Radio Stories
When Radio Was Our Playlist
Before Spotify, YouTube, smartphones, and even MP3s, there was the radio.
For those of us who grew up in the Philippines during the late 1980s, turning on the radio was
more than just a way of listening to music. It was part of everyday life. The songs we heard
became connected to our teenage years, our friends, our crushes, school days, weekend
afternoons, and those quiet nights when the radio kept us company.
I grew up listening to Magic 89.9 and Mellow Touch 94.7.
Even today, hearing certain songs from that period can immediately take me back to those years.
Magic 89.9 and the Sound of Being Young
Magic 89.9 began regular broadcasting on February 14, 1986. By the end of the
decade, it was broadcasting around the clock. The station also became home to
Love Notes, hosted by Joe D'Mango, which started in 1988.
For a teenager growing up at the time, stations like Magic were an important connection to
popular music.
There was something exciting about waiting for a favorite song to come on the radio. You
couldn't simply search for it and press play. Sometimes you waited for hours.
And if you had a blank cassette ready, you could press REC and PLAY at exactly
the right moment and make your own mixtape.
Of course, there was always the possibility that the DJ would start talking before the song
completely ended. That was simply part of radio life.
Mellow Touch 94.7: A Different Kind of Radio
Then there was Mellow Touch 94.7. The station had actually been around much
longer. It began broadcasting in 1973 and became known for an easy-listening approach and a
"more music, less talk" philosophy.
And that was precisely its charm.
Mellow Touch had a completely different feeling. If Magic represented the energetic side of
being young, Mellow Touch was perfect for the quieter moments: relaxing at home, thinking about
someone you liked, studying, or simply lying in bed listening to music late at night.
Its presentation was understated. Music was allowed to be the star.
For me, these weren't simply radio frequencies.
They were part of the soundtrack of my teenage years.
There Were So Many Stations to Choose From
The FM dial around Manila was already remarkably varied. A historical listing for 1980 includes
stations on frequencies such as 90.7, 91.5, 92.3, 93.1, 93.9, 94.7, 96.3, 97.1,
98.7, 99.5, 100.3, 101.1, 101.9, 102.7, 104.3 and 105.1 FM.
MRS 92.3, for example, was another name associated with Philippine FM radio
during the period. Historical information about DWFM records the station using its MRS
identity during the 1980s.
There was also DWRT 99.5, DWLS 97.1, DZRJ 100.3, DZFE 98.7, DWXB 102.7, and
many others on the dial. Each frequency could have its own personality, and finding something
to listen to meant physically turning the dial until something caught your attention.
AM Radio Was Another World
AM was just as much a part of Philippine radio culture, although it served a somewhat
different purpose.
Stations and call signs associated with the AM dial included DZRH, DZBB, DZXL, DZAS,
DZRJ, and Radio Veritas/DZRV, among others. Historical radio listings also show
year-by-year records for Metro Manila AM stations throughout the 1980s.
While FM became closely associated with music for many young listeners, AM was where many
Filipino households turned for news, conversation, public affairs, religion, entertainment
and other programming.
FM for the music, AM for the wider world.
The Magic Was in Not Knowing What Came Next
Looking back, I think one of the things that made radio special was the lack of control.
Today I can pick up my phone and listen to almost any song I want within seconds. Back then,
the radio station chose the music. And strangely enough, that made listening exciting.
You waited. You wondered what the next song would be.
Then, suddenly, the opening notes of your favorite song came through the speakers.
"That's my song!"
And you turned the volume up.
There was no algorithm trying to predict what you wanted to hear. There was a DJ, a playlist,
a transmitter somewhere in Metro Manila, and thousands of people listening to the same song
at approximately the same time.
When a Song Could Bring Back an Entire Time in Your Life
That's probably why hearing music from the late '80s affects me differently today.
It isn't only the music.
A song can bring back the room where I used to listen to the radio. It can bring back friends
I haven't seen in years. It can remind me of being a teenager and of a time when life
seemed simpler.
Magic 89.9 and Mellow Touch weren't merely stations I listened to. They became part of
my memories.
