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Saturday, July 09, 2005
Radio Gaga
By Cattski Espina
Til the Cat lady sings
I stopped listening to the radio about a year ago. I programmed about six FM stations into my stereo so I didn’t have to manually dial their frequencies. But now, I’d rather just listen to CDs. It’s a lot better. No DJs talking, no greetings, no commercials and I don’t have to put up with their programming. I can program my own play list.
Not listening to radio left me totally clueless of what was going on in the scene.
Radio stations used to help me out in the promotion of my band’s music; I can only hope that they’re doing exactly the same to the rest of the artists actively submitting new material, in hopes that, with divine intervention, DJs will play them.
It seems to me that the role radio plays in the development of local music is a gray area. Radio have cast a blind eye on this responsibility. Although, it cannot be denied, they do have a few efforts. I know of a radio station playing local music on a per hour basis. I know of a few DJs who infuse local songs into their highly international playlist even if they are, at the same time, breaking rules. I know of a radio station that’s programming a music show dedicated to local music on a Sunday, only that it’s on a timeslot when everybody’s sleeping (sometimes, I wonder if they do that on purpose). I’m not saying it’s bad but why are there these rules? Why are there these limitations? Why is there isolation via a program scheduled at almost midnight? Why do they treat Britney like she’s their neighbor?
Maybe it never occured to them, that it can only make sense how radio should be the backbone and the support system of the music scene. That it’s just right that they make a tangible contribution to Cebu Music and its development. More importantly, radio should realize that thay are the most convincing of messengers in the attempt to change the passive behavior of Cebuanos towards local music.
On the other end, radio stations have an argument. Of course, they have standards, and they have to make sure that a certain band’s song is in line with their image as a station and pleasing to their listeners who belong to a certain market bracket.
To make matters worse, radio program directors are not confident with the quality of audio outputs local musicians produce. I guess I can say that there is a thin line between high standards and the absolute belief that local music sucks because foreign music is always better.
If I remember right, during the time of Johnny Kawa, the quality of recording and even the arrangement of songs weren’t that good compared to what is in the current music scene. But those songs still earned an acceptable amount of airplay that eventually led to local music’s phenomenal success during the late 80s and the early 90s.
Now, radio seems to wait for a Cebu band to make it in the national music scene before they play their songs, making Manila a sort of testing ground and a basis if a local artist is worthy of the Cebuano listener’s ear.
Maybe radio’s apprehensions towards local music can be equated to fear. After all, it’s a business. Radio stations don’t want their ratings to dip and lose advertisers, and that’s totally understandable. It’s probably the reason why radio is playing “the spectator”, just watching and waiting to see where Cebu Music is going, and if, indeed it’s going somewhere.
This is yet another challenge for local musicians. But let’s not worry, it could only get better. Trust me. I feel that radio is now slowly waking up. And soon, Cebu will wake up to radio that will play local music side-by-side with foreign acts, the way it should be.
For now, let’s just say radio is the cowardly actor who didn’t show up during opening night. Onstage jitters, perhaps. Still, the show must go on.
(July 9, 2005 issue)
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