98.5 Fm What's Happenin?

[marquess]

I was listening to Ritchie Walker whilst driving and they said that as of the 1st of July there will be no more English broadcasts on this station. What a pity! When I first got here in Bangkok eight years ago there were at least four stations broadcasting in English and now they are all gone. Anyone in the know to tell us the reasons why?

[steveromagnino]

I was listening to Ritchie Walker whilst driving and they said that as of the 1st of July there will be no more English broadcasts on this station. What a pity! When I first got here in Bangkok eight years ago there were at least four stations broadcasting in English and now they are all gone. Anyone in the know to tell us the reasons why?

basically there is not much money to be made in running a station for expats/tourists, and Thai people would prefer to mostly listen to the announcers in Thai or a mix of Thai and english, even if the songs are in english.

Therefore, advertisers and ratings tend to favour formats that encourage dual language or Thai language announcing; english language stations have been pretty marginal as long as I have been here (the days of 95.5 I recall were originally rubbish farang pop music with annoying twangy american accent announcers).

that said, Ritchie Walker is a great way to start the day, so I hope he ends up working somewhere on a morning show. However, there is some woman who is a bit grating; Julie Kaufman? I think? She tends to tell annoying stories with a very very strong in places seppo accent and has that classic habit of starting the story and then smiling or laughing through the story at the most inopportune times as per Tom Cruise on the Oprah Katie Holmes story; proof that you CAN get blood from a stone...if I had the chance to pound her with one ;-)

[mezzoninny]

98.5 has already bucked a bit and started to play pop music that aren't so strictly jazz or smooth jazz, so it does seem like a ratings/advertising issue. After a while I didn't mind the music, what irritated me was that Richie and Julie end up delivering the exact same news and gossip on the same day.

Julie is grating at times (she did get beat up by Bjork), but I guess I got used to her being on radio in Bangkok after so many years. The 95.5 I recall gave me my entire education on UK top40 pop music (although I was primarily a 105 person). I don't know if that shows my age...

[andy1308]

88 FM is totally English.

[zaza]

that said, Ritchie Walker is a great way to start the day, so I hope he ends up working somewhere on a morning show. However, there is some woman who is a bit grating; Julie Kaufman? I think? She tends to tell annoying stories with a very very strong in places seppo accent and has that classic habit of starting the story and then smiling or laughing through the story at the most inopportune times as per Tom Cruise on the Oprah Katie Holmes story; proof that you CAN get blood from a stone...if I had the chance to pound her with one ;-)

Thanks for giving me the chance to let of my anger on her too . I do hate it too when she makes that awful hair-raising whistle from her teeth while reading those silly stories.

[marquess]

that said, Ritchie Walker is a great way to start the day, so I hope he ends up working somewhere on a morning show. However, there is some woman who is a bit grating; Julie Kaufman? I think? She tends to tell annoying stories with a very very strong in places seppo accent and has that classic habit of starting the story and then smiling or laughing through the story at the most inopportune times as per Tom Cruise on the Oprah Katie Holmes story; proof that you CAN get blood from a stone...if I had the chance to pound her with one ;-)

Thanks for giving me the chance to let of my anger on her too . I do hate it too when she makes that awful hair-raising whistle from her teeth while reading those silly stories.

I found her annoying too, but she is gone now, I think that today or tomorrow is the last days for them. I just hope that they keep the dreams and memories section on Sunday, which usually runs from about 1-5, in fact the whole weekend programming is pretty good, all in Thai but nostalgia and then there is Jim Davis with "Anything Goes!" Doubt that they will get rid of that, as the has been here since the sixties. But if they start to play Thai songs then I will have cease to listen to them all together.

[HarryHacker]

Today Richie Walker said a new station was starting on July 1st with him and 'the team' Personally, I prefer 88 FM these days, much better class of DJ.

Agree with the comments about that silly girl Julie, so unprofessional, I guess she comes cheap.

[mezzoninny]

Yes 88FM's reasonably good at the moment, and they've got a bunch of DJ's I grew up to.

Richie did say about 2 hours ago on air that he'll be unemployed after this

[Dr. Burrito]

I've tried listening to 88FM, but other than Paul Jackson, I can't stomach the clowns and other personalities they have on the air.

