Crossover: The radio station as producer

Crossover 105.1 FM is a radio station. But unlike other radio stations, it is not content in being just that: Crossover 105.1 FM also takes pride in producing quality shows involving some of the biggest artists in the local music scene.

The station’s regular shows include The Crossover Live Tour and Crossover Presents, a monthly series in smaller venues like the Mandarin Oriental’s Captain’s Bar. According to Mareco Broadcasting Network Corporate Communications Manager Robert Crespo, the station takes the business of producing shows seriously – from conceptualizing the show to choosing the artist to mounting the production – a lot of thought goes into the process. And because of this, Crossover has built a solid reputation as a producer in just seven short years of the station’s existence.

"We have a tradition of music, so that’s something we take seriously," says Crespo. The tradition was started by the Villar family matriarch Rosario Roxas-Villar whose grandson Luis "Louie" Villar Jr. is now running the company and radio station. Other members of the family are also involved in various capacities, like Saripaz Villar-Tan, who’s in charge of marketing, and Rochelle Villar-Santiago, who’s helping out on the promotions side. Crossover 105.1 and its four provincial stations (in Cebu, Bacolod, Davao and Baguio) are owned and managed by the Villar family, pioneers of the Philippine music industry. The Villars also started Mabuhay and Villar records, two of the first and biggest recording companies in the country.

"The music is very important to the (Villar) family. Music is their life. Louie, our president, grew up in a music factory. So the shows we produce must go hand-in-hand with the music. The choice of artists and events is crucial, because we look at shows as one way of promoting the station and helping the audience understand exactly what ‘Crossover’ is all about."

Crossover 105.1 FM and its mother company Mareco Broadcasting Network are also unusual because they have (so far) only produced shows involving local artists. "We thought that instead of doing foreign shows, we had a more important mission, which was to position good local artists on a higher level," explains Crespo. "We wanted to elevate the industry and highlight their talent, because a lot of people think Crossover 105.1 doesn’t play local artists. As a matter of fact, we do. Believe it or not, we even play artists like Banig, who recorded an album released in the US. It’s just that sometimes, they’re so good they actually sound foreign when you play them!"

Among the artists who have starred in Crossover shows are Martin Nievera, Jaya, Lani Misalucha and Joey Generoso of Side A, who recently did a solo show at the Captain’s Bar of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Martin’s very successful XVII and XVIII: The Aftershock (which were instrumental in Martin’s winning the Aliw Awards’ Entertainer of the Year trophy two years in a row) were produced by Crossover. Jaya’s On Fire series last year was also a Crossover production. Last Sept. 8 Crossover presented Lani Misalucha in her first major solo concert at the Araneta Coliseum.

According to Crespo, the process of choosing an artist to do a Crossover show is not based on his or her popularity alone. There are other things they consider more important, like whether or not the artist’s image fits that of the station. "Because we’re a radio station, we choose artists who can best embody the kind of music we play. We look at their talent and the kind of music they lean toward. Is it the same kind of music that we play? Will it fit our image? That’s our basic criteria for choosing an artist for one of our productions."

The station’s biggest achievement, aside from producing quality shows, is helping popularize Crossover music. Before they came along, stations were playing that kind of music, but didn’t really have a name for it. When the Villars coined the term "crossover" to describe the smooth mix of contemporary jazz and rhythm and blues that they played, it suddenly became an industry standard.

Crossover music actually became the "in" thing to listen to among music aficionados. But what exactly is crossover music? "In the beginning, we would get calls and comments from people asking, ‘Crossover? Ano ‘yon?’" says Crespo. "It took us about a year and a half before we could say that people understood what we were about. Now, we don’t get those kinds of questions anymore. The people now accept Crossover as part of their life. That’s what we consider our biggest achievement. We’re very proud of that."