Seven decades on the air

MANILA, Philippines – Seventy years ago, at exactly 6 in the morning, announcer Hal Bowie took his seat before a microphone in a little studio at the top of the Heacock Building in Escolta, and bid his unseen audience good morning. Thus was born the fourth commercial radio station to operate in Manila. In just a few years, with the entire Philippine archipelago caught in the maelstrom of the Second World War, the fledgling station – which took the call sign KZRH – would buck the challenge of history to remain as the only surviving radio station in the country.

Its auspicious beginnings as the mouthpiece of one of the largest department stores in the Pacific laid the groundwork for the station’s commercial viability all these years – a major factor in the survival of the so-called “stepchild of media arts.”

Members of the KZRH management team led by Bertrand Silen were not just armed with the technical know-how in radio operations, but had fundamental marketing knowledge. They knew what radio listeners liked and disliked.

Musical variety shows, comedy skits, and short newscasts were the order of the day. Jazz and ballads became standard fare. Together with American wit, the English language spread. KZRH found itself as an advertising medium, with sponsors like Purico underwriting specific shows which carried their names. Apart from 15-minute blocktime sold to advertisers, commercial spots mixing announcements with music were also produced. KZRH found itself amidst lucrative times.

Then came the grim shadows of war. The Japanese Imperial Army took over the sophisticated equipment, which eventually got blown up by the Americans. And while the staff found themselves in Bataan, at the internment camps of Santo Tomas and Los Baños, within the guerilla movement, or simply felled by enemy bullets, plans for the rebirth of KZRH upon liberation were kept alive. 

Upon his release, Silen sought help from the National Broadcasting Company in New York to secure new transmitters, and with the Elizalde family financing the new operations at the Insular Life Building on Plaza Cervantes, KZRH was back on the air under the auspices of Manila Broadcasting Company on July 1, 1946 – just in time to cover the inauguration of the new Republic.

Soon after, the International Telecommunications Union adjusted the call letters of Philippine radio, and all allusions to the western United States through the letter K were removed. Until today, all radio stations in the Philippines begin with the letter D.

The next three decades is now collectively known as the golden years of Philippine radio. Programming flourished and a new breed of radio personalities became cultural icons. As the recording industry grew, the live orchestras of yore soon gave way to music on vinyl. Cover versions and disc jockeys came into being. Radio dramas hit an unprecedented boom, eventually translating to the celluloid screen.

Lina Flor’s immortal Gulong ng Palad, which debuted in 1949, led a slew of soap operas that filled the airlanes in the mornings and afternoons. Because they had the housewives and sometimes the rest of the domestic ménage as captive audiences, these dramatic serials were supported by major advertisers. Radio dramas picked up on domestic relations, but also featured action, adventure, horror, and even murder-mysteries. Appealing to the imagination as well as to real-life need, DZRH secretaries fondly remember some callers even insisting on speaking to Ginang Hukom herself.

DZRH easily adopted the habit of setting and institutionalizing trends. Sportscasting dean Willie Hernandez lent his voice to sports coverage and made legendary Filipino basketeers like Carlos Loyzaga, Francisco Rabat and Luis Lorenzo household names.

The feisty commentator Rafael Yabut also had his sterling years with DZRH. Starting out as the station electrician, he rose through the ranks to become the station’s PR man, and was eventually made to host the game show Ruleta Musikal. On the top-rating Tayo’y Mag-aliw, Yabut dwelt on government and politics, family values, trivia and entertainment.

But it was easily Dely Magpayo who was – up to her death last September – the most widely known personality behind the microphone at DZRH. Her easy chatter, contagious laughter, and sparkling wit won her sponsors and hosts of listeners. From the PMC-backed Tugtugin Natin to Himig Panghapunan and eventually the starkly simple Mga Kasaysayan sa Liham kay Tiya Dely – which DZRH still airs today – the lady and the station were inseparable partners for over 50 years.

Radio quiz shows also emanated from the DZRH studios. In Spell-to-Win, household appliances were at stake for the one who could spell words like “bouillabaise.” On Best of the Band, popular crooner Bimbo Danao tried to stump the audience with his original game format a la “name that tune.” And on Palmolive’s Knowledge Unlimited, even listeners contributed questions such as “What war took place in 1812?”

The Vicks Variety show opened doors for a new program format that addressed Tagalog-speaking audiences with a pop-concert presentation of Philippine music. Singer Jimmie Navarro, who won the DZRH radio popularity poll, replaced Mystery Singer Cecil Lloyd and teamed up with Priscilla in performing a new romantic duet every week. While listeners wrote to request old favorites, new compositions were also introduced to the public. 

Letter-sending has, indeed, contributed greatly to the way DZRH developed over the years. Ira Davis, who produced the long-running programs of the Philippine Manufacturing Company, patiently read through thousands of letters that came in every week. The notes were routed to management and gave them firsthand information on what sort of radio entertainment – even commercial copy – that listeners preferred. And the advertisers took note of those market preferences. 

In later years, DZRH received more immediate feedback – through the telephone, through pocket pagers, through mobile technology, and today, through cyberspace. But the formula remains the same: innovate, improve, listen, keep the pulse.

DZRH, as the flagship station of Manila Broadcasting Company, is proud to be the purveyor of news as it should be delivered, adhering to the highest standards of broadcasting excellence in the country. It continues to be a witness to Philippine history as it unfolds, and yet remains faithful to the mandate of fair and responsible journalism. In 1986, it aired nationwide a detailed account of the ouster of President Ferdinand Marcos. Orly Mercado, Jarius Bondoc, Alvin Capino and the late Louie Beltran were among the most vociferous commentators who endeared DZRH to listeners during the years Philippine media was trying to find its voice anew after being suppressed by martial law.

Through the years, DZRH reporters have found themselves risking life and limb to keep the public abreast of issues surrounding both the government and the private sector. Former DZRH news director Rey Langit played a key role in mediating with rebel soldiers on the air during the series of coup attempts against the Aquino administration.

Over a decade ago, upon the initiative of MBC chairman Fred Elizalde, the station embarked on a “One Nation, One Station” initiative, expanding its coverage to an unprecedented 97 percent of the Philippine archipelago. Up to now, DZRH is the only station in the country that is on the air nationwide 24/7 on stereo-quality, simulcast via satellite to relay stations in key provincial cities. 

Manila Broadcasting Company has tapped into the consciousness of the Pinoy to remain fully cognizant of DZRH listeners. Working closely with advertisers, the station continues to translate traditional broadcasting techniques like talk-radio and soap operas into productive and impacting forms of integration or product placement that have become increasingly more efficient in moving brands across a complex media landscape. 

Indeed, it is the way DZRH announcers today relate to their listeners that truly spells the difference. It is a legacy handed down through generations of broadcasters who knew their audiences. It is foresight brought about by the changing of the times. It is a style acquired through personal interaction with the man-on-the-street. And it is a mantle of leadership, new experiences, and empathy with the common man brought about by having made it through 70 years.