Radio

Final moments of NU 107. One can feel the love of the fans outside the booth.

Back to the days when life was simpler and internet was a luxury, the radio was our best friend. My sister was brave enough to venture at the end of the dial, and we definitely didn’t regret that decision. We have come to discover the greatness named the NU 107.5 (previously known as DWNU) FM station. Yes, it was over ten years ago, yet the fond memories are still clear. Hey, my memories are far clearer than their signal! With this, my first memory is how I strived to arrange the radio’s antenna meticulously just to catch their ever-elusive signal.

My sister was my influence; I grew up with her listening to it already. She liked Jeff Buckley so much that she always - ALWAYS - requests the song Last Goodbye during the Remote Control weekend. And each time our song plays, we stop the household chores and stare dreamily into space. Awesome bands such as Stereophonics and The Smashing Pumpkins wouldn’t have crossed my knowledge if it weren’t for this station playing such rarities on the airwaves. Behind my back, I know kids my age labeled me weird because they do not know my music. Red Hot Chili Peppers was alien to them, but when I purchased my first ever cassette tape (their album Californication), it went on heavy rotation. Next day they claimed themselves as the first people who ever listened to that band. They thought they were so cool as they listened to Marilyn Manson and Rage Against the Machine which were my tapes. Well, so much for the posers… I got a lot of time to loathe them.

Okay, first impressions… I remember how I admired the DJs for being so professional by speaking English all the time. Some of the DJs were also band members, which assures me that they know their stuff. What made me stick to this station is how they promote rock music. Before Up Dharma Down and Urbandub because mainstream, they were first discovered in this station. I remember how driven I was to pass a demo tape to Francis Brew’s In The Raw, but unfortunately I didn’t have my own band. Instead, I contented myself by supporting the bands they introduce in their Music Review. Thanks to that segment, my love for Hoobastank and Staind wouldn’t have flourished. Rock definitely wasn’t the devil’s music, as Against the Flow pioneered the promotion Christian rock music in the country. God knows how many Saturday midnights I have spent listening to the Midnight Countdown and recording them on cassette tapes, because I thought it’d be a waste to spend my allowance on purchasing albums. NU 107 had also become a staple of our December 31, as we were tuned in all day listening to the Year-End Countdown. I even recall myself listing every song in the countdown for tracking purposes. I was lucky enough to attend even one ROCK AWARDS, without knowing it would be their second to the last. I’m glad I did. There was an overwhelming feeling that cannot be expressed in words. It is queer for girls to fall deeply in love with rock music, but I don’t care. NU 107 contributed a lot to my development. It helped me express who I really am, and in turn, helped me convince others that there is quality in rock music.

So when I heard that my once home station is closing down last November 7, I immediately tuned in. For three consecutive days I listened, sharing the good memories the disc jockeys had to impart in each of their segment’s final episodes. A pang of regret stabbed me; I felt like I have deserted a lover. How long since I last tuned in? Things around me changed so much, but NU 107 stayed, with the familiar voices of the DJs walking in my ears. Hence I was too hurt when we were down to the final hour of their broadcast. The station grew up with me; we are almost of the same age. For 23 long years they have existed, but majority of the listeners misunderstood, which contributed to them closing down for good. As Eraserhead’s Huling El Bimbo played, I decided to let loose and cried. I sat still, listened until their station ID played for the last time, until the national anthem had its usual glory, until there was dead air. I sat still, as if I was staying by a beloved’s side until his last breath. There were high hopes for resuscitation, but the next morning when I turned the dial, there was still dead air. It was like a post-break up syndrome. I was in a state of utter denial.

Jeff Buckley’s Last Goodbye was given a new meaning because of this experience. I am still too sad, depressed even, but it cannot be helped. The disc jockeys have already packed up and are to transfer to other jobs. Rock music is not dead; NU 107 is not dead. All I have is gratitude for the 23 wonderful years of sharing quality rock music.

We’ll show them.