A fresh round of hostilities involving the city’s radio stations has broken out after A. G. Nielsen, unquestionably the most credible poll survey firm serving the media industry, came out with its latest survey ratings on their rankings and radio audience share.
Bombo Radyo DYFM reaffirmed its dominance of the local radio industry, a position that it captured nearly 30 years ago and never yielded, well ahead of second-place Aksyon Radyo DYOK. Third place is RMN 774 while DYSI Super Radyo occupied the cellar position.
Survey ratings are always a sensitive issue for radio networks. It is a source of pride for the front-runner and a thorn on the side of the other radio stations. It is a tool that advertising companies use in determining which stations to place their product plugs. Hence, on the business side, a good rating equals more advertising revenue. It is also a morale booster for the men and women working for the station. Being number one is often equated with being the best in the field.
But as this latest survey result released by A.G. Nielsen triggered this word war over the air lanes, we should also examine its significance in the changing world of media.
What is unsaid in the surveys, or kept hidden I should say, is the fact that radio is losing its listenership base rapidly, especially with the advent of the “tele-novelas” of the major TV networks. These days, there’s hardly a household that doesn’t have a TV set, and radio has since ceased to be the primary source of information and entertainment.
I will make an educated guess that the radio audience has been reduced by more than half of what it used to be 10 years ago. This is particularly true in the early evening prime time slot between 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. During this time of day, more than three-fourths of the potential audience are watching television. Gone are the days when the radio commentary programs dominated the community’s attention.
The Ilonggo audience is also becoming more discriminating and choosy about the program content they will listen to. They want substance in the news and commentary that they hear, and not just the unrestrained, bombastic character assassination that has become the forte of Novie Guazo, Rhod Tecson and Roger Gencianeo. Listeners want intelligent discussion of the issues, and not plain, and often repetitive, attacks on public figures.
There’s also a catch to the surveys.
The entire spectrum of the radio audience is not adequately covered. That’s because the class “A” and “B” listeners are often at work when the surveys are undertaken, and not too many of them respond to field workers of the survey firms.
Hence, the ratings most likely depict the preferences of the audience classes “C” and “D” and “E”, which are in the lower income levels. By the nature of the listeners’ profiles, they are also susceptible to “promos” usually undertaken by the radio stations when surveys are on-going. When radio stations engage in heavy promo activities, it is highly probable there is a survey going on, and these are targeted at listeners to literally “lock” them for the duration of the survey.
Of course, radio listeners will always have individual preferences, survey or no survey. It doesn’t follow that surveys will dictate listener behavior, or influence radio audiences to shift to the number one in the rating game. As I said, the surveys are primarily to guide advertising companies in choosing where to place their plugs.
24 Comments
August 16, 2008 at 3:38 am
Daw mabugto gid puwak ni rhod tecson ka buyayaw kay roger florete, as if florete is the worst criminal in the world. but i can remember when tecson was still in bombo, he was praising florete like a god. tecson should realize na subong nga he became popular only because he worked with bombo. after he left bombo, na-belong na siya sa “has-been” category. manigulang lang ni sya, indi gid niya sarang mapasaka ang rating sang rmn 774. poor rhod, indi niya gid mabaton nga poor third ang rank nila sa survey.
August 16, 2008 at 4:35 am
I agree with you. Rhod Tecson made a name for himself because he was given a break by Florete. And when Florete decided that Tecson was doing the network more bad than good, and kicked him out, the young broadcaster became wild like a mad dog, and endlessly snarled at his former employer. It’s unfortunate because his downfall came too early in his career. Now he can’t hope to regain his old fame anymore.
August 19, 2008 at 3:55 am
It makes me puke when I listen to Rhod Tecson in the few times I fiddle with the radio dial and hit RMN 774. He seems to get an orgasm calling himself “guapo”. That’s a symptom of a sick mind. Why does the management of RMN allow him to destroy the name of the network founded by Ruben Canoy? Has the network run out of talent?
