Page | 2 CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION Background Radio. A personal medium. A local medium. Messages broadcast over radio are directed personally to each individual listener. Its intense level of connection with the audience is such that for many years now, the first medium that an individual tunes in to every morning is radio. Also, it could be said that it is the last broadcast medium that an individual tunes in to before he goes to bed. This creates a form of emotional bond between the individual listener and the broadcaster. Such emotional bond can be tapped for purposes of persuasion, as applied, for instance, in radio advertising. Radio is a local medium. It broadcasts messages that significantly concern its target audience. It encourages and sometimes requires the participation of listeners living within a certain locality. This aspect works in correlation with the personal characteristic and importance of radio. It is not an intrusive medium, as it allows the listener to do his routine work, such as household chores among other things,
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CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION
Background
Radio. A personal medium. A local medium. Messages broadcast over
radio are directed personally to each individual listener. Its intense level of
connection with the audience is such that for many years now, the first medium
that an individual tunes in to every morning is radio. Also, it could be said that it
is the last broadcast medium that an individual tunes in to before he goes to bed.
This creates a form of emotional bond between the individual listener and the
broadcaster. Such emotional bond can be tapped for purposes of persuasion, as
applied, for instance, in radio advertising. Radio is a local medium. It broadcasts
messages that significantly concern its target audience. It encourages and
sometimes requires the participation of listeners living within a certain locality.
This aspect works in correlation with the personal characteristic and importance
of radio. It is not an intrusive medium, as it allows the listener to do his routine
work, such as household chores among other things, without getting in the way.
It is an inexpensive medium and requires very little technological resources. It is
inexpensive in the sense that transistor radios are easily accessible and very
affordable these days. Even personal FM radio tuners that come with
headphones could be purchased for less than one hundred pesos (PHP 100).
Listeners in remote areas where electricity is absent can still tune in through the
use of battery-operated transistor radios. It is a portable and readily available
medium. Even people who travel can tune in to radio in their cars or on most
public utility vehicles. Listeners may also choose to bring their own portable
stereos, transistors, or even walkmans. These qualities of broadcast radio give it
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immense influence over a vast range and sizeable number of audiences.
Another more important attribute of radio is its power to make listeners use
their imagination. As in radio dramas, it encourages the audience to imagine the
setting, the characters, everything. It is the theater of the mind. If we look at it
closely, it encourages the listeners to think. Thus, it enhances and sharpens the
listeners’ thinking skills if exposed to a certain format for a certain period of time.
It is an intellectual medium. That is, the only way to process the information is to
listen. And being a cold medium, it requires the listener to participate to enjoy
the content. It allows for experience, which is fundamental to learning. If radio
would be used to exploit these characteristics, our society would be in for a world
of progress.
Developmental broadcast format – what is it? Briefly, it is a format
established following the concepts of development communication that can be
applied to either of the two broadcast media, radio or television. It is a theme
aimed at finding solutions to present problems of development and
modernization of a particular locality or country. Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia, an online resource library that is community-operated and –
moderated, defines development communication as:
A spectrum of communication processes, strategies and principles within the field of international development, aimed at improving the conditions and quality of life of people struggling with underdevelopment and marginalization. Reflective of the field’s historical evolution, Development communication is characterized by conceptual flexibility and diversity in the application of communication techniques used to address the problems of development. Some approaches in the “tool kit” of the field include: information dissemination and education, behavior change, social marketing, social mobilization, media advocacy, communication for social change, and participatory communication. Communication for informed decision. Development communication is for the betterment of the society though raised from a particular group but affect the whole mass for better.
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The term "Development Communication" was coined by Nora C. Quebral, a professor at the University of Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB).
Given radio’s exceptional power, reach, and influence, a developmental
broadcast format specifically-designed for the medium could do a lot of good for
our society. This is not hypothetical at all, as development campaigns have been
launched in the poorest of countries, and the United Nations help put up more
campaigns in more countries. The Development Communication section on The
Museum of Broadcast Communications states,
The United Nations provides multi-lateral aid to governments. Non-profit non-governmental organizations (NGO) conduct development projects worldwide using U.N., government, or private funding. And government agencies, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provide assistance to developing countries, but with political strings attached.
The United Nations and USAID help conduct development projects
worldwide. Naturally, this must be some form of testament to the efficiency of
development-oriented programs. The Museum of Broadcast Communications
states more,
There are three common types of development campaigns: Persuasion, changing what people do; Education, changing social values; and Informing, empowering people to change by increasing knowledge. This third approach is now perceived as the most useful. Instead of attempting to modernize people, contemporary efforts attempt to reduce inequality by targeting the poorest segments of society, involving people in their own development, giving them independence from central authority, and employing "small" and "appropriate" technologies. The emphasis has shifted from economic growth to meeting basic needs.
If such a paradigm of communication, especially the third type of
development campaigns earlier mentioned proves to be so useful and important,
then why are we not employing it here in our own country? We have the required
technologies to use to target our people. We are a member of the U.N. and we
could ask for their help. We have made ties with the United States and we could
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ask help from experts from USAID. We have numerous intellectuals of our own
who could help formulate a format and tailor-make it to suit the Philippine context
– to address our own problems and issues. And most importantly, as stated, our
society has enough predicaments to garner enough attention from the said
authorities. So, the question is, why not? (Patterson, 2005)
Certainly, it is not just a matter of a single flick. The broadcast industry is
an industry. And an industry is any grouping of businesses that share a common
method of generating profit. That being said, radio is a business and profit has to
be generated. Apparently, businesses, or anyone for that matter, do not see a lot
of monetary profits from hardcore developmental broadcasting, and as
businesses, they must do everything to maximize profits. Hence, they follow a
different path of doing business. Besides, before the advent of masa
programming, Metro Manila FM radio was already in a slump as it was, without
even bothering with airing developmental programs.
Willie Espinosa, now Program Director of the Love Radio network, said
FM stations, even their own, were having a hard time gathering their audiences
back then, which was before 1995. Listenership was in a slump, and ratings
were at some of their lowest. The number of listeners was at a stagnant level,
and growth was only something left to be desired. Advertising rates were much
lower than it is now, not even reaching 5,000 for a 30-second spot. Much of the
market included people of the higher social classes and the numbers were not
flattering, seeing as how income in the Philippines is not uniformly distributed.
The middle and lower classes are densely populated, and the higher social
classes are only proud of its few members. The CDE classes are where the
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money is at, and corporate boards of many stations decided that these are the
ones who must be targeted. The more people listening at strategic times of the
day, the more they could charge for advertising. This sole mercantile purpose
sparked the first ever prototype of a masa station in 1995.
What are masa stations? Masa stations are radio stations which adopt a
format derived from AM broadcasting, using Pilipino or Tagalog as primary
medium of communication. Examples of masa stations in Metro Manila are Love
Radio 90.7, Energy FM 91.5, iFM 93.9, and WRR 101.9. Manila Broadcasting
Company (MBC), a 66-year old radio network pioneered the masa format when it
launched the radio station DWST Showbiz Tsismis 101.1 in Manila in 1995. The
station’s main vision was to talk about the latest happenings in show business [in
Tagalog/Filipino]. It was the first nationwide satellite FM station, ensuring
coverage of the remotest areas in the country. Three years later, it was
relaunched with a new name, Yes! FM, but the theme was not totally overhauled.
It used the same format, and still covered the same topics on the air. It became
a top-rating FM station and soon opened provincial stations in Cagayan de Oro,
Iloilo and Davao within a year.
Other radio stations struggling with ratings followed suit, such as Campus
Radio 97.1, and MBC’s own Love Radio 90.7. Love Radio, which back then was
a high-end station which only played love songs uninterruptedly, had to join the
bandwagon. For twenty-five years, the station never made the top two FM radio
stations, and never made a lot of profit. Willie Espinosa, now Program Director
of the Love Radio network in the entire country, was taken in by the company to
overhaul the station’s format and increase ratings in 2001. He aimed for the
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class CDE market, which is a potentially broad market considering the number of
Filipino citizens that belong to the social classes mentioned. Having asked for a
six-month trial period, he broadcast masa content through the station over the
air, although still keeping a hint of the station’s previous theme by airing a great
chunk of love songs. After the six-month trial, the management saw tremendous
improvement as far as ratings were concerned, and they never looked back.
When asked how they formulated the masa format, Espinosa stressed an
important point – market research. Seeing how seemingly vital market research
is to any entity that engages in business, how could other non-masa radio
stations have missed this (and stayed with the conventional format)? What is
market research? The U.S. Department of the Treasury, a government agency
whose responsibilities range from managing Federal finances to investigating
and prosecuting tax evaders, counterfeiters, and forgers, define market research
as the process of gathering, analyzing and interpreting information about a
market; about a product or service to be offered for sale in that market; and about
the past, present and potential customers for the product or service. In terms of
radio, how listeners tuned in and how they treated the radio were the important
two among many other factors involved in the research. It turned out that the
listeners seemed to be bored with all the same content aired by radio stations,
and the treatment it received. To remain in the broadcasting business and of
course, maximize profits, MBC had to come up with something fresh, something
new, something that would catch the attention of the listeners – and that’s exactly
what they did. MBC pioneered masa radio. (U.S. Department of the Treasury,
Glossary)
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As one engages in a journey across the broad spectrum of Metro Manila
FM radio, starting from 88.3 all the way to 107.5, with increments of 0.8
separating each station channel, one will find more masa stations than just MBC-
owned Love Radio 90.7. The following is a table including the stations’
frequencies, and names. Stations in bold are what will be considered in this
study as masa stations.
Frequency Station Name Call Sign88.3 Jam DWJM89.1 Wave DWAV89.9 Magic DWTM90.7 Love Radio DZMB91.5 Energy FM DWKY92.3 Joey DZRU93.1 Monster Radio DWRX93.9 iFM DWKC94.7 Mellow Touch DWLL95.5 Pinoy Radio DM 955 DWDM96.3 WRock DWRK97.1 Campus Radio DWLS97.9 Home Radio DWQZ98.7 The Master’s Touch DZFE99.5 Hit FM DZRT
100.3 RJ 100 DZRJ101.1 Yes! FM DWST101.9 WRR DWRR102.7 Star FM DWSM103.5 K-Lite DWKX104.3 Business Radio DWBR105.1 Crossover DWBM105.9 Blazin’ DWLA106.7 Kool 106 DWET107.5 NU 107 DWNU
Table 1. Table of 25 FM radio stations in Metro Manila.
As shown in the table, there are twenty-five (25) stations all currently airing
over the frequency modulation band in Metro Manila alone. And seeing as there
are only seven (7) stations that could be regarded as masa stations, it could be
concluded that they are technically in the minority. But why are they making
such big noise? Why are they flourishing? Why are they thriving in the industry
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that is dominated by (judging from the table alone, stations that do not broadcast
masa format make up 72% of all stations in the FM band) non-masa stations?
They are outnumbered, yes. Yet they win the ratings. Then it must be the
format. It is the only factor that sets them apart from the other conventional-
format radio stations.
In a Metro Manila survey conducted by the RRC involving a base of
21,357 radio-equipped homes, Love Radio topped the charts with a 20.9%
audience share, closely followed by Yes! FM, another station owned by MBC,
with 17.8%. After the top three, high-end non-masa radio stations followed, but
only with single-digit audience shares. With these results, it only made masa
radio a practical business.
Knowing there is a large market that leans toward the masa format, more
stations redesigned their broadcast formats to cater to the CDE social classes.
Their markets had something new, fresh, and different to listen to and enjoy. But
fresh and different do not always mean a good thing. But then again, it is not a
question of good or bad, it is only a matter of perception and branding – as long
as the image projected by the radio station is perceived as good. Conveniently,
the average member of the middle to lower class market almost always
perceives fresh and different as good. In a sense, they were the early adopters.
It could also be said that the pioneering masa stations made a segment
and a market of their own, exposing the audiences to their programming to an
extensive level, and persuading and converting non-listeners to become part of
their would-be pop culture. At work is the bandwagon effect, where, without
examining the merits of that particular phenomenon, people tend to "follow the
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crowd."
But then, is the radio industry all about commercialization, all about
making profit? Certainly, it is not. As the radio code of the KBP states, there is a
fair amount of responsibility that stations and broadcasters should hold. Program
Standards Section C entitled Community Responsibility states, Broadcasters
shall acquaint themselves with the culture, mores, traditions, needs, and other
characteristics of the locality and its people to best serve the community.
