The resurrection of Campus Radio (formerly under 97.1 WLS-FM)

chezzo-ominae · February 2008

sir john...

if the campus radio starts to run, please update us here at PEX ^^

im already spreading the word about the return of campus radio through friendster and other message boards, pero mukang matatagalan pa ako na ma inform ang mga dating listeners sa pagbabalik ng campus radio dahil sa ngayun ay enjoy na sila sa pakikinig sa mga ibang stations

christological · February 2008

I think that the new station should be a balance of talk and music. Having that said, I hope campus radio should try having on air tandems or trios. It would be something new for campus radio. Can we have a hint as to what frequency will this new station rise from?

radiojingles · February 2008

there is this teaser page about the return of campus radio. the site has this url. www.campusradio.co.nr. It's not on google yet.

forg · February 2008

^^ URL please?

color_s_Kaboink · February 2008

john hendrix? tagal na niya sa lsfm ah ... i remember i became a fan of the station back then when i learned na brother niya ay ka-classmate ko nung grade school hehe i really liked the format of lsfm lalo na yung top 20 at 12

radiojingles · February 2008

the site is called www.campusradio.co.nr it's a social site for campus radio fans

forg · February 2008

^^ thanks

soulcages · February 2008

@kaboink: hahaha yup tagal ko na sa ls. mukhang sobrang tagal

it appears the sword of Damocles that should've been swinging precariously over the heads of the culprits of the reformat ended up falling on ours. C'est la vie.

@chezzo: yes please tell everyone you know to tell everyone they know that everyone's one and only campus radio is coming back from its LOA (or leave of absence, for those not in-the-know) because you need to know.

@christological: great suggestion!

campus radio has always been a ratings oriented format. this means that we necessarily have to play more great music to get more listeners locked on. it might seem obvious at this point, but dj's love to talk. I mean we looove to talk. A lot.

However, not as many listeners stay locked on to a fifteen or thirty minute adlib as djs would like to think. that's all perfectly hunkydory if ratings are not the station's concern.

the balance between talk and music is not based simply on the amount of time we dedicate to either element, but the manner in which we implement the broadcast. one of the fundamental lessons we taught our first three campus aircheck student dj batches is this: keep it tight, lively and smart.
tight: exercise restraint and keep the adlibs succint and to the point, the sooner you play the next song, the better.
lively: enthusiasm is contagious so be certain you project that on air (it does not mean you should be barking at the top of your lungs all the time though)
smart: respect your audience enough to spare them from (too much

) inept and inane remarks. address them as an intelligent audience, with individual opinions, capable of drawing their own conclusions. That way, we remain acutely aware that our listeners are immune to any dj bs we may be foolishly tempted to bedazzle them with.

This dynamic ensured that campus radio listeners got more music and information, as well as insight from the format. Talk radio was far from absent though, Other People's Music aired once a week after 9 in the evening, a slot which did not compromise ratings performance.

Keep the suggestions coming guys! We're learning a lot from your feedback.

nikobatallones · February 2008

I would think it'd be nice if Campus Radio maintained a sense of tightness. Understandably, what makes radio (in general) distinct nowadays are the DJs on board, and what they have to say, since it's half of the equation, aside from the music... I just hope it isn't inane, as you said. Keep it thought-provoking (naks) and relevant.

Kaya ako bilib sa mga DJs ng Love Radio, to be specific... kahit hindi mo ramdam, thought-provoking pa rin.

karirista · February 2008

^ Let's just say this -- Campus Radio's tightness equated to old school FM broadcasting where the equation is 75-80% of pure music and 20-25% of talk where talk is informative (i.e. Infopop); which i s distinct from competition where it offers too much talk/adlibs. sad to say un nga ang mabenta ngaun sa mga listeners, be it in Tagalog (Love Radio, Barangay LS, I-FM, WRR) or English (the Quest stations + Mellow 947, RX 93.1).

And such tightness is still the preferred one for even most youths nowadays because it's supposed to be the essence of radio (too much talk is also driving people to choose iPods/mp3/4 players nowadays).

However,

nikobatallones · February 2008

The blog entry's got a point, actually. I'm watching this relaunch very closely, the same way I did for xFM...

I think, with regards to talk on radio, it's a matter of balance. Biggest challenge I see for programmers and presenters so far.

John, if I may suggest, I think the new station should have a shorter name... I did find it annoying, or even funny, when DJs have to say "the number one pop music station in Metro Manila, Campus Radio, 97.1 WLS-FM" somewhere in each of their liners. Ang haba kasi eh!

Maybe something snappier and more memorable would work... you think?

radiojingles · February 2008

nikobatallones wrote: »

The blog entry's got a point, actually. I'm watching this relaunch very closely, the same way I did for xFM...

I think, with regards to talk on radio, it's a matter of balance. Biggest challenge I see for programmers and presenters so far.

John, if I may suggest, I think the new station should have a shorter name... I did find it annoying, or even funny, when DJs have to say "the number one pop music station in Metro Manila, Campus Radio, 97.1 WLS-FM" somewhere in each of their liners. Ang haba kasi eh!

Maybe something snappier and more memorable would work... you think?

On the blog :

This is basically the problem John Hendrix and his team will face. Relaunching Campus Radio without having to step on copyright issues. But I am very optimistic about their relaunch. They can still have the old shows, less the "Campus" logo.

