PLAY FM follows a different format from most other radio stations in the sense that they don't…read moretalk. They normally talk for a minute in between 3 or so songs, just to say some greets or do some quick weather or time updates, but never for longer than that. There's no conversations, interviews, or news, just lots and lots and lots of mainstream music. Their music is pretty much the same as their other Top 40 station brothers RX and MAGIC but the format is really what makes them distinct. Personally, I listen to radio most of the time to get the talking, the content that's like a value added to the music. But sometimes, you just wanna listen to the hits without the talking in between. That's the reason why PLAY FM is such good counterprogramming to the rest of the radiosphere here in the Philippines. PLAY FM does a good job standing out from the crowd.

99.5 PLAY FM is one of my more frequented radio stations whenever I'm out for a drive. They deliver…read morewhen they say that their DJs don't do jibber jabber, and they really focus on the music. They hardly talk for over a minute, and I don't think I've ever heard an interview going on or a call being taken. I particularly enjoy Throwback Thursday where they play songs from the late 90s and early 2000s all day long, but it kind of makes me sad that they'll be playing mid-2000s songs soon enough. The American Top 40 on the weekends is surprisingly pretty entertaining too, when they get Ryan Seacrest to count down 40 songs over the span of 3 hours, talking about the latest American celebrity news and bringing in celebrity guest speakers (I didn't think I'd ever hear Iggy Azalea or Nick Jonas taking an interview on my radio ever). Definitely my favorite station!

Easy Rock is, at least according to the commercials, the number 1 radio station in cars. There's a…read morepretty good reason why. First off, if you're in pretty much any cab or grabcar or whatever, there's a 50% chance that the cab's on Easy Rock. Next, if you're in a car driven by your dad or mom or someone from that generation, then it's also pretty likely that that car's tuned into Easy Rock. It's mostly because Easy Rock is literally all random easy listening songs from the 70s to 90s that I can only describe as Karaoke staples. Occasionally, they will also play a 2000s track if it's "mom-style easy listening" enough like new age Mariah and Adele music. However, Easy Rock is filled with songs that pretty much everyone in the car knows the lyrics to. It's infuriating, but at the same time it's something that you just can't help but loving.

When you're in the mood for classic love songs (I mean that in the most sincere, non-sarcastic,…read morebest way possible), 96.3 is the radio station for you. A lot of the taxi cabs listen to this station, and it really brings me back to a time when I was still rocking diapers. Easy Rock plays the best of old-school love songs - most of them from decades when I wasn't even born yet. These types of songs would be typically sung at karaoke bars by the slightly intoxicated titos, dedicating them to their loved ones. No wonder I can recognize some of the songs played, and even have some of the lyrics memorized (I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing). What I do love about Easy Rock, is that simply listening to them will take you away from all the daily stress you encounter, and let you get into a small bubble where only love and music exist.

I admit to always playing back and forth between Magic 89.9 and Rx 93.1. If I don't like the topic…read moreor the song on one station, I flip back to the other. Like Rx, Magic is also one of Manila's most popular radio stations. They usually play the Top 40 hits or "Today's Best Music" as their tagline goes. Magic is best known for Good Times in the Morning with Mo Twister, Sam Oh and Mikey Bustos and Boys' Night Out with Tony Tony, Slick Rick and Sam YG. Both shows can get really obnoxious sometimes. Mo Twister can be a bit overbearing in the morning, but I like how Sam Oh can temper him in a way that Grace Lee never could. In fairness, I always sided with Mo's logic vs Grace's, but still. Boys Night Out needs no explanation - things get rowdy and dumb. When they're not being too boisterous, they could be funny at times. Please have a big dose of sense of humor with you when listening to these guys. Overall, Magic does have very good DJs. Tina Ryan is also pretty good. Magic is indeed one of the best.

I usually listen to Magic 89.9 for Mo Twister. I know he is a total asshole, but there is just…read moresomething about him that makes listening to the radio a lot more fun and interesting. He also has a lot of unpopular opinion that he often brings out in his radio show and the way he grills some of his callers is just pure entertainment. Good Times with Mo plays every Monday to Thursday, every 6 AM to 9 AM. Over the years, a number of Mo's co-host left the show for personal reasons, but I don't really care as long as Mo stays as the main host of the show. I also listen to Boys Night Out hosted by Sam YG, Slick Rick, and Tony Tony. I don't really agree with how they treat some of their female guests in the show, but I know it's just for fun and entertainment. They also play the hottest and the most popular hits in the radio.

