FM Select is switching its hourly news bulletins from English to Cantonese a fortnight before the handover.
But channel director Angel Leung On-kay said the decision was prompted by listener demand rather than the transition.
'Radio is about communication. Most of the population is Cantonese and we want more people to understand what's going on,' she said.
The channel, which claims to have an audience of one million, receives calls every week requesting news in Cantonese. Ms Leung said the number increased after major events such as the death of Deng Xiaoping and the Mei Foo blaze.
Listeners also had problems with English translations of Cantonese names.
News bulletins are set to switch over on June 15. But all music programmes apart from two weekend shows will continue to be bilingual or English. The channel is not considering introducing any Putonghua programming.
