2023-11-07 06:29:16
Manila (AFP) – Standing in front of the microphone, comedian Phil Cruz pretends to brandish an amulet to triumph over the devil, recording the last episode of one of the few radio soap operas remaining in the Philippines and delighting listeners.
He is part of a small team of artists and technicians who produce shows broadcast in Tagalog, the Philippine national language, on DZRH, one of the oldest radio stations in the country.
Radio soap operas were the main source of entertainment for Filipino families after World War II, but their popularity faded with the rise of television, social media and streaming platforms.
But many long-time listeners, including the elderly, farmers, workers and taxi drivers, still turn on their sets to watch their favorite soap opera.
“We’re the only ones left,” Mr. Cruz, 64, says between recording sessions in a modern studio in a Manila theme park.
Actors record their roles for a radio soap opera in the studio of a radio station in Manila, July 17, 2023 in the Philippines © TED ALJIBE / AFP
He follows in his father’s footsteps. He started in the business in 1979, at the time when DZRH devoted more than nine hours of its programs each day to the broadcast of 18 soap operas, in a context of strong competition with other broadcasters.
Today, it only produces seven.
Its longest-running series, “Night of Horror,” has been terrifying audiences for 66 years with stories of demons, vampires and murderous skeletons.
Gerry Mutia produces the sound effects which contribute to the immersion of listeners. And even though many of the effects can be created by computer, he still prefers “the old way.”
Gerry Mutia produces sound effects during the recording of a radio drama in the studio of a radio station in Manila, July 17, 2023 in the Philippines © TED ALJIBE / AFP
In his studio, a box of heterogeneous objects allows him to simulate sounds: coconut shells for galloping horses, a door lock for cocking a rifle or even a box of leaves with which, with his feet, he can , it recreates the sound of footsteps in the forest. With his own voice, he even imitates a cat’s meow.
“The computer can reproduce the sound of a slap, but the result is more realistic doing it the old-fashioned way,” says Mr. Mutia, demonstrating using a pair of old soles.
– “Our only entertainment” –
The beauty of radio is that it touches “everyone, even the poor,” says Rosanna Villegas, 63, another voice of DZRH who also followed in her father’s footsteps.
“It’s a vector of entertainment that adds to what they watch on television or in the cinema,” she notes. Fans “tell us their stress disappears.”
Henry Amadure, who lives alone on a farm about 60 km south of Manila, is one of DZRH’s loyal listeners.
Farmer Henry Amadure listens to a soap opera on the radio while he pulls weeds in a field, October 4, 2023 in Silang, Philippines © Ted ALJIBE / AFP
While he pulls weeds in the fields, his small radio allows him to follow “The Promise of Tomorrow”, a soap opera which depicts the friendship between a poor student and a rich classmate.
“It keeps me company because I work alone,” explains Mr. Amadure, 58, introduced to these soap operas by his grandfather. “Sometimes you learn life lessons from it.”
He spends 74 pesos (1.23 euros) per week on batteries to keep the radio on all day while he works on his farm, in the absence of electricity.
Her neighbor Cristiteta Arpon, 35, emphasizes that these soap operas are their “only entertainment”.
Cristiteta Arpon listens to a soap opera on the radio with her children, October 4, 2023 in Silang, Philippines © Ted ALJIBE / AFP
“We will be sad if they disappear. It is our everyday companion and the only thing that makes us happy,” breathes this mother of four children.
“Radio is eternal”
Nerissa Julao, 52, belongs to a club of radio drama enthusiasts which has 17,000 members on Facebook.
“Listening to radio serials sharpens my imagination. The scenes take shape in my mind because the acting is very convincing,” says the fifty-year-old who works in catering.
Actors record their roles for a radio soap opera in the studio of a radio station in Manila, July 17, 2023 in the Philippines © TED ALJIBE / AFP
Radio shows keep her busy while she prepares her meals in Guagua, northwest of Manila.
But “soap opera fanatics like us are becoming increasingly rare,” she notes.
For radio stations, the challenge is to attract a new generation of listeners.
DZRH expanded its activities to social networks, publishing episodes on YouTube and sharing the links on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok.
“We have a varied audience, but it is true that many listeners are getting older,” recognizes Mr. Cruz. “We need to produce content aimed at young people.”
Actors read the scripts for their roles in a radio soap opera before recording them in the studio of a radio station in Manila, July 6, 2023 in the Philippines © Ted ALJIBE / AFP
“For me, radio is eternal,” says Ms. Villegas, optimistically.
© 2023 AFP
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