The technology has changed enormously since then. We went from radio and cassette tapes to
CDs, MP3s, streaming and smartphones.
But there is still something special about remembering a time when all you needed was a radio,
a good signal and the hope that your favorite song would be played next.
And for those of us who grew up with Philippine radio in the late '80s, those familiar
frequencies can still take us home.
Radio Stories
Voices of the Airwaves: Philippine Radio DJs We Remember from the 1980s
There was a time when the voice of a radio DJ could become as familiar as the voice of a friend.
If you grew up in the Philippines during the 1980s, you probably remember what it was like. No
Spotify. No YouTube. No streaming apps. If you wanted music, you turned on the radio, moved the
dial around, and looked for your favorite station.
I was a teenager during those years, and radio was a big part of my life.
I particularly remember listening to Magic 89.9 and Mellow Touch 94.7. The music takes me back,
but so do the voices behind the microphone.
Some DJ names have stayed with me. Others I had completely forgotten until I started looking
back at the history of Philippine radio.
And one name I definitely remember is Joe D'Mango.
Joe D'Mango and Love Notes
For many listeners, Joe D'Mango became much more than the guy introducing records on the radio.
He became the voice behind Love Notes on Magic 89.9.
Magic 89.9 began regular operations on February 14, 1986. Love Notes started
there in 1988 as a short counseling program hosted by Joe D'Mango. What began as a radio
gimmick became a hit with listeners.
Looking back, it is easy to understand why.
Radio was much more personal then. You listened to DJs talking about life, relationships and
music, and sometimes it felt as though they were talking directly to you.
For teenagers growing up and discovering love, heartbreak and relationships, a program like
Love Notes fit perfectly into that time.
And Joe D'Mango's name became difficult to forget.
The Original Voices of Magic 89.9
Magic 89.9 itself was still quite young in the late 1980s.
When the station began regular broadcasting in 1986, it had a ten-person on-air crew led by
Bernie Buenaseda, better known to listeners as Burning Bernie.
By 1988 and 1989, Magic had begun broadcasting 24 hours a day. This was also an era when radio
depended much more on the creativity of the people behind the microphone and mixing console.
There were no digital playlists doing everything automatically.
The personality of the station came from the DJs, the music they played, the station IDs, the
jokes, the gimmicks and the way everything was put together.
That human element was a big part of the fun.
99.5 RT and the Radio Personalities of the Era
Another major name on the FM dial was 99.5 RT.
The station had actually been around since September 1976 and is credited in its station history
as the Philippines' first Top 40 station. During the 1980s, it was known by its memorable
slogan, "The Rhythm of the City."
Several names are associated with 99.5 RT's earlier years and the wider Manila FM scene,
including DJs using wonderfully colorful radio names.
Historical accounts mention people such as Jeremiah Junior, Al W. Leader, Joey Pizza,
Johnny Cesar, The Mighty Thor, Paul Reno, Joshua and others among the station's
notable personalities.
Just reading those names brings back something that has largely disappeared from radio.
Radio names had personality.
You didn't necessarily know what the DJ looked like. Sometimes you didn't even know his
or her real name.
You knew the voice. And that was enough.
The Battle Between the Stations
Listeners had plenty of choices, and stations had to find ways of standing out.
99.5 RT had been established before the decade began. Then other stations and formats competed
for listeners.
Kiss FM 101.1, for example, launched in 1985 and competed with RT. According to the history of
99.5 RT, Kiss FM eventually overtook RT in the ratings, leading RT to experiment with its format
before later returning to its previous approach.
Then Magic 89.9 arrived in 1986.
For us listeners, of course, we weren't thinking about radio formats and competition.
We simply turned the dial.
If one station wasn't playing something we liked, we moved to the next.
And when we found a good song, we stopped.
Waiting for Your Favorite Song
Young people today will probably find this funny.
If you wanted to hear a particular song in the 1980s, sometimes you simply had to wait.
Imagine that.
You couldn't type the name into your phone and hear it instantly.
Maybe the DJ would play it in five minutes.
Maybe in an hour.
Maybe not at all.
