Mr Rujayapha Abhakorn wears many hats. You would be forgiven for thinking they're part of a disguise, he's an elusive man to track down.

Having your fingers in several pies means frequent airplane meals symbolic of a high-profile, jet-setting lifestyle. The Phuket Post managed to pin Rujayapha down at last, one Friday afternoon, at his office in Phuket.

He's all energy and vitality. �Lets go to the coffee shop down the street,� he announces, shepherding us through the door, �much more comfortable and pleasant place to have a chat!�

Over honey tea and espressos, we peruse a copy of one of Rujayapha's many business interests, the '2 magazine'. It's a slick volume, featuring glossy photographs and features galore.

I notice it's entirely in English. Doesn't that restrict the readership in Thailand?

�Yes, for sure,� he admits, �but this is a magazine created for a very niche market. A higher class of educated Thais, many of whom have studied abroad. The magazine is also distributed in Korea, Shanghai and other parts of Asia, we're even expanding into the U.S.

�The reason it was created was because we had nothing of the kind in Thailand,� he explains, � an indigenous, comprehensive Fashion and Lifestyle magazine of high quality.�

The magazine is produced in Bangkok, where of course, K. Rujayapha is based and runs, among other business ventures, a high profile Radio network. Which brings us to what is the current talk of the town, the latest radio stations to hit the air on our very own Phuket, 90.5 Phuket Gold FM, and 95 FM.

A joint venture between Phuket based Managing Director of Phuket Bulletin magazine, Khun Tenit and Khun Rujabha, the two stations have have already witnessed a soft launch on the radio, evoking strong media interest.

Two stations entirely dedicated to Western music on Phuket?

�Just look at how many foreigners there are on Phuket at any given time,� Rujayapha points out. �Tourists come here in hordes, there's a large expat community, and dozens of foreigners investing millions of baht into high-end properties, many of them with a view to making Phuket their permanent or second or third home.

�And until now, we didn't even have a single radio station to cater to their tastes. It's actually quite amazing.

�The market is already here. We undertook studies to research the needs and the preferences of the people on the island, and once we decided to go ahead, there was no looking back.

�Of course, at the time, we were thinking about just one station, at least initially,� he chuckles, �but you know how things happen...the first station we approached took a long time getting back to us, so we approached another one, and predictably enough,� eyes twinkling, �we got the go-ahead from both.�

So here they are, starting with a bang, rather than a crackle.

�Quite fortuitous, actually, this has enabled us to specialise. 90.5 Gold will play past hits and chart-busters, while 95 is reserved for Jazz, Soul and R&B, quite a niche market.�

The network is already playing their genres of music on air. �A soft start, just to let people know we're there,� smiles K. Rujayapha, � and so they can know what to expect.

�It's very much a preview of what's to come, we dont have our RJ's on air yet, nor have we introduced other elements, for now, we're just playing a selection of music. And even this is only a part of the repertoire of the songs that we will have, when we launch full-scale.�

The channels are both poised for the grand launch in September. K. Rujapbha is enthusiastic as he outlines the plans for the network.

�It will be completely in English,� he assures us, �The RJs on both stations will speak exclusively in English, and so will all the broadcasters. Very much tuned into a niche market- foreigners and the upper echelon of Thais, with access to the English language, as well as Thais who have lived and studied abroad, and have acquired a taste for Western music.�

�We didn't want to do things half-ways,� says he.

No amateurish ad hoc we'll-see-how-it-goes start-up for the slick professional from Bangkok.

�We wanted to bring a quality product to the island, right from the very start.

�The merger between a Phuket based team with experience of how things work on the island and business expertise from Bangkok has helped us form a thoroughly professional outfit.

�Our team of managers and broadcasters have been chosen for their expertise and long experience in working with the medium. Our RJs are extremely experienced and professional.

�You know,� he adds, �I used to be an RJ myself many years ago.�

So can we expect to hear him on air, we ask. �Oh no,� he states, emphatically. �My English is not good enough!�

Which is completely untrue, of course. Rujapha's command of the English language is excellent. He is, in fact, an example of the Thai listener he plans to attract, having lived abroad for a number of years.

�We're not stopping at the music. There will be bulletinswith news relevant to the interests of the listeners, programmes created especially for foreigners, like little snippets with useful words and phrases in Thai that tourists and residents might enjoy learning...

�It will be a network for and of the listeners,� he maintains. �We will encourage listeners to call in and request for their favourite songs, share their thoughts and most importantly, be a part of the station.

�I'd love to have our Thai listeners call in too, and speak with the broadcasters in English, won't that be just great?� he beams.

It will.

�We'll have an office here in Phuket town; not perched on a distant hill somewhere, but bang in the middle of everything, where people can drop in and hang out, interact with the RJs and broadcasters. We'll have an open space where people can just kick back and be comfortable, feel free to offer suggestions and state what they'd like to hear.

�We want it to be their station.�

Aparna Raut Desai.