97.9 Natural brought back the ‘Home Radio’ name in November. (Logo courtesy of Aliw Broadcasting Corporation)
There seems no end in sight for the embattled Natural 97.9.
Just recently, the Home Radio brand, which was supposedly retired in July, was brought back. This is already the fourth brand change for the Aliw-owned 97.9 FM frequency since the original Home Radio ended its broadcasts in March.
While the ‘re-re-re-rebranded’ Home Radio Natural kept the current Top 40/OPM format, the latest name change clearly showed the station’s lack of direction and identity. The owners seem to have not moved on from the proud and loud past that is ’97dot9 Home Radio’.
Much like 103.5 K-Lite, 97.9 Home Radio Natural is a headache waiting to happen. And it only gets even worse.
From the Tube 
Speaking of K-Lite, Jude Rocha resigned from that station because reportedly, he did not like the confusing situation in the Vera family of stations. Honestly speaking, other than Magic, the other Vera stations have been changing DJs a lot.
As for Home Radio, I think Antonio Cabangon-Chua should step in. His 9TV will become CNN Philippines next year so his radio stations need some fine-tuning.
The best they can do now is to sell one of their poorest performers. 103.5 may be even close to that.
Regarding 97.9, this may be the best time to use a mixed news/music format. Their previous FM formats haven’t been working out, so why not do a hybrid for a change?
Aside from 103.5, 99.5 is also in a state of flux. The latter station recently changed the DJ lineup of its daily shows.
They can sell that too.
Soon we will be putting up more stations in those cities with an Aliw television station
NOT TRUE, CARLO ABELLANOSA!
Sobrang sinungaling talaga ‘tong mama, kahit sabihin pa nating may mental disorder ito.
Natural now uses just the contemporary hit radio (CHR) format. The new logo seems amateurish and 90’s throwback for me. In terms of social media outreach, Natural seems to have one of the weakest campaigns of any masa radio station in Metro Manila; most of the time DJ Adam Apple is in large on the radio station’s official Facebook page. There is also no sign of a countdown program on Natural since the previous blog post related to the station on From The Tube.
That shows how poorly managed Natural has been since they reformatted in March. Kung pwede nga, dapat hybrid news/music station na lang sila.
Edi ipa-request nyo dun sa Aliw management nyan.
Ikaw na lang kaya. Puro naman kasi mga obvious yung mga tinatanong mo eh.
Natural is trying its best to fit into the Hot AC bandwagon. Yet, they’re still going nowhere with some changes.
Kaya ang tanong, sino ba talaga sila? Natural o Home Radio?
Well, I’ll stick with Home Radio, in which they’re more known for.
True that. Kaso baka may backlash sa mga older Home Radio listeners na mas type ang easy listening format noon. After all, the Home Radio name is more well-known as an easy listening station.
Aliw’s FM station is very confusing already. Can’t they stick to one kind of music genre? At least, their AM station DWIZ is a little more stable with their news format especially with Alex Santos reinforcing their news crew.
I used to be part of DWIZ before when I was a sports correspondent for Romy Kintanar’s Man on the Ball radio show.
Should they reformat again, perhaps it’s time to consider a hybrid news/music format on 97.9.
Hindi kasi nila mahanap kung ano ang mas babagay para sa kanila. Kailan pala nag-resign si Tino and Jude sa Play and K-Lite respectively? Nagkakagulo tuloy yung dalawang station
This month lang. Their resignations showed how inefficient the management of the Veras are in K-Lite and Play.
Play FM kasi is almost an imitation of Magic 89.9, especially in the songs these stations play. The Veras should have retained 99.5 RT.
Or if Play fails, they can sell the network to others.
Just this week lang, mala-Home Radio din ang naganap sa 103.5 KLite. Hits and Lite Favorites na ulit sila. Hay, can we conclude 2014 as a “Year of Identity Crisis” sa mga FM stations today? ALC and Tiger22 should pay attention na sa ganitong situations sa kanilang mga stations right now.
Honestly, 103.5 should mix ‘masa’ with dance, love songs and lite alternative. Magulo talaga. Because of their continuous rebrands, they should use the slogan ‘Wow, Heart to the Max na K-Lite’ under the name ‘103.5 Palitan’.
IMO (no offense), that brand & slogan sounds absurd, KLite management won’t allow it. Hahaha.
Despite bringing back its old slogan, nothing has actually changed from KLite’s playlist (’90 – ’05), except that it added 80s to it. (Based on my observation)
In short, lalong sumakit ang ating ulo sa K-Lite with the return of ‘The Hits and Lite Favorites’.
Right now, though, that proposed brand and mashed-up slogan sounds more appropriate to the state of K-Lite these days, whether the owners like it or not. It may be ridiculous, but that’s what they are now.
The problem with the Vera family is that they’re trying to make a quick buck and they’re also sacrificing quality with their radio stations. Remember how their experiment at a masa station failed?