RJ Jacinto seems to fancy himself to be a legend in his own right, what with his hits and his…read morechains of stores, as well as his bistro, but his RJ program on Sundays and his radio station are what really take the cake; he has taste in music, that much is sure. With RJ FM, you would be able to hear a great array of different notable bits of music from different periods and genres, and that exceeds not just the old classics like the Beatles, but also has branched out to new programs and songs that can even feature artists like Lorde. While it is clear that RJ FM and all of RJ Jacinto's programs are promoted through his media network and cater to an older audience, the move to branch out to a younger generation is surprising, and shows that, to keep up with the times, they really go for the "latest and greatest".

I like their music but their online presence is next to impossible to tune into. The app seldom…read moreopens on any of my computer platforms; be it IPad, Android, Windows, or MacBook. I mentioned this to one of the high ranking employees that worked there but they were not interested in my analysis and therefore that helped them to lose my business by keeping firm with my offer. It's a shame because they have a good genre of music but I can not recommend them to any of my 300,000 plus expats that I am on various forums with here in The Philippines. Maybe RJ will someday wake up to the fact that he needs more professional people under him instead of unprofessional family members. He is a hard worker and attained a lot, but with higher level of professional help under him he would double his profits. That's my take. I rate his music a 5 star, but I rate doing business with him as a 1 star. He will not even listen to free outside advice but relies solely on his family for running his business which is a major mistake since there seems to be some dysfunctional issues at stake, and I know this from personal experience trying to do business with them. All of the other radio stations in Manila can be accessed easily via their app online but not RJ's for some reason, I had mentioned it to them but my wise and sound advice was ignored. I am glad they turned down my offer of $3,000 for radio time as a background to shoot some film for a USA production company doing segments on the expat community in The Philippines which required a real live on radio taping. The time slot they offered me had no advertisers for the full 2 hour slot segments that I was going to utilize, yet word got back to me that my offer was to cheap for only offering them US $3,000 for that spot, a spot that had no income whatsoever on Saturday afternoons, except for their own promotion of RJs Bistro. After more research I realized the time slot they offered me was only worth about $1,500. I was polite in my dealings with them even after they turned down my offer. They were not professional in their dealing with me and I advise no one to do business with them, just listen to their station because they do have a good music selection. After looking back at my proposal, I am happy my offer was turned down, especially after learning of their online app access difficulties. Wake up RJ and get some professional people under your belt, you cannot afford to be cheap by not hiring good help with a background in executive sales, you will get what you pay for. RJ, an outside consultant would charge thousands for my analysis, you now have here it for free. RJ is one helluva good guitar player, to bad he is not that good at hiring professional help as he is on playing his guitar. PLF123@gmail.com, Honolulu, Hawaii; and New York City.

Really like the jingle and the cool songs! Also like the logo and all of that stuffffread more

My officemates are in charge of playing the radio station at the office, and they have it defaulted…read moreto 90.7 Love Radio. This radio station plays a good mix of OPM (Original Pilipino Music), American Top 40, classic love songs that were famous during the 90's, and Filipino karaoke favorites (you know what they are). The DJs at the helm really do their best to entertain the Filipino masses, and they are quite successful with it. During office hours, we listen to a lot of local and international news topics, but then the DJs also lighten up the mood by discussing lighter tabloid news. One of the most prominent DJs, Papa Jack, does a segment where he discusses True Love Conversations with (relatively) anonymous callers. Sometimes, it's just nice to listen and emphatize (or criticize) with someone else's love story. A lot of the taxis and jeepneys proudly carry the sticker for this radio station, displaying their support for one of the earliest radio stations that played pop music and OPM.

I usually get frustrated when too much chatter and advertisements clog the morning radio because I…read moreprefer to have music on while I drive. Helps me focus. On the other hand, Monster Radio RX 93.1 is one of the few radio stations that makes me feel bummed when I don't hear my favorite DJs talking. The Morning Rush especially, with Chico Garcia, Delamar, and Gino Quillamor. Chico and Delamar have been in the radio business since...well, forever. I've been listening to them ever since I discovered the radio. Even some radio DJs on other shows have confessed to taking a few notes from them. One would think that a program lasting this long would soon become stale or dull, but these guys are masters of the radio business. They even have a book called "The Best of Chico & Delamar's The Morning Rush." Tells you something! While other programs have flaked and fallen off the radio waves, these DJs on RX 93.1 keep coming up with new and creative ways to keep their listeners engaged. They're funny, but classy.

I practically grew up with Chico and Delamar on the Morning Rush. I remember listening to them…read moreevery morning when I was stuck in traffic on the way to school. 10 years later, I'm still listening to them every morning when I'm stuck in traffic on the way to work. They're still as hilarious as they were before, but now they added a new guy whose name is Gino. I still haven't decided whether he adds or detracts to the show. Regardless, Rx 93.1 is one of Manila's most popular radio stations, playing the latest and the greatest pop and contemporary hits. Aside from The Morning Rush, Countdown Top 7 with Louie D is also a good show. It's on every Friday from 7 to 8 pm. The deep tones of his voice are always soothing and he provides good commentary also. ployees.

