In 100 Words: Papa Dan Leaves Barangay LS

One of Barangay LS 97.1’s longest-serving jocks has signed off for good.

Popular on-air personality Papa Dan officially called it quits following his final broadcast on February 10, 2017. A standout from his days with Campus Radio 97.1, Papa Dan hosted the primetime show ‘Wanted Sweetheart’ prior to his departure.

Papa Dan’s departure from Barangay LS 97.1 came nearly a month after rival jock Papa Jack resigned from 90.7 Love Radio. With the loss of two highly-regarded DJs, it is clear that a new era in primetime ‘masa’ radio is well underway.

One can only hope that Barangay LS 97.1 will find a suitable replacement for Papa Dan. After all, his shoes, much like that of Papa Jack on Love Radio, will be hard to fill.

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Why is Retro 105.9 Worth a Listen?

It took them only two months, but Retro 105.9 DCG-FM is beginning to find its own niche in the industry.

When Retro 105.9 DCG-FM took over the airwaves in late March, few took a chance at the station with a novel concept. In fact, the classic hits radio format has never been utilized before in Philippine FM radio. Fast forward to May, and the station that plays nothing but classic hits is now emerging as a force in the FM radio industry.

So why is Retro 105.9 worth a listen? Here are some reasons behind the station’s emergence.

Retro 105.9 has them all: three decades of music (70s, 80s, and 90s), and DJs with over 20 years in the industry. Unlike other stations that play classic songs on either a sporadic or a limited basis, Retro 105.9 plays a deep library of throwback songs on a daily basis, usually featuring both established hits and underrated tracks. More recently, classic OPM songs have been introduced.

Because of that, listeners need not to wait for the weekend to find the type of songs they want to listen. Retro 105.9 has that, and more. But that’s not the only reason why listeners were attracted to Retro 105.9.

True to its name, Retro 105.9 DCG-FM features a cast of jocks that have over 20 years of experience on the mic. For instance, both Jimmy Jam and Triggerman were alumnus of Campus Radio 97.1, while Joshua and Joey Pizza were part of the original 99.5 RT. These jocks are legends in the radio industry, and for teenagers with a knack towards listening to classic hits, the experience of listening to these veterans for the first time are worth it.

The combination of both factors make Retro 105.9 DCG-FM an interesting station to listen to. And while the station will continue to grow from hereon, it is clear that listeners have finally found a station where they can share memories of their youth to others, not just in a particular day, but every day.

 

 

Radio Programs Deserving of a Comeback

Today’s FM radio landscape is being littered by ‘masa’ stations that play basically old love songs and novelty singles. The proliferation of ‘masa’ stations practically hurt the FM radio industry, which led to audiences tuning out and turn to other means of listening, such as internet radio and digital downloading. But back when the radio industry in the Philippines was full of diversity, several radio programs stand out, and here are the top radio programs that deserved to return on air.

Top 20 @ 12 – Campus Radio 97.1 DWLS FM 

No one does it better than the Triggerman to count down the top 20 songs at the stroke of noon. The program is the top chart show on radio for many years, and even its counterparts can attest to that. While the Top 5 at 5 on Magic 89.9, The Playlist on 99.5 Play FM, and the Countdown Top 7 on Monster Radio RX 93.1 carried on its tradition, no one can still beat the legacy of the Top 20 @ 12, and it deserves a comeback, wherever station it may be.

In the Raw – NU 107

This program introduced us to several upcoming bands that went on to achieve success both in the box office and in the record store. NU 107’s flagship program proved successful that more bands signed up to perform on the program. Unfortunately changes in the radio landscape led to the reformat to ‘masa’-flavored 107.5 Win Radio, but ‘In the Raw”s legacy is secured. So much so that it deserves a radio comeback, preferably on Jam 88.3.

