Bermuda?s airwaves are ringing to the sound of a new radio station.

Monday saw the birth of Hott 1075 FM, with a fresh outlook, top-of-the-line broadcasting equipment and a vow to take Bermuda by storm.

Owned by Government backbencher Glenn Blakeney, Scott Pearman and Elroy R.C. Smith, the station will play ?urban? music.

Assistant programme director and on-air personality, Thaao Dill, said Bermuda?s fourth radio station would play R&B, Hip Hop, Quiet Storm (easy listening music), and Reggae.

?I am sure we will thrive,? said Mr. Dill.

He added: ?We play the same music as Power 95 but they do not have the structure we have.?

Yesterday, the sound equipment was up and running but the office, production and studio rooms should be finished in about two weeks, said Mr. Blakeney.

Hott 1075 has a line-up of popular local performers including Bootsie and Company, Double S, and Jay Rodigun. Also Col. David Burch will be hosting a talk show on the weekends and Chicago-based DJ Bionce Fox will be on the air daily via voice tracking.

Double S, who used to work at Power 95, said of Hott 1075: ?We are going to take Bermuda by storm.?

Mr. Blakeney said the idea for the new radio station was cooked up by himself and his two partners: Mr. Pearman and Mr. Smith.

Mr. Blakeney?s background in broadcasting dates back to 1976. He was a DJ in New York City, where he attended the Announcers Training Studio. He also spent two years as an on-air personality in Washington DC.

Asked if he was going to get on air at Hott 1075, he said: ?We are thinking about it but it is not something that drives me anymore.

?I would like to see others live out their dreams in broadcasting.?

Mr. Blakeney, who has had the idea for a new radio station for the past four years, hopes his new station will act as an avenue or starting point for Bermudians interested in broadcasting. He said they could start at Hott 1075 and later broaden their careers in broadcasting overseas.

?We are not adverse to people outgrowing us,? he said.

He added that Hott 1075 had a state-of-the-art system.

?We don?t have to sell ourselves, just need to introduce ourselves because the product will sell itself,? said Mr. Blakeney.

Mr. Pearman, who has been dreaming up the idea of having his own radio station since the age of 16, said: ?We are going to have a very high standard of programming format and quality of sound.?

He added: ?We have young energy but will keep the music balanced ? no one will be left out.?

Mr. Pearman said a lot of hard work went into the station and that he and his partners were fortunate to have made it this far.

A server specialist from the US, Brad Golden, was brought in to set up the equipment.

He told The Royal Gazette: ?This is the premier digital automation system in the western hemisphere.?

He added that everything can be done digitally, which makes it user friendly.

Mr. Dill said: ?It amazed me at how quickly we got on air.?

Of the high quality system Mr. Dill said: ?You can crank it and it does not break up ? it sounds like you are listening to a CD.?

?We want to make radio something that you want to listen to again,? he added.

Hott 1075 is in the Union Building on Union Street. The venue was formerly Trinity Chicken but will now offer a new listening experience for Bermuda.