Possibly, in our time, this may not be what is happening. Monitoring a
masa station for a day, one analyzes how it broadcasts the news and hosts the
programs. There is great focus on commercialization, but surprisingly less
interest in public awareness and current social affairs. It could be entertaining,
yes, but not exactly encouraging to progress and development. Also, when it
comes to content of musical programs, masa stations are not even at par as it is
stated in another part of the KBP radio code. Program Standards Section D
entitled Support to Development and Nationalism states,
All stations shall contribute to national development and shall promote the educational, cultural, social and economic upliftment of the people.
All stations shall provide for the expression of the Filipino identity, encourage patriotism, preserve patriotism, preserve traditions and the development of the arts, sciences and culture.
Programs shall continually strive to use Filipino creative resources and talents.
Then, it is very surprising to hear love songs from the 90s by foreign
artists. Well, in addition to contemporary local novelty songs such as Pamela
Wan and Lagot Ka during drive time. (KBP TV and Radio Code)
Public service now comes into question. Masa stations, more than any
other FM station, have to show their gratitude to their audience, for these are the
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people who give them high ratings. These are the people who make their
business highly profitable. These are the people who make them win ratings
awards. These are the people who make them call themselves the number one
station in Metro Manila. At this point, we believe masa stations owe their
audience big time.
The purpose of this study is to examine why masa stations exist and
continue to thrive and what their socio-cultural effects are, if any. This study
hopes to determine the weakest link in the industry and facilitate instituting a
better, focused, and goal-oriented FM radio. This study desires to arrive at what
could actually lead to our country’s development.
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Significance of the Study
Once the effects of present-day masa programming have been
determined and proven by this study, we can now evaluate them if they are
detrimental or beneficial to society. Necessary planning and action may then be
carried out to benefit the listeners. Proper testing to formulate the ideal radio
programs, ones that can exert the greatest influence on a large scale, will be
performed. Programming may be transformed to one that is fresh and
unorthodox, constructive to our culture and can lead to our progress.
The study will also urge the industry to strengthen or even transform the
existing regulatory body into something which can practice total governance over
the media. Monitoring and regular evaluation of aired content will be done to see
if it meets programming guidelines set by the body.
When this is all done, a developmental approach of radio operation may
be instituted to facilitate a supplemental form of education for Filipinos. It is only
proper to let the people have their say on what they want to hear on the
airwaves. The listeners should be treated with respect and with utmost
importance. After all, the audiences, the (most usually silent) other end of this
communication is the lifeline of the broadcast industry. Without them, not a
single form of media, no matter how well structured and planned they are, would
thrive. This is the biggest benefit society can only wish for due to the state of
present-day radio programming.
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Statement of the Problem
Why do masa stations exist? What are their socio-cultural effects (whether
beneficial or detrimental) on listeners?
How do these effects influence its listeners’ daily lives? What is gained or lost by
employing masa format?
Objectives of the Study
General:
To determine the causes (market forces, social and political influences) that
made certain radio stations adopt masa format and the conditions that make
them thrive in contemporary Philippine society.
To ascertain if there are any socio-cultural effects (beneficial or detrimental) of
the format on listeners, determine what these effects are, and assess how
these effects impact the listeners’ daily lives.
Specific:
To propose formulation of a new broadcast format that utilizes the existing
theories of development communication to aid in transforming radio into a
valuable and beneficial medium to its audience.
To propose employment of developmental broadcasting (educational
programming and localized broadcast formats focusing on local issues)
through existing media outfits in the country.
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Scopes and Limitations
One of the major limitations of this study is the unequal number of
listeners examined. There is no set number of listeners to be interviewed for
each of the stations included in the research, e.g. 50 for Love Radio 90.7, 50 for
Yes! FM, et cetera. The data gathering process was carried on like all the
listeners came from the same pool: masa radio listeners. The researcher
acknowledges the existence of a dichotomy in the industry – masa and non-
masa FM. Also, for Love Radio and Yes! FM, only one program director was
involved, but that is because both stations are owned by the same company, the
Manila Broadcasting Company. It may already be hypothesized that the
company employs the same philosophy for both the stations, which, furthermore,
use the same masa format.
Definitely, the researcher’s biases as a critical individual cannot be fully
set aside. It will not get in the way and become taxing for this study to be factual
and objective, however. Au contraire, these biases will be channeled to the
advancement of this study. These biases, after all, are not a matter of taste, but
of criticality towards any form of broadcast media and the messages they
transmit to their audiences. New formats are not discriminated against for fear of
change, but are evaluated for their overall effects on and contribution to the
current state of Filipino education and culture.
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Definition of Terms
Bandwagon effect. The bandwagon effect is the observation that people often
do (or believe) things because many other people do (or believe) the same. The
effect is often pejoratively referred to as herd instinct, particularly as applied to
adolescents. Without examining the merits of the particular thing, people tend to
"follow the crowd." In the context of this particular study, listeners follow the early
adopters of the masa format without necessarily scrutinizing the benefits and
detriments of the new broadcast format.
Cold medium. Such as cartoon and radio, gives very little information. This
leaves the reader to fill in the blanks; you need to participate to enjoy the content.
This is aspect of broadcast radio makes it a perfect tool for education,
development, and progress.
Drive time. Prime time for radio broadcasting. It consists of the morning hours
when listeners wake up, get ready, and head to work or school, and the
afternoon hours when they are heading home and before their evening meal.
These are the periods where listenership is at its highest and commercial radio
can charge the most for advertising. Drive time or primetime on radio usually
runs from 6am to 9am and from 3pm to 6pm.
FM. Frequency Modulation band. It is a broadcast technology invented by
Edwin Howard Armstrong that uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity
sound over broadcast radio. FM radio is distributed primarily through broadcast
reception of FM radio signals. Examples of FM stations in Manila are Monster
Radio RX 93.1, Campus Radio 97.1, and Love Radio 90.7.
High-end stations. FM radio stations catering to the middle to upper classes,
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generally to people with more buying power. Primary medium of communication
used is English. Advertisements aired usually concern products that are more
expensive than those aired over masa stations.
KBP. Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas. A self-regulatory body formed
to unify broadcast practitioners to achieve common goals in relation to allied
industries and government agencies. It serves as the formulator of broadcast
policies and standards. With the KBP’s code of ethics, broadcast companies try
to air content that conform to the standards stated in the code.
Masa stations. FM radio stations which adopt a format derived from AM
broadcast, and which mainly uses Pilipino or Tagalog as medium of
communication. Examples of stations that broadcast in the masa format are
Love Radio 90.7 and Yes! FM 101.1.
Media. A collective term for outfits of mass communication such as television,
radio, and print.
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CHAPTER 2 - REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Simply put, radio is an essential part of Filipino society. Earlier stated, it is
a portable, inexpensive, and entertaining medium enjoyed by Filipinos from all
walks of life. It did not lose its popularity when other more highly advanced
technologies were introduced and made their way to the Filipino household. It
even gripped stronger ground because it acted as a complementary medium to
the new media. It is a living proof that the concept of co-existence not only works
among humans and other living organisms. Co-existence also succeeds in
commerce, among businesses and industries. The opening paragraphs of an
article entitled Why Radio? Why Not! published in 2006 on Hi-Fidelity, an online
publication by the Manila Broadcasting company (MBC) says radio is still the
most powerful and influential broadcast medium in the country. It still flourishes
continually, attracting more listeners to tune in, more than ever. Yes, much more
advanced technologies, such as the television (the technology of which, at its
most basic, was derived from what had then been discovered from radio), the
stored media such as Betamax, VHS, and DVD, and the internet. But still, radio
proves to exert greater persuasive cogency than these other better developed
media. In contrast with DVDs and the like, which can be accessed whenever
and wherever the viewers wants, and which can be reproduced, radio is a
fleeting medium. What does this mean? It means that one has to pay
meticulous attention to the message to which he is trying to listen; otherwise, it
will be finished and gone. It grabs the attention of the listener like saying: “Listen
to me, you won’t hear me again, so pay attention.” The internet’s influence is no
question at all. Although the amount of information that can be retrieved using
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the medium is potentially limitless, mass access to the internet is problematic at
best. Not everyone has the means to access the internet. Not everyone has a
desktop computer. Not everyone has an AM/FM tuner either, but the number of
people who have access to radio far outshines that of who have access to the
internet – thanks to the great economic divide. (MBC Sales and Marketing, 2006)
Its importance to its audiences’ daily lives could not be emphasized more
by the interest of more greatly established industries such as the advertising in
the medium. The advertisers believe there is much more to radio than just music
and audible dialogue. Its reach to countless millions of Filipinos is exceptional,
and its power to grab and hold its listeners for much longer periods of time (much
longer than television) is superb. Why Radio? Why Not! states that radio makes
contact with over 85% of audiences aged 10 years and older in Metro Manila
alone. This percentile figure translates to a massive average of 7.3 million
listeners in one day. And this means more than just numbers to advertisers.
This means business. In fact, some advertisers believe in radio to sell their
products so much that they put as much as 50% of their advertising budget on
radio. These advertisers usually belong to the cigarette and liquor products
category.
Radio can attract its audience, grab them by earlobes and never let go. In
point of fact, the medium can retain its listeners for much longer than any other
existing medium. Why Radio? Why Not! again, shows us that, on the average,
audiences spend quite a bit more time listening to FM than sitting in front of the
boob tube: 190 minutes a day on radio VS 140 minutes on television. Moreover,
it can breed a sense of loyalty among the listeners, and can establish an identity
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or character that they can identify or relate with. Also, the absence (with most
radio units) of one technological breakthrough that is the remote control (for
radio), makes surfing through radio channels seem much more tedious for
listeners than it actually is. So when they turn on the radio, they just stick to the
station they listened to the previous time. They also do not usually switch to a
different radio channel during commercial breaks. Besides, commercial breaks
on radio as not as cluttered as it is on television, and some known individuals
actually enjoy radio advertisements. Unlike on television, audio materials
broadcast in radio seem very interlocked with each other that commercial breaks
are hardly noticeable. This is a unique property of sound - one sound may be
heard above another yet one can still recognize both sounds.
Now that the radio’s power over and role to society has been established
quite firmly, we can now assess the implications of these two things.
With such extensive power, it thus proves that changes in the way radio is
currently utilized and consumed could pose either a threat or a great
improvement to the present status of our society. Urban development
communication kicks in. What is it? It is applying and transferring whatever
knowledge has been researched in the development communication discipline to
the urban, better developed states of the country; people who reside here are
presumably more perceptive to new information and can process and fit them
into their own situations. It has never been thought through by scholars because
they are too focused on the rural, underdeveloped areas. They also focus on the
concept of improving material living conditions. In fact, there are so many other
aspects of living conditions, such as personal/individual growth through self-
such as understanding and speaking English that they could focus on. And the
ensuing masa format, with its heavily Tagalog/Filipino content, may not be
exactly helping. It may be acting as a deterrent to learn the language and
knowledge of the language has already gone down in our country. United
Nations Education, Cultural, and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO) estimates
about 5% of the adult Philippine population, or four (4) million, cannot, with
understanding, read, write, and speak a short simple English statement on
everyday life. (UNESCO Estimates)
On a parallel view of the quality of present-day television content in
connection with radio, there had been studies advancing the potential and actual
short- and long-term effects of violent media content on society. In a study by
Karyn Riddle entitled Violent Media Effects: A Comparison of Scholarly
Research, Public Opinion, and Industry Rhetoric, although television is different
from radio in many ways, the author proposes that effects could be impressed
upon the audience either immediately after exposure, or after constant/regular
exposure in a longer span of time – which could be translated into the simpler
medium of this discussion that is radio.
Violence, being a negative component portrayed by the media, has three
major short-term effects upon immediate exposure. First, aggression, as
supported by a substantial amount of empirical research. The probability of
showing evidence of aggressive behavior is increased upon exposure to media
violence. Other effects of violent television material found by the study were fear
due to traumatic stress and desensitization to the concept of violence. To
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compare and contrast with the aural medium, if violent content can cause such
negative effects on its audiences, the prevalent broadcast design in masa radio
may also cause different negative effects on its listeners and society as a whole.
The study has yet to find out what exactly they are, but it could be assumed that
one of them is hindrance to out-of-school/non-formal education. As 90% of the
radio stations in the Philippines almost all of them in Metro Manila are purely
commercial, it could also be comprehended that commercialization is taking a toll
on the development of society. (Violent Media Effects)
Consequently, if negative effects may be garnered through substandard
programming, naturally more positive effects could be achieved by improving
program quality. The audiences are more likely to accept positive effects and
behavior rather than negative ones. Riddle, in the same study, says 47% of
parents with children aged 4 to 6 state that the children have emulated
aggressive behaviors broadcast on TV. However, when the same group of
children was exposed to more positive materials that conveyed good habits,
values, and virtues, 87% of the children who received the messages mimicked
and even applied the constructive values in their daily interactions with playmates
and schoolmates. The study proved that positive messages are more likely to be
assimilated into the audiences’ personal set of values and principles than
negative messages such as violence, etc. are.
