YANGON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar will launch another frequency modulated (FM) radio station in the country's second largest city of Mandalay in the northern part beginning April, the leading local weekly Yangon Times reported Thursday.

    As a cooperation project between the Mandalay City Development Committee and the private-run Forever Group, the Mandalay City FM programs will be broadcast from a TV relay station set up on the Sagaing Hill and can be received around Mandalay, the report said.

    The Mandalay City FM radio station, specially featuring music and local commercial advertisement, will be the second of its kind in Myanmar after the Yangon City FM which was introduced six years ago.

    At present, Myanmar has one amplitude modulated (AM) radio station, which is the state-run Radio Myanmar, and two TV stations-- MRTV and Myawaddy TV operated by the state and the military respectively.

    The Radio Myanmar, which was traditionally broadcast from Yangon, the former capital, has now aired from the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw beginning this month.

    Meanwhile, the MRTV has launched four channels including Myanmar and English languages to telecast news, education and entertainment programs since color television was introduced in the country in 1980.

    Of them, MRTV-4, which was originally a paid channel and jointly implemented by the state-run MRTV and the private-run Forever Group, started partly free-to-air telecast in December 2006 and later extended to other regions in the country.

    The free-of-charge programs of the MRTV channel mainly comprise entertainment, documentaries, Sunday talks and so on.

    The MRTV, established 61 years ago, is carrying out heavy functions and is striving to air quality radio and TV programs across the country, extending functions to link countrywide network by converting analogue system into digital one, and expanding coverage to other countries.

    In cooperation with the Cable Networks News (CNN), China Central Television (CCTV) and Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK),the MRTV is also carrying satellite news.