So much for being No. 1 in the upscale market.
Once again, Retro 105.9 DCG-FM is making some changes to its menu. For now, the station does not utilize any on-air talent (save for news reporter Karen Wu) and plays automated music instead.
Rumor has it that the station asked its DJs to file their dismissal papers for no reason at all. It is possible that a bad case of declining revenue has something to do with the issue.
However, a later report from a PinoyExchange insider clarified that the dismissal papers are only temporary and that some of the Retro DJs are being brought back as part of a possible revamp of the station. If that is true, then find out what will happen next.
While Retro 105.9 DCG-FM emerged as the top upscale FM radio station in Metro Manila, the emergence of 104.3 FM2 as its main competitor in the classic hits genre made it difficult for Retro to maintain its foothold in the market. As its impending revamp shows, nothing is cast in stone.
Listeners can only hope that Retro 105.9 DCG-FM will find a way to maintain some long-term viability amid increased competition. After all, it will be a shame to see this pioneering station go after all these years building up its reputation as the ‘home of the classics’.
From the Tube 
What can you expect? I mean, former Magic 89.9, 99.5 RT and 103.5 K-Lite jocks such as Sonny B, Carlo Jose, Jeremiah Junior and Monica are all working for FM2.
Retro has had issues with their on-air jocks from the start. If you go to the PinoyExchange forums you’ll know what I’m talking about. Here’s the link for reference:
http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=706879
Let’s leave FM2 behind for now because our concern is with Retro. The station has been suffering for quite a while now despite its status as a top upscale FM station. My question to you is, who are the DJs of Retro that left the station for various reasons?
JJ Sparx and Jimmy Jam.
Just two? Remember, Retro has had many DJs come and go, and it’s not just JJ and Jam. Why don’t you visit the link to the PEX column I provided earlier so that you’ll know what I’m talking about.
King DJ Logan, Hill Billy Willy and Sgt. Pepper have also left DCG FM after they worked at the station.
At least they tried. Still, it’s a shame to see Retro continue to struggle despite gaining a decent audience. It will be interesting to see what their next move will be, so stay tuned to find out.
IKR. I mean, FM2 managed to snag some of Retro’s listening audience.
Plus they have the Philippine government and its taxpayers to back them up, unlike Retro where they need the support of advertisers to succeed.
FM2 is govt. owned of course.
That means taxpayers can help provide the necessary money to keep the station running, which is either a blessing or a curse if you’re a radio fan.
IKR.
Sayang talaga ang Retro 105.9; it has been one of my main stations for years, and for a while it looked like they were on the rise and had a good share of the market. Kaya pala nagtaka ako bakit nung nakinig ako sa stasyon nung isang buwan, bakit puro “Drive-By” nalang ang programs nila at di na ata sila tumatanggap ng requests. Yun pala si Karen nalang ang natira. They had a lot of promise but it seems that now they’re tumbling down. At the rate things are going, I guess I have to stick to K-Lite and FM2 for my oldies songs mix now.
Changing management and on-air staff has been a problem for Retro from the start. There is no continuity and it borders more on desperation to try and maintain its audience. Plus their playlist is not that deep.
If that trend continues, I might see a possible reformat on 105.9. Even RJ100 is beating them in the ratings game on the upscale market. Even 106.7 Energy FM beat Retro 105.9 sa latest Nielsen upscale market ratings.
FM2 is a great station, pero aabangan na lang natin kung matutuloy yan on the next Presidential administration come 2022.
FM2 will do fine even if Duterte’s term ends. The PCOO’s mission was clear from the start: revitalize its properties and modernize its operations. Now it’s up to them to maintain this new standard.
As for Retro, it has run its course and another reformat could be in the works. 105.9 has had issues attracting an audience before. Blazin’, RJ Underground and Radio High all failed because of that. Retro could be next unless they stop the bleeding.
Also, been listening to FM2 for a while now, and I’ve noticed that they seem to have “adopted” some Retro DCG things (like the tagline “they don’t make music like they used to”). Also, I could have sworn that I heard Joey Pizza (formerly of DCG) at FM2 at some point, or at least a commercial mentioning his name,
Also, I’m not sure if this is a plus or a minus, but I noticed that FM2’s breaks are less… boastful? I don’t hear all those station IDs all the time there, unlike with Retro DCG. Also, with Retro DCG FM, a thing with them (that may be a plus or a minus depending on the person) is that the DJ almost always talks before or after every song, unlike masa stations these days where the DJs rarely talk between songs (usually only after a set), or FM2 where DJs tend to speak only after three or so songs at least.