It has been said that radio is the theatre of the mind. Radio is an
emotional experience rather than visual. It is an emotional theatre where feelings
are the primary currency. Logically, as it deals with emotion, and so does
persuasion, this method could be used to influence the audiences to literally do
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the media’s bidding. Aside from commercialization, there are other concepts and
practical processes that present practitioners could put to good use through the
medium, and positively affect Philippine society.
Better quality programming equates to more beneficial effects on listeners
and the Filipino society. It is what the study will call for upon its completion. Of
course, these effects are only relative and assumed. There could even be the
remotest possibility that no positive effects would be achieved by high quality
programming. But isn’t it better to have media content that could prospectively
lead to positive effects, i.e. development in whatever form, than none at all, or
worse yet, that could encumber what is said to be a common benefit to society?
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CHAPTER 3 – FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY
Theoretical Framework
Cultivation Theory of Mass Media
The Cultivation Theory of Mass Media (CTMM), proposed by George
Gerbner in 1973, will be used to guide the study. A definition of this theory:
“The Cultivation Theory specifies that repeated and intense exposure to distinctive, deviant definitions of "reality" in television and other mass-media messages lead to perception of that "reality" as normal. The result is a social legitimization of the "reality" depicted in the mass media, which can affect behavior.”
This theory is one of the so-called stalagmite theories that suggest that
media effects occur analogously to the slow buildup of formations on cave floors,
which take their interesting forms after eons of the steady dripping of limewater
from the cave ceilings above. What has been present in the airwaves for quite a
long time has made the people perceive or believe that what they are hearing at
present establishes the norms of contemporary society, and that it is an image of
the present reality. If they perceive media content, surely, they can perceive the
medium itself, and how it is being used. Therefore, they must believe that non-
developmental, (or to border on the extremes, dysfunctional in essential ways)
for-your-entertainment-only media is a normal or real circumstance. (Cultivation
Theory, Theoretical Framework)
Now the theory can be used to reverse the messages communicated
through the medium that creates the perceived common reality. Through the use
of developmental content (even with the slightest hint of an attempt on non-
formal, out-of-classroom education, it could be classified as such) through radio,
the perceived common reality by the audiences could be changed, improved, and
in time, developed. They will be under the impression that if educating the
P a g e | 24
masses is the normal reality, they should follow suit and change their current
behavior that has been cultivated by the previous masa format. This could be
proved by a subsequent cultivation research, defined as a study which looks at
the mass media as a socializing agent and investigates whether media
consumers come to believe the media version of reality the more they watch it.
Uses and Gratifications Theory
Mick Underwood once said, “The choices which people make are
motivated by the desire to satisfy (or 'gratify') a range of needs. Hence the uses
and gratifications approach is concerned to identify how people use the media to
gratify their needs.” (Mass Media – Effects Research)
The core of the theory is to attempt to explain and understand media
consumption of individuals, groups, and society. The article Uses and
Gratifications Approach on the University of Twente in The Netherlands website,
a comprehensive Internet catalog of communication theories, enumerates the
three objectives:
1)to explain how individuals use mass communication to gratify their needs. “What do people do with the media”.2)to discover underlying motives for individuals’ media use.3)to identify the positive and the negative consequences of individual media use.
The same article also expresses a core assumption of the theory “that
audience members actively seek out the mass media to satisfy individual needs.”
The core statement of the theory is “A medium will be used more when the
existing motives to use the medium lead to more satisfaction.” This categorizes
the theory into one that works in an exponential manner. Different results are
yielded as the degree of use or exposure varies. The level of media
P a g e | 25
consumption is also logically explained by the benefits the audiences acquire. If
the medium yields good results as perceived by the audience, it will be used
more often and to a more intense degree.
Dennis McQuail identified four general needs of the audience that they
seek to gratify using media, which are surveillance, personal identity, personal
relationships, and diversion. Surveillance means the need to find out what's
going on in the world around us. The need for knowledge suggests that we
would probably be most likely to use such media output in order to gratify this
need. In this particular need, it could be said that the current state of radio
program content on masa stations gives their audience an idea of what is going
on in their environment. This content could give them a false idea of this world,
and in turn, imitate that world. Moreover, this could lead the audience to think
that this substandard programming is what is acceptable in the real world – that
to do whatever the host does is right on the ethical and technical aspect of radio
broadcasting, or to a greater extent, the real world. This is how the cultivation
theory of mass media will be used in this study.
Another need which will be addressed using the theory is that of personal
relationships. According to Underwood, certain social needs can be made
definite to satisfy the personal relationships need of the theory. These are:
We can find out how other people live.
This could mean that the audience can learn how the actors and more
importantly the characters they play, go through life and somehow relate to them
and brand them as good, if they like what they are viewing or listening to, or stay
away from if they see them as bad influences. The fact of the matter is, in the
P a g e | 26
Philippines, very few people know better. Most of the audiences do not know
which to brand good and which to brand bad, which to follow and which to stay
away from. Their judgment may be clouded by partially manipulated claims of
media entities – that they are number one in Metro Manila, that they are the
coolest in Metro Manila, that they are Kapamilya or Kapuso.
We can identify with people in the media and thus gain a sense of belonging.
We can use the media as a source of things to talk to other people about - I can remember a highly intellectual colleague who refused to have a TV in his home while his children were little. As soon as they started school, though, he went out and bought one because they were isolated from other schoolchildren, as they hadn't a clue about any of the programmes the others talked about.
With the given theory that directly concerns motives and gratifications for
and from media use, plus the whole process of finding out how people consume
media, it can be safely assumed that masa format is being proliferated. People
would identify with programs and gain a sense of belonging to them, like they
become part of it. Before they know it, they would have been absorbed by the
system that puts much bearing and importance on commerce. They could also
use masa content to talk to friends about, thus the proliferation. They could talk
to friends about the quality of the program and perform some level of evaluation.
That would be an improvement because they would determine and in turn,
generate awareness on the downsides (should any exist) of the masa format, but
only a few people realize that it may be substandard, that it may be the last thing
that the people require. It is a fact that it takes above average brainpower to
approximately evaluate media content and even more to comprehend that what
they’re hearing may not be done in great taste. (Mass Media – Effects Research)
P a g e | 27
Conceptual Framework
Combining the two aforementioned theories, a more complex, cyclic
conceptual model of the media consumption process is formed. The model for
the Uses and Gratifications Theory is used as base and that of the Cultivation
Theory as an elaboration as to what happens on the sidelines in varying levels.
On the conceptual level, the communication cycle begins with a listener or
viewer's motives for media consumption. Depending on his motives, the
frequency of his exposure to media and his levels of focus, attentiveness,
involvement during the communication process may vary. If his reasons for
consuming media include gratification of certain social needs, and they are
gratified, these reasons may be further strengthened and more motives may be
added. If they are not satisfied, his reasons may be deconstructed and other
motives may be used to replace the old ones that did not get fulfilled. Simply put,
the more of his motives turn out to be fulfilled or gratified, the more frequent he
will consume media, the more attentive and focused he will be to the content
channeled through them, and the more likely he will consume media for the same
reasons in the next cycle. This all depends on how the listener or viewer
perceives the effects achieved at the end of the gratification process. The said
effects, together with other information as highlighted in the Cultivation Theory of
Mass Media will aid in building a new, perceived social reality.
While cycle moves from one process to the next, certain things happen on
the sidelines. When a media consumer decides to expose himself to more
broadcast material, he will receive more information that will help him establish a
new social reality. He will more likely think of what he sees on television, reads
P a g e | 28
in the paper, or hears on the radio as an encompassing reality that should
normally occur to him and other individuals of his immediate environment. Such
reception and comprehension may be filtered by the listener or viewer's learning
skills and past life experiences that may help or hinder the absorption of
information, and determine how he will value it once absorbed, whether positively
or negatively.
P a g e | 29
P a g e | 30
Operational Framework
On a more specific perspective, we take a look at a listener's media
utilization cycle starting from his motives to the effects of his radio listening
experience and back to his reinforced or deconstructed motives.
The listener starts his listening experience with a handful of motive in
mind. He wants to be entertained. He wants to know what his peers and the
other members of his immediate surroundings do, what they do with their radio
transistors, which stations they listen to, and what they acquire from listening to
the programs. He discovers elsewhere that his peers listen to masa FM stations
and wants to know what it is about these stations that they like. By gathering
these bits of information, he gains a sense of belongingness with others. He
considers these motives very important because by fulfilling them, he becomes
part of the group and eliminates the chance of him being ostracized or isolated
from the group. Such priority given to these needs dictate how long and often he
will listen to masa radio, i.e. three to six hours in a day, on a regular basis.
One method of how the listener uses radio is to gratify his social needs.
He wants to know how other people live. He wants to identify with people in the
media and therefore feel normal about himself. He wants to be entertained.
These needs are gratified and in effect, the listener forms a conclusion regarding
his experience, masa as a format, and radio as a broadcast medium. The
listener generalizes that radio is for entertainment, and for so he can discover
new things about which to talk to people. He believes that masa format is
effective and sufficient. He knew what he wanted from masa radio and it
delivered. He will make entertainment a staple objective in listening to the radio
P a g e | 31
the next time he engages in another radio listening experience.
Apart from affecting the listener's motives in the next media consumption
cycle, these effects/conclusions will also contribute to the listener's picture of
reality in general. He will accept the ideas that radio is primarily used for
entertainment, and that radio and other media outfits are not credible enough to
handle hard news, as fact.
When the listener's needs are gratified, he will believe that this is the
purpose that radio must serve him, his peers, and his society. This will constitute
to his construction of the new social reality. Other factors that are involved in the
process are the listener's learning skills, his environment, and certain personal
experiences. The learning skills of the CDE classes could range from excellent
to poor, but that of the majority will border between slightly above average to
poor. This doesn't help when we are on the subject of perception because their
evaluation and judgment can be easily clouded and fooled by false claims of
leadership and excellence broadcast on the airwaves. The reality that probably
millions of listeners perceive is that radio is there for their entertainment. That
they should only pay attention to it when they're bored and they want to kill some
time. That they should only tune in to discover new trends should they notice
any changes in their peers' routines so they can do it as well and avoid being
ostracized from the group. Such perceptions of a less than ideal social reality will
eventually materialize and their impacts will kick in soon after. The impacts
include further proliferation of masa FM radio and deterioration of the credibility
of media in general. They will no longer seek important, need-to-know-ASAP
information from radio because they have already set their expectations from the
P a g e | 32
medium. Any more than they expect will be considered overkill and this may
drive them away from using radio.
P a g e | 33
P a g e | 34
CHAPTER 4 – METHODOLOGY
Research Design
In the study, the dominant-less dominant model of combined design will be
used, focusing more on the qualitative paradigm utilizing interviews with listeners
of masa FM and the station management as well. This is to derive knowledge
from both sides of the mass communication process – the audience perception
and reception of the said broadcast format, and the business, political, social,
and ethical intentions of the stations’ management department - and try to
construct an evaluation of the information and make them meet halfway.
The research design will be complemented by quantitative methods of
research, through acquisition of relevant, contextual quantitative data from
leading media research and national institutions to ensure utmost credibility. The
gathered data will be used to present readers with a background and describe
the current state of mainstream media consumption in the broadcast radio
industry. The types of these data include urban FM radio ratings tables and
population estimates.
Subjects of the Study
WRR 101.9, YesFM, and Love Radio 90.7 – listeners of these stations will
be interviewed with an initial set of interview questions, while other questions are
being added depending on each individual’s answer to particular questions, to
converse with other members of the audience about their impressions, likes and
dislikes of the stations to which they listen. There will be no exact figures for
each of the masa stations. From these three stations, a pool of listeners will be
P a g e | 35
selected, not necessarily obtaining the same number for each masa station. The
study only acknowledges the dichotomy that involves masa and non-masa FM
stations, and not the very subtle differences occurring among the stations within
the same particular grouping. To generalize, listeners of each half would
basically be the same type of people, who prefer essentially the same kind of
listening material.
Methods and Procedures
Interviews will be the key instrument utilized to support the propositions,
hypotheses, and assumptions undertaken by this study. It is this advantage of
the qualitative paradigm over the quantitative to draw a unique picture and build
a personal character of each of the individual respondents which the researcher
hopes to utilize. The listeners will be asked to define their listening habits, their
comments on the programs to which they listen, and what they perceive as the
advantages, disadvantages, and effects of the communication process. Another
set of interview questions will be prepared for station management executives to
gain an in-depth perspective of the station’s goals and thrusts.
