EDITORIAL

When the 1997 Rock Awards was launched some three months ago with the familiar strainsof the Voltes V soundtrack, not a few, wondered what the hell the connection was between the erstwhile robot and the NU music. I could tell you the truth that it was a theme chosen to symbolize our generation...our press releases will tell you that Voltes V et al. including things that fall under the sci-fi furturistic genre i.e. Men in Black, Star Wars...is generational, regional (hooray for Asia!) and interactive (remember the toy that came in five parts that volted in?). Or I could cut the crap admit that it was all just a trip.

 And what a trip it's been. And I don't just mean the Rock Awards tonight but the last ten years of NU's existence. Oh yeah, this year's awards are extra special as we commemorate NU 107's tenth anniversary too.

 But first let me tell you about the preparations for tonight. For months, our little Home of New Rock has been busy with activity, coming up with the whole promotional campaign, counting ballots, designging sets, booking bands and trying to keep sane and still put on the music you like to hear. You can imagine the stress Tabitha (the super project coordinator) and Myrene (scriptwriter par excellence) had to go through, doing their Rock Awards duties while still going on air every darn day to keep the music going. Then there's Ron, who hasn't slept forever, the Adprom team of Kats (who just started her job for cryin' out loud) and Cams, of course, and I have to mention the little engineer that could -- Jon who came up with the program and patience to count the thousands of votes that came in from Manila, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Iloilo, and Hoagy for being a super salesman for this here NUsletter. And the many others who got together to make tonight a smashing success, inspired as we were by Voltes V to volt in and work together...over land and over seas...onwards victory...you know how the song goes.

 And so tonight, it is with great pride that we present...the 1997 NU 107 Rock Awards

Thoughts on 10

Ten years. So many years, so many changes. I could wax sentimental right now, but I think you know what I'm talking about. Just as we look back fondly to the years of Voltes, so can we look back at ten years of NU rock, "the soundtrack of our lives."

 Forget all that Gen X mumbo jumbo. We belong to the Voltes V generation, weaned on Sesame Street and Voltes V. A generation that emerged from the shadow of martial rule into the light of what they tell us now is democracy. A generation raised on NU 107. Full of attitude and on the cutting edge.

Visionary.

 What a trip.

 -Marcelline Santos

A PRAYER FOR THE ROCKERS!

In the name of the announcers, the record labels and the listeners.

by C.H. Pardo

Rock radio in the Philippines is over 30 years old. Stations have come and gone, the death of AM was the resurrection of quality FM broadcasting in stero. Every year, we get better and better plus the fact that we get a better dose of variety here than in most First World countries. The planet Earth is shrinking with the emergence of the Global Economy. MTV is aired in different forms world-wide with our Asian video coming from a nation that won't air MTV. This irony is just as odd as how radio in the Philippines is still by far more influential than video. Radio is still the place where people can use their imagination to entertain. The listener wants to bring home the music and has to trek to a record bar. The prize sounds he desires is in his bedroom, in his barkada, in his head. Radio reflects the world of rock out there and more and more, it has become available. Not so much, obscure music that isn't just heard and can't be purchased without a trip to Hongkong. The public wants more than before, listeners want to take their favorite rock and live with it.

In the wide world of music, you can go to San Francisco and drop by the first Tower Records that was an old Supermarket that went broke. Now the record superstores are temples with side chapels filled with faux tattoos, paraphernalia, videos, to jazz, blues, classical and rock in every texture, shape and sound.

Although more music are available at your favorite record bar, the salesgirls are startled when you ask for an album entitled "Weasles Rip Your Flesh." How many saleguys have you talked to lately? The reply is they don't know what label it is on, or is that Macarena. Things have changed and there are a couple of new music stores that have alphabetical istings and a huge section called HARD TO GET. NU has new announcers that KNOW about the music they play. Why can't record bars and shops have sales people who specialize in the music they sell? Years ago, I played music on the air that I know won't be available to the listeners. Now I believe it's part of a creed to influence those who should be obligated to serve the music lover. My hotline pager is always buzzing with requests and questions of

NU 107 Flexes for The Next Generation
A conversation with the man behind the image

by C.H. Pardo

Under the music, behind the announcers and in every space that NU 107 fills is the influence of Mike Pedero. NU glides into its 4th Rock Awards and the 10th Anniversary. We talked about the past, present and future. Atom Henares, NU's founder does the Sales and Finance while Mike runs the technical side plus the programming. Atom and Mike are seamless and this teamwork is rare in our broadcasting neighborhood, much less ten years later. So keep pushing the button and turning the dial to the best and last station on FM. Read on. A few surprises on great audio and NU video.

