Easy 96 (formerly RBC Radio) is a 24/7 subsidiary communications authority

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...

providing South Asian- Indian American programming that serves

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and the Tri-State area of neighboring

Northern New Jersey North Jersey comprises the northern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of northern New Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquial one rather than an administrati ...

region,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

, and parts of New York State.

History

Founded by Rohit Jagessar, an Indo-Guyanese American, RBC Radio began broadcasting on March 15, 1989. The first Asian-Indian radio station in the US, its first broadcasts were on PanAmSat Satellites (Intelsat) SAT COM R3, transponder 16 and on the 92 kHz subcarrier

WNYE-FM WNYE (91.5 MHz) is a non-commercial educational FM radio station licensed to New York City. The station is operated, along with WNYE-TV (channel 25), by NYC Media, a division of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment. Studios are located ...

, before moving to the 92 kHz subcarrier signal of ''The New York Times''

WQXR-FM WQXR-FM (105.9 FM) is an American non-commercial classical radio station, licensed to Newark, New Jersey and serving the North Jersey and New York City area. It is owned by the nonprofit organization New York Public Radio, which also operates ...

, as well as on the AfriStar and AsiaStar Satellites covering four continents. The station's rise in popularity in the Greater New York market took place mainly after it was launched on the New York Times subcarrier signal. It soon became the home for both Bollywood and Indo Caribbean artists to promote their latest films and music. Maine Pyar Kiya, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Kaho Na Pyar Hai, are some of the most noted Bollywood film music that made their US debut on the station. In addition to film music, hit songs such as Paree Hoon Mein, Made in India, San Ni Dha Pa, Bolo Ta Ra Ra, Vande Mataram and Sifir all had their US debut on the station. Some of the singers that appeared in features and interviews on the station are Suneeta Rao, A. R. Rahman, Daler Mehndi, Sundar Popo, Alisha Chinai, Asha Bhosle, Kanchan,

Sonu Nigam Sonu Nigam (born 30 July 1973) is an Indian singer, music director and actor. He has been described in the media as one of the most popular and successful playback singers of Hindi Cinema and Kannada Cinema. He has been honoured by the Governme ...

, Alka Yagnik, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Runa Laila, Kumar Sanu, Kavita Krishnamurti, Musarrat Nazir, Shaan, Udit Narayan, Amitabh Bachchan, Shankar Mahadevan, Hariharan and Jagjit Singh. The station broadcasts in English, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati and Punjabi languages. Mr. Rohit Jagessar has produced and hosted 37,960 hours of broadcasts for the station.

External links

Official Website
{{coord, 40.7468, -73.9860, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NY, display=title Asian-American culture in Connecticut * Indian-American culture in New Jersey Indian-American culture in New York City Radio stations broadcasting on subcarriers Foreign-language radio stations in the United States 1989 establishments in New York City