7/8/08

POWER 105's Power Switchers Club

POWERful Blogpost #105
POWER 105 DZBM-fm
Power Switchers Club
I guess some of you may have anticipated my Blogpost #105 so here it goes....just my own tribute to "THE POWER STATION" POWER 105 DZBM-fm and the Power Switchers Club. I first heard about POWER 105 back in 1985 and to be exact AUGUST 1985. YUP!! I can still remember my first time when I was able to tuned in to this great Manila New Wave Radio Station. Actually it was LINGGO NG WIKA(Pilipino Language Week) when we were at the classroom listening to the music of "The Power Station DZBM POWER 105". WOW!! YOUTHFUL MEMORIES INDEED!! The station was playing music from THE CURE, ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN,.....a lot of DEPECHE MODE, NEW ORDER, NICK KERSHAW, STRAWBERRY SWITCHBLADE just to name a few. Of course there were also a lot of Obscure New Wave Bands and Songs on their playlist.


THE POWER SWITCHERS CLUB was the CLUB organized by the BM people wayback mid-1986 just before the station would change and remove their New Wave Format. It was revived by December 1987 and the second batch of POWER SWITCHERS was ready for registration by early 1988. There were four of us in the group who went to register with the First Batch of Power Switchers back in 1986 but we weren't able to pick up our IDs because the station ultimately changed their format. When the registration was revived in 1988 we went back to the station and asked and verified if our receipts from our 1986 registration were still valid. Sadly, they said that we have to re-register again. Waaaah!! Another payment? Hmmmp!! That's unfair!! He He He!! This time there were six of us in the group and we all decided not to push through with the registration. Naaah!! The four of us who were told to re-register didn't mind it anymore. Well, I have created an exclusive POWER SWICTHERS CLUB I.D. featuring Looney Tunes Character "TASMANIAN DEVIL" just for my POWER105 BLOGPOST since TAZ is one of my favorite BM DJs back then. Recently the POWER SWITCHERS CLUB was sort of reborn but this time as a Yahoo Group.

Good thing BENJIE COLLANTES of "THE VAULT" was able to preserve his copy of the POWER SWITCHER application form and was kind enough to share it here in my little blog. THANKS AGAIN BENJIE!!
Just added info about POWER 105 taken from the DZBM-fm My Space website which I linked here in my blog last year during the early days of my BLOG. YUP!! One of the first three links here on "THE DOCTOR IS IN". Click the POWER105 LOGO to enter the site:
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This site is dedicated to all Power Switchers around the world and to the now defunct Power 105 BM FM. DZBM 105.1 FM - (circa 1985-1991) 131 Del Monte Ave., Quezon City, PHILIPPINES STUDIO 711.3937.

The year 1963 marked the birth of the Mareco Broadcasting Network, Inc. (MBN, Inc.) in the radio industry, with DZBM as its first AM station. The station..s purpose was, originally, as a promotional medium for Mabuhay and Villar records, which were both owned by Mareco Broadcasting Network. MBN, Inc. also produced and marketed foreign music labels from over a hundred major international recording companies. DZBM made a major impact in popularizing radio as a prime entertainment medium in Manila, since the station was consistently at the top of the charts in the surveys during that time. Eventually, DZBM opened its doors to commercial advertising, due to its increasing patronage, especially from the youth of the Philippines. The station moved from AM to FM band for enhanced sound quality. The move to FM was to DZBM..s advantage. Playing vinyls (12"s, EPs, and LPs) plus superior sound quality in radio broadcasting became the trademark of DZBM 105.1 FM, which became known to its listeners as ..The Power Station... In the 1980..s, DZBM played the most obscure sounds, extended versions, b-sides and the hottest new wave hits. The evolution of DZBM, from the new wave station to the Jazz station it is today, is a result of the numerous changes in management of the Mareco Broadcasting Network, Incorporated.

POWER105 DJ's: Chelle - D * Randy Brown * Michael Davis * Dr. D'e * Harry Nolan * Paul Hunter * Tasmanian Devil.


RANDY BROWN
(PRESIDENT OF POWER SWITCHERS CLUB)

MICHAEL DAVIS and CHEL D.


DR. D'E


HARRY NOLAN

TASMANIAN DEVIL
(P.R.O. of POWER SWITCHERS CLUB)
Photos courtesy of:
POWER SWITCHERS YAHOO GROUP
DJ MIKE of 33 1/3
JORDAN VICTOR LUCIANO of ALPHABETZ Mobile

