NU 107 After 2 Years…

11/08/2012, 12:27 p.m.

Hindi ako isang masugid na tagahanga ng istaysong ito. Minsan lang ako kung makinig sa kanila, pero maliban kasi sa mga website na tulad ng YouTube, ito ang pinakaprimerong source ng rock music para sa karamihan ng mga Pinoy e. Of course, maliban pa ‘to sa pag-attend ng mga gig ng mga banda sa underground man, o opisyal na concert.

Pero ang bilis ng panahon, ‘no? Dalawang taon na pala ang nakalilipas mula noong pormal na nagpaalam na sa himpapawid ng FM radio ang tinawag nilang “Home of NU Rock” – ang NU 107. Naalala ko pa nga ang mga hindi mawaring pakiramdam noon, lalo na sa parte nila na likas ang pagiging rakista sa sariling karapatan, na ang isa sa mga pinakasandigan nila sa musika ay mawawala na lamang matapos ang 23 taon na pamamayagpag.

Ilang mga personalidad ang nagsalita, mula sa mga dating nakasama bilang mga DJs, mga kilala sa larangan ng pakikipagrakrakan, at kahit ultimo ang mga DJs mula sa ibang istasyon na nakikinig din pala sa kanila. Mga kasama sa hanapbuhay ba.



Ilang sandali bago mag alas-dose ng hatinggabi ng Linggo, Nobyembre a-7, (or technically speaking, a-8 ng Nobyembre) taong 2010, sa huling sign-off spiel ng station manager nitong si Chris Hermosisima (a.k.a. Chris Cruise)…

“So let’s do this, for the last time. It’s a minute before 12. NU107 is DWNU FM, at 107 dot 5 megahertz in Pasig… once the loudest and proudest member of the KBP. This has been NU107, the Philippines’ one and only Home of New Rock. This is NU107. We are signing off.”

…agad umapaw ang emosyon ng karamihan sa paglisan ng NU, pati na rin siguro ang mga nakikinig sa kanila sa oras na iyun. Partikular na siguro ang mga taong nakaantabay sa labas ng kanilang istasyon at opisina sa Ortigas, Pasay City.

Ang huling kantang umalingawngaw sa tanyag na pangalan na namuhay sa dial na 107.5 MHz – maliban pa sa Pambansang Awit ng Pilipinas – ay ang antigong kanta ng Eraserheads noong 1997, Ang Huling El Bimbo. Bago mag alas-dose kinse ng madaling araw, ang nakakabinging off-air silence-slash-static na tunog na ang naririnig ko.

Hindi ko masasabing perfect farewell ito, dahil nga minsan lang ako nakapakinig sa istayon nila. Pero hindi ibig sabihin nun ay hindi ako naging tagahanga ng Pinoy rock sa aking sariling karapatan. Pero matindi kasi ang epekto nito e. Sa panonood ko nga ng report nito sa music channel na Myx, nakita ko ang pagmamahal ng tao sa kanila. Marami sa malamang ang mamimiss ito, mga luhang tumula mula sa mga taong humanga. Maraming mga alaala ang nabuo. Isa nga silang maituturing na “legacy” sa rock industry.

Hindi lang talaga makakaila ang katotohanan na mahirap magpatakbo o magtrabaho sa iosang bagay na talagang mahal mo, kung hindi ka naman kikita rito. ‘Yan ang isang matimbang na halimbawa, maliban pa sa mga minsa’y naging alamat sa popular na kultura tulad ng 93.9 KC Fm, at 97.1 Campus Radio WLS FM.

Nagsilbi din itong avenue para sa mga banda na magkaroon ng break sa industriya at magkaroon ng jumpstar sa kani-kanilang mga karera bilang mga rockstar.

Dalawang taon na ang nakalipas, hindi ko na puwedeng husgahan ang mga pangyayari o ikumpara ba ang NU 107 sa istayon na pumalit sa kanilang channel na WIN Radio. Dahil obviously magiging bias na ako diyan, maliban pa sa katotohanan na bihira na lang ako makapakinig ng radyo, at kung nakikinig man, hindi ako madalas naka-tune in sa mga istasyon ng pang-masa.

Katulad ng mga sinasabi ko sa ibang mga blog na may paksang kinalaman sa media, partikuar sa radyo, ang pagpapatakbo ng mga ganitong klaseng kumpanya ay “business.” Hindi ka pwedeng hindi kumita, kahit ang puso mo ay para sa isang specified na genre ng musika lamang. Lalo na sa panahon ngayon na lumolobo ang populasyon sa lugar na pagnenegosyohan mo. Ayos lang sana kung mataas pa rin ang bilang ng mga tao na may kakayahan sa buhay. E paano kung ang madlang pipol mo ay nasa classes C, D at E na? Hindi na tulad noon na kahit papano na ang mga elitista ay papatol pa sa taste ng mayorya? Mahirap iyan, lalo na yata noong panahon na unti-unti na nababawasan ng mga taong mag-aadvertise sa istasyon nila? Malulugi ka siyempre, kung negosyante ka. Kapag hindi nakayanan, baka matulad ka na lang sa kanila na maibebenta na lang yang pinaghirapan mo.

Dalawang taon na ang nakalipas, may DIG Radio naman na pwede kang mapakinggan sa internet. Andun ang iilan sa mga naging disc jockeys ng NU 107. Ngapala, speaking of which, ang mga matitinong musika na namimiss mo sa radyo ay nsa kani-kanilang mga internet radio stations na rin. Kaya ‘wag kang masyadong mag-worry. Nangyayari talaga iyan. Baka nga sa DIG Radio mo pa mapapakinggan ang mga bagay na una mong natipuhan sa istasyon ng NU e.

Sa kabila kasi ng mga emosyon ay dumaan din ang NU 107 sa matinding kritisismo sa paglipas ng mga taon. Ke naging “mainstream rock” na ba (pero ‘di ba, may pagkakataon na okay naman talaga ang rock music sa mainstream? Sabagay kasi ang mga matitinding musika nun ay mas namumuhay sa underground e, pero parang isa din yan sa mga purpose ng NU e – ang ipakilala ang rock music sa pangkalahatan); “sellout,” “too commercial,” o kung ano pa man iyan.

Pero ganun naman talaga e – nagbabago ang mga bagay-bagay sa ating buhay, tulad lang yan ng mga pagbabago na dumadaan sa kada tika ng oras at paglipat ng mga pahina sa kalendaryo. Ika nga ni Radioactive Sago Project frontman/commentarist na si Lourd de Veyra, e iba ang NU 107 ng 2010 sa NU 107 ng 1987. Granted na iyan. Pero kung panay pangungulimbat sa mga development ng NU 107 na lang ang ating isusumbat nun, ay ‘di ba mas okay na yan kesa sa kada umaga, siesta at gabi ay ang mga love song at iba pa na sadyang mabenta sa tenga, ang maririnig mo? Hindi natin yata na-appreciate iyun.

Basta, NU 107 is still NU 107 at hindi yan mapapalitan sa puso ng sinumang Pinoy na rakista. Keep rocking even if you’re no more at the mainstream airwaves, NU 107!

Special citation of sources:
Eulogy for NU 107: There is a light that never goes out, Lourd Ernest H. de Veyra.
This is a crazy planets, (spot.ph and Summit books)

Video of Nu107 Sign Off via Chiara Zambrano’s YouTube channel

(This article was posted at the Community blog site Definitely Filipino dated November 8, 2012.)

P.S. NU 107 (10/31/1987 - 11/07/2010), isa ka nang alamat sa contemporoary na kultura!

Author: slickmaster | © 2012 september twenty-eight productions

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