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DWRT-FM 99.5 MHz, is an FM radio station owned and operated by Real Radio Network Inc. in the Philippines. Its studio is located at Paragon Plaza, Mandaluyong City.

It was originally known as 99.5 RT from 1976 to 2006, as 99.5 Hit FM from 2007 to March 19, 2008, and as Campus 99.5 from March 23 to August 14, 2008. On September 1, 2008, the frequency reverted back to the 99.5 RT brand.

99.5 RT: The first iteration (1976-2006)

It was in 1976, that 99.5 RT first went on air. It was operated by Trans-Radio Broadcasting Corp. (now GVM Radio/TV Corporation which is currently operating the Cebu City station Y 101), which was controlled by the Tuason family, from its inception to 1996, after which it was sold to Supreme Broadcasting Corporation which later became Real Radio Network, Incorporated.

Its studios were located for most of its existence on Ayala Avenue in the central business district of Makati, at one time in Pacific Bank Building, then later at Royal Match Building. In April 1999, it was moved to Paragon Plaza, Edsa , Mandaluyong City.

99.5 RT was considered as one of the first FM radio stations to set the trend in using the Contemporary Hit Radio format first popularized in the United States, commonly known to as "Pop" or "Top 40". RT first began broadcasting in 1976 under the helm of Emilio Tuason, who also became one of the deejays (his on-air name was ET), until personal problems forced his retirement from the station in the 1980s.

99.5 RT became famous for playing the hits months ahead of most other music stations because its programming philosophy did not pander to the masses nor cater to the lowest common denominator. It was more concerned with bringing the latest hits to the audience as soon as they were released by the artists. One of the most remembered examples of this was in the early 1980s when RT broke in the song "More To Lose" by the obscure English duo, Seona Dancing (one-half of which is the now famous lead actor and comic of the British television hit series The Office, Ricky Gervais). The station kept everyone guessing about the identity of the song by announcing the title as "Medium" and done by the artist "Fade", two words which were actually descriptions of the song: medium tempo with an ending that faded out. In a sense, it worked to educate listeners on what great radio should sound like.

Over the years, RT became popular with different slogans such as "The Rhythm Of The City", "Red Hot Radio", "Maximum Music Authority", and "Source For The Best Hits". For the last two years before it was rebranded, 99.5 RT's slogan was "The Most Hit Music".

Some of Metro Manila's best deejays became legends at 99.5 RT including, Mike Pedero, who initiated the Top 40/CHR format of the station, Joppy, Al W. Leader, Eric Caine, Adam Kite, Brian Panty, Joey Pizza, The Kaizer, Johnny Ceasar (now with RJ 100), Jeremiah Junior, Bob Kcurry, The Mighty Thor, North Andrew (now Program Director of MTV Philippines), Jake Swann, Boo Kyler (now with 103 1/2 Max FM), Jiggy, OB Hollywood Andrew, Dick Rees,Joe Schmoe, Mark Cross, Joshua (who moved to 103.5 K-Lite in 1995 but returned to the station in 1998, two years after RT was sold, and remaining on the roster through the change to Campus 99.5) and Vince St. Price. The RT deejay became the gold standard for all other deejays in the Philippines.

RT was also home to some of America's popular hit countdown shows like "American Top 40" and the "Rick Dees Weekly Top 40". In the early 80's (specifically 1983-1984), RT also ventured into the music-video business. As one of the pioneer music video shows in the Philippines, "Rhythm Of The City" which aired on Tuesdays at 7:30 pm on then government-owned MBS Channel 4 (now NBN Channel 4), showcased then ground-breaking videos from artists such as Men At Work, Naked Eyes, Real Life, Michael Jackson, and some of the best acts in North America during a time when then-fledgling MTV had not yet established its presence in the Asian region.

It is also known for one of the best oldies shows in Philippine radio, 24K Friday playing gold standard classics from the 70's, 80's and 90's.

It was also known as the first radio station to have ventured into having a home on the World Wide Web, launching its bulletin board in 1995.

In 1996, the Tuason family sold RT to Supreme Broadcasting Corporation, which was eventually renamed to Real Radio Network Inc. Under new management, the station kept its on-air identity and programming format unlike most other stations which are reformatted after being sold.

However, as time progressed, 99.5 RT's sound slowly moved to something similar to other CHR radio stations like Magic 89.9, which is owned by Real Radio Network's parent company, Quest Broadcasting Incorporated. By 2004, most of its veteran DJs had left and were replaced by younger ones. During the period, programs like Up and Coming (a new music countdown show, which later split into two: RT Top 10 Biggies (daily) and the RT Top 40 (weekly)), On the Decks (a dance show), RT Sunday Sessions (where performed live in the radio station's studio), The Get Up and Go Show with Joe Schmoe, Alex and Lellie, Dinner and Drive Show (formerly known as Da Brainy Bunch), and The Playground with Da Kid, Lexi Locklear and BB Fred were established. Also, RT had some of events such as RT Music Awards, and Ripe Tomatoes, an annual concert.

