Viper FM:An Alternative Music Station

May 31,2010
Viper FM: An Alternative Music Station
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-A new franchised FM station has formally opened in barangay Ichon, Macrohon of this province sometime in March 2010 that will cater to some radio listeners’ entertainment needs of various songs and music. Brgy. Ichon is 6 kilometers away from Maasin’s city proper.
Before it was formally launched, it underwent a series of test broadcasts for several months last year 2009. Later on, an official of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) visited the place and inspected its facilities inside the Saludo Ice Plant compound. It passed the necessary requirements to operate on air.
It has a 135 feet tall steel transmitter erected atop a hill, a walking distance from the station. “Height is might”, owner/Manager Chito Saludo said.”It means that the transmitter has a great advantage of reaching farther places than if a transmitter was erected on the low ground.A transmitter of similar height constructed on a high hill with a 1,000 watts power can be compared to more or less 3,000 watts transmitter’s power by nearest estimate.”
The alternative music station dubbed as Viper FM on 106.1 MHz has a capacity of releasing a maximum of 5,000 watts power, revealed Saludo during our casual conversation. However, it needs to be replaced some of its paraphernalia and wires with modern state-of-the-art equipments to sustain such higher watts operation.
The owner further disclosed that at a time they released power of 1,900 watts, it reached the municipality of Hinunangan (about 6 hours travel by passenger bus from Maasin), the second to the last town under the jurisdiction of Southern Leyte. The last town is Silago, which is 18 kilometers away from Hinunangan.He said he received this information when he visited the place during the campaign sorties of his father, former Congressman Anecito G. Saludo, Sr., who ran again for the same position. Nevertheless, he loss to re-electionist Congressman Roger G. Mercado during the recently concluded first automation polls of May 10, 2010 national and local elections.
When asked for more details about his newly-opened FM station, Chito said he cannot yet tell me about other details since they were not yet in a regular programming.”Changes shall be made in the near future. We are still in the first phase of our operation”, he said.
While majority of FM stations in the Visayas and Mindanao with regular programming have their station IDs plugged every 10 or 15 minutes interval, Viper FM’s long hours full of various songs would only be interrupted with its station ID insertions only on measly occasions. Like:”This is Viper FM, Southern Leyte’s all hits music station”. The voice comes from an American national that Chito had tapped.
The music station dished out a wide variety of tunes, a wide variety of songs either in English or in Tagalog. Cebuano/Visayan songs from Max Surban and Yoyoy Villame are featured only during Sundays. The FM management can also consider playing the original song renditions and adaptation songs of Nora Hermosa,Taks Huguete dubbed as “the Crystal Voice of Cebu”, Jaime Salazar, Ben Zubiri,Al Commendador,Pauline Sevilla,Sergs De La Peña,Pelita Corrales, Carmen Camacho,Tres Rosas,Dos Compadres,Mabuhay Singers and the new breed of popular Cebuano singers. Susan Fuentes’ songs are mostly “copies” from that of Nora Hermosa’s original song renditions.
Currently, Saludo did not tell me how many watts power is he releasing regularly everyday. As revealed to me by the owner/Manager himself, the music station can be heard in the neighboring towns of the province and places like Limasawa Island, Camiguin Island, Surigao, Bohol and perhaps in some areas of Misamis Oriental. If you are a music lover who wants to listen to various sounds on the airwaves-from vocals to instrumentals-try including Viper FM in your list of music stations, aside from your other favorite FMs.
Other singers and bands whose songs were yesteryears favorites are also worthy of inclusion for Viper FM’s repertoire of songs and music like: The Platters, Chubby Checker, Freddie Fender, Dusty Springfield,Lulu,Jerry Vale, Frank Sinatra, Matt Monroe, Johnny Nash, Julie Andrews, Johnny Mathis, Paul Anka,Niel Sedaka,Connie Francis ,Timi Yuro,Brenda Lee, Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole, original English songs of Diomedes Maturan and Nora Aunor,Louie Levant(real name Luis Relevante-A Filipino singer with an American diction),Eddie Peregrina,Teddy Randazoo,Victor Wood,Niel Diamond, Steve Lawrence, Andy Williams, Sammy Davies ,Jr.,Merci Molina,Efren Montes, Celia Black,Beatles,Herman’s Hermits, instrumental number of Chit Atkins, Dave Clark Five, Rolling Stones, Freddie and the Dreamers, Gerry and the Peacemakers, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Freddie Fender, Credence Clearwater Revival, Cliff Richard,Peter and Gordon, The Beach Boys,TheAnimals,The Monkees,The turtles, Johnny Tilotsson, The Reycard Duet, Bobby Gonzales, among others.
For Tagalog songs: Cenon Lagman,Ric Manrique,Sylvia de la Torre, Ruben Tagalog,Pelita Corrales,Rico Puno, among other popular Tagalog singers in the past whose songs are still worthy of playing again and again on the airwaves together with the new Tagalog songs.
WE hope that a musically-inclined businessman in Maasin who has the means will buy a franchise for high-powered FM station that will provide music lovers with a wide variety of songs and music different from that of Viper FM’s so that we can switch from one music station to another for more musical entertainment.
At present there is not a single music station yet in this near 10-year-old Maasin City, except a sole AM radio owned by the Diocese of Maasin.
If we can have an FM station in Maasin that will initiate the playing of Cebuano/Visayan songs side by side with English and Tagalog,it could be a first and a much-needed start of a radical change from the discriminatory traditional musical programming done by majority of the FM stations in the Visayas and Mindanao. Playing Cebuano/Visayan songs side by side with English and Tagalog during daytime and night time musical programming should be the overall format that is a “must” for adoption by all music stations in the Visayas and Mindanao. For Luzon Island, where other major languages have also existed, playing of Bicolano songs, Ilocano, Pampanggo, Pangasinan songs or others songs, side by side with English and Tagalog must also be adopted as a sign of equality and fairness in the treatment of various song compositions from various predominant languages in the country.
Rejecting the playing of other songs of the predominant languages in the Philippines’ archipelago side by side with English and Tagalog songs during the entire musical programming, and relegating it to playing only on Saturdays or Sundays, or as opening sign on program of a music station, means that our disc jockeys still lack the respect and equality of treating other local songs with fairness. If they are promoting the English and Tagalog songs in music stations where they are working by playing it always on the airlanes, why can’t they not do it with their very own local songs? If they like English and Tagalog songs, why is it that they cannot like or love their very own local song compositions? If disc jockeys really Love their respective Mother Tongues’ songs, they should play it side by side with English and Tagalog songs on a regular basis. Playing it always on the airlanes during musical programming is the only way that our people will learn to appreciate and love our respective songs written in our various Mother Tongues of the country. This system or policy will also encourage our respective composers from different Mother Tongues to compose more and more songs with meaningful lyrics, melodious and beautiful tunes.
Again, we hope that our disc jockeys in the Visayas,Mindanao and in Luzon will come to realize now that if they are promoting English and Tagalog songs by playing it always on the airlanes,the more they must also equally promote the songs of their respective Mother Tongues(Cebuano,Hilligaynon,Waray-Waray,Bicolano,Ilocano,Pampanggo,Pangasinan,other songs of other Mother Tongues) by playing it side by side with English and Tagalog in equal footing during daytime and night time musical programming.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)