Radio station Wave 89.1 ends broadcast for good

LAST Monday, the beloved radio station Wave 89.1 announced that they would no longer be broadcasting. The station, best known for playing R&B and hip-hop music, first started in 1975 as “KB 89.1.”

“So many memories,”  they wrote in their farewell post.

“Good times and bad. Laughter and tears. WE CHANGED THE GAME. No one can say otherwise.”

They have since deleted the post on Facebook, and have instead uploaded a photo of a map, stating that there would be updates coming soon and urging followers to comment any memories or stories they had about the station. 

Many listeners and DJs like Joe D’Mango were quick to show their support in the comments, telling them that they helped to solidify many peoples’ love for hip-hop and R&B during their time on air. 

Artists Thyro Alfaro, Fatima Palma-Loo, and Yumi Lacsamana also talked about how grateful they were for the support that the station showed in their careers by allowing them to come on to perform.

DannieBoi Farmer, the DJ and program director of the station, explained that a new group would be coming over to the frequency and that changes would be coming soon. 

Some believe that Adventist Media will be taking over, and will be using the frequency to say goodbye to rap music and hello to religious content.

Is radio dead?

Today, when people want to listen to music, they immediately go to online streaming platforms like Spotify or Apple Music. Aside from the convenience of these platforms, something they have that radio doesn’t is the ability to play whatever music you want at any given time.

This is one of the reasons why many believe that radio in itself may be coming close to obsoletion. That however isn’t the case, especially in the Philippines. 

At present, many continue to tune into the radio for music, news, and entertainment, with a survey from Pulse Asia showing that it was one of the top ways Filipinos got their news in 2021. 

Just like any medium, radio is still alive and kicking. The landscape, though, is changing, as with any industry that has to deal with how fast technology develops nowadays.

While there has been a decline in listenership, radio still has an extremely substantial following, serving as a very powerful medium that helps to celebrate humanity, as per UNESCO.