Defining the Crossover Sound

It’s a sound that has become a staple in many a household and office. Day in and day out,it has become the perfect foil to the deafening silence that makes the eight-hour workday seem such a drudgery. Ditto for those seemingly eternal nights of elusive slumber.

Jazzy but not too mainstream, soulful but not overly funky – it’s the most likely antidode for those weary ears numbed by the mindless chatter and dissonant melodies that permeate the airwaves. A class on its own, it’s a sound that has become a benchmark in Manila’s FM radio scene.

It’s the Crossover sound.

Barely 10 years in the business, 105.1 DWBM-FM has already carved its niche in the market, garnering an enviable share of rabid listners and subsequently winning over an even juicier chunk of advertising deals.

From out of the boombox to the glitziest party haunts, Crossover, as it prefers to be called, has been making its presence felt via its foray int he live entertainment circuit. It created quite a stir with its "Crossover Live" nationwide concert tours featuring Martin Nievera and Jaya.

But that’s getting ahead of the story.

To fully appreciate Crossover’s fruits, it is essential to dig up its roots. After all, behind the success of the station is the story of one man’s vision, and the even more inspiring saga of the family who helped turn the man’s vision to reality.

Saripaz Villar-Tan, Crossover’s Senior VP for Marketing, helped shed light on the station’s humble beginnings.Over lunch, the pert and bubbly radio executive who conceptualized the successful Crossover Live concert tours shared her insights on the station’s colorful history.
Owned and managed by the Villar family, DWBM-FM has its roots in the old DZBM-AM station of the ’70s which eventually picked up the "World Class Music" tag in 1990. Not content with the image projected by the rather stiff-sounding slogan, Louie Villar, current president and COO, opted for a monicker that best described the fusion of sounds that they liked best.

"Louie, my brother, likes jazz, R&B, but not mainstream. Actually, what we play is definitely Louie, ‘coz he chooses the songs," explains Sari her fork crossing over platefuls of seafood risotto.

"Crossover was the most literal translation we came up with to describe the combination of jazz, Latin, R&B and pop. It really crosses over to several musical genres."

Having grown up in a family that managed Villar Records, Sari gleefully remembers her first taste of gainful employment. "As early as seven or eight years old, I was already folding and assemblign boxes for the eight-track cartridges that were in vogue then. Imagine, I was earning two pesos a week for that!!," she muses.

"I guess growing up in a close knit family like ours gave us the gut feel to run it right," Sari ponders. "Managing a radio stations is very hard, even if you’ve had formal training." Thanks to her dad’s influence, Luis Villar, Sr., Sari, together with Louie and her five sisters, steered Crossover to the right path.

What are some of the station’s unique selling points? For one, there’s less talk. That doesn’t mean that the station is fully-automated though. With five to six DJs manning the five shifts throughout the day, Crossover still makes it a point to leave itself open for requests – radio’s most appealing human element angle.

For a station that doesn’t mouth much, their caller rate is quite high. "Most of our callers come from people going to their offices in the morning," recounts Sari. "And then there are the mushy girls pleading for requests for their boyfriends. But recently, our caller tally peaked during our contests, where people can just fax in their entries."

Another plus is its power, which translates to clear and strong signals, even in the remotests areas. With one transmitter for each of its five stations nationwide, Crossover emits one of the strongest signals over the FM band – strong enough that even before it set up its Baguio station, their Manila signals could be picked up in certain locales in the northern regions.

With its Manila transmitter sporting an antenna mast of over 100 feet, sitting 870 feet above sea level atop the mountains of Angono, their crisp and booming signal is definitely hard to miss.

Moreover, when Crossover talks, people listen. After all, what could be more credible than news feeds coming directly from CNN?

The other distinct voice that gives Crossover its signature sound is Ronnie de Asis. His pleasing, easily-recognized baritone lends credence to most of the station’s voice overs and radio plugs.

The distinct emblem, plastered all over its posters and CDs (oh yes, they’ve also churned out quite a sizeable catalog of thematic jazz collections) was designed by former-Tux member Bob Serrano. Roughly based on a silhouette of jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal, the image also lends a touch of class to the station’s aptly-configured program format.

With that image firmly etched in the listeners’ minds, Crossover strives to broaden its reach by venturing into concert promotion and event management. Having recently wrapped up the very successful Jaya Crossover Tour, Sari and company are gearing up for Martin Nievera’s January 2001 Crossover Live Tour; XV3, a four-Saturday concert series spanning Manila, Davao, Cebu and Bacolod City.

As if that weren’t enough to keep them busy, they still have enough energy to organize the Crossover Live and Recall Nights pocket concerts and bar tours in Malate, Ortigas and Makati, featuring top band such as Toy Symphony, Freestyle, Channels, Escape and Pido with Take One.

Crossover also added new segments to spruce up its format. Siesta Minutes, features 15 minutes of Latin and bossa nova music daily at 2 p.m. Classic Motown hits are featured in Soul in Motion, on Wednesdays from 8 to 9 p.m. while Brother Wayne dishes out Latin, Samba and tropical music every Friday from 8 to 10 p.m.

And guess who’s grooving to their funky station ID? Mon David, Jayaand Gary Valenciano will be showing off their scatting skills as they sing their own versios of the new station ID which will be aired during the half hour mark.