Friday, July 04, 2008 Canoy brothers' legacy By Manuel Valdehuesa Street Talk
THE demise of RMN co-founder and media pioneer Henry R. Canoy stokes memories of earlier days when broadcast was associated more with public service and refined perspectives than with sensationalism and crass commercialism.
Broadcasting in those days carried more authority. It adhered more closely to civilized norms and was fastidious about grammar, syntax and pronunciation. One could even refine his language skills by listening closely to the measured words and cadences of the broadcasters. And the announcer didn't need to bang his table, spout invectives, denounce anyone, or provoke anger in order to attract listeners. He built his reputation upon the precision with which he handled information and his elegance in expressing it.
To make it in media in those days, one had to have high standards. Until cutthroat competition set in and everything got commercialized, one could even hear classical music, college-produced radio plays, or debates as normal fare for public service programs.
Cagayan de Oro produced two of the country's best-known media standard-setters: the brothers Henry and Reuben Canoy. People saw them as two sides of the same coin -- a natural combination like ham-and-egg, horse-and-carriage, or salt-and pepper. Henry was the helmsman, Reuben his consort battleship. Together they blazed broadcast trails and so galvanized the media industry that Manila could no longer claim a monopoly on it. Through Radio Mindanao Network, they expanded media programming and technique, ultimately invading the national capital region to take their place among equals.
In the process, they showed the fledgling industry a trick or two in programming and technology (literally developed at home or in their backyard in Cagayan de Oro). It was the regime they established for RMN that made it possible for locals like Nestor Torre, Harry Alesna (alias Harry Gasser), or Emilio Corrales to make it big in the capital.
The Canoy brothers were pillars of our community: Henry the visionary, the compleat manager, Reuben the cultured baritone whose regular commentary ("Perspective") played across the nation for decades and set the tone for incisive analysis. Respected for talent and professionalism, Henry and Reuben were icons for responsible citizenship and cause-oriented involvement.
Henry chaired the Citizens' Committee, which Mayor J.R. Borja created to help City Hall undertake initiatives it could not afford -- like developing Gaston Park and its majestic fountains through imaginative fundraising. Although Henry could also hold his own over a microphone, it was Reuben who became the regular voice and persona of the RMN network. He was complemented no little by sultry-voiced Solona, his wife, who gamely did gigs as anchor, drama talent or newscaster on occasion. And he enriched the city with his vision and record as its trail-blazing mayor in the early 70s.
That formidable brotherly team has yielded to a successor generation dominated by Henry's brood, the network's owners today. It remains to be seen, however, whether as today's RMN helmsmen, they can match the creativity, vision or impact of their predecessors. For one, they seem invisible and uninvolved in the community except as aggressive businessmen.
Check this out with Dick Palacio if you wish, or Dodong Wadhu!
A former UN executive and book publisher, Manny writes Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Email: valdeman_esq@yahoo.com