Historical background of masa FM formation will be included in the data
gathering process to act as a base and guide for other relative data that will be
collected. Interviews with program managers and executives of masa stations
will also be used to construct the backbone of the study.
To provide credible opinions, an expert in Filipino Psychology, a cultural
worker, and a sociologist will also be interviewed. Their views on the masa
format’s effects and impacts on the listeners’ daily lives will be incorporated into
P a g e | 36
the data presentation, and will facilitate better understanding through
comprehensive, interdisciplinary analysis.
To supplement the qualitative study, quantitative data will be acquired
from research institutions and statistical offices, such as the Nielsen Media
Research Department of AC Nielsen Philippines (for ratings based on market
share percentages and target audience rating points), the National Statistics
Office for approximate population count of masa radio’s target market, and
others.
Data Analysis and Procedures
Data gathered will be evaluated putting more weight on the effects of
masa radio programming. The effects will be determined by asking respondents
how they feel about listening to masa radio, what they have learned (as with the
theory of out-of-school education) so far, what things have changed in their lives
since they started listening to masa radio stations, their comments and
suggestions regarding the programs, and how they would feel if they had the
chance to get their voice heard by providing more significant programs that
actually make them feel involved.
Gathered data will be evaluated and analyzed to form a general
conclusion that will either prove or disprove the presented hypotheses and
assumptions, and answer the problems stated and fulfill the objectives of the
study. They will be analyzed in relation to the possible eminent effects of present
FM radio content on its audience. The effects, together with the psychographics
and demographics of the experiment subjects, will be tabulated and any
P a g e | 37
correlations observed among them will be presented.
The direct effects stated by the respondents themselves will be analyzed
in such a way that the impacts, the true meaning of these effects will be
determined in a socio-cultural perspective. Case in point, if the respondent says
his primary motive for listening to the radio (masa stations) is to derive comic
relief from the hardships of everyday life, it will be interpreted as a lowering of
standards for and expectations from radio and media in general. This may also
be interpreted as a deterioration or even eventual loss of the long sought-after
media credibility. Additionally, the affected percentage out of the total number of
respondents will be added to the table. The higher the number of respondents
exhibiting the same effect, the more the effect can be said to be widespread, and
the more powerful the impact is, compared to an effect that presents in only a
few respondents/listeners.
P a g e | 38
CHAPTER 5 – DATA PRESENTATION
Results and Discussion
The audience. In any media outfit imaginable – television, radio, print –
there is not a single aspect of the broadcast communication process more impor-
tant than the audience. They must be given utmost importance and priority for
they are the lifeline of any given television or radio network. Literally, in terms of
number, they make up the biggest part of the process. Just how many listeners
does a single radio station serve?
Seventy-nine percent (79%) of households in the Philippines own a form
of radio tuner/receiver. Eighty-seven (87%) of these households utilize their radio
units by listening at different times of the day. In a survey conducted in July of
2005 by Asia Research Organization, Inc., a Gallup International member, the re-
sults showed that 2,026,239 households in Metro Manila, and 10,312,506 house-
holds outside Metro Manila, own a radio. Of course, not all these households
tune in to the same station at the same time, but the number of listeners switch-
ing on the radio at random times that could be generated from these figures
could start, conservatively speaking, at thousands. These massive figures only
help emphasize the importance of the final aspect of the broadcast process.
(Survey: TV viewing level 94%; radio listening, 87%, KBP)
But then, with the current trend of masa stations dominating the ratings table
since the advent of the contemporary format, “conservative” is not a way to describe the
figures they rake in. According to the ratings sheet provided by Vince Angeles, Senior
Executive in Client Sales of the Media Research Department of AC Nielsen Philippines,
P a g e | 39
the three market leaders are Love Radio 90.7, WRR 101.9, Yes FM 101.1 as of the first
quarter of 2006.
Market : MegaDemographic : All People 10+Survey : Survey #1 2006Session : Mon-Sun 12:00 MN-12:00 MNPl. of Listening : (C) All Places
Ranking Call Sign
TARP %
Share %
1 Love Radio 90.7 dzmbF 3 32.52 WRR 101.9 dwrrF 1.7 18.43 Yes FM 101.1 dyesF 1.1 11.94 iFM 93.9 ifmF 0.55 65 Campus Radio / Barangay LS 97.1 dwlsF 0.34 3.76 Star FM 102.7 dwsmF 0.33 3.67 DM 955 95.5 dwdmF 0.32 3.48 Home Radio 97.9 dwqzF 0.32 3.49 Mellow Touch 94.7 dwllF 0.32 3.410 WRock 96.3 dwrkF 0.27 2.911 Energy FM 91.5 dwkyF 0.2 2.112 RJ 100 100.3 dzrjF 0.17 1.913 Wave 89.1 dwavF 0.14 1.514 Magic 89.9 dwtmF 0.13 1.415 Monster Radio RX 93.1 dwrxF 0.11 1.216 NU 107 dwnuF 0.06 0.717 Crossover 105.1 dwbmF 0.05 0.518 Joey 92.3 dzruF 0.03 0.319 K-Lite 105.3 dwkxF 0.03 0.320 Blazin' 105.9 dwlaF 0.02 0.221 Jam 88.3 dwjmF 0.02 0.222 The Master's Touch 98.7 dzfeF 0.01 0.223 Business Radio 104.3 dwbrF 0.02 0.224 RT 99.5 dwrtF 0.01 0.125 Dream FM 106.7 dwetF 0.01 0.1
Total 11.18 -
Table 2. Ratings table of all FM radio stations in Metro Manila portraying the domi-nance of masa stations being discussed in this study.
Table 4 shows that all masa FM stations, with the exception of Energy FM,
are at the top of the ratings table. Love Radio 90.7 leads WRR 101.9 by 14.1
points on the market share percentage category. The first upscale station that
enters the roster is Home Radio 97.9, which trails the leader by a staggering 29.1
P a g e | 40
points. It is interesting to note that Dream FM 106, probably the most upscale
FM station airing mostly instrumental jazz and employing no disc jockeys or
spiels whatsoever in their programming, falls at the bottom of the list. Some the-
ory can be derived that the more upscale and exclusive the image of the station
is, the smaller its potential market becomes. The information contained in this ta-
ble is enough to conclude that masa stations truly dominate the ratings race. For
the purpose of clarification, TARP stands for target audience rating point, which
Multi Media Buying & Planning Services Pty. LTD defines as “the percentage of a
specific target audience viewing a program at the time.” The same information
source cites an example of how TARP is used (in television). (Multi Media Buying
and Planning Services FAQ)
For example - an advertiser has a specific target audience women 25-39 and wants to know how a program performs for this target. If 21% of women 25-39 in Sydney watch “Desperate Housewives” we could also say that the TARP for the show in this mar-ket is 21.
Following this definition, the information says that 3% of the all people
aged 10 and above (10+ population) in Metro Manila listen to Love Radio 90.7 at
different times between noon and midnight, 1.7% listen to WRR 101.9, and 1.1%
to Yes! FM. These percentages may seem small, but when multiplied to the 10+
population, the product could be overwhelming. A very conservative estimate of
the 10+ market could start at 1,000,000 persons, which when multiplied to the top
three’s TARP %, would yield 30,000, 17,000, and 11,000 listeners respectively.
But of course, nothing is ever conservative with the thriving business of masa ra-
dio. Information released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in January of 2003
showed that there are far more than 1,000,000 persons in the National Capital Region. In
the Census of Population and Housing conducted by the NSO in the year 2000, figures
P a g e | 41
have been announced for each age bracket, from 1-4 years old up to 80 and over. This is
the most recent information the NSO could provide because national census is being con-
ducted again this year (2007). (National Capital Region: Close to 10 Million Persons)
Age Group Total Population
Male Female Sex Ratio
National Capital Region
9,932,560 4,877,842 5,054,718 96.5
Under 1 255,191 131,657 123,534 106.58
1 to 4 956,161 490,125 466,036 105.17
5 to 9 1,045,297 536,296 509,001 105.36
10 to 14 914,010 461,142 452,868 101.83
15 to 19 970,920 454,275 516,645 87.93
20 to 24 1,090,487 506,550 583,937 86.75
25 to 29 984,618 477,951 506,667 94.33
30 to 34 865,349 430,622 434,727 99.06
35 to 39 713,170 354,564 358,606 98.87
40 to 44 607,853 303,085 304,768 99.45
45 to 49 474,156 237,694 236,462 100.52
50 to 54 367,402 183,817 183,585 100.13
55 to 59 219,070 106,834 112,236 95.19
60 to 64 182,938 84,971 97,967 86.73
65 to 69 118,975 53,031 65,944 80.42
70 to 74 78,102 33,439 44,663 74.87
75 to 79 45,707 17,662 28,045 62.98
80 and over 43,154 14,127 29,027 48.67
Total Population 10+ 7,675,911
Table 3. Total Population by Age Group, Sex and Sex Ratio: National Capital Region, 2000 supplied by the National Statistics Office, revised to include the total population of the 10+
market measured by AC Nielsen’s TARP %.
Assuming the population hasn’t changed from 2000 until the end of 2005
(which tames the figures a little because the population always grows from year
to year), a close approximation can be derived from the data presented on Ta-
bles 4 and 5. The individual TARP % (converted to decimal form) of the radio
stations from Table 4 is multiplied by Total Population 10+ (7,675,911 persons)
P a g e | 42
found on Table 5 to yield the number of listeners of each of the Top 7 [masa] ra-
dio stations, everyday from 12NN to 12MN.
Radio Station TARP % Number of Listeners
Love Radio 90.7 3 230,277WRR 101.9 1.7 130,490Yes FM 101.1 1.1 84,435iFM 93.9 0.55 42,217Campus Radio / Barangay LS 97.1 0.34 26,098Star FM 102.7 0.33 25,330DM 955 95.5 0.32 24,562
Table 4. Approximation of the Top 7 masa station’s audience base, based on TARP % and the total population of their demographic: all people 10+.
These numbers showing how the market is heavily collected into only a
handful of masa stations were put in plain words by Jose Maria Bartolome, for-
mer faculty member of the University of the Philippines Department of Psychol-
ogy and now Head of the Program Analysis Department of GMA Network. The
success of masa radio stations, he said, is completely understandable due to the
composition the Philippine market. Bartolome stated that the masa, socio-eco-
nomic classes D and E make up 70% of the population, which makes them the
biggest market. Combined with C2, or lower middle class which comprises 20%
of the market, the sheer volume of potential listeners help masa radio stations
lead the race. Also, as a side comment, he pointed out that radio is literally a
mass medium. It was originally intended to be utilized by the masses. And that
is what is happening now. Below is an illustration of Bartolome’s description of
the Philippine market profile.
P a g e | 43
Figure 3. Composition of Philippine market described by GMA Network’s Jose Maria Bar-tolome.
With this market composition, Bartolome could safely assume that one of
the most important, and most apparent, reasons why masa stations flourish as a
business and as a media entity in Metro Manila is language. Why is it that Love
Radio and the other masa stations top the charts? “Kasi sa Pilipinas, ang mga
tao, Pilipino. Hindi Amerikano,” Bartolome said matter-of-factly. Language is the
most prevalent means of verbal communication, and if nobody understands what
you are saying, how can you effectively communicate to the people who do not
speak or understand English? The answer to this he said is you just cannot.
Aware of the sharing of the same audiences between television and radio,
wherein media consumers listen to radio while not viewing television, and they
view television while not listening to the radio (this can be easily deduced by
looking at the non-coinciding primetime schedules of radio and television), Bar-
tolome cites the programming of ABS-CBN and GMA as an example. These
characteristics shared by both radio and television make the argument of alluding
to television programming qualities and procedures all the more logical. He said
that viewers will most usually not hear anyone speak fluent English in the shows.
Why? Because the moment one speaks English on television, the ratings will
P a g e | 44
tremendously drop, to the point that it is no longer feasible to sustain the busi-
ness with such programming and language. Exemplifying Japanese cartoon
shows on local TV, he said that 90% of the market will choose to watch the
shows dubbed in Tagalog than those dubbed or subtitled in English. The mo-
ment English is heard, the market narrows down to just 10% of all possible view-
ers, even hardcore Japanese cartoon fans.