August 20, 2008 at 8:11 pm
haha! i never thought the “puke” word could be used in a perfect and strong way as the way you used it noli. it was orgamiscally hillarious. anyway.. it kind of bug me too, why rmn is letting incompetent people to destroy the name of their network. i was at their site, and read this guest who keeps on commenting about tecson. so i attack her back, as i know her, just to put her on her place. the webmaster deleted my comment, saying i’m offensive. haha. now they’re moderating the comments ‘coz i threatened them that i can be their worst nightmare if they wont be fair in cleaning up their site. i just don’t get it! even on their website they still go for that ego-tripping nonesense. i think all they want are comments to flatter the egos of their pathetic journalists.
August 20, 2008 at 8:17 pm
and a friend from rmn told me that they are paying someone, a spy, to get inside information from Bombo Radyo. i can’t believe rmn could go to this extent. isn’t that a shame? where’s good journalism in that? it’s keeping at pace with the dirty maneauverings of politics. a spy?
August 21, 2008 at 12:19 am
that’s very probable. i heard from a reliable source that roger gencianeo is the one feeding rmn inside information about what’s going on at bombo radyo. once, his text message to his rmn friends erroneously went to a fellow employee’s cell phone.
August 21, 2008 at 12:23 am
hahaha! is rmn fair? of course not! just listen to the broadcasts of tecson and guazo. it’s so lopsided that their targets would be ground to dust if only their attacks are credible. but as I pointed out, there is an inverse proportion to the effect of their attacks as shown in the experience of governor tupas. the more they pounded governor tupas, the bigger his margin in the elections! ouch! it’s like being hit by a sledgehammer. it’s an eloquent expression of the people’s disgust for the garbage they propagate over the airlanes.
August 21, 2008 at 1:11 am
If you happen to have listened to RMN this morning, Tecson is still doing his early-morning antics – calling himself “gwapo”, enumerating the colegialas who are texting his personal cellphone, and sourgraping over his former employer. Pero nanotice niyo?Gapaindisanay sila ni Guazo nga duha, hehe!Guazo on the other hand would claim that may “otso” siya and that a female newscaster from Bombo has a crush on him. Pareho lang sila nga duha, I can only guess kung sin-o mauna buang sa ila nga duha. Great broadcasters feed their mind and their heart, not their ego.
August 21, 2008 at 4:36 am
According to Ilonggo Reporter: “Great broadcasters feed their mind and their heart, not their ego.”
That’s precisely why Tecson and Guazo did not make it to the list of great broadcasters. Their brief stardom at Bombo did not make them great. They were popular, no doubt about it, but that’s because they were anchormen of Bombo Radyo. Greatness is more lasting. Your name resonates even long after you’re gone from the media scene. Rino Arcones is one example.
You’re wondering kon sin-o sa ila mauna buang? Subong pa lang, buang na ang category nila. It’s unfortunate that RMN is allowing the network to be sullied by the egomaniac tendencies of these two.
August 21, 2008 at 8:02 am
Manawag namon sina sa pareho ni rhod kag novie, mga hambug.
wala na sila sang iban pa ma-isipan kondi magdayaw sa ila kaugalingon.
perhaps that’s the only way they reassure themselves that they haven’t lost their fame and glory.
but i have to be brutally frank with you, dear friends — LA-OS NA KAMO!
maski ano pa himuon nyo, indi na magsaka ang inyo rating. tubtob na lang kamo dira — sa rock bottom.
August 21, 2008 at 2:07 pm
hehe. can’t even go up to be 2nd. DYOK is better than them. they don’t get it, i think. their bitterness disabled them to think objetively and do their job right. vindication is more on their agenda and in turn, pollute the broadcast community of their selfish and unprofessional manners. why can’t they get over themselves. it’s a shame to the ilonggo community, worst to ilonggo journalism. i hope the fresh graduates or (students) would learn a lot from this.
August 21, 2008 at 2:15 pm
” i heard from a reliable source that roger gencianeo is the one feeding rmn inside information about what’s going on at bombo radyo.”
my friend from rmn said its a female. she’s way closer to rhod and novie. my idea is that, she’s the one who text rhod on his personal cell and feed his ego. maybe rhod and novie pays her extra to do that.she even post on their website to write stuffs to stroke more their egos. hehe. very LAME. such a waste of money. they cud have use it to send them back to school for manners.
btw, i know the female spy well enough. she’s not in Bombo anymore coz they found out about it. i’m just not sure whom she is more obsessed with among the three. she’s the one with four kids.haha!
