HOUSTON ? With stars in his eyes and confidence in his face, Rehan Siddiqi is busy finalizing the details of a multimillion dollar project that may change the face of South Asian radio talk show industry in Houston.
At the center of his hopes is KGOL 1180 AM, a powerful radio station set to begin broadcasting desi programs 24 hours a day, seven days a week from March 1.

A veteran of broadcast industry for over 10 years, Rehan has reasons to be proud of his project as it claims many firsts in the desi radio industry. For the first time broadcasts will be made from a 50,000 watt radio station, several times more powerful than competing stations and therefore offering quality reception in a wider area. The coverage area of 110 miles radius will be almost twice as big as other desi stations. Most important of all the fact that programs will be offered 24 hours a day, an attribute of mainstream radios. Most of the desi programming on different channels is offered for a few hours - sometimes day long - and mostly at the weekends.

Another area in 1180 AM, breaks ranks with South Asian stations to rub shoulders with the mainstream radio is the programming content. The broadcasts will not be limited to music, talk show and interviews. Rehan plans hourly news flashes, focusing mainly on local news, and some of the contents of CNN Headline News. Other programs are oriented toward kids, women and family, health, legal issues and more to cover the entire gamut of a South Asian immigrant?s social and cultural life in Houston. Entertainment will claim a major chunk of the programming.

?Entertainment has a universal language,? Rehan told Indo-American News in an interview during a busy schedule to get things right before the launch. He said he even called his staff at 3.00 a.m. to fine-tune early morning programming. ?The mainstream style of coverage of desi events will make the desi voice stronger,? he said.

At the heart of this ambitious venture is Asia Vision, a new corporate entity launched on January 1 this year. Rehan is the CEO of the new venture, a successor to his Asia Broadcasting Group.

Rehan, who began his broadcasting career at the age of 17 with the launch of Rhythm 2000 in 1997, is confident that 1180 AM will make an impact in the community.

The community is growing and so are the needs of the community members, he said. ?Wherever they are, whether traveling in their cars or at home, they can switch on to 1180 AM any time of the day or night and hear to music, news, and quality programs prepared by professionals.?

Rehan said that the radio station will promote unity in the community. His vision ?for the community is to focus it together and take it to another level.? His radio station helped raise $100,000 during tsunami fundraising efforts, $50,000 during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He also helped in fundraising efforts for victims of earthquakes in Pakistan and Gujarat.

The regular programming on 1180 AM will run from Monday to Friday and the weekends will focus on regional programs in Telugu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil and Malayalam.

After the upheaval in the desi radio industry caused by change of frequencies, Asia Vision was able to secure a frequency that has the best coverage, Rehan said.

He said 1180 AM was also ?a frequency that has the best credibility in the community? and had ?royalty of serving the Asian community for over 17 years.

The initial response to the project from the community has been encouraging Open Forum, a respected community radio program, will be broadcast on 1180 AM every Saturday from March 2.

Corporate advertisers have come forward to beam their message through Asia Vision. Rehan said that Continental Airlines will sponsor the Rush Hour program. Other major advertisers include Lufthansa, Emirates, Tara Energy, T-Mobile, Wells Fargo and AllState.

Catering to other ethnic communities will be 1540 AM, another radio station primed to serve mostly Hispanics living in Houston.

Asia Vision also has plans to target the Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Filipino and other Asian communities in the Greater Houston area. Radio professionals from these communities will produce the programs in their native languages.

Confident of success, Rehan is looking beyond Houston to other major cities with large Asian population. These are Dallas, Chicago, New York and Atlanta. He successfully ran a radio station in Dallas for several years before moving back to Houston. He organized a successful concert by Sonu Nigam last year at the Berry Center in Northwest Houston, introducing the huge facility used for the first time for South Asian events.

?The mission of Asia Vision is to serve, fulfill the needs, and bring together the local Asian community now,? Rehan said in a statement. ?Many people talk about 5 years from now and 10 years from now. Through Asia Vision...we are making tomorrow happen today.?