KARACHI, July 11: A new FM radio station was formally launched on Saturday night on the well-illuminated lawn of the Hindu Gymkhana.

The chief executive officer of CITYFM89, Zeina Saigol, told Dawn that the round-the-clock FM radio station had run a test transmission from February to May.

"CITYFM89 had its soft launch in May. But it was formally launched in Lahore on July 3, and it is being launched in Karachi tonight. It will have its national launch on July 17," she said.

Headquartered in Karachi, CITYFM89 also has stations in Lahore, Islamabad and Faisalabad. Ms Saigol said that CITYFM89 stations had separate programmes, though they carried identical titles. She added that on an average each station had 10 RJs (radio jockeys).

Jubilant RJs of CITYFM89 released balloons into the air to mark the launch of the radio station as the audience clapped enthusiastically. Compering the programme, model-turned-performer Ayesha Alam, who also presents a show on CITYFM89, introduced the RJs of the radio station. RJs Salma Jaffery, Sheharzade Kaleem, Talha Bhatti, Aliya, Osman, Sohail Hashmi, Annie, Fazeelat and Henna briefly spoke about the strong points of their shows.

Sania Saeed, whose outstanding performance with her theatre group Katha earned her distinction before she proved her mettle on radio and TV, said she was happy that FM radio stations had made a niche for themselves, adding that their reach was far greater than that of television. The launching ceremony was followed by a concert by Fuzon which continued late into the night.