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MIDNIGHT CHIT CHAT with Ahmed Bilal

FM-100

The government run Radio Pakistan has had its days of glory. Back in the fifties and sixties it remained the sole source of information for the masses but with the arrival of TV sets this all changed altogether and to a point in modern nineties when urban pakistan was totally ignorant of Radio, atleast the more affluent people and especially the younger generation.

That all again changed with the launch of the first private FM radio in the country's 3 main cities in 1995. FM100 took urban pakistan by storm, millions of listeners, old and youngsters alike were glued to their radio sets as they listened to their favourite presenters playing their favourite tracks in their enchanting presentation.

FM-101 International

Although a latecomer, FM101 was launched as the counterpart of FM100 as the PBC authorities wanted to cash in on the radio boom themselves too, fearing monopoly of a private channel in this regard.

Far and wide, FM101 maintained a low profile and didnt attract much listenership, atleast not in the beginning as the methods used were crude and outdated, much like that of Radio Pakistan itself. With the launch of 101 Int'l, it gained the upper edge and today seems to be winning the race as FM100 suffers from a serious financial crisis.

FM101 presenters however were nothing new for the ever demanding listeners, Yet along came a guy in his 20s who loved taking his name onair again and again till the time every child next door would say "mujhey ahmed bilal kehtey hien". This was amazing, while other presenters were trying on all those immitating accents, Ahmed Bilal, aka AB, was working hard on his programme content that has cast such a spell on listeners that today his listernership exceeds far more than any other Radio presenter in Pakistan.

Ahmed Bilal Sahab

A punjabi businessman turned DJ, literally the guy next door, AB stands tall and weighs enough to pass for a punjabi wrestler, "a pehlwan".He has a vast experiance of DJing as he is perhaps the only presenter on air today who has worked on both FM stations. Today he hosts the show 'Mid Night Chit Chat'[MNCC] on FM101 and 101 Int'l shows that focus on almost all aspects of life in a light manner as he perfectly manages to mix humour with intelligence. AB has a this magic working for him as his listeners range from teenagers to senior citizens, country folk to expatriates, house wives to local businessmen, all entertained with the exclusive music he plays and the enchanting conversation he makes with himself really makes one wonder if hes really talking about you. AB puts enormous amount of hard work into his show, that is surely missing in many other shows on air these days, with handmade queue sheets and careful selection of songs that is music to every ear. With personal referrals he creates this make-belief world of illusion that will surely sooth you down if you've had a hard day at work and scrumptious background music will take you to a typical 'dehati shaam' or as AB puts it himself, 'will make you wanna stroll along".The best thing I liked about the show is the way AB portrays adventures from his student life to you, this guy sure knows how to make an audience enthralled.

MNCC with AB is surely First Grade entertainment one cannot afford to miss and as Mr Bilal time and again quotes Inzy.."family key saath entertainment key liyey..., Enjoy!"