That is why it is best for them to sell one of their networks. Masyadong madami na sila, thus making it difficult for them to focus and manage each of them. Yung MBC nga, tatlo lang, but they’re making money from it because it’s less of a burden.
The Veras also own two AM stations: DWBL and DWSS. Those stations are run mostly by blocktimers so it’s another burden for them.
IMO, DWBL is more taken care of than DWSS.
Hence, selling one of their stations is a better option for the Veras at this point.
They should rather sell DWSS, since its programming is going nowhere. It’s pointless to call it “Entertainment Radio” when most of its blocktimers are talk-oriented (notably the ones formerly from DZXQ & the ones c/o DWBL) & it airs religious programs. And when they play music, they use the old plugs.
Exactly. They should sell that ASAP.
James Ty III: The Veras doesn’t own DWBL.
James Habitan, then who owns DWBL if not the Veras?
Same owners as Mellow 94.7. They’r not part of the Veras’ Tiger 22 umbrella group.
This despite the fact that Mellow’s studio are in the same building as the Veras’ stations.
Same owners as Mellow 94.7. They’r not part of the Veras’ Tiger 22 umbrella group.
Too many cooks spoil the broth, ika nga. That summarizes the way the Veras are running their FM stations. Only Magic is the most stable. I don’t listen to Jam while Wave keeps on playing the same RNB tracks. That station hasn’t been the same since removing the Tsunamix.
They’re a poor man’s MBC, indeed.
On 97.9’s re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-revamp, “Ano ba talaga, kuya?!” :p If they will adopt music-and-news format, eh di parang Brigada na rin ang peg nila. But however, Brigada’s sound looks like pang-probinsya. And besides, may DWIZ na rin si ALC on FM but in Dagupan lang. Masyado na rin kasing humaba ang usapin about 97.9’s fate esp. sa mga loyal listeners ng “Home Radio”. At dahil papasok na sa CNN period ang ALC Group, why don’t they try to adopt also CNN on radio? At least, may katapat na rin ang DeutschWelle-powered 98.7 dzFE.
On the other situations naman, I suggest na dapat jazz format na lang ang 103.5, since the Crossover is the only surviving station in Metro Manila na may ganung playlist. 99.5 and 89.9 seems to be a twin stations dahil almost the same sila sa lahat ng aspects but when it comes to throwback hits and DJ rosters, 99.5 seems to be a teen-friendly than Magic. I suggest, 99.5 should be in EDM format na lang, since Bigfish already partnered with them kaya 85% of their songs are in the said format. On Mellow naman, they deserve a reformat also. Inconsistent name kasi. Eh hindi na nga mellow songs ang playlist nila.
Sorry for my very long comment about this issue but that’s my view. 🙂
That’s a lot of issues concerning some of the radio stations today. Yung 97.9, pwedeng all-English yung news, minus the sensationalism, na may konting music. They can make the upcoming CNN PH as their basis.
If I were the Veras, ibenta na lang nila yung 103.5 and 99.5 kaysa sa magpakahirap pa sila. As for 94.7, I don’t agree with your proposal of a reformat. Hindi naman sila tulad ng 97.9 na puro pabago-bago. Their songs may not be ‘mellow’, but it’s more of a ‘not too loud’ thing.
Yes, at ‘yan ang best suggestion ko talaga sa Solar News Channel before. Pero ngayong 9TV/CNN Phils. na sila, they should adopt that. Recently, ALC Group opened another Home Radio station in Palawan. 94.3 yata ‘yun. I saw that on BusinessMirror.
Best suggestion din. Kung may sarili lang akong company, oh. If ever na ibebenta nila ‘yung 103.5 at 99.5, I want an Ayala company or the Sy family. Or ‘yung 99.5, sana mapunta ulit sa Tuason clan ng Marikina. They’re the real owners of it. Or mas maganda kung pumasok na rin dito ang Brigada, para hindi na sila mag-tiis sa napakalayo nilang transmitter.
That’s a great idea. Brigada on 99.5 would be a good suggestion, if the Veras were to sell it. Kaso may legacy ang RT, so may conflict rin of interest.
If ever na ibenta nila ang DWBL, sayang ang legacy nila as one of the top-rated station ‘nung 80’s, and became the home of Mike Enriquez before. Ang DWSS naman, sister station siya dati ng Energy FM during M. Luzon’s leadership. If I were the Vera family, I will sell DWBL & DWSS to JIL’s ZOE Network, Bombo Radyo, RPN/9TV, GV Network or sa SBN-21 (Bantay Radyo). These companies seems that they need expansion kasi (for me).
True that, just to be fair.
Back in 2004, Luzon’s UBSI sold DWSS to the Veras in favor of buying the Mellow stations in Dagupan & Cebu (in order for him to expand his Energy family). Just like hitting 2 birds with 1 stone.
