Is RX Still a Monster on FM Radio?

WHEN I was still living in the Philippines, one of my favorite FM radio stations was Monster RX 93.1.

Aside from playing current pop hits, RX also had very informative programs like Love Clinic, Heard on Thursdays, Countdown Top 7 and the RX Concert Series featuring OPM artists performing live in the RX booth.

Of course, RX's biggest moneymaker is their morning show The Morning Rush with Chico and Delamar, which has been on the air for more than a decade.

I used to visit the RX booth in Pasig sometimes and I had a chance to meet some of their DJs like Rico Robles, Karen Bordador, Jinri Park, Bea Fabregas, Carla Lizardo, Karla Aguas, Jay Abastillas, Lexy Angeles, Chris Schneider, Cerah Hernandez, Andre Co and Hazel Aguilon. PBA courtside reporter Sel Guevara had a stint with RX as a DJ for a while.

During my RX visits, I would bring my FHM magazines for Karen and Jinri to sign while talking with Rico who I learned, is an avid sports fan. He was asking me questions about the NBA and PBA and I learned from Karen that she auditioned to be a courtside reporter for the PBA before. Rico also has had experience as a boxing commentator and ring announcer.

Although I live in the US now, I still listen to RX occasionally through my smartphone especially their Sunday Hip 26 programming where the station plays hip-hop and RNB music. Their Wednesday Riot block now plays 90s and early 2000s music instead of the 80s songs which are now heard on the government-run FM2.

Through social media while living here in California, a lot of changes have happened to RX ever since I left the Philippines. Delamar has left The Morning Rush and is now with Magic 89.9 together with Bea. Jinri is now into showbiz full-time while Cerah and Andre have gotten married and are putting up an events company. Schneider is now back in the US while Carla and Sel are now into sportscasting with ESPN5. Jay recently left RX to go full-time into his family restaurant business.

But the saddest story of RX since I left was the case of Karen, who was arrested with her boyfriend on drug charges in 2016. She still remains in jail until now and there is no clear sign on whether she will be charged in court or released. I feel bad for Karen because I found her to be intelligent and pretty. No doubt, the Duterte government's strict policy against drugs put Karen in a bad light.

Because of the departure of these DJs, RX has been relying on its student DJ program called Radio 1 to find their replacements. Among the current RX DJs who were part of Radio 1 were Rica Garcia, MJ Foz and JC Tevez, who later became a VJ for the music channel Myx under ABS-CBN. The current Radio 1 DJs have their own show on Saturday afternoons.

It's to RX's credit that the station still has a strong following despite the departure of their former DJs and competition coming from other FM stations with a similar music format, particularly the government-owned FM1 87.5 which was launched just this year. Credit goes to the management, particularly Raffy Barreiro, Raffy Reyes and Louie D, for coming up with radical ideas to make RX work. No wonder the station still continues to win major radio awards like the KBP Golden Dove and Catholic Mass Media.

As long as there's RX, there's still room for an intelligent FM station in the Philippines.