And many of us had a cassette recorder nearby.
You put a blank cassette inside, waited for a favorite song and tried to hit
RECORD at exactly the right moment.
If you were lucky, you got nearly the entire song.
If you weren't...
...the DJ started talking before the song finished.
Anyone who recorded music from FM radio knows exactly what I'm talking about.
But somehow those imperfections made the experience more memorable.
Mellow Touch Was Different
One of the stations I personally remember most is Mellow Touch 94.7.
But there's an interesting reason why I remember its music more strongly than individual DJs.
Mellow Touch wasn't originally built around the conventional DJ format.
The station had been broadcasting since 1973 and developed a
"more music, less talk" approach. Rather than featuring the kind of
constant DJ chatter heard on some other stations, its early programming relied on music
spinners, a newscaster and prerecorded voiceovers.
Butch Gonzales, a former DWBL disc jockey, supplied prerecorded voiceovers that became part of
the station's distinctive sound. Regular on-air jocks weren't introduced at Mellow
Touch until 1996.
That explains a lot for me.
When I think about Mellow Touch 94.7, I don't immediately think of a DJ.
I remember the feeling.
The smooth music. The relaxed atmosphere. The sound coming from the radio while you were doing something else.
For me, Magic 89.9 and Mellow Touch represented different sides of listening to radio.
Magic had personalities and energy.
Mellow Touch simply let you enjoy the music.
When the DJ Was Part of the Music
One thing that is difficult to recreate today is the relationship listeners had with DJs.
A great DJ wasn't simply someone who announced:
"That was..."
and
"Coming up next..."
The DJ became part of the station's identity.
You recognized the voice immediately.
You knew who was on the air without needing to look at a screen.
And because we didn't have social media, many of these people existed almost entirely inside
our imagination.
You might listen to someone for years without really knowing much about the person behind the microphone.
The voice was the personality.
Turning the Dial Was Part of the Experience
Radio listening was also physically different.
I can still picture turning the dial and hearing the static between stations.
You moved it slowly. A voice appeared. Then disappeared. A song started coming through.
A little more adjustment... And suddenly the signal was clear.
You had found your station.
There was something satisfying about that experience that pressing an icon on a touchscreen doesn't quite reproduce.
The FM dial felt like a little world waiting to be explored.
The DJs Were Our Connection to Music
Looking back at Philippine radio in the 1980s, it's tempting to focus entirely on the songs.
And of course the music mattered.
But behind that music were people.
People like Joe D'Mango and Burning Bernie, along with the many other personalities whose
voices traveled from radio studios into homes, bedrooms, cars, shops and offices around Metro Manila.
Some made us laugh. Some talked about relationships. Some introduced us to music we'd never heard before.
And some simply kept us company.
More Than Thirty Years Later
Today we have almost unlimited choice.
If I suddenly remember an old song, I can find it online almost immediately.
That's wonderful.
But sometimes having everything instantly available removes one little thing we once had:
anticipation.
There was excitement in not knowing what song the DJ would play next.
There was excitement in catching your favorite song from the beginning.
There was even excitement in hearing a dedication or request being read on the radio.
For those of us who grew up during that period, the radio wasn't just background noise. It
became part of the soundtrack of growing up.
Do You Remember These Voices?
I'm sure I've forgotten many names.
That's actually one reason I wanted to write this article.
Joe D'Mango is one of the radio personalities I still remember clearly from those days.
But once I started looking back, names like Burning Bernie, Jeremiah Junior, Johnny Cesar,
The Mighty Thor and others began appearing again in the history of Manila radio.
And I'm certain many Filipinos of my generation remember DJs I've forgotten completely.
So perhaps this article shouldn't really end here.
Maybe this is where your memories begin.
Who was the DJ you always listened to?
What was your favorite station?
Was it Magic 89.9? Mellow Touch 94.7? 99.5 RT? Kiss FM? Or another station entirely?
And here's the big question:
Do you still remember the radio voice that kept you company when you were young?
If you do, I'd love to hear the name.
Because stations change. Frequencies change. DJs move on.
But sometimes, after all these years, we still remember the voice.
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