Local radio station Lush 99.5FM to close after 13 years
Come end of August, some radio listeners in Singapore will have to find an alternative to get their music fix. Lush 99.5FM, known for its focus on indie and local music, announced on Monday (17 July) that it would be ceasing transmission on 31 August, 11.59pm.
The Mediacorp-owned radio station said in a post on its Facebook page that it had not managed to “grow the base of listeners enough to sustain the operating costs of the station”. The station also reaffirmed its passion towards local music with the Singapore Sounds project, which “will feature local music, artists and gigs on other music stations”.
Lush 99.5FM DJ Rosalyn Lee called the news “absolutely heartbreaking”. In a Facebook post on Monday, the local DJ said she needed some time and would be posting her thoughts the next day.
In a media statement, Mediacorp said that despite “efforts to improve listenership, Lush continues to consistently garner the lowest audience among Mediacorp’s radio stations”. “At the same time, the needs of Lush listeners are increasingly being served online and on alternative platforms,” the statement said.
A day after the announcement, celebrity radio DJ Rosalyn Lee spoke out about the closure. Lee hosts the “Lush Bites” programme on weekdays from 9am to 1pm. In a video post on her Facebook page, Lee, looked back at her experience after having worked with the station for three years.
“I was already planning to quit radio this year but Lush beat me to it. The last three years spent on Lush had been the highlight of my decade-long radio career. I’m so proud to call Lush my home and its people my family,” said Lee, adding, “To conclude my radio career on a credible radio station that builds culture and supports the Singapore music and creative communities is to end my radio career on a personal high.”
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