Saying Good Bye a Second Time on NU107

Posted on

In the middle of then Emerald Ave for our Philippine Star interview with Dong Magsajo

I’m listening to the final hours of NU107. They’re online at http://www.nu107fm.com/live-access and if you’re in Manila, they’re on the FM band at 107.5 FM. I think it’s the last station you pick up when you go to the far right. I could be wrong.

Filter’s “Take a Picture” just came on.

I have this on my iPod. It’s part of a playlist I call NU107, filled with songs from my time as a DJ there.

The Zach and Joey logo

I came to NU in 1995 purely for employment reasons. I admit that I only listened to NU sporadically after it opened in 1987. They played Noiseworks and other fare you wouldn’t hear on mainstream pop. NU was a part of my being a radiohead but it wasn’t the only station I listened to. There were only two that I adored: 99.5RT, from as early as my days in high school for being trendsetters, and NU107 because it required a love for alternative rock to enjoy.

Repertory Philippines' Murder for Rent

Me with blonde and red hair as 5B. Zach and I took turns coming to work half-awake because of our extracurricular activities.

Before joining NU in 1995, my last stint in radio was in 1991 in 101.1 KISS FM. (I started in 1989 at 99.5RT.)  In between these years, I worked in theater — both onstage and behind the scenes — as a production assistant, stage manager, production manager, and a slew of other gigs I could get my hands on. I was a new single mom and needed part-time work that would let me spend time with Kyera.

My friend, Carina, who I met and became best friends with at KISS FM, told me she had heard of an opening in NU for a newscaster. She passed the word on to mutual friend, Claire, who in turn had me come in to audition.

(Note to anyone who wants to work in radio. You NEED to know the right people to get your foot in the door.)

I read the news for Claire, the program director, and was asked to meet Cris, the station manager.

They hired me.

But I needed a name. I had been “Thelma” in RT in 1989, “Aleks” in KISS FM, and “Sarah J” in KISS Jazz (after KISS reformatted). So we tossed around “Mick” for The Jagger. And “Aleks” because it almost fit NU’s format.

Wicket, NU’s events and marketing manager, suggested “Joey” for Joey Chen of CNN. I wanted something that would work for a boy or a girl.

“Joey” won.

So on August 1, 1995, I was finally back in radio doing what I loved most and earning a decent, regular paycheck with hours that would let me take on freelance voiceover gigs.

I started as a newscaster and then became a sidekick for “The Morning Show with Jake” which evolved into co-hosting “The Morning Show with Jake and Joey”. I left NU in 1997 to rejoin the first station I worked at, 99.5RT, and became their only female announcer at the time. (Radio has since evolved and women have been holding their own as jocks.)

For Jake's final day, all of us former co-hosts came by to wish him farewell. That's a thinner me on the far left.

A visit to NU in 1998 several months after my mom passed away in November 1997 led to a conversation of returning to NU to host and line produce my own morning show. Jake had left and NU didn’t have anything for their morning programming.

Ron, NU’s station manager, and I tossed around ideas for a co-host. We thought about other females, other males, and settled on a newer, younger talent who had been working the graveyard shift. His name was Roli but he used “Zach”.

Zach and I went on the air for the first time on July 13, 1998. For my birthday on July 27, Zach simulated a striptease live on the air. It was hilarious. Listeners loved it. I felt like gagging. Ha ha ha ha!

Zach and I hosted the 1998 Rock Awards. The show was new and we needed to promote it. This is a screenshot from a video of Razorback on YouTube.

So from July 13, 1998, to March 14, 2003, Zach and Joey had the most fun of their radio careers. I’m pretty sure he’d agree with me.

Here’s what you probably don’t know:

  1. We’d race each other to the nearest couch after the show to crash for a few hours before starting the rest of our days.
  2. We both had jobs outside of NU. Pretty common for most radio folk. I was the signature voice for Studio 23 and he had a band called Imago.
  3. We never would have been able to do the show without our assistants, at different times, Sammy Miranda and Glenn Sibal, and various college interns.
  4. Zach really did fart in our enclosed booth when he said so on the air.
  5. I never did when he said so on the air.
  6. We made faces at each other and did weird things to our bodies to make each other laugh while talking on the air.
  7. Zach never did go to Harvard to earn several degrees and I never did fly to India for a week. He went to UST and I was out getting liposuction.
  8. We were good friends and knew each others’ secrets.
  9. Zach teasing me about Wolfgang was because I used to be married to their bassist, Mon.
  10. It broke my heart to leave NU107, and radio, for good in 2003.

