Kool 101 (formerly Kool FM and then Buletin FM, stylised as KOOL 101) is a Malaysian private radio station owned by Media Prima Berhad through its radio subsidiary, Media Prima Audio, which broadcasts in the Malay language. It was launched on 1 March 2016. It is the fourth radio station from Media Prima Audio after Eight FM, Fly FM, Hot FM and before Molek FM. The radio station is based on the acquisition of Laureate Sdn. Bhd. in October 2015, which owns Ultra FM and Pi Mai FM.[1] Kool 101 is the first Media Prima radio station to remove the "FM" suffix from its brand name.
History
2016-2019: Classic hits & adult contemporary format
Originally, Kool FM targeted listeners from the country's Generation X,[2] with songs being played mostly from the 1980s and 1990s, but it also included some songs from the 2000s and 2010s.[3] The name was based on the band Kool and the Gang.[4][failed verification]
2020-2021: Shift to talk radio
On 3 January 2020, Kool FM rebranded with a new logo. It changed its radio format into talk radio from 6 January with the tagline Suara Semasa, focusing on current affairs, social and community, and various talk and infotainment programmes. The announcers as well as the music playing on the station (80s, 90s and current songs) would remain.[5]
Beginning 4 May 2021, the station broadcast simultaneously on TV9, every day from 3:30 - 4:30 am.
2021-2023: Rebrand to Buletin FM
On 2 August 2021, Kool FM was renamed as Buletin FM and rebranded as the most focused and credible news radio station, with Ally and Hawa (from Malaysia Hari Ini and Buletin UtamaTV3 respectively) as the new announcers. Buletin FM will complement TV3's news and current affairs programming and compete with Bernama Radio. The live audio simulcast of Buletin Utama from TV3 began on air from 2 August 2021 to 31 May 2022 every weekday.
On 14 March 2022, Buletin FM changed its tagline again from "Info Terkini & Muzik Sepanjang Zaman" to "Isu Semasa dan Info Terkini".
From March 28, 2022, Buletin FM no longer broadcast temporarily through the MYTV platform.[6]
2023-now: Rebrand to Kool 101
According to the GfK Radio Audience Measurement Wave 1 2023, Buletin FM recorded 133,000 weekly listeners, the lowest number of weekly listeners recorded on any Media Prima owned stations (compared to the previous Kool FM branding which recorded 701,000 weekly listeners in late 2020).[7] Because such a large number of weekly listeners were lost and its previous role as an all-news radio didn't work well, Buletin FM ceased using the brand on 17 June 2023.
The station was later rebranded as Kool 101 on 3 July 2023. The name "Kool 101" was chosen as it is more relevant to the current situation where most listeners are familiar with the original Kool FM name.[8] The number "101" on the station name refers to giving basic knowledge of the topic, as well as being the frequency used for the Klang Valley, dating back to the early broadcast as Ultra FM. The music playlist has changed to play more Malaysian adult contemporary based music from the 90s to now. Indonesian and English songs were occasionally played with Malay rock jiwang music rarely featured on Kool 101.
In December 2023, TV9 temporarily stopped simulcasting Kool 101 due to low listenership. It was replaced by Hot FM simulcast from Tuesday - Saturday 3:30am – 4:30 am and Monday 3:40am – 4:40am but brought back simulcast on same TV channel in January 2024 from the same timetable.
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