Well, Joey is now on FM2 and he brought some of his trademarks with him. Anyway, regarding the differences between FM2 and Retro, those were only minor as far as we know. It depends on the listeners’ preferences, whether he wants some talk with music or more music with a few talk. We only care about their playlists, that’s all.
OMG Joey Pizza is now on FM2?
He is now.
Last week na raw ngayon ng Retro, reformat incoming next week (rumored to be a mellow oldies station, but who knows). Sayang talaga ang station: it had a good run, and for some years it was my go to station. But I guess their past issues, combined with increasing competition from stations like FM2 and Wish did them in. Nawalan din ako ng gana nung nag-automate sila tapos lumabas yung mga tsismis na lugi sila. Knowing the end was near, I jumped ship to K-Lite, which seems to appeal more to me due to their playlists of 1990s and 2000s hits. Mukhang jinxed ngayon ang 105.9 frequency: ang dami na nilang failed station doon (like its predecessor Radio High, which was one of my dad’s stations when it was still around, together with 105.1).
I really don’t understand what went wrong with Retro. For a while they were doing well, but by the time 2018, they were near the bottom of the Nielsen survey rankings. And I don’t think FM2 is wholly to blame considering FM2’s ratings aren’t much better. Was it the lack of direction? Lack of funds? Lack of support? Issues with the company itself?
Good luck to whatever becomes of the station: those lawyer positions at Bright Star that have been advertised for over a year now need it.
Something tells me that Brigada should take over this frequency. 104.7 doesn’t have enough power to attract listeners. Should they acquire 105.9, they might as well give Radyo5 a run for their money.
Anyway, Retro was a pioneer of classic hits Radio in Manila, but the same mismanagement issues of previous iterations of 105.9 hurt them anew. Now FM2 is perhaps the only one standing.
Mukhang nakuryente tayo, Retro is still on the air (for now), but it’s still on shaky financial ground and rumors persist that a takeover is imminent. In any case, it’s still sad to see such a promising station become a zombie with vultures flying over its carcass, just waiting for the mercy shot.
As long as Triggerman has his weekend Top 20, Retro will still be around. He’s the one keeping the station alive for the moment.
Ding Dong Retro 105.9 is dead. Replaced by Like FM with Jimmy Jam and JJ Sparks involved. Apparently they’re currently on test broadcast and are doing an adult-leaning Top 40 format, so I guess they’re trying to hit FM1 and FM2 with one stone now? Got this from the Retro 105.9 PinoyExchange.
No surprise since management had a hard time paying these debts. They tried to cut costs by becoming mostly automated but to no avail. Plus FM2 really destroyed Retro. More on that this week.
Nanghihinayang parin talaga ako sa station. It was launched with great fanfare four years ago, but it died with a whimper, with no official warning (only rumors), and not even a thank you or farewell post on their social media. Parang direspectful naman sa mga loyal fans nila na tumangkilik from the start.
Also, to be frank, I’m worried about Like FM. Sure it’s a reformat towards a mix of Top 40 and oldies, but its niche is already filled by stations like FM1/FM2, K-Lite, and Mellow. Their planned space is getting quite crowded, so it might be an uphill battle for them to gain a following. I suppose their hope is if they play a significant amount of K-Pop considering they apparently have Korean investors: considering K-Pop’s popularity here, that could be a niche that they could fill.
I mean, at some point, DCG was the #1 upscale radio station in Mega Manila. It could have had a more dignified send-off instead of just disappearing without warning.
In fact the only announcement came from Jimmy Jam himself who took over said station. However, it is common for some radio stations to reformat without warning. Remember when Wow FM and the 2nd 99.5 RT reformatted into K-Lite and Play FM without such an announcement? Normal na yun sa mga istasyon to not announce a reformat on air. Unless you’re NU 107.
That said, it was only good for Retro to shut down quietly so as not to upset listeners. But now they have a bigger problem ahead with a redundant format coming up.