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I really love this radio station and who would forget their RADIO ID TAG that goes something like this: "The...The...The...Power Station...Power Station". CLASSIC Indeed!! Nothing to do with Robert Palmer's 80s band okay. He He He! The radio signal was also excellent and with great sounding echo and bass on it. Hmmmp!! I have visited the station only four times which was right in front of SIENNA COLLEGE but I may say it's still memorable for me since I was able to meet two of my favorite BM DJs Tasmanian Devil and Harry Nolan. Actually both HARRY NOLAN and TASMANIAN DEVIL started as a TEAM on their radio show and their Tandem was dissolved by 1988 wherein both DJs were given their own Individual timeslot. Talking about tandem....Of course PINOY WAVERS would definitely remember the BADUY DJ POP Tandem of HILL BILLY WILLY and GROVER of 93.9 WKC on the same era which was the 80s. HA HA HA!!POWER105 have also their so-called "POWER EXCLUSIVES" which were music that's exclusively played on POWER105 during those days like VOICE OF AMERICA, FRUITS OF PASSION, H20, THE LOVER SPEAKS, THE EXPLORERS, and many more. A memorable portion on POWER105 is their "LIGHT AND EASY FAVORITES" broadcast every 12noon to 1pm wherein it showcased New Wave Music on the lighter side. This was where DIFFERENT SEASONS by JOHNNY HATES JAZZ, LOVE YOU by PRIMAL SCREAM, LAST SUPPER by HOWARD JONES, and of course who would forget BROKEN LAND by THE ADVENTURES just to name few became popular. I will be having a seperate Blogpost on both POWER EXCLUSIVES and THE LIGHT AND EASY FAVORITES so hang on to your seatbelts. He He He!! By early 1991 POWER 105 began playing Hard and Heavy Metal Music definitely a far cry from what they were known for. Well, I guess because it just entered the DECADE of the 90s.
WHY POWER SWITCHER? Well, I guess you made the RIGHT SWITCH. You SWITCH ON AND OFF THE POWER or plainly you've SWITCHED listening to POWER105 instead of WXB102 or NU107.
HAVE YOU MADE THE POWER SWITCH?
THE...THE...THE.
POWER STATION...POWER STATION!!
-DR. STIRRING RHOD-

14 comments:

kurt said...

new wave never actually died. it just took a variety of musical forms (indiepop, twee, shoegaze, britpop, noisepop, industrial, goth, and even grunge).
during the 90's, popular new wave bands from the 80's released remarkable albums too. namely:
Morissey - your arsenal
REM - automatic for the people
The Cure- wish
Ian Macculoch - mysterio
Jesus & Mary Chain - honey's dead
..and many more..
sadly, the record labels, radio, and the music industry were clueless(as usual) how to market them and make more profit.

eLf ideas said...

Kurt,

Same sentiments, and I've been blogging and writing about this even back in the '90s...that New Wave never died, but it was many of the so-called New Wavers who turned their backs to the genre.

I was glad I was not one of them. In the '90s, even though I also loved Metal music and other genres, I still followed the discographies of bands like The Cure, Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Church, Morrissey, James, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, and many more.

And I agree with you...New Wave is just a term. The sound just took on other names and a bit updated itself. BritPop, Alternative, Shoegaze.

The '90s had also produced "New Wave"-sounding bands like Popsicle, Dillon Fence, The Cranberries, and many more.

Nocturne said...

Wow! DZBM 105 brings lots & lots of memories. Yeah, it's been almost 20 yrs. - 20 amazing yrs. BM 105 : The best there was, the best there is...the best ever there will be. Is Chelle D. still around? Gosh I love her voice..."Goodbye, Francis1".

DrStirringRhod said...

Thanks KURT, ALFIE, and NORMAN for posting Comments. :-)

BTW, Kurt and Alfie this isn't a post about HOW NEW WAVE DIED. He He He!! :-)

YUP!! Norman according to some POWER SWITCHERS Chel D. is still here in the Philippines.

-DR. STIRRING RHOD-

Unknown said...

Kurt,

Another Power Switcher here. I remember visiting the station to register. I got to see the DJs in action. It was the coolest thing for me that time. It broke my when DZBM closed its doors to new wave. I still remember their last day of broadcast. It broke my heart.

Sonny

PS I'm looking for a song to download for the longest time. Maybe you can help. It's a Pale Fountains song - "Thank you". My Mom really love this song. She said it's one of her favs. Another one that I'm looking to download are Vitamin Z songs. Thanks for you help.

DrStirringRhod said...

Hey SONY, Thanks for dropping by!! :-)

jimmy hermogenes said...

with NU's recent demise, memories came rushing back when DZBM was playing its last songs. I still have it on tape. BM was playing the last song of every jock. I was graduating / just graduated from college, new wave music seemed to be fading and BM's change of format seemed to confirmed it. It signaled the end of my youth and the beginning of real life. Thanks BM for playing the soundtrack of my life! "Gotta go, hotta hike, gotta do something with my life."

DrStirringRhod said...

THANKS jimmy for sharing your POWER 105 DZBM FM memories here in my little blog!! :-) DO come back!!

Mark Michael Salin said...

With Cris Hermosisima (of the former NU 107) now leading the pack at 105.1 Crossover as Vice President & Station Manager, there are rumors that he will be making a programming makeover at the station soon, and eventually bring back the Power 105 BM FM name.

DrStirringRhod said...

THANKS Mark for the info!! Well even if the name "Power 105 BM FM" will be back, I don't think if they will return the New Wave format again it would click anymore for Pinoys. You know the state of our FM Radio programming these days. It's majority pang "MASA".

Unknown said...

bakit puro kayo inglesero dito? heheh..wow memories of my grade school days..di ko malilimutan yung echoing sound ng station..i don't know if i remember it right..they used to have this 1 hour show playing songs from a featured album? thru bm i also first experienced the early red hot chili peppers..gnr appetite for destruction era & metallica kill em all era..thanks for this blog! :)

ghietzki said...

broken land by the adventures, chel d's closing song...my fav!!! that epic song still haunts me now as it was back then. 80's and 90's those were the wonder years of music!
thanks POWER STATION for the memories!

ghietzki

legit878 said...

i was an everyday fan of power 105 during my hi school days. my ears would hurt if i listen to any other station. the care, bolshoi, the smiths, jean loves jezzebel, sobrang dami. As the saying goes Even good things come to an end.. if only
i could turn back time.

legit878 said...

sirs! wala na pong matinong station sa fm now a days. talagang destined na dumami ang mga bakya. sad but true. sorry