Malaysia’s business station BFM reached its fifth birthday on Wednesday, shrugging off the naysayers who said the format would never work.

BFM, which broadcasts from the capital Kuala Lumpur on 89.9FM, bills itself as the country’s only independent station.

It airs business news and current affairs along with interviews with top business leaders and investors.

Bosses kept strictly to format on the anniversary of the station’s launch by interviewing new investor, Ho Kay Tat, Group CEO and Publisher of The Edge Media Group.

The Edge, a business and investment newspaper, has recently taken a 23 percent stake in BFM Media for an undisclosed sum.

Mr Ho told listeners to The Morning Run show: “We felt that it was a good time for us to make an investment in BFM.  There are obvious opportunities to collaborate as we are both business media.  We’re going to be working to realise those synergies.”

The Edge Media Group is rumoured to be planning an IPO in the near future.

BFM’s founder and CEO Malek Ali said the station’s success and profitability had come despite not having a “big daddy conglomerate” behind it.

The station has struggled to develop a quasi-national presence due to a lack of FM frequencies in areas like Penang and in the state of Johor, where Singapore, Malaysian and Indonesian stations fight to be heard.

The company is looking for ways to reach these areas of the country, said Ali.

BFM is venturing into non-broadcast avenues including the BFM Business School, which has already began its first course.

It has also launched a digital magazine The B-Side.