In 2006, management decided to drop the "RT" brand name and renamed it "HiT FM".

At 12:00 am on December 18, 2006, the station signed off as 99.5 RT for the last time. For the next two weeks, the station played non-stop music, with occasional liners from the DJs, and teasers about the new station. On January 1, 2007, it officially signed on as 99.5 Hit FM.

99.5 Hit FM (January 2007-March 2008)

99.5 Hit FM's programming was similar to that of 99.5 RT before it left the airwaves, but initially played more older music (from the past three years) and tandem DJs. It catered to a young audience, whose demographics include kids in high-school and college from the aspirational to the affluent backgrounds. It used cutting edge production techniques and materials to accent the music with an upbeat and hip sound image that identified the station distinctly from competition.

Programming

Its first week saw the station play non-stop music like the last two weeks; its new programs officially debuted on January 8, 2007, a week after the name change.

There were special programs to highlight the variety of music played on Hit FM. These include:

• The #1 Hit Weekend - where the hottest songs from the 90s were played on request. This was also similar to 105.9 Mix FM's The #1 Weekend
• Sunday Sessions - The hot OPM bands come in to the HiT FM studio to play their hits live; this was known previously as RT Sunday Sessions
• The 24K Experience - Yesterday's hottest hits of the 70's and 80's, based on the 24K Friday format of the original 99.5 RT
• MigZ Big Night Out - the weekly opener to David's House, hosted by MigZ with a Z offering remixes, mashups, mixes, and hot spots in the metro to go out and party
• David's House - your weekly dose of house music mixed live by DJ David Ardiente and remotely broadcasts from different night spots in the metro.
• Wake Up Call - Sunday morning show that plays rock songs to wake up listeners. hosted by the rocker, Lellie.
• Reel Hit Soundtracks - music from television and film soundtracks, slanting towards alternative, on Sunday nights, hosted by Ron

Programs previously aired on Hit FM that did not last until its close include:

• Old School Wednesdays - similar to both 24K Friday and The #1 Hit Weekend
• 24K Friday - similar to the program of the same name on 99.5 RT; this only lasted six weeks before being replaced with The 24K Experience

Other programs focused on entertainment:

• Totally Mental - a phone-in program hosted by Ron and Borgy Manotoc; this was substantially different from its original version, which aired on K-Lite 103.5
• The Factory - with Ron and Carlie
• Sam vs Sam - the station's first morning show, with Sam Y.G. and Sam Oh. It lasted until mid-July 2007 when Sam YG transferred to Magic while Sam Oh did one-month hiatus
• The Hit Morning Crew - the on-air crew (including the Flushmasters) waking up the mornings including the wackiest game segment "Beat The Flush", with Sam Oh, Bennii and Christina (previously with Robi, Chevy, Sonny B. and Tin)
• You Pick The Hit - an all-out phone-line request show
• Beauty Meets BahagZ - with Tracy and MigZ, replacing Great School Coaster
• The Homerun - with Winner and Lellie; the most listened show on HitFM. they catered the audiences with games such as Uhm, Uhh, Panic, Secret Sound, Acro and others. They also have special program named The 8-ball countdown which features Top 8 songs according to the listeners' votes and request. The Homerun lasted throughout the station's entire history
• Mornings with Kelly and Tin - previously Afternoons with..., it lasted until December 31, 2007, when Kelly left the station
• The BrewRats! - with Tado, Ramon Bautista and Angel, which replaced The Factory

Members of the Hit Squad

• Dick Rees
• Joshua
• Sonny B.
• Bennii
• Robi the Rascal
• Issa Litton
• Carlie
• Bryan Aaron/BA Boy
• Rain
• Enrique
• Liz
• Kelly
• Tin
• Tracy Abad
• Sam YG
• Sam Oh
• Slyde
• Migz with a Z
• Winner
• Lellie
• Borgy Manotoc
• David Ardiente
• Ron

The End of Hit FM

99.5 Hit FM signed off for the last time on Holy Wednesday, March 19, 2008. Some Hit FM jocks later moved to Jam 88.3 and Magic 89.9. The last song played by Hit FM before the Lenten break was "Nice to Know You" by Incubus.

All-time 8-Ball songs

The daily countdown program was the "8-Ball". There was no weekly countdown program. The final edition of the 8-Ball, aired during the last edition of The Homerun, was devoted to the best-performing songs in its existence.

1. "Teenagers" by My Chemical Romance
2. "Jenny" by The Click Five
3. "Hero/Heroine" by Boys Like Girls
4. "Cat and Mouse" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
5. "No Air" by Jordin Sparks featuring Chris Brown
6. "Nine in the Afternoon" by Panic! at the Disco
7. "Di Ko Alam" by Pumpin Pluto
8. "Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Campus 99.5 (March-August 2008)

The 99.5 frequency resumed broadcast as 99.5 Campus FM on Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008, with some of the announcers coming from Barangay LS 97.1 (formerly "Campus Radio 97.1") and some of the retained Hit FM jocks. The new incarnation of 99.5 reflected the spirit of the former Campus Radio. Early in May, 2008, it was renamed Campus 99.5. The on-air format was essentially the same, with familiar programs and segments and jocks from Campus Radio 97.1 re-introduced later on.

