Top 5 FM Radio Stations in Dubai
Whether you’re spending a slow Sunday morning alone or driving home from work, turning on the radio to listen to your favorite DJs and today’s top 40 hits is part of a lot of people’s routines.
That’s why we scanned the frequencies and give you the best FM radio stations in Dubai.
To make sure we’ve only included the best on our list, we carefully selected our criteria, which we listed below. Don’t forget to check the end of this guide to find some FAQs about radio stations in Dubai.
What are the different kinds of radio stations in Dubai?
There is a diverse group of radio stations that goes on air for all the listeners in Dubai, and the audiences are just as distinct.
That’s why we’ve made a table of the different radio stations currently operating in the city, and organized them by the main language they use in their shows and their music.
The Best Radio Stations in Dubai
Before we go ahead with our entries for the best radio stations in Dubai, check out the factors we considered while picking them:
1. Dubai 92

Criteria | Rating |
Content | ★★★★★(5/5) |
Presenters | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Personality | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Popularity | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
When people listen to the radio it only means either of three things: they’re listening to music, the DJ, or both.
But when it comes to Dubai 92, they do more than just music and hosting radio shows. This radio station shines in owning the quirky personalities of its hosts and twisting common radio show formats to complement their hosts.
We enjoy listening to Dubai 92 because of the sarcastic dry humor that we get from Big Breakfast with Jono and Nats.
These two perk us up with witty jokes that sometimes take us a second to understand before laughing.
They perfectly integrate insightful and funny discussions in between music sets and the news, which just sets us in such a good mood to begin the day.
And if you think sarcastic and dry comedy is a funny and fresh way to host radio shows, they don’t stop there.
When we’re having our weekly Friday night gatherings with our friends, we always tune into their station for Remix 92 with Rich.
Rich spends four hours sharing with us his latest mash-up creations of the recent and biggest dance hits from all over the world.
What we like about it is we never know which combinations we’re gonna get, and we love the spontaneity of it.
Catboy, who does more than just press the play button, shines with his sunny and quirky personality coupled with his passion for being a music fan.
All in all, Dubai 92’s personality and presenters go hand-in-hand with each other in delivering smart and entertaining conversations while playing today’s top hits.
And while this radio station is not the most popular, and it doesn’t need to be, it really shows that paving your own path instead of following in other radio stations’ footsteps can really be worth it.
Pros
- DJs and branding are quirky, smart, and insightful
- DJs are knowledgeable about music
- Their morning show is a fun way to catch up on the news
Cons
- Their shows may be too intellectual for some audiences
- Their humor represents a niche
2. Radio 1 104.1

Criteria | Rating |
Content | ★★★★★(5/5) |
Presenters | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Personality | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Popularity | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Radio 1 is the classic go-to choice for your variety FM radio station. With shows from morning and into the late evening, this radio station covers every person’s downtime.
Focusing on delivering today’s top 40 hits, Radio 1 accompanies music with trendy and local news.
Our favorite morning show among the whole list is Breakfast with Naima who nicely personifies Radio 1’s essence of combining critical news and information with the entertainment value of pop music.
We find the show the perfect way to start off the day because it gives us great recommendations and updates on the latest happenings, all while we’re getting hyped from the music.
We also like Live from LA with Dean McCarthy, as it adds an international aspect to their content. It gives audiences access to Hollywood events and news, great for pop culture knowledge with a little bit of insight on the happenings.
All of their shows are one-man shows, which we think is a double-edged sword. Hosts have less control over interactions compared to when two or three people manage conversations and engagements.
However, this sets up hosts the perfect opportunities to be spontaneous with callers and guests for multi-hour long shows.
And spontaneity really is the name of their game. We really like the big, bold, and colorful personalities of their shows.
Hosts are the life of the party, well-versed with international music culture, and their energies complement the upbeat energy of the daily top 40.
As a result, we think that the content, music, and shows really appeal to a wide range of Emiratis.
However, for those looking for new music that you often won’t find playing on the radio, we suggest looking into alternative radio stations instead.
All in all, Radio 1 knows the power of being bold and fun, and they use this effectively to engage with their audiences and continue to keep us hooked on their frequency.
Pros
- Shows are bold, spontaneous, and colorful
- Plays the current top 40 regularly
- Has a correspondent in Hollywood for news and updates
- Hosts are the life of the party and well-versed in music culture
Cons
- Lacking in shows hosted by multiple DJs
- Not many music offerings besides the top 40
3. Hit 96.7

Criteria | Rating |
Content | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Presenters | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Personality | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Popularity | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
UAE’s leading Malayalam radio station, Hit 96.7, provides acclaimed entertainment and insightful shows with their experienced hosts.
What we think is the highlight of Hit 96.7 is their morning show, The Big Breakfast Club, hosted by three of the best radio personalities we’ve ever listened to.
Multi-award-winning personality Nyla, filmmaker and enthusiast Jean, and The Big Breakfast Club veteran Arfaz all bring something different to the table.
The result is a humorous show of prank calls, thoughtful book reviews, and entertaining live chats with celebrities. On top of that, they also do the news.
Another show we like is Radioactive with Mithun and Nimmy. They go on air just in time for the rush hour, and we really enjoy their funny recaps of the latest news and updates that happened throughout the day.
However, the show that we think needs some sort of revamping is RJ Dona’s Hit On Request. We just think the call-to-request format is tired and needs some sort of twist to it to make it more engaging.
And unlike the other radio stations, they sadly don’t have podcasts, but they do have blogs, which we’re sure has a certain audience for it.
In general, we find Hit 96.7 really entertaining to listen to because of how their professionalism as radio show hosts is balanced out by their knack to make their audiences laugh.
Nyla, Arfaz, and Jean carry their show with such ease and charisma. Their chemistry is undeniable, and they really complete our mornings when we need a bit of a pick-me-up.
However, the radio station’s reach is limited by its focus on the Malayalam community. And this isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it just means that not everyone will fully appreciate the humor and the mastery of their hosts without knowing their culture first.
All in all, Hit 96.7 proves that with great radio show hosts comes excellent entertainment value that can deliver insightful discussions without it being too serious.
Pros
- Hosts have great chemistry and credibility
- Shows are humorous and insightful
- Balances professionalism and comedy well
Cons
- No podcasts
- Humor is hard to appreciate if you’re not South Asian
- Limited mass appeal
4. Channel 4 104.8 FM

