years ago, at exactly 6 in the morning, announcer Hal Bowie took his seat before a microphone in a little studio at the top of the Heacock Building in Escolta, and bid his unseen audience good morning. Thus was born the fourth commercial radio station to operate in Manila. In just a few years, with the entire Philippine archipelago caught in the maelstrom of the Second World War, the fledgling station – which took the call sign KZRH – would buck the challenge of history and remain as the only surviving radio station in the country.
Its auspicious beginnings as the mouthpiece of one of the largest department stores in the Pacific must have laid the groundwork for the stations commercial viability all these years a major factor in the survival of the so-called stepchild of media arts.
New as it was, KZRH management led by Bertrand Silen was not just armed with the technical know-how in radio operations, but likewise had fundamental marketing knowledge down pat. They knew what radio listeners liked and disliked.
Musical variety shows, comedy skits, and short newscasts were the order of the day. Jazz and ballads became standard fare. Together with American wit, the English language spread. KZRH found itself as an advertising medium, with sponsors like Purico underwriting specific shows which carried their names. Apart from 15-minute blocktime sold to advertisers, commercial spots mixing announcements with music were also produced. KZRH found itself amidst lucrative times.
