It goes without saying that radio has been one of the most important source of entertainment from the time err...it went on air. I grew up listening to radio most of the times. That's why songs which were contemporary at that time (70's & 80's), remains my favourite till these days. They bring back memories, some consists of dialogues like "switch it off and go back to your book". Nostalgia is a word invented specifically for radio, I think.

I grew up listening mainly to the Indian stations, Radio 6 and the Tamil station in Singapore (we were able to listen to them back in Johore). The presenters (not DJs) were naturally incompatible to the styles of DJs from other station - in terms of enforced casualness and calculated bluntness. Here, reading news and presenting songs were done in same cold manner. Nevertheless, they were done well. No nonsense. Songs were aired all the times. There were dramas and comedies, in serials or series form. My favourite being the mysteries and the long classic serials. Sad to say, it's all over now.

What we see these days, are blatant attempts to win extra bucks by whatever means, which include compromising the integrity of the station that had been preserved for so long, and allowing some salesmen to pitch their stuff all day long. From now on, if I want Tamil songs, I'll play the CDs. If I don't have them, I'll beg or steal.

The last straw was a show by Laxmi Aromas aired on Sundays at 10 am. The show irked me so much that I swore I am not going to listen to that station anymore. So, what happens there?

Wake up Sunday morning and at 10 am you are invited to join the world of Vivek and Sinda. This pair, believe me or not, lives in their own world, which is created by Laxmi Aromas, their sponsor. The whole show consists of; 30 percent of good words about the product by the presenters (who now assume the job of promoters); 30 percent of good words from the listeners, (who actually don't give a rats a** since they just want the excitement of being on air and probably win something); 20 percent of self-inflicted jokes (which would probably tickle the inmates of a local asylum, the most); and 20 percent of laughter, not laughing track mind you, but these two's irritating cackle of laugh. I just wish that some terrorist would storm in the set and kidnap this two. But then, I might actually feel sorry for the abductors. Imagine this scene:

Terrorist: I'm calling your boss.

Sinda: Do you know why the chicken crosses the road.

Vivek: Ha!Ha!Ha. Chicken only crosses its coop!

Sinda: Aaaaaaargh! Ha!Ha! Vivek, you are soooo funny.

Terrorist: Shut up you two! Or I'll cut your throat.

Vivek: He's angry. He needs calming down.

Sinda: Maybe a touch of Laxmi Aromas would do.

Vivek: Sinda, the chicken also crosses the farm.

Sinda: Aaaaargh! Vivek , youre a scream. Ha! Ha! Ha!

The shows in the station is becoming the marketing tool of many companies. Marketing is a far too sophisticated and polite a word to these self-inflated, smart-as-a-pirated-VCD-vendor promoters, who are usually the founder or the chairman. The presenter and the promoter take turn in rephrasing their one sentence structure, into various versions of praises and boasts. At times I would wonder who the real presenter, I mean the promoter, is. Hell, who cares anymore.

Whoever at the helm of this station, please bear this in your mind. Most listeners turn to radio because they want to entertained. Informed? Yes, but not all. Preaching? Forget it, we get enough from the politicians. We want real entertainment. What happened to those dramas based on literature? What happened to those family oriented comedy, so gentle and yet so witty? The worse part is, the presenters/promoters are clumsy with their knowledge of songs which they play, if at all they felt they are obliged to do so. How many times they have made mistake; wrong name of singer or composer or lyricists? On top of that they have got the guts to ban some really good songs, on the account of fearing its corruption on audiences. To think that they do think about their audience! Man, it baffles me.

Time for commercial is given generously, if they were not irritating enough. On top of that, these commercials, to me, seemed to be created by someone bent on degrading and defaming the local Indians. A conspiracy theory is lurking on my mind. Maybe it was scripted by Aliens. However, those are different matters.

I was grateful that THR (The Highway Radio) had a few hours dedicated to the Indian. Guess what? It is the same over there. You have a presenter or two, with the product promoter taking helm as if he is running the show. Come to think of it, he does. The tagline of any Indian radio stations would now be, "Come, and blow your own trumpet!".

As I've said, I've quit listening to Radio 6. I have long been anglicised music-wise, and it didn't surprise me f I had taken fancy of the English stations. Whoever taken the helm of the station (Radio 6) over the past few years, has certainly wrecked it, and sold it to the money men. The audience who stuck to the station consist mainly of those who have no choice, or those who want to win those promoted products, and get their less than "15 minutes" of fame. Adieu. It has been a nice ride, Radio 6.

Additional note - 8/5/2002 & 12/8/2002

- As I said earlier, situation has not changed. It only worsened. The only time I get to hear the radio station is when I am in my brother's house or in his car. THR is now an advertorial platform for traders, who are, to my opinion, thinly disguised conmen. All they intend to do is bring the Malaysian Indians to the dark era of cultural ignorance and religious misinformation. I am out. I don't listen to radio at all these days, and I am very happy about it.

- I guess the same goes to other stations. I stand to be corrected.