Cool FM, Beat FM to float TV stations

Urban radio stations, Cool FM and Beat FM are spreading their tentacles into television as
they float TV stations in the coming months.
According to NET investigations, Globe
Broadcasting and Communications Limited
who are owners and operators of Cool FM,
Wazobia FM and Nigeria Info FM 99.3 are
almost ready to kick off a television station,
World Entertainment Television (WE-TV ).
A staff of the organization who spoke to NET
correspondent in confidence said that the
management is still being discreet with most of
the information as a few operations are yet to
be put in place.
The source stated, ‘Plans to launch WE-TV have
been on since last year. As a matter of fact,
the first set of recruitment for the staffing of
the station was had a few months ago.
Depending on what the management decides,
test transmission should begin before the end
of the year.’
NET also gathered that some of the shows on
radio will have TV versions when WE-TV begins
transmission and will be hosted by the same
hosts on radio. The management also hopes to
create and own its own content too.
‘We are working on creating our own contents
for the channel so that we don’t have to
depend entirely on content providers’, an
official told us over the weekend.
Run by Lebanese-born Amin Moussalli , Cool
FM has since 1998 been one of the choice
radio stations in Lagos.
Meanwhile, as part of its expansion,
Megalectrics Limited, operators of popular
urban radio stations, Classic FM , Beat FM and
Naija FM are also gearing up to float their
own television channel.
Although the management did not want to
reveal much, an insider tells us that the details
of the project are still under wraps, but what
is certain is the interest of the organization to
launch into television programming in the
coming months.
‘For now, the plans are still a bit sketchy. We
are all aware of the plan and the preparations
that are being made but we are still unclear
when the station will kick off’ , an insider told
NET.
Owned by Chris Ubosi, Beat FM started off in
2008 and now rivals long timers, Cool FM and
Rhythm FM to become the leading urbane
music station in Lagos and environs.
Since the establishment of the first television
station in Nigeria, Western Nigeria Television
(WNTV) in October 1959 in Ibadan and the
Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) 1973, it
was only until the 90s that a new wave of
television stations began to emerge.
The launch of Galaxy Television in May 1994
registered the emergence of privately owned
television stations which presently has
increased greatly in number with most of them
located in the commercial city of Lagos.
The most recent terrestrial television station,
ONTV, owned by Tajudeen Adepetu’s
Consolidated Media Associates (CMA), was
launched in August 2011.
Lately, many media investors have become
more interested in TV, with many favouring pay
TV platforms. Mo’ Abudu ’s EbonyLife TV and
Ayo Animashaun ’s Hip TV are the most
recent entrepreneurs towing the line.
With more than 30 terrestrial and satellite
television stations, Lagos now has the highest
number of television stations in a city in
Africa.
For now, it is unclear if the new channels are
going to go on terrestrial or satellite, but if
and when these TV stations set rolling, they will
join the leagues of organisations like Daar
Communications ( Raypower/AIT), Silverbird
(Rhythm FM /STV), Murhi International (Star
FM /MITV)and Continental Broadcasting
Service (Radio Continental/ TVC) who operate
both radio and television stations in Lagos.