The voices of TugStugan Na

Gone are the “Mr. DJ, can I make a request?” days. What is in the now is a disc jock who is attuned to the listener’s musical preferences and sensitive to his daily cares. He combines music and talk to create a crazy and fun entertainment, which lightens up everybody’s day.

Barangay LS FM 97.1’s TugStugan Na campaign is anchored on this. 

“Yes, but we gave it a twist,” replies DJ Papa Tolits when asked if tugstugan is a pun to tugtugan (sound trip). “Tugtugan is common. But when you say, ‘Tugs,’ people get confused and feel there’s something wrong with it. After a while, they recall it and get used to it.”

According to DJ Papa Dudut, tugs is the sound that comes from the sound system during parties. “We wish to penetrate all the stereos in Mega Manila,” he says. That means giving other FM stations a run for their money in the ratings game. So far, the numbers for LS keep on improving.

For DJ Ate Liza, the campaign reminds listeners why they tune in to LS. “We have to go back to the basics of radio. That is music or tugstugan. We want to remind the public that this is what we really want to give them. In the past campaigns, we already emphasized that we have shows that entertain, inform and give (pieces of) advice. It’s again a reminder that tugstugan is also our strength.”   

What do listeners look for in an FM show? 

Papa Tolits thinks people look for fun especially those who are in Greater Manila. This is to momentarily forget their daily cares. Pinoy listeners also search for something that is close to their plight.

“If you listen to us, the jokes we deliver reflect what’s going on inside a family, in an institution or in a group,” he shares. “It’s a common scenario you can see everywhere — whether you are in the street or in the market.”

“What’s good with us is that we make the listeners feel (and hear) the sounds or the tugs (they are looking for),” adds Papa Dudut. “But the entertaining programs are also there. Each program is designed to every market.”

As Papa Tolits puts it, music and fun are rolled into one on LS FM. The listeners smile while enjoying the music. The DJs provide the banter that seals the kind of entertainment LS is known for.

If LS is raising the bar, it is because, as Ate Liza says, “Times are changing with the latest technology coming out in every corner. Radio should find ways to capture the audience’s interest. Let’s face it, there are new media competing with radio. It has to find new means to engage people in listening to the medium.”  

Although the DJs rely on their instincts on what would hit the listener bull’s-eye, Papa Tolits, Papa Dudut and Ate Liza know the meaning of a good laugh and clean fun.   

“As a DJ, you should know your responsibilities and limitations,” says Papa Tolits.

“There’s no script,” shares Papa Dudut. “We don’t know what will come out of our mouths when we turn the microphone on. But our team created a group that knows the word discipline on radio.”

“It feels good to be a DJ because you affect your listeners through the songs you play or the comments you make,” adds Papa Dudut. “You are like a gift to everybody whose birthday happens to be every day and you need to cheer them up.”

Below, Papa Tolits (PT), Papa Dudut (PD) and Ate Liza (AL) share what they do inside and outside the booth:

8 a.m. — (PD) I’m ready for Balita sa Barangay. We read nakakatawang news on air. For example, lalake namatay dahil sa saging. Yun pala nadulas siya at nabagok. Other examples of news items are about the biggest thing and the longest thing in the Philippines. My play list, on the other hand, is varied — a mix of everything.

— (AL) I go onboard three hours a day, six days a week. But beyond that, we also do other things like going to a pictorial or shooting a TVC. I work with Papa Dudut. The program is teeming with tawag pansin news with showbiz stories.

11 a.m. — (PT) I’m onboard till 1 p.m. for Kuwentong Barangay (with Mama Belle and Papa Baldo). It’s like anything goes. I can discuss anything under the sun. I play current songs.

3 p.m. — (PT) I’m back for Three Play airing till 6 p.m. I play rock this time around.

At home — (PT) I leave my work in the office. I hang out with my friends and play basketball. I don’t listen to music because I have all the time in the world to listen to it at work. I watch TV and play PSP.

— (PD) I do advance research and assignments at home. I surf the Net and observe what’s going on in my place to do this. DJs are encouraged to go out to see people (like how they look and how they behave).

— I also devote time to read letters from listeners and I edit them. That’s for my program Barangay Love Stories every Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m.

— (AL) I prepare my headlines for Balita sa Barangay with Papa Dudut. We both study the details ahead of time. And we react to each other’s headline on the spot.

After Work — (AL) I do voice over and dub for GMA shows. I also host shows.   

Sundays — (PD) I read letters from listeners on air. They share what’s happening in their personal life.

— (AL) I also go out with fellow DJs and friends. Sometimes, I take a leave to travel. As much as possible I make my Sunday my Me Day to rest.