Mich Dulce took a screenshot of us on our last broadcast together. I was piped in via Skype thanks to Jim Ayson's suggestion to Quark Henares on Twitter.

We played Sinead O’Connor’s “The Last Day of Our Acquaintance” on March 3, 2003 as our farewell, and again the other day when I was Skyped in to do the show one last time. We mostly reminisced our favorite moments along with listeners who were tuned in to say hello and good bye.

If you were able to join us, thank you for all the tweets, calls, and Facebook posts and tags. You don’t realize how much we appreciate you.

Cheers to the best thing that was on Philippine airwaves for twenty-three years. I don’t think we’ll ever recover from losing you.

25 thoughts on “Saying Good Bye a Second Time on NU107”

  1. Zach & Joey in the Morning was the program on the radio that made me laugh and that also introduced me to alternative music. It was a good ol’ days! Kudos to you and everyone who made it possible! xo

    Reply ↓

    • Ed!! Thank you so much for dropping by! Who would have thought that a guesting would evolve into a friendship? I’m so glad you’re on Twitter. Now, we can keep closer tabs on each other. XOXO

      Reply ↓

  3. Hey there dear!
    Of course I was thinking of you when I heard about the demise of NU107 – as I have some fond and funny memories of some guesting there and also our friendship. So it’s a thrill to be in touch (I’d actually planned to email you when Ed reminded me of this blog). I did a great interview on ANC last week – you can see in two parts on YouTube (under my name). I’m loving my newly renovated unit here in Makati! Life is sweet…
    Take care – lots of love,
    Jac xx

    Reply ↓

  4. Zach and Joey in the morning is my favorite radio show of all time. My mom and I listen to you guys all the time when I was in college (1998 to 2001). I would wake up to your morning show while my mom cooks breakfast (she’s the one who turns on the radio to your show). And my mom would even sing your plugs (the Jesus Christ Superstar one). I continued to listen to you every morning when I started working till the show finally ceased in 2003. It was a blast to hear your show for the very last time on air last Friday. First time I loved driving the horrible EDSA traffic that day. I even stayed in my car in the parking lot of Greenhills just to listen to the final show broadcast for a few more minutes. I miss those times. I miss my mom (she’s in NY). I miss Zach and Joey in the morning. And I’ll definitely miss NU 107. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

    Reply ↓

  6. Zach and Joey in the morning…the only reason i woke up super early in the morning…or stay super late until i hear your show and it keeps me awake until the show ends. My mom was also one of your avid listeners. Whenever I drop her off to work in the morning, she would ask me tune in to NU107. One time she didn’t get off the car, she finished listening to your show, she got late for work. Hahaha! Thanks for all the laughter that you and Zach have provided us.

    Reply ↓

  7. was there on the last day of NU. i have visited you on the station when i was in college. i even remember you guesting chics and del, and when u guys went off air, i messaged them to guest both of you..tough luck. i’ve been looking for ways to have a copy of your show’s teaser..the one like jesus christ superstar. for my message alert tone.. you guys never failed to make me laugh… i wish you all the best, and i would be one of those whose hearts are gonna feel alive again when i hear you back on air. much love

    Reply ↓

  8. Hi Joey! i hope you still remember me. I was Mike Turner’s guitar student. we used to hang out in NU alot back when it was still in strata building. so sad NU closed down but in my heart NU 107 will never die.

    Reply ↓

  10. malaking bahagi ng highschool life ko ang zach and joey in the morning… naalala ko nakikinig ako sa mga bandang di ko kilala pero trip ko ang tunog nila… salamat sa mga masasayang alala…

    Reply ↓

  12. i was an intern at NU on 2002 and i was starstruck the first time i saw you in person, ang reaction ko non, “Kamukha nya pala si Manilyn Reynes..” hehe.