August 21, 2008 at 8:07 pm
yes, this thread serves a higher purpose than exposing the demented characters of rhod tecson and novie guazo. the exchange of ideas and information about what is happening to the iloilo media industry should be very instructional both to professional and student journalists. even rhod and novie can get free counseling from contributors if they can’t afford a shrink.
as to the mole, i’ll leave that to the management of bombo radyo. it’s not really my business to check for leaks in the organization. i’m aware that area manager warren french is reading this thread, and it’s up to him to act on the information that’s coming out.
i’m just amazed at how callous rhod and novie have become in deriving ecstatic bliss from heaping praises upon themselves, especially their physical looks. i read somewhere that this is a strong manifestation of a person’s insecurities. there are faces that only mothers could love, and these are the individuals who need to publicly shout that they are “guapo” to change that fact.
August 22, 2008 at 1:54 am
I think the era of radio as the primary source of information and entertainment is ebbing. I agree with Mr. Mejorada that the audience for radio is getting thinner and thinner. Perhaps this is the reason why the likes of Tecson and Guazo are resorting to irresponsibile sensationalism and unbraided muckraking. They want to stir controversy and hope that the people will want to listen.
I think Ilonggos deserve better in the form of decent and professional reporting. Instead of trying to hurl nothing but muck at Governor Tupas and Mr. Mejorada, Tecson and Guazo should endeavor to present a balanced view of governance. This will promote understanding of the issues rather than cloud the discussion. But I guess this is beyond the mental acuity of Tecson and Guazo. Their minds are poisoned with money from Hibionada and their clients. Their minds refuse to work. They take the easy path, which is just talk for the money.
August 25, 2008 at 2:52 am
last friday, may dako nga birthday party si enciang. guess who were there?
August 25, 2008 at 2:53 am
bati-bati ko it was sponsored by her patrons, richard and janette garin…
August 27, 2008 at 11:18 pm
it’s a pity to even just read about the possibility of radio broadcasting losing its credibility as a source of information. coming from a town where half of my life i grew up with no electricity, the radio was our only means of acquiring news, opinions and much more, communication. as a student back then, i relied on radio communication to relay to my family that i’m safe in the city. and despite my recognition of the influx of advance technology in today’s society, yet i know for a fact that there’s a bigger number of the older generation out there who can’t just easily join the hype of this computer age – thus, still relying on that source they depended on since then(the radio). it’s embarassing to realize that some of those information they heard over the radio were utter nonsense. much more, just some personal ego-bloating opinion of some ego-tripping broadcaster. i don’t even want to contemplate on that possibility that some of the opinions could be misleading. that’s so low — misleading the elderly, even just for the sake of gaining popularity. where’s the dignity in that? integrity? thrown out the window at the expense of realiabile news reporting. with the likes of tecson and guazo, it’s not about being a journalist with stern beliefs and principles anymore.
it’s about muddling up the ilonggo community with their disreputable, unprincipled, low-rate broadcasting skill. they not only put their network to shame, but the school they came from as well.
responsible journalists out there, make that a fresh, lurker or struggling, should come out their shell now and show these two pathetic excuse for a broadcaster, what a professional journalist is made of. take it as a challenge. indeed, it is the right to have that shift of balance in the broadcasting spectrum.
NOW! when damage is not at its worst, and the radio broadcasting cud still be salvage.
August 28, 2008 at 12:08 am
“disreputable, unprincipled, low-rate broadcasting skill…”
strong words, but they carry the ring of truth.
August 28, 2008 at 8:04 am
i don’t condone violence, and i definitely am not in favor of using extrajudicial means to seek redress for wrongs done. but as i ponder upon this thread, i can’t help but think aloud that the spate of media murders is also a product of abuses of broadcasters like tecson and guazo.
just look at the murdered broadcasters — they are the hard-hitting types who literally murder the character and reputation of their targets. these victims employ a one-sided tirade that serves no public purpose but to destroy the names of these people. as a result, these targets of media attacks feel that the only way for them to obtain justice is to seek the death of these broadcasters.
in a manner of speaking, they are their own victims. the provoke violent reaction with their excessive sensationalism and character assassination.
