Exclusive Interview with Radio Personalities
Malaysian Radio Network Revolution
By Clarence Koh

Walking into AMP ( Airtime Management and Programming ) Radio Networks' office at the All Asia Broadcast Centre in Malaysia Technology Park, I was attended by a polite reception officer. Then, wonderful conversations took place.

Astro is the home of outstanding radio stations such as Hitz, Mix and My FM. These stations is providing new choices for local listeners and no doubt their emergence is a milestone in local broadcasting industry. These radio stations with their distinctive mottoes meet current listeners' needs and expectations. Format radio was brought in last few years and the revolution keeps going on since then. Three personalities from the above mentioned stations tell it all.

�Lucy Leong from Mix FM

�Vivian Tok from My FM

�Anushia Kanagasabai from Hitz FM

Vivian has been in the industry for 10 years.She spent 8 years working as a DJ at Redifussion Commercial Station before joining AMP last year. At the beginning of the interview, she described local broadcasting industry as a blossoming bed of roses. "Ten years ago when I first joined the industry, listeners had only two chinese stations to choose from. Now, with the emergence of My FM, people has more to choose from." She added, "Drastic changes had taken place. From the conception of the term DJ ( Disc Jockey ) to the changing of media from records to cassettes and CDs. Moreover, the style is becoming livelier. Then, the introduction of format radio created lots of impact to the local broadcasting scene."

Being asked whether local radio stations are imitating foreign radios, Lucy had something to say. "I won't say that we are imitating. We are just following the format. We are developing our own style but we need the basics and these come from the West."

Lucy, who is married to Richard La Faber, also working in radioland, feels that broadcasting is a combination of art and signs. A sign is an established style, which came from the Western countries where broadcasting originated. While the art is the local flavour added into the content.

Talking about local flavour, a growing trend in local broadcasting is the use of local slang and "rojak" language. This is a debatable issue because some might find it entertaining while others detest for polluting the language. Anushia who holds a Law Degree feels that there is nothing wrong with it.

"Speaking in 'rojak' language could be a good trend because most of us speak in that manner. It just makes us feel at home. However, it shall not be used excessively until it sounds stupid."

"A good DJ must be able to speak the language well. The basics like pronunciation and grammar must be well versed. Using mixed language is fine as long as it comes naturally. Excessive use could mislead audience." Vivian responded seriously. "It's true that some DJs think that it makes them sounds more stylish but in fact not so true. Listeners are becoming smarter nowadays. They know what they want and they are very active in expressing their dissatisfaction. They are looking for truthful voices, not hypocritical ones."

Lucy who once worked for Best 104 and Time Highway Radio personally feels that local broadcasting industry has yet reached the ideal stage. She felt that people in the industry have to be more professional, polished and take it seriously. "Local media have to grow with the time. We must not stay stagnant but to keep improving ourselves." Vivian shares the same feelings with Lucy, "If we do not learn and keep on 'upgrading' ourselves, we would soon be 'outdated'!"

Now, local broadcasting business is developing rapidly, what could be done to boost it further? Anushia thinks that lifting up the controls could be a good start. "If media controls are lifted up, this would give more freedom to the people to express themselves and eventually a revolution would take place because media are audience driven."

"Local media are still at the development stage. They are timid and ethical. Meanwhile, foreign media are so well established that the competition is very stiff. Journalists no longer sit in the office and wait for information but to go out and fight for news. Sometimes, they are too desperate that only 30% of the report is based on facts while the rest are purely imagination." Vivian feels that media play the role as educator and people learn from radio broadcasting. Therefore, everything told via the air must be based on solid facts. "Our beliefs, virtues and attitudes are very different from the other societies."

Lucy, Vivian and Anushia define the criteria of a good DJ: learned, credible, motivated, creative, determined, committed, responsible and not the less, speaks well. Vivian's advice for those interested to join this exciting career is to learn the language well and explore other fields like music and movie production. Vivian herself is a TV show host as well as an actress. Her recent movie debut is 'Money Not Enough'. Her effort had gained her great popularity amongst local audience.

On the other hand, Anushia calls upon people who dream of working in a radio station to make sure what is their objectives and goals, or why do they want this job. None the less, determine what specialty do they have to offer. "People in radio stations are completely nutz but fun! However, they are also very competitive. You must have something special to offer to excel."

No doubt broadcasting brings entertainment and fun to the audience, the industry itself is also an interesting field to explore. In short, as said by Lucy, "It is a dynamic, vibrant, exciting and challenging industry which still needs time to be nurtured and grow."