Released on: July 18, 2008, 2:33 am

Press Release Author: Susan Isorena-Arcega

Industry: Advertising

Press Release Summary: 69 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 and remain as the only surviving radio station in the country.

Press Release Body: 69 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 and 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 must have 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."

New as it was, KZRH management led by Bertrand Silen was not just armed with the
technical know-how in radio operations, but likewise had fundamental marketing
knowledge down pat. 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 shadow of war. The Japanese Imperial Army took over the
sophisticated equipment, which eventually got blown sky-high by the Americans. And
while Silen's staff - considered the best in the Far East - found themselves either
in Bataan, at the internment camps of Santo Tomas and Los Banos, within the guerilla
movement, or simply felled by enemy bullets, plans for the rebirth of KZRH upon
liberation were kept alive.

Upon being released, 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.

What followed in 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 strongly supported by major advertisers whose sales
messages got very close attention through each saga. 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.

Indeed, DZRH easily adopted the habit of setting trends and institutionalizing them.
Sportscasting dean Willie Hernandez, the network's comptroller in the mid-fifties,
lent his voice to sports coverages and in so doing, 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. Loyal fans kept glued to their radios when he hosted 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 is easily Dely Mapayo who has been - up to this day - 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 through her career's work.
From the PMC-backed Tugtugin Natin to Himig Panghapunan in vintage years, and
eventually the starkly simple Tiya Dely, which DZRH still airs today, the lady and
the station have remained synonymous for over 50 years. Radio quiz shows also
emanated from the DZRH studios. In Spell-to-Win, household appliances were at stake
for someone 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 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 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. And
decades hence, the station which survived the horrors of war is also surviving the
competition. 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 was the only station that aired nationwide a
detailed account of the ouster of President Ferdinand Marcos. Three years later,
DZRH reporters found themselves risking life and limb to keep the public abreast of
the attempted coup d'etat, and manifesting its spirit of compassion to wounded rebel
soldiers.

DZRH today boasts of veteran radioman Joe Taruc anchoring the DZRH team in defining
the public affairs program genre from the Pinoy perspective. Despite the seeming
erosion of the morning news by the telemagazines, Taruc remains confident that
nothing beats the immediacy of radio.

DZRH News Director Andy Vital, on the other hand, has taken new media by the horns
for the station's benefit. Internet radio and live chats are used to maximize the
station's accessibility to audiences both here and abroad. He has also encouraged
popular DZRH announcers like Ruth Abao and Rey Sibayan to maintain individual blogs.
And with his iconic colleague "Lakay" Deo Macalma seemingly attuned to the secret
lives of public figures and celebrities alike, vigilance in good governance through
reports from his bubwits is still in keeping with the station's mien for popular
entertainment. But perhaps it is in the field of public service where DZRH has truly
earned its merits. Through Operation Tulong - the station's socio-civic arm first
launched in 1978 -- corporate social responsibility and anonymous Samaritans work
hand in hand. Armed with their credo of Serbisyong Bayan, DZRH responds to the needs
of the ordinary man-on-the-street with the same compassion and determination it
devotes to massive disaster-relief operations, through networking support from
advertisers, NGO's, and government agencies.

On its 69th anniversary, DZRH will conduct a medical-dental mission in cooperation
with the Philippine Medical Association, Gat. Andres Bonifacio Medical Center, the
Department of Health, the Philippine Air Force, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes
Office, PAGCOR, and other generous donors. DZRH has also invited the Optometrists
Association of the Philippines to provide free eye examinations, with MBC donating
500 free eyeglasses. Teaming up with Islands Exhibit Link, the station will
likewise hold a two-day Job Fair, with more than 40 participating companies and
recruitment firms providing domestic and international work opportunities. DZRH
has also invited the Public Attorney's office, Batas Barangay, and their network of
lawyers to provide free legal assistance. And for those availing of these public
service offerings, DZRH is also serving free porridge (lugaw) as a gesture of unity
with the masses who have supported them all these years.

Over a decade ago, the station embarked on a "One Nation, One Station" initiative,
expanding its coverage to an unprecedented 97% of the Philippine archipelago. To
date, 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.
Through all these, DZRH and the top brass at Manila Broadcasting Company have
remained fully cognizant of their target listeners and have used this to master
their programming thrust. They have convinced advertisers to support their efforts
at activation and integration in reaching mass audiences. DZRH taps into the
consciousness of the Pinoy, takes inherent socio-cultural phenomena like fiestas,
raffles, and machismo sports. . . and actively makes them tick. At the same time,
through creative thinking by the staff and high-quality execution by their
announcers, DZRH has translated 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.

But 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 toward mankind brought
about by having made it through 69 years.
Congratulations, DZRH - kaunaunahan sa Pilipinas!

Web Site: http://dzrh.prepys.com/

Contact Details: DZRH
Manila, Philippines