The End of NU107 Is Just A Sign of the Times

The demise of NU107, one of the most iconic radio stations in Metro Manila, is just a sign that the times, 'they are a-changing', as sang by the bard Bob Dylan.  That and the end also of MTV Philippines earlier this year, shows that radio's reach in influencing the music tastes of its listeners may have waned a bit.

I have actually stopped listening to the radio in 1998, when I discovered the Internet.  Why listen to the radio, when I could get my new music straight from the sources like the Billboard website. Of course, as the years wore on, one could get new music from places like Myspace or I could stream whole albums in Amazon and for a time, I was addicted to Yahoo music, which transmitted music according to genre.  I had my dose of showtunes and country music and anything I wanted under the sun.  So I was surprised that some people were still listening to radio!

I did tune back to radio in 2008 when I had to negotiate the long drive from Quezon City to Makati for my French classes, and I was shocked to find that morning radio is now dominated by DJ Mo and his kind!  Talk radio was and still is, a big hit here!  Where was the music?  Well, except for a few stations, everyone was blabbering and it was kinda irritating.  So I played my CDs instead.

So I am not really surprised why NU107 had to fold.  I don't think the market for rock fans has diminished.  They are just getting their fill for rock music online or some other place - and not from radio anymore.