He went on to discuss the literacy of the average viewer. Many Filipinos
can speak and understand English, but the masa or C2-DE market’s understand-
ing of English is very limited. Yes, they can speak a few English words or even
construct a simple sentence in the language, but full-blown English programming
is something that they will not be able to handle for a sustained period. This,
again, brings us back to the reason why masa stations are top Filipino favorites
compared to upscale, English-speaking radio stations. The sheer volume, up to
90%, of those who would prefer to listen or view Tagalog programming, is what
keeps the masa radio industry alive and thriving. The use of the listeners’ native
tongue is, after all, the main attraction and marketability leverage of masa sta-
tions such as Love Radio, WRR, and YesFM.
An interesting question to ask, though, is “Will English programming force
listeners to learn English so they can understand the shows better?” It is very
hard to say. But the more eminent presence of English programming could defi-
nitely help raise curiosity, awareness, and knowledge on the importance of learn-
ing the language. Popularization of the language is the key, which is somehow
different from the trivialization of English that masa stations indirectly execute.
And even after then, after learning effective English communication skills, how
P a g e | 45
will these skills be utilized to give the listeners the edge in life? How can speak-
ing English help them get more out of life? Basic English is recommended for
everyone to acquire knowledge in. But the value of fluency in English to those in
the C2-DE market is open to debate. Some will say it will help them tremen-
dously in their endeavors, some will question how advanced English skills can
help an ice cream vendor, or a janitor, experience progress in his career.
“Conservative” is not a way to describe the format they use for broadcast.
According to Love Radio Network Program Director Willie Espinosa, radical is
how they would most like to be perceived. They broke through the market with
such a unique format that was quite unheard of in metropolitan FM radio. This
topic shall be further discussed in the succeeding paragraphs.
Naturally, the researcher needed to know what the listeners of masa FM
stations thought of the programs, the announcers, the fashion of transmitting
messages, and the station’s image in its entirety. The researcher engaged in a
dialogue with the heart of the radio industry: the listeners. The masa FM radio
audience base is primarily composed of individuals and households from the
CDE social classes, as earlier stated by Espinosa of Love Radio. Reports con-
testing this marketing focus, stating that the upper AB classes are now their pri-
mary market, have been received. But Espinosa reiterated in a follow-up inter-
view that markets have not shifted. They still primarily cater to the CDE bracket.
The researcher gathered respondents whose job titles ranged from security
guards to canteen vendors to office workers, and finally, even to high school and
college students.
P a g e | 46
The researcher was able to get in touch with a total of 60 listeners distrib-
uted among Love Radio 90.7, YesFM 101.1, and WRR 101.9. The places of res-
idence of the respondents spanned from Payatas, Quezon City to the farther
parts of Manila, such as Tondo and Binondo. Ages were all within range of the
specified target audience of masa stations – all above the age of 10, up to the
later age of 56. Their exposure to the masa format ranges from one to seven
years. Those who have been exposed longer will be more likely to experience
certain effects than those who have been listening only for weeks. Similar to the
data acquired from AC Nielsen, the composition of the listeners showed that
even with a smaller number, the rankings still follow, with Love Radio leading by
far, and WRR and YesFM trailing behind, the latter not far behind the former.
The following table contains the distribution of the listeners among the three lead-
ing masa stations:
Station Number of Listeners % Share
Love Radio 90.7 36 59%
WRR 101.9 13 21.3%
Yes FM 12 19.7%
Total 61* 100%
Table 5. Distribution of Respondents Among Top 3 Masa FM Stations.
Even though there are only 60 respondents, the total tally shows 61 listen-
ers, because one of the respondents interviewed expressed that she listens reg-
ularly to all three stations. It can be seen that the majority of the respondents,
more than 50%, said they listen to Love Radio. The rest of the listeners were di-
vided almost equally between the following two, WRR and YesFM.
In all individual interviews, respondents were asked to describe their lis-
tening habits and experience, how they would rate the programs, how it has af-
P a g e | 47
fected their lives since they started and formed a habit, and how they would
change the current trends, if they had the chance. Below is a copy of the ques-
tions that were used in the interviews and questionnaires that the respondents
were asked to answer. The questions were phrased in Filipino after considera-
tion of the CDE market’s educational attainment and language literacy. The use
of the respondents’ native language eliminates potential noise and/or distortion in
the communication process. Noise can be brought on by confusion or miscom-
prehension which may arise from lack of knowledge in English.
Questions:Anong istasyon ang pinakikinggan mo?Gaano ka na katagal nakikinig rito?Bakit ka nakikinig sa istasyong ito? Ano ang iyong nakukuha mula rito?Masasabi mo bang may naging epekto sa'yo ang pakikinig sa istasyong
ito? Kung mayroon, anu-ano ang mga ito?Bakit hindi ka sa ibang istasyon nakikinig?Alam mo ba ang mga Inggles na istasyon? Nasubukan mo na bang
makinig dito?May natututunan ka bang masasabing mong mahalagang bagay mula sa
pakikinig sa istasyong ito?Kung may mga bagay kang gustong baguhin sa mga programang
pinakikinggan mo, ano ano ang mga ito?
In a pool of 60 listeners of the three masa stations, 41 of them said they
listen to these stations because they need a [comic] relief from their strenuous
day-to-day activities. These 41, making up 68% of the total number of respon-
dents, said they listened to masa stations for either learning jokes or learning
more about contemporary pop music – the tunes, the lyrics, and the chart top-
pers. They want to take their mind off things and they do this by listening to pro-
grams which usually feature trivial comments and situations. In particular, a secu-
rity guard from the UP Institute of Biology said everything about her work is taken
P a g e | 48
seriously, so she wanted to listen to something oriented in the opposite direction.
She said it is her way to unwind and forget, if only for a few moments, the usual
stressing demands of her job. This might be interpreted as an isolated case, but
then, it might prove to be a more generic phenomenon through the masa format’s
audience, affecting most members of the CDE market. Certainly, it is not only the
UP security guard who listens to masa stations for that reason. As more people
were engaged in this data gathering process, more of them admitted that they do
it for the exact same reason - a staggering 68% of the total number of respon-
dents listen for the sole purpose of entertainment. Thirty-one (51.7%) respon-
dents said they listen to the radio for the jokes, while nineteen (31.7%) respon-
dents said they listen to be updated in the local and international music scene.
This attraction was explained by Bartolome. He demonstrated a connection be-
tween this attraction and the common Filipino psychology. Defined as the way in
which Filipinos perceive things and how their culture determines whether some-
thing is desirable or not, common Filipino psychology is said to be consistent with
masa content. Bartolome elucidated that the masa stations’ features of popular
songs and popular jokes are appealing to the audience, in that they can easily re-
late to them. This is because these songs and jokes are consistent with other
aspects of the common Filipino’s experience. As with Love Radio’s Espinosa,
Bartolome believed that what the announcers say on air, and the theme of the
songs they play, are events that do happen in real life. True enough, discussions
with 60 respondents revealed that 18 (30%) of them tune in to the three masa
stations because they reflected the listeners’ daily activities and talked about
matters that concerned them. These same 18 listeners do not tune in to upscale
P a g e | 49
stations because they find the topics being discussed hardly relatable, or reflec-
tive of their own lives, and therefore boring.
Arlene Brosas, a cultural worker and a member of Musicians for Peace,
begins to give a socio-cultural assessment of masa FM by saying that “masa ra-
dio stations are formula.” She continued to explain that these stations are basi-
cally entertainment, plus programs that cater to the people’s religiosity. Brosas
clarified that, more than attraction, it is a case of this-is-only-what-you-need, or
this-is-only-how-far-we-can-go. Her observation is that advertisers, the govern-
ment, and media owners who are also owners of other capitalist institutions are
the true dictators of what does and what does not go on air. She further justified
this observation by citing the failure of masa programs to provide meaningful in-
sights to issues that are significant to the masses, whether social, political, or
economic. Brosas said that such programs could be aired over the stations, but
they generally fall short of delving into the fundamentals of the issues. Case in
point, stations really intent on fleshing out the president’s impeachment issues
can only be left to the imagination. One very important point that can be taken
against masa FM stations is information gate-keeping. Through information
gate-keeping, some topics are not discussed, while some are sensationalized.
The agenda of the station management can be determined by scrutinizing the is-
sues they choose to exaggeratedly report on, which, upon exposure, listeners will
be led to think is what is truly important to them. This is how Brosas arrived at
her conclusion that masa FM stations are structurally manipulative. They com-
municate the underlying message of importance and urgency to the audiences
by bombarding them with mostly borderline sensationalized issues. But then,
P a g e | 50
there is always the question of what is truly significant and what is pure media
hype. Additionally, masa FM stations are not the only media outfits that commit
the crime of sensationalism from time to time. Almost all, if not all, media outfits
sensationalize different issues for different reasons. Whatever these reasons are
is upon the discretion of the powers-that-be.
Filipino culture also makes the masa audiences vulnerably attracted to the
masa format, according to Arlene Brosas. She brought up the concepts of reli-
gious pacifism, escapism, addiction to melodrama, and games of chance which
have been present in masa culture since colonial times. Not only are these be-
haviors forged into Filipino culture, they are also continually perpetuated through
masa programming. Usual spiels of “tawanan mo ang iyong problema,” “ipag-
pasa-Diyos mo na lang,” and “swertihan lang iyan” are the most direct, verbal in-
dicators that these behaviors are being further cultivated in the listeners’ view so-
cial reality as part of the normal Filipino lifestyle. According to history, this was
how the ruling class afforded the masses to remain docile producers of wealth
whiles the former stayed in power.
When asked about learning through the programs, they said if their reason
was purely entertainment, there is obviously hardly any learning involved. They
did not learn much and they did not expect to. It is not in their agenda, so to
speak. They tune in for the songs and the announcers’ comments that they find
funny, not for the educational value of the programs. However, they said that at
some point, they learned a few things – a few trivial things. Examples of these
bits of information that they obtain are parts of the usual disc jockey spiel such as
the title of the song and the artist. In short, music scene updates, which as
P a g e | 51
stated earlier, comprised the agenda of 31.7% of the listeners. They are at most,
informed about new songs in the local music industry, particularly in the novelty
genre.
Bartolome of GMA 7 said that these findings are most understandable.
Very many people see the radio as a medium of entertainment, because that’s
what it really is. Radio, he said, is something you switch on when you’re bored,
when you have nothing else to do, or when you are doing something but still
want to hear some music. The main purpose of listening to the radio is to listen
to songs, not listen to hour-long talks on politics, or to introductory lectures on
science subjects such as biology and physics. “We have to accept the medium
for what it is,” Bartolome said. Indeed, it would be very peculiar to find someone,
a notebook and a pen in hand, writing away as he listens to the radio. No one
will listen to programs like the aforementioned because this is not the value of ra-
dio that culture/society has taught its people. What is ingrained in the minds of
the people is that radio [or even television] is nothing that should be taken seri-
ously. It’s just good for killing time.
True, listeners tune in for entertainment, and entertainment they get. If
this truly is the purpose of radio, then radio serves it purpose well. After all, en-
tertainment can entail a myriad of other things. After speaking with 60 listeners
from all walks life, the researcher found out that acquiring entertainment during
working hours can translate to a few benefits. Because of these jokes and songs
that the audiences truly enjoy, 38 out of 60 respondents or 63% believe that they
are in a better mood compared to not having the radio on in the background.
Better moods further translate to doing their jobs more efficiently, without taking
P a g e | 52
much notice of stress after long hours of work. Ignorance of stress could mean
less complaints especially from blue-collar workers. Respondents say they
hardly notice time passing by and the tremendous amount of work they have
done because at the end of the day, they still have that light and energetic feeling
that they derive from tuning in to masa programs. Listening to the programs also
make them forget, if only momentarily, about the hardships they face on a daily
basis. They forget their problems. A happy outlook in life, as Espinosa of Love
Radio expressed their goal image for their station, is what the listeners acquire
upon listening to the radio. It all seems a little escapist, but radio’s charm can
only work up to some extent. Through this lens, masa radio is beneficial.
But is radio really just for entertainment? Jokes and music? Are these the
only things listeners need? Radio is a much more powerful tool than just for en-
tertainment. The principal motivation for the invention of radio was to relay im-
portant messages. Where is this now? Through the proliferation of radio as an
entertainment-in-the-background-only medium, a new social reality is created.
This is explained by the Cultivation Theory of Mass Media. As the cycle contin-
ues, the audience will all be under the impression that this is the primary, even
sole, function of radio and other forms of broadcast media as well. The impres-
sion is strengthened over time, until it will be hard to convince them anymore that
radio can be such an informative and persuasive tool that can be used for things
other than killing time. Currently, this essential character of radio is being over-
looked – overshadowed by the business of making money. Broadcast radio will
only be taken for granted, and will no longer be taken seriously by its audiences.