Collectively, the station's on-air announcers were known as the Campus Air Force, as they were with DWLS-FM.

Special Programs

• Campus Classic Weekend - a whole day special format featuring classic songs from the 90's and early 2000s, on Saturdays and Sundays.
  • Revenge of the 80's- a special show on the Campus Classic Weekend heard on Sundays 8:00-9:00 A.M. and 6:00-7:00 P.M. presenting the memorable hits from the whimsical 1980's
  • Jazz Downbeat Special - a reincarnation of a jazz program on WLS-FM during the late 80's, it plays 4 hours of non-stop jazz music, every Sundays from 8:00-12:00 M.N. Although its playlist dates back to the 70's, it is considered a part of Campus Classic Weekend.
• Campus Aircheck - select students from Metro Manila colleges and universities are given a hands-on deejaying experience.
• The Top 20 at 12 -- the longest-running countdown show in the Philippines and Asia, which started out with 97.1 WLS-FM. On its return on April 25, 2008, "No Air" by Jordin Sparks featuring Chris Brown became the first #1 song on the weekly edition. "Damn Regret" by emo rock band The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus became the first daily #1 on April 29, 2008. Unlike in its previous home, the weekly countdown usually happens on Friday nights, at 10:00-12:00 P.M., because of Campus Classic Weekend; the daily edition retains the 12:00-1:00 P.M. afternoon slot.
• Front.Center - where a certain singer or act is featured every month and is given preferential airplay by the hour with various songs. It was announced in July 2008

Two programs from 99.5 Hit FM were retained for the Campus format:

• BrewRats - starring Ramon Bautista, Tado and Angel from the TV show, Strangebrew, in a three hour, anything goes radio show; and
• David's House - a Saturday night show with house music mixed live by David Ardiente broadcasting from alternately from Aruba, Metrowalk and Alchemy, Pasig.

It was revealed during Campus Redux, the official launch event of Campus 99.5 held on May 30, 2008 at Eastwood City, that other programs and segments for the station were supposed to be on the works for launch in the coming weeks/months, such as Other Peoples' Music, Infopop, Technologic, Rock-It Launcher, Push Radio, and Campus Movie Master.

The Campus Air Force

• John Hendrix
• Joe Spinner
• Jaybee
• Jimmy Jam
• The Big Z (formerly Joshua)
• BoyToy (formerly Neil Almighty)
• The BrewRats!
  • Ramon Bautista
  • Angel
  • Tado
• Jagger (formerly Ron) - pinch hitter
• Piper
• Alex (at one time was known as Yvette)
• David Ardiente (for David's House)
• The Triggerman (for The Top 20 @ 12; also the station manager)

Newscasters

• Nana (formerly Christina of the Hit Morning Crew)
• Dada
• Hot Mama Maria (trapik.com traffic reporter)
• Dylan (trapik.com traffic reporter)
• Pidro (trapik.com traffic reporter)

The End of Campus 99.5

On the afternoon of August 14 at 4:00 pm, the Campus 99.5 brand was abruptly discontinued based on top-level management directives, with no immediate replacement format put in. The station then reverted to an automated all-music format with only pre-recorded station ID's played intermittently between songs. The sole exception to this state was the uninterrupted The BrewRATS! program which continued on its usual schedule until August 21, after which it went on a one week hiatus. That episode closed with Color It Red's song, "Paglisan".

99.5 RT: The return (September 2008-present)

On September 1, 2008 at 6 am, after two weeks of automated music programming, the station began its broadcast as 99.5 RT. Joshua Z was the first DJ to go on board that morning, followed by others who had worked with RT and Hit FM. The station is now using its old and familiar slogan, "The Rhythm Of The City". The more varied playlist indicates that RT would be programmed the way it was during the time it was owned by the Tuasons.

Disc Jockeys

• Joshua Z
• Sam Oh
• Da Kid
• Slyde
• Robi the Rascal
• Koji Morales
• Lellie
• The BrewRATs!
  • Tado
  • Ramon Bautista
  • Angel
• Neil Almighty
• Ron Valentine
• David Ardiente

Newscasters

• Carissa
• Dada

Special Programs

• 24K Weekend
• The BrewRATs!
• David's House

Compilation CDs released by 99.5 RT

• 24K Friday (MCA Music Philippines, 2006)
• 24K Friday 2 (MCA Music Philippines, 2007)

References

1. All Music Guide bio on Seona Dancing

External links

• DWRT-FM on eRadioPortal

• Metro Manila radio stations
• Quest Broadcasting Inc.
• RadioWorks