24K Friday – 99.5 RT

It is the oldies show that is more diverse, versatile and enduring than other oldies shows. Not even Friday Madness and Saturday Slam of Magic 89.9, Wave Back Wednesday on Wave 89.1, Monster’s Riot on RX 93.1, and Decade and Turn of the Century on Mellow 947 can attest to the longevity and popularity of 24K on 99.5 RT. The long-running radio program is just as identifiable as ‘The Rhythm of the City’, as it was the staple of the network during its two incarnations, and even during its run as 99.5 Hit FM. Sadly, management wanted to go younger, thus the program had to end its run once 99.5 became Play FM. Nevertheless, the veterans of the network are trying to revive the program as a full-time online radio site, but its heart will always be on terrestrial radio.

Pinoy Rock N’ Rhythm – 105.9 RJ Underground Radio and DZRJ 810 AM

This was the program that made Dante ‘Howlin’ Dave‘ David famous. It introduced listeners to Pinoy Rock and bands such as the Juan dela Cruz Band, Asin, Sampaguita and Freddie Aguilar during the Martial Law years. The program was cancelled once DZRJ-AM became Radyo Bandido after the EDSA Revolution, but was later revived on 105.9 RJ Underground Radio. After Howlin’ Dave’s death in 2008, the program endured through various jocks, but was cancelled again after UR ended operations in 2011. The program was such a classic that it needs a second chance, preferably on RJ 100.3 FM.

Talk Back – 103.5 K-Lite

Before ‘Boys Night Out’ even existed, there was Talk Back on the original incarnation of 103.5 K-Lite. It was basically under the format of ‘talk radio’, featuring listener and DJ interaction. The program may be only running for an hour, but listeners are keen and willing enough to gather information regarding the topic being discussed. Talk Back lasted for much of the original K-Lite’s tenure, but when the current K-Lite debuted in July, Talk Back was not included among the returning programs. It was a radio classic that deserves a revival.

Missing the Old Campus Radio

These days, the 97.1 frequency on the FM band is playing cheesy old love songs, Filipino Hot Adult Contemporary singles, and even novelty dance hits. But back in the day, there was Campus Radio, dubbed as the ‘No. 1 Pop Music Station in Metro Manila’.

Any old-time radio listener would remember the voices of John Hendrix, The Triggerman, Braggy, Master T, Joe Spinner and Jimmy Jam. They were the staples behind Campus Radio 97.1 WLS-FM, whose frequency is owned by the GMA network. For many years, Campus Radio played Top 40 pop, rock, OPM and RnB songs daily; the then-current songs on weekdays, and the classic singles on Sundays. They were also responsible for the longest-running chart show on Philippine radio, the Top 20 @ 12, which aired six times a week at noon, with a weekly countdown on Sundays and a year-end countdown before midnight of New Year’s Day.

Other Campus Radio trademarks include: ‘Other People’s Music’, a two-hour informative program on Saturday nights featuring interviews from various artists, ‘Campus Radio Aircheck’, an annual talent search and training ground for future jocks, ‘Campus Radio Movie Master’, featuring the then-latest movie releases, ‘RetroJam’, a Sunday format focusing exclusively on songs from years past, and ‘Front.Center’, a monthly feature on a specific artist.

Good thing DJ John Hendrix brought along a radio plug for ‘Other People’s Music’. Here is the plug from YouTube below.

Unfortunately, the Campus Radio era came to an abrupt end on Valentine’s Day 2007, when GMA management decided to change it to the popular yet criticized Hot AC format that eventually became Barangay LS. Primarily due to the heated rivalry with ABS-CBN, whose FM radio station DWRR Tambayan 101.9 already uses the format, GMA decided it was better to match its rival with a similarly formatted radio station. Thus the Campus Radio was no more. And even though it was briefly revived on the 99.5 DWRT frequency, it was at DWLS 97.1 where it enjoyed its greatest success.

While Campus Radio won’t be back anytime soon, the memories would live on ‘Forever!’, as its tagline suggests.