It will become a medium of communication that is hardly reliable. This is the new
P a g e | 53
social reality that masa radio has begun. And its target market is under the im-
pression that it is an acceptable condition. The study found out that only a small
number of listeners had comments or grievances on the programs of the stations
they tune in to. Out of the total 60, only 4 listeners or 6.7% thought that the sta-
tions should improve the programs by changing the way DJs delivered their
spiels, adding more segments that tackle current affairs, helping listeners elevate
their knowledge by airing segments that contain practical knowledge, or by hav-
ing more promotions that give out financial rewards, thereby helping to ease the
financial burdens of the listeners. Eleven (11) others, or 18.3%, want changes in
the music that is played. Eight other listeners, or 13.3%, believed some of the
stations’ jokes to be morally offending, especially those that feature sexual innu-
endos. These listeners want to put a stop on the airing of these so-called green
jokes. Lastly, three respondents, or 5%, would like shorter commercial breaks so
they could enjoy more music. All the others, unfortunately, are fine with how the
stations are programmed. What does this mean? It means that the audiences
have become less critical media consumers. The numbers prove that the listen-
ers have become more passive in this particular communication process. It can
be said that anything is acceptable to them, as long as they are not affected di-
rectly (that they know of). Ideally, all consumers, even media consumers, must
be critical and value-seeking in all goods and services that they consume, even if
with mass media consumption, the goods/services do not come with a monetary
value. Still, time is spent, and time is something valuable that should be ex-
changed for something of equal or even greater value.
P a g e | 54
Espinosa reports that they have received complaints from a few entities
regarding their programs, the way their jocks handle them and how they commu-
nicate to the listeners, but he defends their format by saying that their whole op-
eration is governed by the KBP Code of Ethics. He stated that although their ap-
proach may be considered radical and unorthodox, they still function within the
bounds of ethical broadcasting.
Going back to the needs of society, how can the needs and the wants of
the listeners be reconciled? Apparently, most listeners think that they are getting
what they need from radio as a broadcast medium, because the remaining 55 out
of 60, or 91.7% believe that masa programming is good enough for them with the
exception of a few minor details. Listeners need more avenues for education
other than those which the Philippine educational system provides. Apparently,
six respondents or 10% think so because they try to derive other types of infor-
mation for their radio listening experience than just sexy jokes and music. These
six listeners expressed that they learned much from the advice segments on how
to deal with family issues and romance- and work-related problems. These seg-
ments are usual offerings from masa radio stations such as Love Radio. Ramil
Bastillo, a security guard at the University of the Philippines, even said that he
learned how to express himself better and tell stories more effectively after listen-
ing to Love Radio 90.7 for more than three years. Still, the question is, how can
the media be used in the dialectics of society and individual to shape listeners
into more critical, value-seeking audiences? How can radio be used to transform
the concept of the listeners of what is truly necessary in this day and age? This
is more of a question of cultural transformation than anything else, but one sug-
P a g e | 55
gestion of the researcher would be to popularize the concept of edutainment.
Put quite simply, edutainment is the marriage of entertainment and education.
Times Multimedia, subsidiary of The Times of India Group which is a media con-
glomerate with more than 160 years of industry experience, defines edutainment
as “a revolutionary new concept in learning that combines education with enter-
tainment.” This concept has long been used in the programming of children’s
shows, such as Sesame Street on television. These shows were aired to help
educate children on rudimentary skills, such as arithmetic, communication, and
good manners and proper conduct. Even in children’s computer games, the edu-
tainment technique is used such as in the CD-ROM products of Times Multime-
dia. A specifically formulated version of edutainment can be used to aid learning
in listeners through playfully written radio programs embedded with practical
knowledge. (Times Multimedia FAQ’s)
Moving on, three college students from the University of the Philippines
were interviewed regarding the reach of masa stations. The students agreed that
the stations have tremendous reach across the country. Even they themselves
are included in this. When they take the bus to school or some other place, most
of the time, the driver is tuned in to Love Radio. In a sense, they are somehow
forced to listen because apparently, they cannot easily (or even possibly) tune
the sound out, especially if they are traveling alone. One of the interviewees said
that for every five times that she takes the bus or any other PUV, she notes that
there are about two or three instances where masa radio is playing in the back-
ground. That translates to a 40-60% chance of “stumbling upon” masa radio
when accessing public transportation. The students are, most of the time, fully
P a g e | 56
amenable to this. They are only apathetic to what’s playing and what the host is
talking about in the background. One of the students said, “It’s okay. I don’t get
affected at all. I neither got depressed nor entertained by listening to them.”
When asked about gathering any information from the programs, they said they
usually don’t learn anything new from them. The topics discussed by the hosts
are very light and very trivial to them. Espinosa also confirms this. He stated that
they do not wish to air textbook information to their listeners. He believes that,
however limited the learning endeavor is, the quality of the content they air re-
lates to their listeners’ real lives. The hosts cite real-life situations that most peo-
ple don’t really mind anymore, such as when taking the bus or jeep to get to
school or work. He supposes that people want to know about these little things.
The listeners on the other hand, have mixed reactions. Others, such as these
three university students, believe that the triviality of their material is one of the
factors that bring the masa format to a disadvantage.
It is another story for a different set of students. If the college students pre-
sented in the preceding paragraph did not make the choice to listen to masa FM
stations, the researcher found others who did make the decision among them-
selves, and are influenced in a more active level by the system: the bandwagon
effect. It is one theory that turned out to be enough reason and justification to
support masa radio. In a discourse with two high school students, they said they
listen to masa station WRR 101.9 because their friends listen to it. When they get
together at school, they talk about the announcers that they admire. Others ad-
mitted they did not want to listen to the station at first, but they felt left out in the
conversations their friends were having, and finally started to join the band-
P a g e | 57
wagon. Now that they are familiar with and are accustomed to the station’s pro-
grams, they can talk to their friends about it and even invite more people to join
them.
It has been expressed earlier that the masa stations primarily cater to the
CDE market. But Espinosa of the Love Radio network said that in most recent
market research results, they found out they were able to capture the entire
spectrum, from the A-class to the E-class. Indeed, this vast market range entails
a considerable deal of influence over the audiences. The researcher asked the
respondents how they think their listening experience with masa programs has
affected their lives.
Most respondents, at first, could not readily answer the question. It re-
quired thorough assessment of how the stations they have tuned in to have af-
fected them over the years. Some respondents named personal influences that
the format has brought to them. Thirty-eight (38) respondents said they feel
happy and entertained whenever they listen to the radio, owing to the stations’
general theme of “a happy outlook in life”, and that is one of the reasons they
have made listening a daily habit. So whenever they feel depressed, tuning in to
the radio had proven to be a solution. After this, the respondents had a hard time
identifying another advantage (that they are aware of) of supporting masa radio.
The listeners were actually surprised that they could not specify any other bene-
fits, or effects of something that they have spent a lot of their time in over the
past years. The interviews concluded that the choice they made of listening to
masa radio was a totally carefree one. It was one that did not demand a lot of
thinking or scrutinizing. In some cases, it was not even a decision to tune in to
P a g e | 58
masa radio. For example, one respondent said that he tunes in to YesFM be-
cause it was the only station that his transistor could receive. But overall, the re-
spondents confessed it was a matter of feeling, determining which format (masa
or non-masa) catered to their taste, tickled their emotions, and imitated and re-
lated to their characters as ordinary citizens. Moreover, it was a matter of getting
used to the station’s programming, and afterwards being a loyal listener to that
one station. Thirty (30) respondents, or 50% of the total, stated that they do not
listen to any other station than the one they currently listen to.
Below is a table of effects on the listeners, and the subsequent impacts of these ef-
fects. Effects are examined through multidisciplinary lenses to arrive at the impacts.
Percentages of the affected individuals are computed based on how many respondents
displayed the said effects and are likely to experience the subsequent impacts.
Effect Impact Affected %
Listeners acquire enter-tainment from masa ra-dio. The first options for entertainment are televi-sion and radio.
The other, more important aspects of radio are overlooked. The role of broadcast media in the daily lives of the listeners is devalued
as purely an avenue for entertainment.
68.3%
Listeners believe that no changes should be made to the programming of the masa radio station they listen to.
Listeners have become progressively pas-sive over the years. Ignorance of possible long-term effects of stagnant programming becomes rampant. Listeners also become less critical of the content they receive. Air-ing of grievances is no longer an option for
listeners.
91.7%
Listeners consider jokes aired on masa radio as important to their radio lis-tening experience.
The concept of what is necessary and what is important and significant to their daily lives
has gone off course in today’s media con-sumers.
51.7%
Listeners do not switch to other stations, remaining loyal to a single station.
Brand affinity has infiltrated the broadcast media. Blind loyalty to one particular station can hinder learning through experimentation and acquiring fresh perspectives on issues. It could facilitate in making the consumers
50%
P a g e | 59
become less open-minded.
Very few listeners do ac-quire new significant knowledge from listening to masa radio.
Through mental conditioning over the years, the media have helped consumers become less receptive to brand-new, relevant infor-
mation, and alternative perspectives, as a re-sult of the cultivation of Effect No. 1.
90%
Listeners are cheered up by listening to masa sta-tions’ comic content. They feel happy, relieved, and in better moods.
The concept of radio is transformed from an intellectual tool to an emotional one. Listen-ers are made to think that effects that could be derived from radio listening should have no intellectual value at all. Due to this, the perceived importance of radio is lowered. Again, this impact is compounded through
Effect No. 1
63.3%
Listeners avoid upscale, English broadcast sta-tions because they find them boring, and because the primary medium of communication is English.
Learning how to speak functional English is made trivial by the presence of masa FM sta-
tions. With the option of Tagalog stations, the CDE market, or those who really do need education in English, will no longer explore
English stations at the very least. Existence of masa radio somehow hinders learning of
the global language.
---
Table 6. Table of Effects, Impacts, and Affected % of masa stations on listeners.
Cultural worker Arlene Brosas has her own interpretation of the possible
effects of masa FM radio on listeners and the Filipino society. She said that the
format effectively contributes to the perpetuation of social inequity to the detri-
ment of the masses. In actuality, the audiences are exposed a very anti-masa
culture in a very unobtrusive way. The escapist behavior surreptitiously forced
upon them denies them critical thought over the social structures that tie them to
poverty, while pacifist attitude denies them the opportunity to collectively assert
and fight for their rights. Subsequently, these effects add up to their miseduca-
tion by continually depriving them of the opportunity to comprehend the roots of
their impoverishment. She dismissed the attempts at public service of the sta-
tions as selective efforts and mere palliatives. These factors, Brosas stated, lead
P a g e | 60
the masa to accept their condition as the normal order of society. Ultimately,
Brosas arrived at the conclusion that the term “masa format” is actually a mis-
nomer, considering all of its aforementioned anti-masa effects and impacts on
the listeners and our society. She ended with a statement that what would be
beneficial for the listeners is to realize that masa content is actually detrimental to
them. Her suggestion is a socio-political awakening, much like the protest years
during the Marcos Dictatorship when radio and other forms of media were contin-
uously challenged for their accountability. This process, she said, led to more
public service, and more educational and current affairs content, compared to
pre-Martial Law broadcast state of affairs.
Listeners of masa stations tune in because they are only after pure enter-
tainment. They do not wish to extend their knowledge during the communication
process because they are already tired of their day jobs. This has become a
trend among the respondents whom the researcher interviewed. Subconsciously,
they have formed an opinion of radio, as a whole, as a device/medium only for
pure entertainment. They have established an entirely different social reality, by
extensive exposure to masa FM. Previous expectations, that the broadcast me-
dia have to perform and exhibit a sense of social service and responsibility, have
been diminished to that of pure leisure purposes. If this goes on for an even
longer period of time, the principal objective of the invention of radio, which is to
relay important messages in real time, will only be a thing of the past. Again, the
hope of utilizing edutainment for broadcast programming becomes even bleaker.
One of the most rudimentary tools of learning is imitation. And, no matter
how people deny that they have not learned a single essential thing from listen-
P a g e | 61
ing to the radio, they will have learned at least a thought by imitating what is be-
ing aired over the stations. By imitation, it is not meant that they mimic how the
announcers talk. Imitation as mentioned here is more similar to how they acquire
the same way of thinking and living as portrayed by the station to which they lis-
ten. Masa stations are laid out to broadcast happy, upbeat themes that turn out
to be indifferent to current affairs in the real world. This is what the people are
somehow encouraged to imitate. Tuning in to radio programs may be a pleasur-
able, enjoyable experience, but it also somehow persuades them to not mind the
more significant occurrences that are happening in their environment. This takes
away the substance of community, and they only care for events that directly in-
volve them on a personal level. The value of selflessness for the betterment of
the entire community, and our society, is overlooked for personal advantages.
