What is an Indian FM channel doing in Karachi???!!

yes you read it right -- last night while driving to do an errand i turned on the radio and came across an FM channel where the host was talking in what appeared to be Gujarati -- initially i thought it was perhaps a new channel in gujarati -- apna karachi 107 FM has a segment in Gujarati i believe as well so perhaps someone took the initiative to cater to karachi's sizeable gujarati-speaking population. However, this morning again, as I was checking various FM channels, I came across the same one -- 93.5 FM -- with a man and a woman both talking in a mixture of what seemed to be urdu, English and Gujarati -- the songs were all indian but that doesnt necessarily mean that the channel would be indian because many pakistani FM channels also air Indian songs -- but then came an ad for Bisleri which is India's leading mineral water provider -- Bisleri is not sold in Pakistan so the ad couldnt be for Karachi -- and then it made sense -- this was clearly an FM channel coming from the other side that the border -- Sindh borders Gujarat and hence the Gujarati-speaking RJs -- then i did some googling and found that Ahmedabad has a channel whose frequency is FM 93.5 -- the distance between Ahmedabad and Karachi (as the crow flies) is around 360 miles -- Rajkot, also in Gujarat state, has a channel whose frequency is also 93.5 FM and it is closer to the Pakistan border -- but the distance between Karachi and Rajkot (which adjacent Jamnagar and not too far from the Rann of Kutch) would be still a formidable 230 miles or so -- formidable for FM radio waves to travel -- so does India have boosters near the border -- because till a few days ago this FM channel wasnt available in Karachi -- is this an accident or deliberate -- remember the Azm-e-Nau exercise is going on right now - very close to the border with Rajasthan in Khairpur Tamewali (which is in the Cholistan desert) -- while i dont mind another channel to listen to, and one with a decidedly different sound, i wonder what PEMRA has to say about this -- does remind me just how (physically) close we are to India

Comments

  1. Teeth MaestroApril 20, 2010 at 10:00 AM

    So much for Zaid Hamid's promise of doing a Radio Pakistan from Delhi ....

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 20, 2010 at 10:11 AM

    How low will the Indians sink? Trying to disrupt our military exercises with Gujrati FM programming. The horror! The outrage!

    ReplyDelete
  3. MeApril 20, 2010 at 11:33 AM

    It is very hard to control radio frequencies and jamming the radio waves coming from across the border would require a lot of money, which could/should be implemented in times of war. Having said that...

    I would like to say to "Anonymous" that writing everything that happens across the border to India wanting to declare war on Pakistan, is a mindset that would eventually destroy Pakistan. Now where I am not denying that there are elements there who don't want to be at peace with Pakistan, I am also trying to say that both countries need to be on good terms with each other otherwise this all sounds like we're on a collision course. Also, given our financial conditions we cannot afford a war with anyone right now.

    I am managing a chain of FM radio stations in interior Sindh. Its called Music Highway FM (http://www.musichighway.fm). One of our stations that is in Nooriabad, Super Highway (FM 92) can also be heard in Indian Gujrat because the mostly empty terrain helps to spread the frequency.

    These transmissions work like the waves in a pond when you throw a stone. They travel outwardly like a circle and keeps growing until it fades out.

    If you have anymore questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Omar R QuraishiApril 20, 2010 at 1:52 PM

    Me -- thanks for the info -- i was just curious that 300 plus miles is probably a lot for FM radio waves to pass -- and Karachi is around a hundred miles from the border -- you think this is just happening by chance -- perhaps something to do with the weather?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sundus RasheedApril 20, 2010 at 3:06 PM

    I heard RadioMirchi, Rajkot on the Native Jetty bridge this past winter which threw a local radio station in to a frenzy. But radio signals often lose their way - in this case due to wind direction.

    ReplyDelete
  6. MeApril 20, 2010 at 3:52 PM

    Hello Omar,

    Strength of signals depend on the terrain, weather and wind and also, the height of the transmitter directly affects how far the signal will go before dying.

    When television sets had their antennas, they some times caught Indian television as well.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Omar R QuraishiApril 20, 2010 at 7:19 PM

    me -- above -- yes about tv -- but i thought that used to happen more for tv and that too in lhr which is 20 kms from the border or sialkot -- around 40 kms -- karachi being so far kind of took me by surprise -- thank for the info though

    sundus -- so what did the radio station though -- i guess this must be the same station -- i looked at the map and found rajkot to be the closest to the pakistan border

    ReplyDelete
  8. MeApril 20, 2010 at 10:35 PM

    Oh I never introduced myself and I just realized it says, Me on my comments hehe.

    I am Shahjahan Akber, from Karachi.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sundus RasheedApril 21, 2010 at 1:54 PM

    we waited it out. there was nothing we could do. also, during the launch of another karachi based radio station - our transmission was intercepted by their test transmission - which resulted in several hours of Quranic recitation on a frequency known for its 'angrezi' content. And the issued had to be resolved by FAB - Frequency Allocation Board.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Omar R QuraishiApril 21, 2010 at 2:55 PM

    hahaha no way

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousNovember 24, 2012 at 11:40 AM

    I am an indian gujarati and finding out that pakistan also has sizable gujaratis makes me feel gud as gujarati. All gujaratis should come togather to boost films, songs and business!!
    And yea how evil india can be. Trying to expose karachi to indian commercial radio station!! this will harm so many ppl

    ReplyDelete
  12. UnknownMay 11, 2015 at 12:15 AM

    wow nice website template and design, i liked it, especially the color scheme, awesome collection of live indian tv channels. i have a question, do you guys offer VODs (videos on demand)? if yes then please let me know, i am very much interested in VODs. As people prefer VODs now a days due to busy routines and the favorite programs they missed watching. Looking forward to your reply. Thanks bye ;)

    ReplyDelete
  13. UnknownApril 25, 2016 at 11:26 AM

    hey, This only happens in summer and the months of september and octomber. may be because of the higher temperature. You can listen the radio station which are so far at distance. happens only morning and evening-night.
    I'm also listening City FM 89 (pakistani FM) in Gujrat.

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousMay 19, 2016 at 9:13 PM

    I am from gujarat , india
    I am also hearing pakistani fm channels at my home every evening. 89MHz, 92.0MHz, 100MHz

    ReplyDelete

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