Classical radio station to broadcast in UAE

Keach Hagey

• Last Updated: October 21. 2009 10:36PM UAE / October 21. 2009 6:36PM GMT

ABU DHABI // The Abu Dhabi Media Company will launch the country’s first classical music radio station, Abu Dhabi Classic FM, tomorrow.

The station’s first day of programming will feature the opening concert of the New York Philharmonic performing at the Emirates Palace auditorium.

The new broadcaster will be the official station of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage’s “Abu Dhabi Classics” performance series, and will broadcast in Abu Dhabi on 91.6 FM and in Al Ain on 105.2 FM.

ADMC is also the owner and publisher of The National.

The station’s presenters will speak in English, in a nod to the music played and the origins of the listeners, according to Abdulrahman Awadh al Harithi, the director of Abu Dhabi Radio Network.

“English is the international language, and many of the listeners of the Classic FM will be leaders, chairmen, board members who have literacy in classical music,” he said.

This audience holds a commercial potential for the station, but its broader function would be educational, Mr al Harithi said.

Abu Dhabi Classic FM will broadcast both classical music and jazz, in addition to news and information associated with the Abu Dhabi Classics 2010 season, beginning with the opening concert.

khagey@thenational.ae