Lush 99.5FM to
cease transmission
SINGAPORE: Mediacorp on Monday (Jul 17) said it will discontinue
transmission of Lush 99.5FM from Sep 1 as part of a rationalisation
of its network of radio stations.
Lush began in 2004 and was positioned as an indie music station. It
gradually built a niche following but the station’s audience has
steadily declined over the years to about 50,000 weekly at present,
Mediacorp said in a statement. And despite efforts to increase the
number of listeners, the station has consistently garnered the
lowest audience among the company's radio stations.
Lush listeners are increasingly being served online and on
alternative platforms.
Mediacorp said it has decided to focus on growing overall
listenership by consolidating its resources and efforts on its five
other English stations.
At the same time, it will incorporate key elements of Lush’s unique
brand of entertainment in the mix of content featured on those
stations, it said.
New programming plans and a renewed line-up will be announced later
this year.
A key part of Lush’s programming was to support the local arts and
music scene, Mediacorp said.
"This will continue despite the closure of Lush. In fact, local
content will be given strong prominence in Mediacorp’s new
Singapore Sounds initiative which will be launched on 987 – which
will feature home-grown artistes and mainstream local music – and
on 938LIVE, which will feature independent artists.
"There will be prominent coverage on the stations’ respective
social media platforms and 8days.sg. The Singapore Sounds
initiative also aims to connect industry players and encourage them
to organise events that interest and resonate with local
audiences."
It added that local musicians will also be featured on key
Mediacorp programmes on Toggle and television, such as during the
Countdown show.
Mediacorp said "it is grateful to all listeners who have supported
Lush 99.5FM through the years".
Source: CNA/aa