The licence of popular Manchester based station, Asian Sound Radio, has been sold to the Lyca Group.
Asian Sound Radio, which was co-founded by Shafat Ali and brother Shujat Ali, went on-air in 1992 (as Restricted Service License) – making it one of the longest running independent Asian radio stations in the UK. Asian Sound Radio was granted its permanent licence in August 1995 and successfully launched on the 3rd of June 1996 as the first Asian radio station in the North of England to cater for the South Asian Communities.
The Asian Sound Radio licence will sit under Lyca Group’s Lyca Media umbrella. This will be the third Asian radio station in the group after the flagship Lyca Radio and Lyca Gold brands in Greater London. The acquisition also makes Lyca Media the largest Asian radio group in the UK. It also runs English station, Time 107.5FM in the Romford area.
The sale of Asian Sound Radio is not only unique but also makes history as one of the first commercial Asian radio stations being sold. Previously, the Lyca Group bought Sunrise Radio’s frequencies when they went into administration. Asian Sound Radio covers the entire North West region of England with its two frequencies 963AM and 1377AM. It is also available on DAB and online. Lyca Media will announce details of its plans for Asian Sound Radio in the coming days.
As one of the youngest owners of an Asian radio brand, Shafat Ali launched Asian Sound Radio at the age of 24. As Chairman of Asian Sound Radio, Shafat said, “It’s end of an era and start of an exciting time for Asian Sound Radio. We were ultimately the first Asian commercial Asian radio station to be awarded by Radio Authority for the North of England. As We’re hugely proud of our journey and I would like to thank advertisers, listeners, and my staff for 31 years of award-winning content. I would also like to wish Lyca Group all the best with their plans for the new Asian Sound Radio. One of the reasons we entered sales talks with the Lyca Group was for its excellence in broadcasting and its commitment to Muslim audiences in Greater Manchester with entertainment, religious content including the marking of Ramadan and Azaan being played out.”
Raj Baddhan was appointed the CEO of Lyca Media in January 2021, the youngest CEO of the company since its ten-years on-air. He said, “We are delighted to be making history as not only the largest Asian radio group in the UK but also acquiring the Asian Sound Radio frequencies – one of the legacy brands in the UK Asian radio industry. We can’t wait to share our exciting plans to bring the super successful formula we have created with Lyca Radio in Greater London, now for listeners in the North West of England. We are hugely grateful to Shafat Ali for working with the Lyca Group for a smooth sale. As we step into our 10th year of broadcasting excellence, this is just the start of a new era for the Lyca Radio Group.”
Lyca Radio and Lyca Gold are a part of the Lyca Group, the No.1 Asian radio group in the UK.