Criteria | Rating |
Content | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Presenters | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Personality | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Popularity | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Sporting one of the biggest radio shows in the country, Channel 4 104.8 proves that music doesn’t always have to be the focal point of every radio station.
Homerun with Eve is one of Dubai’s favorite radio shows when it’s time to drive home, and we can see why.
Eve has this really upbeat energy that just lightens up our mood every time we listen to her talk. We can tell that she empathizes with the stress that listeners have gone through during the day, and she knows how to help.
It also helps that she’s a great interviewer, as seen on her conversations with Tiger Woods and Steve Harvey. Listening to her interact with guests and listeners is always entertaining.
We really like the segment of the show where she invites her dad to describe celebrities that he can’t remember the names of. It’s always a fun game to play whether we’re driving alone or carpooling with others.
We also checked out JJ and Nimi’s podcast, and while the content is light and casual, it lacks some depth and insights that we can take away from.
The podcast often feels like any other Youtuber’s “a day in my life” vlog, except we’re just listening to them recap their week.
And we don’t have a problem with this, but for listeners who don’t know them that much, it’s not the most interesting topic in the world.
As usual, Channel 4 also plays the top hits, but we like that they often play oldies in the morning—which we think are the perfect type of songs for a slow morning coffee.
Another standout for us is Jacob Cummings. At the age of 23, this guy is already hosting the afternoon segment of the station, and he does it really well.
He carries the hosting gig with such charisma, that we can only imagine how much he appeals to the majority of the station’s audience.
However, what’s really lacking amongst these presenters are actually their interactions with each other.
Besides JJ and Nimi, none of them regularly work with each other to co-host segments and shows, which we find to be a missed opportunity because of how great these hosts are at bantering.
Despite that, these hosts are doing great with a strong social media presence to get audiences engaged outside of the radio.
We often see them post and talk on air about lifestyle news and local events, and they’re definitely hipper and cool rather than humorous.
And their programming is scheduled well, with shows going on air during the downtimes of people’s routines.
Channel 4 really shines where their amazing hosts are. They bring in a kind of fun that’s cool and appeals to the younger audiences, without really alienating those who think they are out of touch.
Pros
- Shows are well-programmed
- Strong social media presence
- Hosts are great at carrying segments
- Focuses on lifestyle and trends
Cons
- Podcast lacks depth and insight
- Hosts don’t interact with each other
5. Virgin Radio

Criteria | Rating |
Content | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Presenters | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) |
Personality | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Popularity | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Virgin Radio brings in the Hollywood glamour into Dubai’s culture with shows that are formatted to evoke TV and radio shows in the US.
The Kris Fade Show, hosted by Kris Fade, Priti Malik, Big Rossi, and Eddie is one of the station’s biggest shows and is well-known for exclusive celebrity appearances.
In the show, they do pranks and updates on local and international celebrity news. We found this to be too superficial and really lacks the nuanced upbeat energy that’s appropriate for the morning.
We think that the show, while highly entertaining when we’re passing the time, is trying too hard to match the energy of a reality show from MTV back in the early 2000s.
What we do like, though, is their Ad-Free Hits show where all they do is continuously just play music of all kinds.
We really like this because they’re brave enough to broadcast lesser-known songs, without having to worry about losing advertisers.
As music fans, we’re really happy that a big radio station such as them gives some parts of the spotlight to aspiring artists.
We also like that they really doubled down on their branding as a radio station focused on Hollywood and American music by including Ryan Seacrest’s radio show in their programming.
There’s nothing more iconic than listening to Ryan Seacrest give us updates on events happening in Hollywood. We definitely think American expats love tuning into this.
But besides Ryan Seacrest, we were kind of disappointed by the presenters. Maybe it’s the need to glamorize their personalities, but they sometimes come off as insincere.
It’s hard to be engaged when we can’t relate to what they’re saying. Despite this, their hosts really know how to bring the energy up.
Their spontaneity and knack for improvising really set them apart from the rest. The Kris Fade Show is such a great example of how a group of radio show hosts can really push past typical programming and just go for whatever sounds fun at the moment.
And this is why we think they’re one of the best radio stations in Dubai. Besides that, they also appeal to audiences who are into Western pop culture.
Other than that, there’s really not much that they do to incorporate more of an Emirati’s daily life, which made it difficult to relate with them.
All in all, Virgin Radio is just as much a niche as other radio stations. However, what makes them different is the level of entertainment they bring to the listeners despite the lack of depth.
Pros
- Entertaining and spontaneous shows
- Ad-free music is great
- Makes updates on Hollywood more accessible
Cons
- Hosts seem inauthentic
- The brand is glamorized and lacks sincerity
- Content is not as relatable
FAQs about radio stations in Dubai
Dubai is home to some of the best and most entertaining radio stations in the world, so you’ll never run out of stations to listen to.
We hope this article was able to answer your questions and help you learn more about the best radio stations in Dubai.
Do you have a favorite radio station that we didn’t include? Hit us up so we can give them a listen and give our own review.
And if you’re looking for help in marketing your business through the radio, check out our favorite agencies to help you: