In 100 Words: Yes the Best? More Like Yes the Worst!

Looks like nothing has changed on 101.1 Yes the Best.

Despite a massive and heavily hyped rebrand that took several months to materialize (even going as far as labeling the station as the ‘Home of the Millennials’), the sound of Yes the Best remains virtually the same as its previous incarnation. They are still a ‘masa’ station with ridiculously named DJs, playing some OPM, dance and hip-hop tracks, and even classic rock ballads from years past.

If Yes wants to truly live up to their billing as the ‘Home of the Millennials’, the station should have morphed into a Top 40 CHR station ala Magic 89.9 and 99.5 Play FM. This is poor advertising on MBC’s part, one that will definitely fool the more educated listener.

Sorry, but the rebrand of 101.1 Yes the Best is a thumbs down. Get your priorities straight, MBC.

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Monster RX 93.1 In a Crisis

The once tight-knit family on Monster RX 93.1 is crumbling.

Still reeling from the departure of Delamar Arias last July 29, RX endured another incident a few weeks later. On August 14, RX DJ Karen Bordador was arrested along with boyfriend Emilio Lim due to possession of illegal drugs.

At the time of her arrest, Karen was assigned to the 2:00 to 6:00 a.m. slot. Prior to that, she was partnered with Rico Robles during the afternoon.

Friends and family of Karen vehemently denied that she was a drug user. Even her ex-boyfriend Chris Tan agreed to their sentiments.

In response to the situation, the management of RX issued the following statement:

As a result of Karen’s arrest, RX was forced to make adjustments in their schedule. Initially, Hazel Aguilon, Cara Eriguel and Tom Alvarez were given longer shifts during weeknights, but recently, student DJs from the Radio1 program were assigned to man the 2:00 to 6:00 a.m. slot that Karen usually handles.

But Karen Bordador was not the only RX DJ to make the headlines. Yesterday, RX listeners were stunned when DJ Bea Fabregas announced her departure from RX following her final shift on the station’s Hip 26 block.

View this post on Instagram

Hi ❤️ My shift on Hip26 this morning was my last day as Monster DJ, this was unexpected for me as well so this will be a bit lengthy but please bear with me! . To @chicogarcia @delamararias @ginoboi931: I cannot begin to thank you all, for everything. For accepting this clueless weirdo, that doesn't like eating lol, or traveling or game of thrones and yet making me feel at home off air, but most especially the second that mic was turned on. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be able to call the you two, Chico and Gino as my radio partners. Also the rare days that Delle and I would be there together, and the four of us were on air all at once. Without a doubt the past year on The Morning Rush has brought me such an amount of joy that I could not contain, and I think that's the reason why I would laugh so hard. I don't think I've ever laughed that much in my life. Thank you so much to the three of you for accepting me, but more than anything, thank you for being wonderful people that I get to call friends now. I will always be grateful and blessed to have met you guys. . To the Rushers: WHERE TO BEGIN. You are all seriously the best. From day 1, to laughing with us, to sending in your tweets every show, to forgiving me for not playing all of your requests ✌🏼️😂 to even asking me to sign your TMR books, that I wasn't even part of ❤️ and lastly to creating the petition last month on change.org! Just like the three, you all welcomed me with open arms, and I consider that a privilege and a blessing. I love you all, and the support you have shown me here on IG, twitter, Fb and most especially on air, will be with me always. Thank you thank you thank you. . To the RX management and staff: Thank you for trusting me, and allowing this weirdo to go on air again. Thank you for the past year, I was truly able to grow as a DJ and as a person. I wish you all the best. . ❤️❤️❤️ Bye for now!

A post shared by beafabregas (@beafabregas) on Aug 20, 2016 at 8:48pm PDT

At the time of her departure, Bea was assigned to work for RX during weekends. Prior to that, the former Magic 89.9 and 99.5 Play FM DJ was an occasional co-host on ‘The Morning Rush’ with Delamar, Chico Garcia and Gino Quillamor.

No specific reason was given with regards to Bea’s resignation.

The crisis within Monster RX 93.1 is quickly becoming an epidemic. If the well-documented departure of Delamar Arias is not enough, now the station’s management needs to deal with the departure of Bea Fabregas and the incident surrounding Karen Bordador, something that could add pressure to its remaining DJs.

As the station scrambles to find replacements for their three female DJs, one must wonder if the best days of RX were now behind them. RX may be a proud and multi-awarded institution, but unless they address the situation immediately, they could lose not only their loyal listeners, but also their credibility.

For the entire RX family, the time to act is now. Good luck.

Changing of the Guard on Philippine FM Radio

Times are changing in the field of FM radio in the Philippines.

The biggest news coming off the industry was the departure of Delamar Arias from Monster RX 93.1 last July 29. Her departure marked the end of an era for ‘The Morning Rush’, which has long been considered an institution in Philippine FM radio.

When the show took the airwaves on August 1, ‘Rushers’ are still trying to figure out a way to make the show interesting without Delamar. But it was not easy, considering that the chemistry between her and Chico Garcia (plus Gino Quillamor) was undeniable.

RX even tried to add Bea Fabregas to the show in hopes of replacing Delamar in the near future. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, and to this day, they are still scrambling to fill Delamar’s chair.

But Delamar is not the only FM radio icon to bid farewell. Two other long-time DJs also called it a day for good.

There was Carlo Jose, who announced his retirement via Instagram almost at the same time as Delamar’s. Carlo’s involvement in the FM radio industry spanned 24 years, dating from his time as a DJ on Magic 89.9 to most recently a station manager for sister station 99.5 Play FM.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIZki82DR88/

Then there was Martin D, who announced his retirement from ABS-CBN’s MOR 101.9 last Friday. Best known as the host of ‘Request Express’ and ‘Top Hits Express’ on the old WRR 101.9, Martin D lasted 20 years with the said station.

Finally, one veteran DJ chose to jump stations instead of calling it a career. On July 29, Tina Mendiola (known on air as Tina Ryan) announced her departure from Magic 89.9, her home station for close to 20 years, in order to join sister station 103.5 K-Lite.

#GoodbyeTinaRyan899!💔
It's @tinaryan899's last show today. Send her some love! 👉magic899.FM pic.twitter.com/5zrYUHksaC

— Magic 89.9 (@Magic899) July 29, 2016

It was painful to say goodbye to some of radio’s most cherished voices. But in an age where the listening demographics are changing, there is no other choice but to move on and give way to younger individuals.

Still, their voices will forever be remembered by many who have heard them all these years. Their contributions to the Philippine FM radio industry will never be forgotten.

The New Friday Madness on Magic 89.9

It’s 80s out, 90s in for Magic 89.9’s Friday Madness starting today. (Logo courtesy of Quest Broadcasting Inc.)

A new sound awaits Magic 89.9’s Friday Madness.

Gone is the long-standing tradition of playing songs from the 1970s, 1980s and some of the early 1990s every Fridays. Instead, the music of the 1990s and early 2000s will dominate the playlist of Friday Madness.

This means that Friday Madness will adopt the old format of Saturday Slam, which Magic dropped earlier this year in favor of its regular playlist. More importantly, the station will only have one day dedicated to throwback music instead of two.

The newly-reformatted Friday Madness was one of only several changes instituted by Magic 89.9 as preparation for its upcoming 30th anniversary. Two weeks earlier, their weekday programming was also reformatted; save for ‘Good Times with Mo’ and ‘Boys’ Night Out’, the rest of Magic’s programs were either rebranded or changed DJ schedules.

The change of format for Friday Madness was a result of Magic’s ever-changing demographic. While some older listeners may still be loyal to Magic, the station is also attracting a large amount of younger followers, most of whom grew up in the social media age.

In addition, the continued emergence of Retro 105.9 DCG-FM as the go-to station for 70s and 80s music buffs made it clear that Friday Madness needed a makeover. It also hurts that competitor stations are also dedicating one day for 90s music (e.g. Monster RX 93.1’s Riot Wednesday, Mellow 947’s Decade, 99.5 Play FM’s Playback).

That said, with the station’s listeners getting younger, there’s no point in feeding them songs that are unfamiliar to their ears. For Magic, change was inevitable, and today was it.

It remains to be seen whether or not the new Friday Madness will adopt the regular Monday to Thursday schedules of its DJs (save for ‘Good Times with Mo’ and ‘Boys’ Night Out’). But in any event, people should enjoy the music of not too long ago, now playing on Friday Madness.

PRR 2015: Philippine Radio in Review

Another year is about to end. But before the calendar flips to 2016, here is a look back at the year that was in television and radio.

Our friend MC’s Corner will look back at the events that shaped Philippine radio in 2015. Enjoy.

MC's Corner

2015 is about to end in a few days. But before we bid goodbye to this year, here is a look back at what happened in the world of Philippine Radio. This article will analyze on the Top 10 newcomers, comebacks, reformats & restructures in Metro Manila (and a few in other key cities).

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This list ranges from newcomers to restructures to ventures.

1. 8TriMedia’s Big Move

8TriMedia Broadcasting

Late last year, 8TriMedia, a media company of Jojo Soliman, began as a blocktimer on DZJV 1458, airing its programs during nighttime (6pm onwards).

Last April, 8TM bought time from DWBL 1242 to air its programs. From 4 programs, they expanded to 7 on this 20-Kw station. The roster is consisted of veteran newscaster Miguel Gil, singers Lloyd Umali & Ima Castro, showbiz columnists Shalala & Rodel Fernando, and former Manila mayor Fred Lim, among others.

View original post 1,426 more words

FTT Year 2014 in Review: FM Radio

Another year is about to end. But before the calendar flips to 2015, here is a look back at the year that was in television and radio. This article will focus on the FM radio stations of Metro Manila, with a recap of the news that occurred within the industry.

105.9 Goes Retro

March saw the launch of Retro 105.9 DCG-FM. The station played nothing but classic hits from as far as the 60s to as close as the early 2000s, and featured radio industry veterans as the station’s voices.

Retro 105.9 became an immediate hit with listeners, so much so that other stations took notice of its emergence. As a result of Retro 105.9’s success, these stations either shortened their throwback programs (e.g. Magic 89.9’s ‘Friday Madness’ and Saturday Slam’), or restricted their playlists to cater towards younger listeners, (e.g. RX 93.1’s ‘Riot Wednesday’).

From Big to Win to Wish

June 26 saw the final broadcast of 107.5 Win Radio, as Daniel Razon purchased the station from Manny Luzon. As a result, Luzon was forced to move Win Radio to 91.5, replacing erstwhile sister station Big Radio.

Then on August 10, Razon’s new station was christened as Wish 1075, an adult contemporary station. Wish immediately filled the void vacated by another recently reformatted station.

Home Radio Becomes ‘Natural’ and Back

The original 97.9 Home Radio signed off for the last time on February 28. Then on March 17, Home Radio Natural!, now with a more ‘masa’ playlist and DJs named after fruits, was launched.

What happened next was a saga of rebrands and format changes within 97.9 that baffled the entire FM radio community. First, ‘Home Radio’ was dropped from its name in July, only to bring it back in November, and then in August, the format changed from Hot AC (‘masa’) to Top 40 Contemporary Hit Radio.

K-Lite’s Endless Rebrands, Plus Wave and Play FM’s Continued Problems

Speaking of a saga of rebrands and format changes, 103.5 K-Lite also endured the same routine as Home Radio Natural!, albeit at a more extreme pace. The station went from CHR to classic hits and back to AC, all within a span of eight months, while constantly shuffling its on-air staff.

The issues surrounding K-Lite were not the only problems that Tiger22 faced this year though. 99.5 Play FM again endured some more changes in its on-air staff, while Wave 891 returned to an R&B/rhythmic format after experimenting with a more hip-hop playlist the previous year.

In Other News…

95.5 Pinas FM officially became an all-OPM station in October, becoming the first and only FM radio station in the country to do so.

As mentioned earlier, Magic 89.9 cut short its broadcasts of ‘Friday Madness’ and ‘Saturday Slam’ in June. This paved the way for the three-hour remix programs that followed both blocks: ‘Slamma Jamma’ (Fridays) and ‘Saturday Night Take Over’ (Saturdays).

RX 93.1 also made a change to its throwback block ‘Riot Wednesday’. Gone is the remix program ‘Riot Remix’, while ‘Back to the 80s’ was replaced by ‘Throwback: The Year That Was’.

And finally, Barangay LS 97.1 was reformatted anew, both in programming and in overall presentation. At the same time, GMA decided to rename its regional radio stations to the Barangay brand, in a reverse response to ABS-CBN’s rebranding of 101.9 to the regional stations’ MOR name.

Outlook

An eventful 2014 should be followed by an even more intense 2015, as the Metro’s FM radio stations try to improve from their previous year’s performances. That said, expect more of these shakeups, rebrands and changes once the new year rolls on.