The oldest radio station in the country is celebrating a new milestone today.
On Monday, July 15, the Philippines’ first and oldest AM radio station DZRH officially turned 85 years old.
In an interview with the station, MBC Media Group Vice President for AM, Atty. Rudolph Jularbal, shared some of his personal thoughts and recounted some of his experiences with DZRH.
According to him, for the past eight-and-a-half decades, “credibility” had been the key driver in making the radio station what it is today.
“Kapag wala ng kredibilidad, wala ng paniniwala ang audience mo, maglalaho yung station,” was quoted in the interview.
Meanwhile, he personally thought that the fire that razed the Star City amusement park and the MBC studios in Pasay City in 2019, was the “challenging” part in the operations of the station in recent past.
This was further impacted by the imposition of movement restrictions during the height of lockdowns amid the spread of COVID-19 in 2020.
On-air, the celebrations were also felt as some programs of the DZRH aired special editions to highlight the occasion.
In its morning show ‘Dos Por Dos,’ known opposition figure Atty. Chel Diokno of ‘Rekta Agenda sa Masa’ made an appearance alongside Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Romeo Lumagui, Jr.
In the succeeding program, ‘Damdaming Bayan,’ Senate President Chiz Escudero, former Senators Francis Pangilinan and Bam Aquino were some of the personalities invited as guests.
DZRH also aired a special documentary titled ‘Otsenta’y Singko’ to highlight the station’s role in the lives of its loyal listeners.
Another documentary, ‘Kasaysayan sa Kasaysayan’ centering around the history of the station’s dramas, was also produced.
Established in 1939 as Radio Heacock, the station is currently heard on the 666 kHz frequency in Mega Manila and broadcasts news, talk, and drama programming.
It also has a “television-radio hook-up” via DZRH TV, available on pay television and digital terrestrial television (DTT) in some provincial areas.