August 28, 2008 at 7:39 pm
i agree with you, noLi, coz if it wud be me being personally attacked and my character being assassinated over the airwaves, i’ll gonna hire someone to pull the trigger on that journalist, too. I guess it boils down to taking responsibilities to its “t”. As a journalist, or broadcaster for that matter, you really have to take responsibilities unto your every word, every sentence, every opinion, every expose. Hence, thorough investigation and research before saying or writing anything. the principle of playing chess could be applied as well. Like contemplating possibilities such as “if i’ll say this …. would it result to this..?” or “if Juan is the murderer, what could his intentions be? is it money? revenge? prestige? or just a random act?” every possible flaw should be covered, justified, reasoned-out. in doing so — you show to your listeners or readers that your not prejudiced to anything. that you are simply doing your job with passion. and then you gain respect. and respect is way more important than popularity. if not, why pursue journalism? i think that’s wasting not only your time, but the followers’ as well.
August 30, 2008 at 9:27 am
as i read novs77’s wild and senseless rantings, i could imagine drools of saliva flowing down his chin, madness sparkling in his eyes, and his fingers flying all over the keyboards trying to piece together his disjointed sentences and crazy ideas to attack boy mejorada, his son, mshilario.
this is a man angry at the world for his inadequacies. he wants to defend tecson, guazo and gencianeo (altho he could very well be one of them), and does a clumsy job of pretending to be unattached by an umbilical chord to this media cabal run by florenz hibionada. i can understand his frustration: he has summoned all his worst language to attack boy mejorada, and the man — a real man — only flicked away at the falsehoods like dandruff on his collar.
indeed, the more i read what novs77 writes, the angrier i become at the corruption that this cabal has brought to iloilo’s media. i am sure that graciano lopez jaena must be turning in his grave at what is happening.
next time, novs77, try to be lucid in expressing yourself. you appear to me a rabid mad dog trying to scare everybody with a display of fangs and a cacophony of loud snarls. in truth, you are a coward.
August 30, 2008 at 10:01 am
hehehe… sa simpli nga sugilanon, ido bu-ang ining si novs77.
kabalo kamo, na-corner ninyo ang ila grupo. exposed! bistado sa bug-os nga komunidad. novs77 articulates the anger of the group. kanami na kuntani sang plastada nila, sige-sigue ang tubog sang kwarta, dayon ginbulabog mo boy mejorada. otro ka pa mshilario.
this is about survival. ac/dc is the only means of livelihood that they know. kon madula ang ila pangilkil, how can they support their vices? how can manay roger go to the parlor?
sa matuod lang, dapat na nga maghalin si tecson, guazo kag gencianeo sa radyo. ginadaya lang nila ang ila kaugalingon…. wala na sila credibility. buking na!
August 30, 2008 at 9:50 pm
hehe! i meant no harm. i actually intended to come in peace, only looking for a stimulating discussion. but i guess, in a way, kind of started a smoke… and the fire just starting to blow out in proportion. but then again, why react when you’re not wounded? i mean, goodness gracious, i can even just be making up those crappy comments. i was surprise with the character assasinations. i’m thinking, i really helped in opening a can of worms… did i?
oh well, too bad. if i’m into investigative reporting i wud really like to dig unto the buttom of novss77’s rage. but naah, he’s not worth even a minute of my time. it’s just embarrassing to read his post, but he is starting to cause a stir on this site, who knows you guys might be able to untangle some web along the way. your time wasted to read his comments might be worth it.
but on the second thought, he sound so passionate on his comments, it is such a pity he is using such passion in a very wrong way!
September 3, 2008 at 1:25 am
kon ako sa inyo, kalimtan nyo na lang novie and rhod. they have become irrelevant to ilonggo society. number three? after two years dira sa rmn, wala gid nila nabatak ang istasyon? i’m not really surprised. ang ila mga commentaries puro lang hangin. all air, no substance. i know them well. they are more concerned about how their listeners think about their appearance than dig into the bottom of issues. kita nyo man, balik-balik lang pirmi ang ila issues. pero ang mga matuod nga isyu, wala man nila ginatandog. kay man nakwartahan na, hehehe.