I agree with this "I did find it annoying, or even funny, when DJs have to say "the number one pop music station in Metro Manila, Campus Radio, 97.1 WLS-FM" somewhere in each of their liners. Ang haba kasi eh!".

THAT IS SO BARRIOTIC!

Branding lang ang katapat niyan, so that the new John Hendrix-Jimmy Jam station will stand out from the rest -- Magic, Monster, Hit FM.

For their positioning statement, maybe they can use a slogan like "The Pop Music Channel" or something else (suggestions?)

The other challenge is how to break from the cliche of Top 40 -- the "senseless adlibs". I think it's time that Metro Manila has got a pure HIT music station or POP music station. All the other CHR stations are just basically running on the same old CHR ideas.

If Campus Radio should go back as a Top 40 station, then it should stick to pure "top 40". I know some people will disagree but Top 40 and the "Pop" format are totally different. In fact there isn't even a format such as "pop", there's only Top 40 or Contemporary Hit Radio.

I know that branding of the station will not be a problem for the John Hendrix team as I know they have tons of ideas on the vault. The real challenge actually is how to position this new station in the top 40 market.

master_mei · February 2008

this is good news! great news!

nakakamiss yung mga live events ni kino-cover nyo like UP fair, concerts, rockestra, etc.

Sana ibalik din yung "Other People's music"->astig!!
kakamiss din ang kaangasan(compliment 'to) ni triggerman lolz
mga surprise guest na local bands

naalala ko UP fair yung kino-cover nila nung biglang nagfarewell speech yung mga DJ then the next day pagtune in sa LS, WT!!!!

soulcages · February 2008

@niko: haha yes i have to admit "the number one pop music station in metro manila" line was quite a mouthful to say, but it served a purpose: recall. Radio is repetition. If you hear the message more, it's easier to remember. In other words, the message becomes harder to forget. So the tagline, albeit lengthy, was as effective to most as it might have been annoying to some (and believe me, we had more than our fair share haha

).

oh, as for dj's being half the equation, allow me to say that, at least on campus radio, the personality of the djs was never as important as the music we played for you guys. Presenting your favorite songs in the best way we can will always be our priority. That's our job. Our work speaks for itself, and in my mind, that says more about our personality than any adlib ever could.

so i reckon you could peg us at about 24.875% of the equation.

@jingles: the copyright issues have been all worked out so no problems in that area. branding and postioning go hand in hand with the development of the on-air product. Content is key since this becomes the basis for programming, and therefore, everything that stems from it. And rest assured our listeners can look forward to what they've come to expect from campus radio, as well as many new ideas and fresh concepts, as opposed to running hackneyed CHR program cliches.

@karirista: whatever is "mabenta with the listeners" these days is something that we acknowledge and respect. The Great Music Jam, Campus Aircheck, Infopop and Other People's Music are some original campus ideas developed without prior demand from our listeners. Elements of these shows have been co-opted into the programming of other stations. We've found that more worthwhile than following trends is setting standards in innovation from which the listeners and the industry can benefit.

Based on experience though, that is almost always easier said than done.

chezzo-ominae · February 2008

so lahat ng names ng show ay papalitan din, pati na rin ang names ng DJs na nagtrabaho sa DWLS ?

pansin ko nga rin, ang daming nanggaya or kung hinde naman ay humugot ng ideas sa mga originals ng campus radio, esp. the aircheck & Other people's music...

as of now, marami-rami na rin kahit papano ang mga nsasabihan ko sa pagbabalik ng campus radio,kaso ayaw ako lubayan ng mga tanong kung kelan ang return of campus radio :(

karirista · February 2008

soulcages wrote: »

smart: respect your audience enough to spare them from (too much ) inept and inane remarks. address them as an intelligent audience, with individual opinions, capable of drawing their own conclusions. That way, we remain acutely aware that our listeners are immune to any dj bs we may be foolishly tempted to bedazzle them with.

So this statement is a swipe to the inter-station intramural/stunt involving Mo Twister and Quiche Lorraine (with Mo telling her on-air that she is a "horrible" DJ and insulted her in return) given such as it smacks of unprofessionalism and it's making the listeners as if they're fools as well...

soulcages · February 2008

@chezzo: no worries, our names and show titles will remain the same. the brand loyalty listeners have for these titles is very high and audience allegiance with the programming will be one of the strengths of the returning format.

With regard to your friends' curiousity, please encourage them to be patient, and drop them one of my favorite lines borrowed from Dr. Hannibal Lecter: "All good things to those who wait".

@karirista: no swipe there.

we're not given to that sort of provocation. Can't comment on the intramural incident you mentioned simply because i wasn't aware of it. I'm confident though, that the listeners (as i've said) are capable of drawing their own conclusions concerning any insult, real or imagined, directed at them. The audience is entitled to its own opinions and the lure of controversy holds an appeal for many of its willing participants.

samanthababe · February 2008

I'm just absolutely incredibly happy that my favorite morning dj will be back on air in no time... hehehe...you're the best!!!

karirista · February 2008

^ Thanks for the encouragement John. Of course excitement has started to build with your impending return to the airwaves, but there are just lots of people who are curious i.e. which frequency you all will be returning to and which company you guys will be under...but then again, what with the Devil's Advocates around us...