Friday, October 19, 2012

"This is our last goodbye.."

Hey all! It's a Friday and usually, you'd know what that means, but today is when it ends.

As I'm sure you all have heard, 99.5 is going through another change and this will happen pretty soon so everything about "RT" will have to go--naturally, this includes its countdown, the RT30.

I didn't know today was going to be the last episode of the countdown so I accepted an event out of town with the plans of simply recording the show. Then on Wednesday, I received the news that I would have to say goodbye to you all. It took a while before the news could sink in, but it did and as I wrote the script like I had done every week for the past 4 years, I became very emotional and I ended up writing an intro to the show that was probably a little too heartfelt. I meant to record it, but I didn't want to start the last episode of the countdown on a somber note. The countdown has always been fun and spontaneous and I wanted it to stay that way "til the very end" (sounds like I'm writing a eulogy!!). So in lieu of what I originally wrote, you will hear an introduction that's no different from all the other episodes you know and (hopefully) love.

Now, I still want you all to get to read the introduction I meant for you all to hear so here it is:



"Hey everybody. My name is Inka and if this is your first time to tune in to the show, well, you’re a little late. You missed an entire generation, an entire active lifetime’s worth of the best hits of what we’ve always called “the now”. You missed my dad, Jeremiah Junior, giving you hit after hit after hit since the 80s all the way until the early 2000s, you missed the fall of 99.5rt to stations like HitFM and Campus Radio, and you missed its rising from the ashes just 4 years ago to return as the station that gives you the best music on the planet. If this is your first time to tune in to the RT30 Countdown, then you missed me taking over the show, making mistakes on air, talking to international and local artists--you missed the longest-running countdown on Philippine Radio.


I remember when I was first told by my bosses that I would be taking over the show my dad had hosted for years. Big show. They said that I would be starting the countdown next week--just 7 days to come up with all the sound effects, the counters, the opening sequence, all the bells and whistles, plus the vibe of the whole program--basically everything. Since the show name was changed from the RT40 to the RT30, my dad and I had to start from scratch. We spent many sleepless nights in the studio, recording, mixing, editing, then re-doing everything because we both tend to be perfectionists. He was helping me, mentoring me, preparing me to take over another baby of his--his countdown. Because my dad handled the show for so long, it was already a part of my life. Now that I had to tally, research, and write the entire show myself, it became an even bigger part of my life. Never did I think that its lifespan under my watch would be so short, but just like the last-minute way it landed on my lap, it’s just-as-quickly slipping away from my grasp. I wasn’t given much time to prepare for its parting and so the only RT30 specials you will experience today would be this little anecdote, and, of course, all of you listening. You’re all tuned in with a purpose shared by god-knows-how-many people--this is very special. 


And so, to end the show, I’d just like to say thank you. To all the students, interns, and OJTs that were assigned to the countdown: each of you has contributed a building block to the legacy of the countdown--whether it has your name on it or not, you put it there so thank you. To all the local and international artists who became a part of the show (whether actively or passively), you each contributed a splash of color to brighten up the program; thank you for your beautiful music. To the listeners tuned in: you breathe life into the show. You’re the reason why the show came to be in the first place. For being there every time we aired, I thank you.

To the show I grew up with and ended up inheriting: thank you for giving me a well of spectacular experiences, valuable life lessons, for giving me something to look forward to every week for the past 4 years, and for growing up with me for the past 20. My dad and I are going to miss you.
"



THE RT30 COUNTDOWN
FRIDAYS, 3-6PM
On the station that plays you the best music on the planet
99.5RT