC has seen a decline in audiences for shortwave broadcasting.

According to the BBC World Service Annual Review 2009-10, the corporation lost 20 million listeners to shortwave radio within that period.

The report attributed the falling audience numbers to a “global decline in short wave listening”.

martin@khaleejtimes.com