Sixteen years after its establishment, Metro FM 94.6 is finally going to upgrade its transmission from 500 to 1000 watt to cover wider areas.

The FM radio is the first station run by a metropolitan city in South Asia, disseminating the development related information of heritage conservation, environment and water and air conservation along with various entertaining and informative programmes. “We played a vital role during the great earthquake and we are more focused on being more competitive and credible in the market,” said Rudra Singh Tamang, KMC chief executive officer. The FM on Friday celebrated the 16th anniversary. The Then Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai had inaugurated the station on September 18, 1999 in a bid to give general information of the Kathmandu valley to its residents and the FM used to run for seven hours in the morning and evening.

According to Tamang, the upgradation is the demand of time. The Ministry of Information and Communication figure shows that there are currently 36 FM radio stattions in the Valley. Addressing the programme, Deputy Prime Minister and Local Development Minister Prakash Man Singh said the KMC should develop it as a model radio station in the Valley. “The FM should reach locals as it is a powerful tool to bring positive changes in the society,” he said.

Mahendra Bista, president of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, highlighted the role of media during disaster.