Included in this indirect mental conditioning of radio as an entertainment
medium, is the trivialization of the learning of English as the Filipinos’ second lan-
guage. The listeners hear messages in Tagalog, the language they are most
comfortable with, and ask for nothing more. Unlike with high-end stations which
broadcast in English, with masa FM, they do not have to be alienated anymore.
They do not have to learn English to engage in the communication process with
radio, and with the people in their environment who discuss their radio listening
endeavors. They believe that if one wants to get close to another, one must
speak the language the other is comfortable with, and in this light, masa stations
have captured their taste. Radio can be seen as a great tool to disseminate infor-
mation and, to this end, could be considered a very useful instrument to convince
listeners to learn English. The importance of learning English, the global lan-
P a g e | 62
guage, could not be justified enough. Differences among people could be settled
if they spoke the same language, fostering understanding among them. Under-
standing leads to collaboration and collective effort, which is the key to progress.
Globalization has been the next big thing after the internet broke out, and it can
only be attained once the language barriers are brought down. Masa radio does
not put confidence in learning English. Au contraire, it could have trivialized the
need to learn it since its inception.
The bandwagon effect introduced in the previous chapters and earlier in
this chapter, if assessed and utilized properly, could put radio in a better direc-
tion. As confirmed in the latter part of the data gathering process, the high school
students who responded to the researcher’s questions said they started listening
to one masa radio station, WRR 101.9, because they thought all of their friends –
and partially in their ideology, everyone – was listening to the same radio station.
It is because before they were involved in the listening experience, they felt left
out whenever their friends talked about the radio programs. They felt isolated and
alienated. Some even felt discriminated against for having a different choice of
radio station. And the basic human response when people begin forming groups
in their environment, such as in this position, is to join the group. This is herd in-
stinct. One would usually go out of his way to feel involved, especially when if he
did not, he would feel isolated and alone. This puts pressure on an individual,
which could lead to decisions which have not been thoroughly evaluated for their
merits and/or demerits. In the high school students’ case, they did not care what
kind of content was broadcast over WRR 101.9, as long as they achieved the de-
sired end result – to join the herd and get involved in their exchange of thoughts.
P a g e | 63
If appropriately structured, the bandwagon effect could lead to favorable results
in social development. Take for example, light educational content (edutainment)
on English broadcast stations. Not everybody pays attention to this kind of mate-
rial. It is a niche. If individuals had the impression that this is the kind of material
that everybody listens to, by initiating group discussions where certain individuals
would feel isolated, they would try and put down the barrier that separates them
from the herd. By doing so, they gain knowledge of not only the language used
but also the substance per se. It may be considered manipulative in specific
ways, but the beauty of the end result of this system prevails far over its means.
It has been mentioned earlier that Love Radio received some complaints
regarding their programming. Whatever happened to the complaints? Well, they
are just that, complaints from some people that may never be noticed and heard
out. Besides, if the system works so well for the stations in question, why would
they change it because of a few entities who disapprove of their unorthodox ap-
proach? They have more than thousands of others who think otherwise and sup-
port them. They are a business after all, and they deliver to their consumers. In
the rules of business, not all consumers will be satisfied with your product or con-
tent, and this perhaps has been considered by the station management long be-
fore they even implemented the masa format.
Of course, it is most important to realize that the broadcast industry per se
is a commercial affair. Its actions and decisions will be impacted by current eco-
nomic factors. It is a business, and the management must do whatever it can to
maximize its profits for the benefit, primarily, of the owners, and secondarily, of
the company’s investors. In some instances, businesses have to degrade the
P a g e | 64
quality of their products to continue generating profits, at the expense on the end
of their consumers. But then again, as a business, it has to demonstrate an im-
pression of corporate social responsibility (CSR). What is corporate social re-
sponsibility? The Pearson Education website, a leading educational publisher
across Europe, Middle East, and Africa, defines CSR as the need for organiza-
tions to consider the good of the wider communities, local and global, within
which they exist in terms of the economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic impact
of their way of conducting business and the activities they undertake. According
to an article in the March 2006 issue of Entrepreneur Philippines, CSR is a phi-
losophy which gained momentum in the last decade as consumers, the media,
activists, and various groups started demanding that companies contribute to the
betterment of society. Throwing away the media card and just examining the
masa stations as different business institutions, they still owe the society in which
they exist something other than the basic services they provide. And this is one
of the important aspects on which masa radio fails to focus. Even if it would be
assumed that the content they provide satisfies the consumers’ (listeners’)
needs, masa radio stations do not have any recognized volunteer projects for the
benefit of the people who support their business. (Pearson Education Website;
It’s Good to Do Good, Entrepreneur Magazine)
But what, really, happens when somebody files a complaint against them?
Apparently, the station itself is not the best institution to approach regarding
one’s grievances. Of course, there is the KBP to go to and file the complaint,
then afterwards, the KBP will monitor the station’s material and decide if the com-
plaint holds true and the station operates beyond the boundaries of the KBP ra-
P a g e | 65
dio code. This process looks good on paper, but it is hardly accessible for a per-
son with limited resources (who are basically the target market of masa FM) to
go through the entire procedure. With today’s busy schedule of the average Fil-
ipino, one surely must go out of his way to write a paper describing his complaint,
go to the KBP office in Makati, and file the complaint there. Not everyone has the
time to do it, and more importantly, not everyone is action-oriented (as cultivated
by contemporary mass media). Within themselves they might be feeling revolted,
but they still would not cross their daily routine just to complete the task. The said
association could generate alternative ways to make filing complaints easier, like
an online portal where listeners could submit their letters, but that would only en-
compass listeners who, as well, have access to computers and the internet. Fur-
thermore, given the present situation of exceedingly passive listening habits,
people still won’t be motivated enough to file a complaint on matters that they
deem as inappropriate for broadcast on the radio. The KBP could initiate a cam-
paign motivating people to be active participants in the broadcast communication
process by providing feedback, although not instantaneously, on the material be-
ing aired over their favorite radio stations.
UPDATE: The KBP has recently informed the media consumers through
advertising spots on radio that they now process complaints that are filed through
short messaging service (SMS) or simply known as text in the Philippines. It is
dubbed by the organization as the Tell KBP Program. A listener, whether feeling
exultant or revolted by a particular program or radio station can send a text mes-
sage to KBP. Using a specific text syntax leased to the KBP, the message will
P a g e | 66
be received by the organization through a four-digit service number. Below is the
format that must be followed to guarantee delivery and receipt of the complaint.
Text Tell<space>KBP<space>Comment and send to 2968.
This is a considerable improvement and can be seen as KBP opening
more doors to accommodate listeners. This medium is very accessible to the lis-
teners as almost everyone in the Philippines owns a cellular phone. According to
the Manila Times Internet Edition which released in August of 2006 an article
called Text Messages hit 250M a day, at the end of 2005, there were 34.78 mil-
lion cell phone owners in the Philippines. Its concentration on radio (which is
quite distinct due to the fact that the service announcement only aired on radio
and not on television) is a good thing as well. There is always the MTRCB to
monitor television content. Radio listeners have long had the feeling that there is
nobody to tell whenever certain violations are made by media professionals, and
the thought that the KBP is only a text message away can be quite relieving.
There is a feeling of security for the listeners now. Plus, the convenience of SMS
is encouraging for listeners to air grievances or amusement concerning radio pro-
gramming.
Regular monitoring is what the KBP needs to do on its members’ content,
especially its radio constituents. They should function more like the Movie and
Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), which can instantly sus-
pend a program from airing within 24 hours that the violation was made. It will
need more manpower to accomplish this task, given that the KBP monitoring
team in its current state is very undermanned according to the organization’s for-
mer President Marinela Aseron, who as of this writing is also a director of the
P a g e | 67
KBP Standards Authority, but the societal benefits of this proposition far outweigh
its disadvantages, particularly regarding the cost of operations.
Masa programming has also affected its audiences in such a way that it
lowered the level of criticality among them. When asked how listening to the ra-
dio has affected their personal lives, the advantages of it that they are aware of,
the respondents alluded to one considerably subjective effect. They mentioned
enjoyment whenever they listen to the announcers’ jokes and side comments on
certain topics brought up, and additionally, the upbeat music being played, owing
to the overall theme of the masa stations to which they listen. Upon asking for
more, the researcher discovered that the respondents could not think of any
more positive or negative effects of their experience. This only underlines the fact
that people become less and less critical when exposed to this kind of material.
They could only cite one advantage/effect, and then nothing followed. Upon fa-
miliarity with the content, they somehow suddenly discontinue appraising the
value of the material and either just take it in or let it slip away. The media has a
responsibility to develop and instill critical thinking among its audiences. Evi-
dently, this is not the perfect example of responsible broadcasting.
P a g e | 68
CHAPTER 6 – SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Looking back at the stated objectives of the study, the researcher wanted
to determine the different causes, market forces, and socio-political influences
that made certain radio stations adopt masa programming. In connection to this,
the researcher also wanted to discover the conditions that make these radio
stations thrive in contemporary Philippine society. But the more significant
questions that the researcher intended to give answers to, through the study, are
the following: Does masa programming have any effect on its audiences and
Philippine society? What are these effects? How do these effects impact the
P a g e | 69
daily lives of the listeners? Ultimately, are these effects and impacts beneficial or
detrimental to media consumers and society and general?
Discussions with experts (a cultural worker, a psychologist and head of the
market analysis arm of a broadcast television network, and a program director of
the leading masa station in Metro Manila) and 60 listeners of masa FM radio
enabled the researcher to fulfill the objectives of the study. Quantitative data
acquired from an international media research company and the National
Statistics Office supported contextual descriptions that make the findings of the
study more meaningful.
Quantitave data supports the argument that broadcasting masa
programming makes a lot of business sense. The staggering volume of the
masa market, more than seven million persons in Metro Manila, is enough
reason for radio stations to either switch to masa format or continue airing such
programming. Station managements cannot afford the surplus income that could
be derived from broadcasting masa programs in exchange for upscale, pseudo-
developmental programs that feature more socially and politically insightful
current affairs coverage. These programs do not rate as much as masa
programs do, and in the industry, ratings are sacred. At the end of the day, the
managements’ decisions have to be in line with the motives and interests of the
owners of the media outfits and advertisers.
As for the effects, they can be concluded as mostly attitudinal – slight
variations in behavior. These effects include the acquisition of entertainment
from radio translating to better moods while carrying out tasks in the listeners’
jobs, formation of loyalty to a particular radio station, and giving importance to
P a g e | 70
trivial jokes aired over the stations. While these effects seem harmless, they tag
along certain implications that, once subjected to socio-cultural scrutiny, cannot
be taken for granted. The concept of radio as a medium of entertainment
relegates the value of the medium. Radio’s educational potential is
overshadowed by masa FM’s usual offering of jokes and trivial information. The
assistance it could provide in a cultural transformation to make listeners become
more critical and more value-seeking media consumers is not realized. Instead,
cultural perversion or distortion is what could be taking place in the era of masa
FM. For instance, the listeners believe jokes are necessary bits of information –
the juicy parts of their radio listening experience. The listeners are somehow
forced to partake in a new social reality, a new culture that shackles them to their
current economic state and social status. The new social reality that masa radio
could be helping to institute in the listeners’ mindset, through escapism and
religious pacifism, is that their socio-economic situation is normal, and that it is
consistent with the “normal” order of society. These implications make the task
of deciding whether masa format is beneficial or detrimental to the listeners, and
our society, all the more uncomplicated.
The effects of masa radio programming on its listeners and the society
could be summarized in a few words: diminishing expectations on radio as a seri-
ous developmental medium due to the proliferation of a subliminal for-entertain-
ment-purposes-only policy, eliminating the criticality among listeners that makes
them human beings capable of brain activity, widening the gap between the uti-
lization levels of television and radio, because audiences believe that TV is
somehow more credible than radio (and they should not be blamed), and further-
P a g e | 71
ing the language barrier among societies, cultures, and economies, as the cur-
rent masa format trivializes the need to learn English as a global language.
The indifference towards the developmental facet of radio will not help our
country move forward. Maybe it will not make us move backwards, either, but
would it not be better to have more avenues for progress and socio-cultural
development available to the people?
CHAPTER 7 – RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Given the unveiled weaknesses and shortcomings of the trend-setting
masa programming format, the researcher would like to recommend scholars to
pursue related studies in the structuring of a new and entirely different
development-motivated broadcast format to which the examined masa FM
stations could shift. It would be an exhaustive quest to find a format, suitable to
the established cultural and social settings where the Filipinos are, that would
communicate in a fashion with the potential to take off and be the next pop
culture. It would be a search for hard-hitting concepts that will organize and
P a g e | 72
implement a commercially viable, commercially sustainable, and at the same
time, socially and culturally profitable developmental broadcast system. It could
take immense resources, but with the main goal of social progress through
information and education, it could be more than worth all the time, effort, and
financial costs.