No need for FBS to sell DWBL. It’d be better if they move most (if not all) of its blocktimers from DWSS to BL para maging full house na sila.
ZOE Network has already DZJV. 9TV has a partnership w/ IZ. GV has stations in Pampanga & Batangas. Bombo would face competition with a lot of News/Talk stations. The same thing with Bantay Radyo, wherein its presence is very strong in Visayas. I’m not sure if they still operate in Davao. (I don’t rely much in Wikipedia, though) Hence, it’d be impossible for them to acquire SS.
SBN used to have Mom’s Radio, but I guess it’s discontinued a couple of years ago, notably the one in Davao. So, it’d be either UBSI or SBN.
Indeed. These two stations need a radio one, but if they have the money, why not.
Ralph, if the Veras don’t own DWBL, who is the owner?
I don’t know. Ask coolmac.
coolmac, who is the owner of DWBL?
I don’t know. It’s supposedly FBS, under Ante Pagulayan’s management.
Ask James Habitan (jlhabitan). I’m sure he knows.
James Habitan, is Ante Pagulayan the owner of DWBL?
No. He’s the program director of that station.
Kahit na naghihingalo na ang Home Radio after ditching the Adult Contemporary format, I like its new Top 40 format. Yung weird lang is nandiyan pa rin yung theme song nila, which is in Tagalog. I hope na dapat matutuloy lang ang current format, kaysa sa last year na naging Hot AC ang format at ang branding ay Home Radio Natural, then natanggal ang Home Radio branding at mga female DJs, then went Top 40 at bumalik ang Home Radio branding.
Yung tawag ko talaga sa FM station ng Aliw is Home Radio, ever since its glory days as the most listened-to Adult Contemporary station.
Indeed. Home Radio the AC station seems more appropriate. Aliw should have moved on kung babaguhin lang pala ang format nito.
March 2015 na ngayon. 1 year ago na pala when they decided to shift from easy-listening format to a more “pang-masa” approach. Oo nga naman, napapadalas na rin ang pakikinig ko sa kanila lately as they’re like Play FM na eh. Sila ang “Play FM” ng mga nasa middle class market. But the current Home Radio can be compared to GV 99.1 and UFM 105.5 ng Pampanga, as those station (w/c also reaches Rizal & Metro Manila) are also playing current hits, tapos English ang medium nila with minimal Tagalog.
They’re basically 85% Top 40 with a ‘masa’ sensibility. That’s what Home Radio is now.
Yung kulang lang is i-pull out na lang ang theme song ng Home Radio Natural, since hindi naman yan fit for a Top 40 station.
Indeed. Stick na lang sila sa Home Radio, or better yet, palitan ng ma appropriate na pangalan. Home Radio is more identified with the smooth AC station of before.
Na pull-out na yung Tagalog theme song ng Home Radio since after Holy Week 2015.
The masa approach never worked out for Home Radio, and with the pullout of the ‘Natural’ ID, all the semblance of ‘Natural’ has been eradicated.
Pero, nadagdagan ng isa pang slogan na ma-English, ay “Be You”, imbes na “Natural”. (para sa mga hindi alam).
Para mapaganda pa, yung point ay ibalik na lang sa dot, at itanggal ang “Natural”. (with the current format keeping, will be more vicious than ever just like the other pop stations)
At saka, ibalik sa dating logo nito.
Actually. it’s best for them to have a new logo to be more appropriate with the music they play these days. Yung tipong mas moderno at mas malakas yung dating.
Since they overhaul after Holy Week, naipromote na ng husto yung OPM itong Home Radio na yan via “Homegrown Rhythms”.
Good. OPM needs serious attention dahil binabalewala na ito ng karamihan sa atin.
Interesting to note that Home Radio was now finally able to calm down from rebranding, as what JRDV said in another post of this blog. Now, according to a post by Rey in the “Philippine Radio” group on Facebook, he said Home Radio has finally dropped the “Natural!” tag.
Great. Now they can finally run in peace.
Speaking of which, as of June 30, 2017, Home Radio recently ditched its CHR Local format and the ever-popular AC format of Home Radio that everybody remembered will return after three years.
Looks like Aliw finally realized the mistakes they have done three years ago with the disastrous reformat of Home Radio as a masa station.
CHR and Home Radio don’t go well, and management paid the price for it. Now that they’re going back to the basics, we’ll see if their old listeners will come back to them.
And naging universal na since today. Across all Home Radio stations ang naging reformat from CHR local to AC. Kasama na diyan ang mga naging Home Radio News FM sa Cebu, Davao at Legazpi.
I hope Home Radio’s second stint as an AC station will last a long time, just like the first stint.
It’s more like a sudden and immediate nationwide shift, unlike the Campus Radio-to-Barangay brand change that took some time. But now that they’re back to what they do best, let see how this revival turn out.
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