No More "The Best Music on the Planet?" The Quest On The Next Brand Under The 99.5 FM dial.

I know, I know. I am not even at the middle level of being an avid listener of this station. I don’t even know what made me wrote this piece. But being a radio gaga kid for almost half of my life, it saddens to hear goodbye on the station that you patronized even at least once upon a time. And all I know is that 99.5 RT was one of the stations I have turned into when I lived once at province (Yes, I heard them clearly even if I’m 70 kilometers away up North-Northeast from Luneta)

I never saw it coming until a disc jockey named Inka posted something on her Facebook account, encouraging everyone in her network to listen on her show the RT 30 countdown for one last time this coming Friday, October 19, 2012— Something that drew the ire on side of her listeners that the station 99.5 RT will be leaving once again. And also, drawing questioned thoughts for the ones who patronize the station like “Where will they turn into next?” And “Where can we find the best music on the planet then,” aside from the bounds of YouTube, Soundcloud, internet radio sites and… anywhere else at the World Wide Web?

Many of us think of this one very usual resort question: Another cliché FM station going masa type? Something that is really… (I repeat) really disappointing for the side of the music lovers, radio listeners, and DJ’s fans. Something that Inka denied via her Facebook comment.

And let’s face it. I mean, sure we can always love what we are patronizing, especially if we are talking about real talk and quality music. But on the other side, it’s business. And the demographics of the Metro Manila audience went already downside since the population of residences at the said area skyrocketed, especially if we are talking about the middle and lower classes of the society here. It appeared that our media is deteriorating little by little on a span of time, eh? Not totally. There are some things that they have to cope up to satisfy the present statesman’s taste, and that includes sacrificing the quality for the sake of monetary value and of course, sales.

Look, since the turn of the millennium, FM radio scene at the metro went flipping to the other side. From these once-CHR types 93.9 KC FM, to 97.1 Campus Radio WLS FM, to the home of new rock NU 107, and even the K-Lite 103.5 (and quite even Heart and Maxx which also occupied the frequency on the same type) is listed; with 3 of the aforementioned dials were once considered a perennial favorite at their very own right. Where are these things now? Like what I’ve said earlier, they flipped to the masa type. And this format contains such things like novelty ballads and bubble-pop music, jokes (which may be good for some time), and of course… commercials. Many hipsters might think that this masa thing is actually a nightmare, but… yeah, for the typical commoners; it’s what they called “mainstream.”

But not every station that has undergone reformation, really ended up at the low-end-but-majority-class of life, as some of them actually stick in still. They just changed their style of play list, programming, personnel, management and brand name. For instance, take RT for an example. Once upon a time, after some like 2 decades of their previous existence, they just switched to HIT FM and have a smooth run from there thanks to Brewrats anchored by Ramon Bautista, Angel Rivero, and Arvin Jimenez (If you are a Tado fan or just a constituent on Marikina first district, you should know his name).

And it all went good, until they turned the deck once again and renamed as Campus FM. Many of us thought that Campus Radio was really back for good, until a-sudden-long-period-of-time where we did not hear anymore the other jocks doing their thing on air. It just went all-music. And later on, the reborn of RT was staged at the third quarter of 2009. It was then when I realized that Josh with the Z heard one of his final stints before moving up to U92. And at the middle of the dawn, I would wake up to a sleepless sexy program, alternating to Magic’s daybreak. At least, Sam Oh is still at the air then, just like her old, good mornings with HIT Fm alongside Samir Gogna as Sam vs. Sam (YG).

It was then at RT when Logan staged his set of hilarious cracks as he formed the Disenchanted Kingdom – something that is quite familiar and had done to his previous programs Morning Zoo Crew, Boys Night Out (Yes, he was the pioneer host then alongside Slick Rick and Tony Toni) and Logan’s Alley with longtime partner Mark Marfori. I was a resilient fan of the DK, where once I got recognized when I answered their triple threat segment featuring “spakol” a few months ago. Perhaps, it was also my last hurrah of being a loud-mouth (and proud) radio fan then as I shut my finger and mind from participating on any radio shows then.

Other than that, I once hit the frequency just for listening pleasure like those rocking beats from Freeway Friday, throwback Saturdays via 24K Weekend, Lil Joey’s radio comeback, Mojo Jojo’s sudden transfer to a nearby room after some long time of being a Magic jock, and… a lot to mention that is something not part of my cover anymore.

Any other station that went on to same fate of trial as RT’s is Jam 88.3, whom retained the same brand, but different style… and at least, not the masa type like every diehard patron’s nightmare in the making.

Well, like what I mentioned earlier, Inka commented that it will not go the masa’s way, something that at least for the majority will be really assured. And yes, I’d rather believe a disc jockey’s statement whether there is a joke intended or not. They can really tell the truth more than the other media personality. And even those ones whom earlier declared that they will not run for the lection and yet, they went the other way around.

3 short years for a second life may be quite really short. And other than RT and Jam, Magic 89.9 and RX 93.1 are the last men standing on the cliché real music and hip-side of the mainstream talk format. But let’s hope for the best, folks. Maybe they will have even more than just luring the best music on the planet.

Author: slickmaster

Date: 10/19/2012

Time: 12:16 p.m.

© 2012 september twenty-eight productions