Q: The programming of NU 107 has changed a few times over the past nine years. Do you see any changes between now and the next century?

MIKE: NU's format that bends towards Modern Rock is a totally flexible format. As in any radio station format, the idea is to be able "to go along with the tide," so to speak. Whatever the rock community wants, we give. The important thing is what you are doing is the choice of the majority, otherwise you won't have a following, and of course, sponsors. Changes may be done dependent on what you are doing to hear the rock genre. It seems that there is a shift towards more electronic...something like "Electronica." If this becomes a force that listeners of NU are looking for, we'll give it to them. NU is avant garde in terms of sound and image. It is Modernist and must go along with what is preferred for now and in the future.

We have done format changes but not totally veer away from its main format - ROCK - primarily to see what people would like to hear. We have gone from eclectic rock to mainstream, then classic. But these seem not to "rock." Thus, we went back into the station's original concept of "new rock" which a lot of the kids prefer. New rock as defined by us, is anything where rock music is going. It is forward looking, never backwards.

Q: The technology has played big into all radio stations. Do you see anything happening to NU or its sister stations within the next millennium?

MIKE: NU will always be the one in the forefront of radio technology. Computers and interactive are the buzzwords now and NU wil surely be in there using them. Technology is rapidly developing beyond bounds and we must keep up with the pace. Tomorrow's radio will not only be AM, FM, Shortwave or Terrestial. It will be beyond digital cable, Internet, etc. with so many number of channels available. Right now, they're talking about satellite radio, digital audio broadcasts and the like. These systems will be able to deliver digital quality broadcasts on a wider range and bigger coverage area. They're saying what happened to AM when people switched to FM, what will happen to FM when people go digital. I have seen jockless and operator-less radio facilities. Is this where radio is going? For sure wherever FM radio is going in the future, NU and its stations will be in the forefront of technological change and development.

Q: I was freaked out by the fact that Singapore does not air MTV. Why don't they put MTV in Manila?

MIKE: MTV cannot come to Manila because Manila lacks the infrastructure needed to uplink satellite broadcasts and the like. In Singapore, there is a center put up by the government equipped with the latest technology to do advanced broadcasting for satellite and terrestial use. This center was built to lure international broadcasters to put up their headquarters in Singapore for the region. Plus, the incentives are quite generous. How about political and economic stability? Availability of technical persons? How about talent? These are just few of the reasons why people like MTV do not want to come to Manila/

[But then again, MTV has established a Manila office with no less than ex-NU P.D. Claire Miranda as its Marketing Director. Who knows what's next? -- Editor]

Q: Are you happy with the first 9 years? Any regrets? Changes? What is your prediction for NU in the year 1999?

MIKE: NU 107's performance during the last 9 years was good. Of course, there were some instances where, looking back, I have thought it would have been nice if we did this, we did that. But then again, we had limited resources. So there was not much we can do. Aside from that, NU has performed quite well. Regrets? No regrets being in radio, communications and entertainment. These areas have become sort of a lifeblood for me. My career and business had been rooted in these. And I enjoy whatever I am doing. For me, my work is just an avocation. Enjoy and I make money doing it, why not? Changes? NU 107 is going visual. Hopefully, by the end of this year NU 107 will be able to put up its first UHF TV channel in Manila. This I find rather exciting because it is totally new for me (although I used to work in RBS Channel 7 before) and the approach we intend to pursue is something different from what the others are doing. This TV channel is becoming more of an exciting challenge as we go along.