I say that, but I stopped listening several months ago, perhaps they have changed them, or at least I hope so, then I could try it again.

[richiewalker]

I was listening to Ritchie Walker whilst driving and they said that as of the 1st of July there will be no more English broadcasts on this station. What a pity! When I first got here in Bangkok eight years ago there were at least four stations broadcasting in English and now they are all gone. Anyone in the know to tell us the reasons why?

basically there is not much money to be made in running a station for expats/tourists, and Thai people would prefer to mostly listen to the announcers in Thai or a mix of Thai and english, even if the songs are in english.

Therefore, advertisers and ratings tend to favour formats that encourage dual language or Thai language announcing; english language stations have been pretty marginal as long as I have been here (the days of 95.5 I recall were originally rubbish farang pop music with annoying twangy american accent announcers).

that said, Ritchie Walker is a great way to start the day, so I hope he ends up working somewhere on a morning show. However, there is some woman who is a bit grating; Julie Kaufman? I think? She tends to tell annoying stories with a very very strong in places seppo accent and has that classic habit of starting the story and then smiling or laughing through the story at the most inopportune times as per Tom Cruise on the Oprah Katie Holmes story; proof that you CAN get blood from a stone...if I had the chance to pound her with one ;-)

[bulmercke]

GOOD MORNING BANGKOK - DAILY XPRESS -

Wed, June 25, 2008 : Last updated 17:56 hours Back Issue

A sad departure

By Julie Kaufman

Radio announcer, voiceover artist

Published on June 25, 2008

Goodbye for now! Working as a radio announcer in Bangkok for the last 13 years has been the best experience of my life. I am so thankful for the opportunity.

But it is sad to see many English-language radio stations close or flip formats because of advertising or the lack of knowledge in advertising agencies of what a huge market English-language radio really is. Many parents want their children to go to expensive international schools or schools overseas, yet there is only one English-language station here. I just don't understand it. I will miss you.

[bulmercke]

The current state of English language radio in Bangkok is deplorable and very sad.

When I first came here in 1993 we at least had 95.5 FMX and Smooth 105 with live English language deejays playing western music broadcasting over the airways.

You would think things would have progressed in those fifteen years. But no. Obviously not. Both those stations are now gone - long ago - for westerners living and working here and also the many Thais who - no doubtedly - tuned in and enjoyed those stations' output.

With the announcement that Breeze 98.5 FM is doing away with it's English language broadcasts as of the end of this month (Richie Walker, Julie Kaufman) and the demise of 108 FM Metropolis a couple of years ago - things are indeed dire - with the exception of Wave 88 FM -

Even little Siam1FM broadcasting over the net three hours daily - weekdays - from Phuket - has gone this year!

Let's hope Jim Davison - Sundays (21.00-24.00) and Lee Evans - also Sundays (19.30-21.00) manage to survive the axe on Breeze FM!

[bulmercke]

Weird how there's so little apparent interest in this thread. I used to listen to Breeze FM from my office from 7.30 am most weekdays. Not anymore - unfortunately.

Kind of enjoyed listening to the morning show with Richie Walker - and Julie in the afternoon.

[GaiYaang]

Weird how there's so little apparent interest in this thread. I used to listen to Breeze FM from my office from 7.30 am most weekdays. Not anymore - unfortunately.

Kind of enjoyed listening to the morning show with Richie Walker - and Julie in the afternoon.

I use to listen to FM a lot, until the IPOD shows up. I still do but not so much.

Like steveromagnino said not much money to be made in running a station for expats/tourists, even CD sales are decline people preferred to download their musics.

[bulmercke]

Breeze FM doesn't appear to have been streaming on the internet since they axed their two daytime deejays.

Both their high speed and dial-up URLs seem to be inoperative.

Does anyone know if they've retained Jim Davisson on Sunday evenings?

[sweetmusic]

Breeze FM doesn't appear to have been streaming on the internet since they axed their two daytime deejays.

Both their high speed and dial-up URLs seem to be inoperative.

Does anyone know if they've retained Jim Davisson on Sunday evenings?

Not sure about Bangkok but these seem to be having a go in Phuket and it's got a nice website although doesn't look finished yet, stream ok though. www.phuketfmradio.com