MBC LOUD FM, Saudi Arabia’s first English commercial radio station by MBC GROUP, announces the launch of its new breakfast show, set to debut this April.
MBC GROUP is the largest and leading media organisation in the Middle East and North Africa.
“The Byron Cooke Show, with Sana K” features MBC LOUD FM’s newest appointments – internationally renowned radio presenter Byron Cooke, and emerging GCC-based talent Sana Kothari. The show – scheduled to launch on Sunday 28th April 2024 – will broadcast live on MBC LOUD FM from 6 to 10am Sunday to Thursday, and 10am to 12pm on Saturdays.
MBC LOUD FM’s current breakfast show, “The Daily Wake Up” with Jay R and Danah will be moving to the Weekday Drive time slot from 4pm, with details on the full line-up to be revealed soon.
Alex Agishev, Head of Content for MBC Loud FM, stated: “We can’t wait to launch ‘The Byron Cooke Show, with Sana K’ on MBC LOUD FM. Byron is a world-class personality, with an incredible ability to connect with local audiences, whether it’s through engaging content or live, on ground broadcasts. Sana is an exciting new GCC talent, a prolific content creator and together with Byron, will provide an entertaining start to the day for Saudi Arabia on MBC LOUD FM.”
A winner of the International Radio Personality of the Year Award at the Worldwide Radio Summit (WWRS) in Los Angeles, Cooke is a highly experienced and respected broadcaster having worked in major markets across Australia, the United Kingdom, and the USA.
Most recently heard on breakfast at KIIS 101.1 in Melbourne, Australia, Cooke has worked on top-rating shows at 101.9 The Fox Melbourne and across the Hit/Triple M Networks nationally. Other global roles include a stint on XFM London, Indie 103.1 Los Angeles, and the launch of his own unique commercial FM radio format in Northern California – the X 103.9 Revolution – in 2006.
In addition to winning multiple Australian Commercial Radio Awards, Cooke was also named a Podcast Host/Presenter of the Year Finalist at the Radio Today Podcast Awards in Australia for his independently produced weekly podcast in 2021.
Commenting on his signing with MBC LOUD FM, Cooke said: “Saudi Arabia is the world’s fastest-growing expat market and MBC LOUD FM is the Kingdom’s first English commercial radio station. To say I’m excited would be an understatement. Cue the Ronaldo goal celebrations!”
Joining Cooke as co-host on the new show is Sana Kothari, an emerging talent who was discovered in a nationwide search to find new radio talent on Virgin Radio in the UAE.
A culture-focused and personality-driven presenter, Kothari is always on the hunt for a good story. Born and raised in Belgium before living in New York, Paris, and Dubai, her work in media has ranged from digital to print through experiences as a content creator and presenter for several of Dubai’s New Media Academy projects, as well as a newsreader, reporter for the Arabian Radio Network (ARN).
Speaking of her signing, Sana said: “I’m so excited to be joining the team at MBC LOUD FM and teaming up with Byron to bring a vibrant new sound to the Saudi Radio landscape! I’m looking forward to exploring a new culture, trying every local dish I can find, and adding Arabic to my resume.”
MBC LOUD FM’s current breakfast show, “The Daily Wake Up” with Jay R and Danah will be moving to the Weekday Drive time slot from 4pm, with details on the full line-up to be revealed soon.