    Reply ↓

  13. hi Miss Thelma.=)

    i realize this is a wee bit too late, considering it’s already been 5 months since the station shut down, and everyone’s pretty much doing their own thing now. i don’t know if you remember, but, i was one of the last who called that Friday afternoon when you and Zach went on air for the last time. i guess i got lucky because i was able to connect, knowing i was only running on prepaid.=P

    i want to thank you for being such a big part of my life, and i mean, HUGE. waking up to catch ZnJ everyday was one of the many seeds God put in my life for a passion that i never knew could get me by storm, and i didn’t really feel how huge a part of my life was impacted by this until we started what is now my school’s online radio station, UST Tiger Radio, of which i am one of the senior announcers and its resident tech guy. And like you and Zach, i also do the morning show (i’m hoping it’ll be retained for the coming year), and was blessed with a schedule that allowed me to board everyday!

    right now, i’m actually 11 hours away from my screening at the training program of 99.5RT, the Farm, and i’m really anxious, excited and everything else in between, because i’m this close to living the dream, which, really, is to go behind the mic and everything else a radio announcer does. it might not equate to a job at the station (in spite of me taking my OJT there, too), but i know it’s going to give me a start, and that’s a big blessing for which i am truly thankful for.=)

    i’ve been meaning to drop a line for the longest time, it’s just that i haven’t really mustered enough courage to do so until now; after all, i am a huge fan, and this is something that my dad shares with me, too. God allowed me the chance to call the station minutes before you and Zach went off air for good during the station’s final week, He gave me the opportunity to thank the jocks who were at the station hours before the sign off, and now, i’m taking this chance to tell you how thankful i am that you let God use you, Zach, Sir Ron and Miss Joyce, and everyone else who were with you during your time at NU, to get me to dream for something big, and now, to actually reach for that dream. thank you so much for being the inspiration, and for being a really big part of my childhood, too! God bless you always.=)

    Reply ↓

    • Claude, how did your screening go?! I’m sorry It took me awhile to reply. My blog suffers when I get busy but I hope to be more consistent from now on. (Again!) Thanks so much for stopping by… and for calling us that last time. It was a very special day (night for me) that brought back lots of memories for all of us. It must have been even tougher for the jocks on the last night before they played Huling El Bimbo. I imagine I would have been a mess, too! It means a lot to hear that we played a big part in your childhood. Remember that someday, someone might be telling you the exact same thing. :-)

      Reply ↓

      • hi Miss Thelma!! i wasn’t expecting you to make a reply, like, at all! but you did, and it’s a really big blessing for me.=) the screening went really well! i’m now in the middle of training, we’ve been practicing our adlibs and stuff during sign-off hours, and we get to spin music on free slots, in addition to when we’re allowed/made to sit in with the jocks during their shift (esp Inka and Koji). i’m actually going to spin later at 2-4am (Manila time), and i’m really praying that i don’t fall asleep, ’cause it’s my first time to do graveyard!! also, UST Tiger Radio’s going to start broadcasting on the week of June 13, and i’ll be doing the sign-on – i’m still doing the morning show this year by the way. i’m very excited for all these things to be happening in my life, and i’m very thankful for all of these.=) again, i can’t thank you enough.=)

      • Hey Claude! I hope your slot was fun even if it was from 2-4 in the morning. One thing to keep in mind is that there will always be someone tuned in so never let your guard down. :-) I know it’s tough to stay awake during that slot but it’s the best time to get practice in. I’ve known Inka since she was two years old! I’ve very proud of her. She and her siblings were a constant fixture at her parent’s recording studio, ADFarm, and at RT. Keep on keeping at it! And keep me posted, okay?

      • hi Miss Thelma! kamusta po? i hope things are going well on your end, it’s been a while since i left a message here!=)

        i’m still in the middle of training and stuff, and loving it to bits! i feel really blessed to still be able to train; most of my co-trainees at the Farm have their classes now, which means they won’t be able to train as much anymore. i’m also really thankful that we’re being trained the old-school way at RT. Inka’s one of my mentors; she was my supervisor when i was serving my school-required OJT time for the RT30. i was constantly reminded by the work i did with her of how important research is, and quite frankly, it’s what i’ve been banking on, both during our sign-off sessions and during my boardwork at UST Tiger Radio (i’ve let go of the show now, but i still help them out with production work and music programming.).=)

        i’ve been a regular at doing graveyard shifts ever since my last message, and i’m allowed to talk on air now, which i started doing 2 weeks ago…well, i’m only allowed to do the basic adlibs at the moment, but the thought that i’m slowly but surely getting closer to earning my on-air name is enough to make me feel giddy about the whole thing, really.=) i do have to thank you for the radio announcing notes you posted here way back; they really helped me a lot, in addition to the SAPs of the station, as these remind me that i always have to be at the top of my game, even when i’m just spinning music.

        still living the dream, and i can’t be thankful enough.=) hoping to hear from you again sometime!

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out / Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s