But before this could happen, it might be worth looking into a redefinition
of the concept of Development Communication. Still viewed as a communication
methodology instigated in the rural areas to effect knowledge, attitudinal, and
behavioral change in audiences, mainly farmers, the researcher believes
Development Communication can also be implemented in the urban broadcast
media to ameliorate the average Filipino’s quality of life. While the original
concept was intended to help farming communities learn about new technologies
and procedures to increase their produce and enhance its quality, the research
supposes the objectives can be revised to better suit the needs of urban Manila.
Farming is hardly an industry in the city, so that is out of the question. However,
there are so many other aspects of metropolitan living that can still be improved.
For example, raising awareness on topics that the masses usually deem trivial
can bequeath the listeners knowledge that will make them holistic. Through this,
culture is enriched, and will eventually advance. A redefinition need not entail
the whole concept to be transformed completely. More than anything else, the
study could be the tailoring of Development Communication according to the
needs of a different type of audience, and to the dictates of contemporary times
in which it would be designed to work. Researchers looking into carrying out this
study would have to realize the indicators of effective communication and adhere
P a g e | 73
to the foundations upon which the Development Communication was originally
established, which the Development Communication Division of the World Bank
Corporate Online Portal put quite simply in the article What is Development
Communication? World Bank’s DevComm is “divided into four areas of
expertise: Capacity Building & Knowledge Managment, Communications for
Sustainable Development in Operations, Operational Communications Support,
and Client Surveys. (What is Development Communication; DevComm Services)
All development requires some kind of behavior change on the part of stakeholders. Research shows that changing knowledge and attitudes does not necessarily translate into behavior change. In order to effect behavior change, it is necessary to understand why people do what they do and understand the barriers to change or adopting new practices. It is not enough to raise awareness of the "benefits", it is critical to understand peoples' barriers or the "costs" they perceive such a change would entail.
Meaningful communication is about getting information out to particular audiences, listening to their feedback, and responding appropriately. Whether discussing a development project or broader economic reforms — from health, education or rural development to private sector development, financial reform or judicial reform — the idea is to build consensus through raising public understanding and generating well-informed dialogue among stakeholders.
Interested researchers may also look into market research. Since it has
been established by the study that masa FM radio has the broadest range of
listeners encompassing the whole spectrum, scholars should try and find out how
the market would react if there was a sudden shift in formats. The market has
been accustomed to the same masa approach and it could take a while for them
to adjust once a new methodology is implemented. Then, should they conclude
that listeners would react only violently towards the agenda shift, the scholars
could formulate techniques to not give metropolitan Manila, literally, a big shock –
assuming, of course, that it is the fashion that the researchers decided to be best
for our society. If they would go for the more unorthodox way of storming
through the market and shocking them with a new system, as the pioneers of
P a g e | 74
masa radio did years ago, then there would be no need to smoothen the
transition so as not to defeat the purpose. It is ironic that it is still referred to as
unorthodox when, in fact, shock implementation (with little to no prior
introduction) has been done so many times in the media business.
If the two represented fields of research would be carried out and would
give favorable results, i.e. a fully working development-motivated (but still
commercially profitable) broadcast system for radio would have been formulated,
and market research would show that the audiences would be prepared to
embrace or accept new programming that could totally relate to their characters
and social situation, then it would best to study how the KBP would handle the
options they would be given.
Another topic regarding the KBP that could interest scholars would be the
effects of a retransformation of the said association. Currently, it can only
exercise limited power over its member stations and networks. The KBP follows
the policy of self-regulation and it expects its members to do so. It is a noble
policy and would work perfectly in the ideal world. But then, in the real world, the
problem within the system of the KBP could be rooted to this. It does not hold
enough power to suspend programs or networks from operating, and one
member could just resign from the association should they wish to. Researchers
might want to study what would happen if the KBP redesigned its system into
something like a merger between the MTRCB and the National
Telecommunications Communication (NTC). What would happen if the KBP (or
maybe even fashion a new name, but still to a certain extent of reference to the
old name for recognition) had the resources to regularly monitor the content aired
P a g e | 75
by each of its member networks and stations? What if it had the power to censor
irrelevant and possibly harmful messages contained within the programs? What
if it could revoke the license of a network, keeping it from further broadcasting
any more material should it commit a critical violation of the code of ethics?
Would this scenario prove to be an advantage our society could enjoy? These
are some of the questions to which the researchers should find answers. This
situation may sound authoritarian, much like the situation during the reign of the
dictator Marcos, especially on the side of the media, but this is also part of the
research that would be undertaken. The researchers should ascertain if it would
be a better alternative to what the KBP is as of this writing.
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APPENDICES
A. Interviews with Respondents
A1. Dette-C Uy – incidental listener, student, UP Diliman (Love Radio)
M: Alam mo ba ang masa radio?
D: Ah, masa radio? Hmm, yeah, medyo.
M: Nakikinig ka naman?
D: Unintentionally.
M: Unintentionally? Saan ka nakakapakinig?
D: Kase nagko-commute ako, so sa mga bus and jeep.
M: Anong istasyon ang napapakinggan mo sa mga bus?
D: Love radio, yun ba yung may kukurukuku?
M: Sila yung may “Kailangan pa bang i-memorize yan?”
allocation, debt servicing, or challenging trade policies that are biased for
pharmacuetical giants which are powerful lobbyists in congress, and which
unfortunately, turn out to be station advertisers. Again, the masa gets trapped
into the classification of merely being a “market” at the mercy of media business.
C. Tables and Figures
Frequency Station Name Call Sign88.3 Jam DWJM89.1 Wave DWAV89.9 Magic DWTM90.7 Love Radio DZMB91.5 Energy FM DWKY92.3 Joey DZRU93.1 Monster Radio DWRX93.9 iFM DWKC94.7 Mellow Touch DWLL95.5 Pinoy Radio DM 955 DWDM96.3 WRock DWRK97.1 Campus Radio DWLS97.9 Home Radio DWQZ98.7 The Master’s Touch DZFE99.5 RT DZRT
100.3 RJ 100 DZRJ101.1 Yes! FM DWST
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101.9 WRR DWRR102.7 Star FM DWSM103.5 K-Lite DWKX104.3 Business Radio DWBR105.1 Crossover DWBM105.9 Blazin’ DWLA106.7 Kool 106 DWET107.5 NU 107 DWNU
Table 1. Table of 25 FM radio stations in Metro Manila.
Market : MegaDemographic : All People 10+Survey : Survey #1 2006Session : Mon-Sun 12:00 MN-12:00 MNPl. of Listening : (C) All Places
Ranking Call Sign
TARP %
Share %
1 Love Radio 90.7 dzmbF 3 32.52 WRR 101.9 dwrrF 1.7 18.43 Yes FM 101.1 dyesF 1.1 11.94 iFM 93.9 ifmF 0.55 65 Campus Radio / Barangay LS 97.1 dwlsF 0.34 3.76 Star FM 102.7 dwsmF 0.33 3.67 DM 955 95.5 dwdmF 0.32 3.48 Home Radio 97.9 dwqzF 0.32 3.49 Mellow Touch 94.7 dwllF 0.32 3.410 WRock 96.3 dwrkF 0.27 2.911 Energy FM 91.5 dwkyF 0.2 2.112 RJ 100 100.3 dzrjF 0.17 1.913 Wave 89.1 dwavF 0.14 1.514 Magic 89.9 dwtmF 0.13 1.415 Monster Radio RX 93.1 dwrxF 0.11 1.216 NU 107 dwnuF 0.06 0.717 Crossover 105.1 dwbmF 0.05 0.518 Joey 92.3 dzruF 0.03 0.319 K-Lite 105.3 dwkxF 0.03 0.320 Blazin' 105.9 dwlaF 0.02 0.221 Jam 88.3 dwjmF 0.02 0.222 The Master's Touch 98.7 dzfeF 0.01 0.223 Business Radio 104.3 dwbrF 0.02 0.224 RT 99.5 dwrtF 0.01 0.125 Kool 106 106.7 dwetF 0.01 0.1
Total 11.18 -
Table 2. Ratings table of all FM radio stations in Metro Manila portraying the dominance of masa stations being discussed in this study.
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Age Group Total Population
Male Female Sex Ratio
National Capital Region
9,932,560 4,877,842 5,054,718 96.5
Under 1 255,191 131,657 123,534 106.58
1 to 4 956,161 490,125 466,036 105.17
5 to 9 1,045,297 536,296 509,001 105.36
10 to 14 914,010 461,142 452,868 101.83
15 to 19 970,920 454,275 516,645 87.93
20 to 24 1,090,487 506,550 583,937 86.75
25 to 29 984,618 477,951 506,667 94.33
30 to 34 865,349 430,622 434,727 99.06
35 to 39 713,170 354,564 358,606 98.87
40 to 44 607,853 303,085 304,768 99.45
45 to 49 474,156 237,694 236,462 100.52
50 to 54 367,402 183,817 183,585 100.13
55 to 59 219,070 106,834 112,236 95.19
60 to 64 182,938 84,971 97,967 86.73
65 to 69 118,975 53,031 65,944 80.42
70 to 74 78,102 33,439 44,663 74.87
75 to 79 45,707 17,662 28,045 62.98
80 and over 43,154 14,127 29,027 48.67
Total Population 10+ 7,675,911
Table 3. Total Population by Age Group, Sex and Sex Ratio: National Capital Region, 2000 supplied by the National Statistics Office, revised to include the total population of the 10+
market measured by AC Nielsen’s TARP %.
Radio Station TARP % Number of Listeners
Love Radio 90.7 3 230,277WRR 101.9 1.7 130,490Yes FM 101.1 1.1 84,435iFM 93.9 0.55 42,217Campus Radio / Barangay LS 97.1 0.34 26,098Star FM 102.7 0.33 25,330DM 955 95.5 0.32 24,562
Table 4. Approximation of the Top 7 masa station’s audience base, based on TARP % and the total population of their demographic: all people 10+.
P a g e | 144
Station Number of Listeners % Share
Love Radio 90.7 36 59%
WRR 101.9 13 21.3%
Yes FM 12 19.7%
Total 61* 100%
Table 5. Distribution of Respondents Among Top 3 Masa FM Stations.
Effect Impact Affected %
Listeners acquire enter-tainment from masa ra-dio. The first options for entertainment are televi-sion and radio.
The other, more important aspects of radio are overlooked. The role of broadcast media in the daily lives of the listeners is devalued
as purely an avenue for entertainment.
68.3%
Listeners believe that no changes should be made to the programming of the masa radio station they listen to.
Listeners have become progressively pas-sive over the years. Ignorance of possible long-term effects of stagnant programming becomes rampant. Listeners also become less critical of the content they receive. Air-ing of grievances is no longer an option for
listeners.
91.7%
Listeners consider jokes aired on masa radio as important to their radio lis-tening experience.
The concept of what is necessary and what is important and significant to their daily lives
has gone off course in today’s media con-sumers.
51.7%
Listeners do not switch to other stations, remaining loyal to a single station.
Brand affinity has infiltrated the broadcast media. Blind loyalty to one particular station can hinder learning through experimentation and acquiring fresh perspectives on issues. It could facilitate in making the consumers
become less open-minded.
50%
Very few listeners do ac-quire new significant knowledge from listening to masa radio.
Through mental conditioning over the years, the media have helped consumers become less receptive to brand-new, relevant infor-
mation, and alternative perspectives, as a re-sult of the cultivation of Effect No. 1.
90%
Listeners are cheered up by listening to masa sta-tions’ comic content. They feel happy, relieved, and in better moods.
The concept of radio is transformed from an intellectual tool to an emotional one. Listen-ers are made to think that effects that could be derived from radio listening should have no intellectual value at all. Due to this, the perceived importance of radio is lowered.
63.3%
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Again, this impact is compounded through Effect No. 1
Listeners avoid upscale, English broadcast sta-tions because they find them boring, and because the primary medium of communication is English.
Learning how to speak functional English is made trivial by the presence of masa FM sta-
tions. With the option of Tagalog stations, the CDE market, or those who really do need education in English, will no longer explore
English stations at the very least. Existence of masa radio somehow hinders learning of
the global language.
---
Table 6. Table of Effects, Impacts, and Affected % of masa stations on listeners.
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Figure 3. Composition of Philippine market described by GMA Network’s Jose Maria Bartolome.