In the Philippines, you have got to have something to listen to when you're stuck in traffic during…read morerush hour. I usually have podcasts, but when my phone got broken, I had no choice but to listen to the radio. Usually, I listen to Magic 89.9 or Rx 93.1. Once, I found both unappealing so I started to channel surf. I found Mellow 94.7. They were playing your standard Top 40. That alone was more tolerable than what I had originally been subjected to. And sometimes, you do just want to cruise with mindless pop music after a long day of work. So I stayed on. The DJ's were interesting enough. Sometimes I actually like Mellow better than Magic or Rx especially during the mornings when Mo Twister is on and at night when Magic has its Boys Night Out program. They can get really obnoxious and when that happens, I tune into Mellow 94.7. Sounds good!

During rush hour traffic, you'll need a lot of patience to get through the long queue and the…read moreterrible drivers that just don't seem to care about traffic rules and regulations. I find that the music Mellow 94.7 plays throughout the day always put me in a relaxed mood. From your top hits, to cover versions of top hits, to acoustic versions of top hits, the DJ's seem to know the exact track to play to put your mind at ease. Office Radio (weekdays from 10AM to 2PM), is their radio talk show where DJs Chloe and Ingrid share stories about the workplace, whether it's talking about a stressful job, or ranting about a horrible boss. After that, The Afternoon Cruise playlist (weekdays from 2PM to 4PM) is one of my favorite shows, since they play two hours of acoustic and live versions of all the famous hits. It's such a good way to just keep calm and chill out during the most narcoleptic time of the work day. Mellow 94.7 is a really good radio station to set in your office, because it keeps a very light environment, which helps counteract the stressful environment of the daily office grind.

Often, while travelling and commuting along the busy streets of Metro Manila, one can tell what…read moreradio stations are the standard daily fare for most people and for most busy jeepney, tricycle, and taxi drivers. I am most often caught of guard by a string of Tagalog jokes followed by canned laughter and the little kid in the commercial chanting "Win Radio! Win Radio! Win Radio!", which would then play one of the latest in pop hits and OPM ("original Filipino music"; one of the more popular coined terminologies for Pinoy music in general) in sets of two or three before the host manages to slide the conversation into Tagalog or otherwise discuss something in current events or make people smile through jokes anyone who speaks Tagalog would know. While there are better ways to learn the language of the street, listening to such radio stations gets you into the mentality of the Filipino on the road.

Win Radio is one of the stations that play OPM (Original Pilipino Music) 24/7. This is the station…read morethat one would listen to in order to get a full taste of the ingenuity and creativity behind writing and composing OPM. Most of the jeepneys and taxi cabs that I use (or even pass by during traffic hours) would often have this station blasting from their speakers. Aside from all the OPM favorites, they also play songs that every Filipino knows by heart (mostly because of karaoke). You will definitely know when you are listening to them, because one of their most famous slogans has a kid shouting out "Win Radio! Win Radio! Win Radio!" Although I only hear this station on the road when I'm using public transportation, I like how it is able to encompass most of the Filipino culture and music into one radio station. The originality and the emotions exemplified by their playlists is a good definition of a typical Filipino romantic.

Who has AM Radio nowadays? The only places with AM Radio are cars. And the signal of AM Radio is…read morenormally pretty awful, which makes listening to these stations a pain. However, and this was especially true back in High School, when the house was brownout but you needed to know if classes were suspended, you probably ended up having to turn to the radio to figure out what signal the storm was at the time. 92.3 AKSYON FM, which is the news radio station of TV5 is something that I'm very happy exists. Sure, you can say that you have 3G and WiFi and Twitter and Facebook and etc, but literally mawalan ka lang ng signal and it's bye bye newsfeed. FM Radio is something that pretty much every cellphone (unless you have an iPhone lololol) has, and the fact that a proper, continuously streaming FM news radio station with strong signal services exists, well, it's hard to fault it.

When you need the latest local news, Radio5 (92.3 on the FM dial), is almost always the first to…read morecover it. They have live updates on the Metro Manila traffic situation, thanks to their cameras, and taxi brigade informants. I like how they present the news, because they, more often than not, interview the people directly involved, to get the most updated information possible. One of the segments that I really like listening to is Raffy Tulfo and Nina Taduran's "Wanted sa Radyo" (Wanted on Radio). They receive complaints from (relatively) anonymous callers, and they made the extra effort to get in touch with the people necessary to solve the problem. I like how they do this public service live every day, since it gives the masses hope that there are people who use their contacts and their power for public service. They usually end up getting the complainant the resolution that they need to eliminate their problem. This station is really dedicated to public service, which is well-reflected in their award for being the most listened to radio station in Metro Manila among motorists last 2013.