Juan De La Cruz tunes in

CEBU, Philippines - American businessmen introduced radio to the Philippines in the 1920s as a commercial enterprise that would promote their consumer goods to Filipinos. Following a test broadcast by a certain Mrs. Redgrave from Nichols Air Field in 1922, Henry Herman conducted commercial experiments from 50-watt stations in Manila, Pasay, and a mobile unit, after the American station KDKA launched on air. Two years later, he replaced the setup with a single 100-watt station at the Monte de Piedad building in Sta. Cruz, which he called KZKZ.

Department store owner Isaac Beck’s KZIB and the Radio Corporation of the Philippines’ KZRM (Radio Manila) and KZRC (Radio Cebu) led other stations that contributed to the growth and stability of the radio business well into the 1930s. RCP eventually sold its network to department store owners Erlanger and Galinger, Inc. which in turn sold broadcast holdings to J. Amado Araneta’s Far East Broadcasting Company.

Meanwhile, Samuel Gaches, owner of the department store H.E. Heacock Co. put up KZRH (Radio Heacock) in 1939. A year later, the firm acquired KZRC to cover the Cebuano market.

Radio broadcasts centered on music, variety shows, comedy skits, and short newscasts. Jazz and ballads became standard fare. With English language, western music and American voices dominating the airwaves, radio supplemented the educational infrastructure established by the Thomasites and became an agent for the Americanization of Uncle Sam’s “little brown brother.” (THE FREEMAN)