Astro Audio
Astro Audio Sdn Bhd is a Malaysian radio network company which operates radio broadcasting services and more since 1996. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Astro [Malaysia Holdings|Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad]. Astro Radio owns and manages 12 private radio stations which are transmitted through the FM radio spectrum.
As of November 2024, Astro Audio still remains the number one and largest radio network company in Malaysia, with 72% of Peninsular Malaysians and 14.9 million listeners tuning in to its stations weekly, together with its Media Prima counterpart, Media Prima Audio, according to the GfK Radio Audience Measurement Wave 2 in November 2024. Era being at top of the list with the most audience reach estimated at 4.8 million listeners, followed by Sinar and current ever-growing MY.
History
Astro Radio began in 1996 as Airtime Management and Programming Sdn. Bhd.Airtime Management and Programming Sdn. Bhd. operates eight terrestrial FM networks: Era FM, MY FM, Hitz FM, Mix FM, LiteFM, Sinar FM, Melody FM & THR.fm. AMP broadcasts in four languages with 11.5 million Malaysians tuning in weekly.
AMP is the sole provider of 19 satellite radio services, and is the first South-East Asian broadcaster to utilize LIU for local or regional advertisers and utilizes Dynamic RDS as a commercial tool. Internationally, AMP also had involvement in the growth of radio industries in India, Indonesia and China.
In 2012, as part of the expansion of its operations, Airtime Management and Programming Sdn. Bhd. became Astro Radio.
In October 2017, Astro Radio announced the launch of two new radio brands - goXuan FM and Zayan FM, intended for a new generation of listeners in the digital and social media space. Zayan is the first Malaysian radio brand for modern Muslims, and goXuan follows Gen Z trends. Astro Radio streams live entertainment content via its digital platforms all day. goXuan is visually led.
On 1 January 2018, Astro Radio dropped the suffix "FM" as part of the rebranding for all its 11 radio stations, to focus on digital platform and "drive talk ability and social engagement".
East Malaysia downsizing
Between October 2023 and January 2024, Astro Radio imposed cuts to local staffing in Sabah and Sarawak. Previously, transmitters carrying ERA, HITZ and MY were converted between 2010 and 2017 to full state-based operations, with local presenters and programming originating round-the-clock from Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.Dedicated state feeds of HITZ and MY were closed permanently that October, and all of its transmitters reverted as relays from Bukit Jalil. The previous day, meanwhile, ERA Sabah and ERA Sarawak discontinued local continuity, however several local shows were transferred to Astro's Bukit Jalil headquarters in January 2024.
Other brands
Raku
Astro Radio launched a radio and music streaming service platform known as Raku and then DVR Player in April 2015 through mobile and web. Raku is a short-form for Radio Aku. Through Raku, Malaysians can stream millions of songs, videos and playlists curated by top local artistes including Yuna, Paper Plane Pursuit, Dasha Logan and many more. Users can also listen to more than 20 live radio stations through the free and premium versions of Raku. The application also provides local community updates such as articles, news, traffic, and sports. Raku is available in English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil. However, Raku services were rebranded into the new Syok platform in 2019.Syok
Astro Radio launched a multilingual entertainment and lifestyle platform known as Syok, stylized as SYOK in July 2019. The platform can allow users to listen to 26 Astro Radio brands via live online streaming, listen to podcasts of all live radio and exclusive content, watch original short-form videos, read current articles, news and traffic updates and participate in contests.Defunct radio stations
AMP changed its line-up, swapping two of its English FM brands, namely Classic Rock and TalkRadio, for ERA FM and MY FM, respectively. Melody FM was launched on 15 August 2012 to replace XFM on FM and Astro.| Station | Explanation | Language | Year of Launch |
| Classic Rock | The oldest and latest songs from rock music. However, it continues to be broadcast on Astro and via online only. | English | 1997 |
| TalkRadio | News and talk radio show; ceased broadcasting in 1998 | English | 1997 |
| XFM | Songs from Malaysian artists only, focused on younger listeners. However, it continues to be broadcast as an online station before ceased broadcasting in 2017 | Malay | 2004 |
| Hitz Sabah | This radio station was discontinued on 1 October 2023 and its frequency was taken over by Hitz. | English | 2010 |
| Hitz Sarawak | This radio station was discontinued on 1 October 2023 and its frequency was taken over by Hitz. | English | 2010 |
| My Sabah | This radio station was discontinued on 1 October 2023 and its frequency was taken over by My. | Mandarin | 2010 |
| My Sarawak | This radio station was discontinued on 1 October 2023 and its frequency was taken over by My. | Mandarin | 2010 |