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.

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Retro 105.9’s Impact on Other Stations’ Programming

The success of Retro 105.9 DCG-FM forced radio stations like Magic 89.9 and Monster Radio RX 93.1 to tweak their throwback programs. (Logo courtesy of Retro 105.9 DCG-FM)

The rise of Retro 105.9 DCG-FM has other stations take notice.

Within six months of operation, older listeners were constantly hooked to Retro 105.9’s daily serving of classic songs and hidden gems, something that was never done before on Philippine FM radio. The addiction was so great that it forced other stations to tweak their classic programming.

Spearheading the change were the two top stations in the CHR/Top 40 format: Magic 89.9 and Monster Radio RX 93.1.

For years, Magic 89.9’s ‘Friday Madness’ and ‘Saturday Slam’ had essentially the same format, with the 80s mostly reserved for the former, and the 90s for the latter. They even had a non-stop dance remix show for the final three hours.

But last June, everything changed for the station. ‘Friday Madness’ was reduced to only 21 hours, with ‘Jon Tupaz’s 12-inch Mix’ moving from its familiar 9 p.m. slot to noontime. Then Tupaz’s vacated slot was taken over by ‘Slamma Jamma’, which is now the kickoff show for ‘Saturday Slam’.

‘Slamma Jamma”s slot on Saturday night was then used to create yet another remix show, this time centering on the 2000s and beyond and featuring the country’s top club DJs rather than Magic’s own talent. That show, dubbed ‘Saturday Night Take Over’, made its debut that same month.

Over at Monster Radio RX 93.1, their ‘Monster’s Riot’ format remained the same, save for two programs. ‘Back to the 80s’, the flagship program of the said block, finally said goodbye in June after over a decade.

‘Throwback: The Year That Was’ took over ‘Back to the 80s” slot. Hosted by Chico Garcia, ‘Throwback’ now encompasses every era, from the 80s all the way to the 2000s, with a particular year’s hits to focus on.

And just months earlier, ‘Riot Remix’ bade goodbye on air, leaving ‘Remix Fridays’ as the sole remix program on the station. These two changes were the direct result of ‘Monster’s Riot”s changing playlist, emphasizing more towards the 90s and 2000s hits for an increasingly younger audience.

Elsewhere, stations such as Mellow 947 and 99.5 Play FM are now taking a similar path as RX’ s in their throwback programs.

The Philippine radio industry is a constantly changing world. Audiences are getting younger, technologies are advancing, and the music is evolving. The efforts of the Top 40 radio stations are a part of the turnover.

This turnover was definitely the reason why Retro 105.9 DCG-FM was established. As the other stations aim for the youth, Retro 105.9 focused on the older folks who still believe in ‘oldies but goodies’. And indeed it is; no matter how old the playlist is, they are still wonderful to listen to.

Indeed, times are changing in the Philippine radio industry. And for these radio stations, constant transformation is essential to maintaining success.

TV5 Moves to the New TV5 Media Center

The computer-generated model of the TV5 Media Center at the corner of Reliance and Sheridan in Mandaluyong City.

Today is the first working day for News5 employees in its new headquarters in Mandaluyong City. The TV5 Media Center, a brainchild of owner Manny V. Pangilinan, will serve as the corporate headquarters of the network, and will feature six TV studios, newsrooms for News5, post-production facilities, a radio booth for Radyo5 92.3 News FM, technical operating rooms, and production space for TV5’s other programs.

Construction of the TV5 Media Center began on January 2011, and took nearly three years to complete. The new edifice is built as part of TV5’s ongoing efforts to update existing technologies and facilities for a seamless transition to digital broadcasting. In addition, its close proximity to the center of Metro Manila and its highly elevated location should yield a much-improved broadcast signal.

With the move to the new Media Center, TV5 becomes the fourth major broadcast network to operate in Mandaluyong City. Quest Broadcasting’s Magic 89.9, 99.5 Play FM and Jam 88.3, and FBS Radio’s Mellow 947 currently operate at Paragon Plaza in the corner of EDSA and Reliance, while Solar Entertainment currently operate at the Worldwide Corporate Center in Shaw Boulevard.

The opening of the TV5 Media Center should give a huge boost for the Kapatid network, as it continues to find its niche as an alternative to common programming.

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.