Managing Director of 107.7FM, Anthony Chow Lin On is much like the newest radio station on the market in Trinidad and Tobago, that is laid back.
By Sateesh MaharajChoosing to no longer stand in the limelight as he once did, the veteran in the entertainment field sees his latest venture as the sharing of a passion for good music. This was fuelled by what he saw as a need by music lovers in the urban adult market. The band may be congested, but he pointed out that there was always a space for good quality.
"We have a team that is very passionate about music and collecting music for decades. We felt that there wasn't that one frequency that was really taking care of the urban adult market from a musical point of view. Nobody has really given a serious diet of that--the 70's and 80's. We knew that we would get a space even though it is crowded on the FM band. There is always room for good quality.
Chow Lin On feels blessed to be associated with avid music lovers; people who have collected great music over the years and wanted to share this feeling with anyone they could. The resulting output by the station, he said, is a reflection of this.
He said: "All of the people involved in this project are avid collectors of music. We were DJ's from the 70's. We were involved in radio and music. That is what we did all the time. I have this extensive library of music. We just wanted to share it. We felt that a lot of our peers would enjoy it. The music brings back a time in my life-first dance, bazaar, party, honeymoon. That sense of nostalgia is really fuelling our format. Even though we play a lot of memories, a lot of the new adult contemporary stuff is in the format as well."
Six days before Mother's Day, Grammy award winning singer Lionel Richie will serenade local audiences as part of his world tour. Chow Lin On revealed that other such artistes who embody what is 107.7FM will visit these shores in the future.
"Lionel (Richie) was carefully chosen to head off our opening campaign. His music is like an icon of the format that we play. He makes music for life... a lifetime of music. Music that never dies. Great melodies and a well written song lasts forever. That is what he represents. That is why he was chosen. It was not easy to come to Trinidad as part of his world tour. We are very excited about (his performance). "
Backed by a talented and dedicated "A-Team", the managing director says experience is what they bring to the arena airwaves.
"As far as I am concerned, one of the strengths of 107.7FM is the fact that we were able to assemble what I consider to be the A-listers of the announcers of this country. When you think of the resumes of Glen Antoine, Cheryl Villaran, Stanley Agustus and Nicola Barriteau all in one spot... I think I've been blessed. Because the industry is so saturated, what has been happening is that a lot of frequencies have had to come on the air with people fresh out of broadcast school or training."
Officially on air about two weeks ago he admitted that the station was not operating at maximum power.
He explained: "We did not go on air with full power. These are things you want to test day by day and add as you go along rather than put everything on and then you have a problem then blow everything. We're still not at full power yet. We've been adding increments as we go along."
He is also of the belief that because there is this undying love for music found in all members of the 107.7FM crew, music listeners will keep coming back once they've had their first "taste".
"It is always a strength of our company because of the fact that we are music people who got into business and not business people who got into music. Music has always been what we do. We were always in the spaces where music breathes-the clubs, the dance halls, the streets."
He continued: "We've been playing at the parties for many decades. In our spare time we are in the studio making music as producers. It keeps us synchronised. I like to call it deejay instincts. All of the people developed those sharp instincts. That's how we live."
From his years of experience he added: "When you go into a party and you have 40 records in a crate, you have to have "song" judgement. You play the wrong one and your dance floor will be empty. You need to familiarise yourself and be in touch with your audience so that when you play your song the audience will be jumping. We brought that to radio. We have a sense of what record would keep our listeners here."
Chow Lin On says he was never one to sit back and envision what may or may not be.
"I have never been focused on any end point. I have always been living in the now-the best that we can do at this present time and enjoy it. It's about being true to the music, the audience and things develop as they take their course."
As the managing director at 96.1WEFM - whose studios just happen to be on the other side of the corridor- Chow Lin On said the entities were in fact very separate.
"One complements the other. We now run the full spectrum of the age groups. They are two distinctly separate products. You can't listen to one and feel you are on the other."
