Sunrise Radio founder Avtar Lit dies

Avtar Lit, the founder of the 24-hour independent commercial Asian radio station Sunrise Radio, has died at the age of 73.

Sunrise Radio started life as a pirate radio station in London called Sina Radio in 1984 until 1988. Lit took it over, rebranded the station as Sunrise Radio and put out its first licensed broadcast on 5 November 1989. It is now the number-one commercial Asian radio station in the UK.

Lit attracted controversy in business. Having been named in 2005 as Britain’s richest Asian media entrepreneur with an estimated fortune of £65m, he was declared bankrupt in 2014 having lost five companies, including Sunrise Radio, that went into administration. The Sunrise Radio and Kismat Radio frequencies were bought by the Lyca Group (now named Lyca Radio 1458AM and Lyca Gold 1035AM). Lit’s son, Tony, then took charge of Sunrise Radio.

Last month, Jeo Radio, a six-month-old station that was launched as Lit’s comeback to UK Asian radio, was removed from DAB in London.

Lit was also a politician, having unsuccessfully ran for Parliament as an independent candidate in 2001, stood down as MD after Sunrise Radio was fined £10,000 by the Radio Authority (now Ofcom) for broadcasting two interview excerpts. In one, Dr Lit expressed his views about the political dissatisfaction of people living in Ealing, west London, and another in which he outlined his policy proposals for the constituency.

Lit is survived by his mother, five children (including Sunrise Radio’s current MD Tony Lit) and five grandchildren.

In a statement, the radio station said: “Avtar was a visionary. He created electronic British Asian media with the launch of Sunrise Radio, the first 24-hour independent and greatest commercial Asian radio station in the world.

“Avtar entered broadcasting to give the British Asian community a voice, which he indisputably achieved and far more. We are incredibly proud of his legacy which has given much joy and opportunity to so many.”