Creating the Crossover lifestyle

When is a radio station more than just a radio station?

Maybe when it goes beyond just blaring the typical stereophonic blues and blahs, delivers more than funk and spunk, and cuts a swath across the monotonic pop-infested FM airwaves.

But what if it did more than that? What’ if its daily dose of music became as essential as food, drink and sleep? What if it knew no quitting time – an insomniac’s trusty ally or the highly-stressed yuppie’s perfect sedative? What if it’s not just heard, but seen – all over the other pervasive media outlets such as TV, print and other non-conventional advertising formats?

That’s exactly what DWBM 105.1 Crossover has been doing for the past decade or so. Defying traditional playlist boundaries, the predominantly smooth jazz-oriented station effortlessly skyrocketed its way to the top of the ratings charts and soon made its foray in the concert production scene.

It wasn’t meant to be that way – literally living up to their name, that is. The slow but steady climb to the top was borne out of a knack for chance and happenstance. For the fertile minds behind the Crossover enterprise, anything is possible.

Blame it on the station’s lack of protocol. There are no divisions here – no clammy fortresses insulating the higher-ups from the rank and file. On a typical day, Crossover Assistant Vice-President Robert Crespo can easily swing up from his chair, saunter up to the President’s desk, and, in a flash of brilliance, assert, "Hey, what if we did this?" And like child’s play, the idea – no matter how outrageously crazy – is tossed and tweaked.

"That’s how the Martin XV-4 Ever concert series began," Robert explains in jest. "It started out as a joke, initially. You know, that ‘forever’ thing."

If there’s anyone more hands-on with Crossover’s image, it’s Robert. He takes care of shoots, designs, layouts, concepts, and communications. The man has also been largely responsible for cooking up the company’s promotional sorties, including the highly-successful Concert Series which have featured such stellar names as Martin Nievera, Zsa-Zsa Padilla, Jaya and Lani Misalucha.

"The Crossover image is basically akin to a lifestyle icon," explains the lean, boyish-looking jazz aficionado. "We exemplify music, and everything else associated with it."

"Take the typical yuppie," Robert explains. "He drives over to pick up his date, and what does he do? He tunes in to Crossover. It’s part of the yuppie lifestyle"

With its extended reach made possible by Internet access, the station can now be heard all over the globe. "We get requests and e-mail even from people in the States now, even from Canada," Robert crows.

"Target listenership has grown – literally crossing over generational barriers," he explains. "It’s funny how one time, we were playing this boyband version of Stevie Wonder’s song, Knocks Me Off My Feet, and a few days after getting the original and playing it, some kids started calling, asking if it was the new version."

Not one to give up the station’s personal touch, Robert still mans the phone lines – taking requests, even if it is means playing Name That Tune for a forgetful listener. "People would actually sing songs whose titles they can’t remember," he recounts.

Despite the ‘more music, less talk’ credo. Crossover still maintains its group of five or six resident DJs. "We want to keep the heart of the people there," Robert grins. "No preset playlists, as long as the songs fit our style. But in the end, it’s Louie who has the final say."

"Not too mainstream, but definitely not muzak," is how Crossover Big Boss Louie Villar brands their staple sound. A revered name in the local radio scene, Louie helped steer the family-owned Mareco Broadcasting Network way back in the ’70s as well as the now-defunct Villar Records.

Their common love for the jazz idiom ranks high among Robert’s and Louie’s shared interests. Both are adept piano players who can still play a mean flourish when the need arises.

Before he joined the station in 1994, Robert tried his hand as a freelance photographer, did PR work for a resort and even worked with former Batangas Gov. Tony Leviste. "I met the Crossover people when we did an environmental project, collecting old cars to build artificial reefs," Robert recalls.

If you thought working all day in a radio station would drive him a whopping sonic overdone, guess again. Robert is a self-confessed audiophile who collects vintage gear and designs audio systems for friends. "I have a 1964 Dynaco with matching tube preamps, and a 1958 Scott Stereomaster," he beams proudly. It’s that eternal analog tone quest. I guess I owe my musical appreciation to my dad, who turned me on to Glenn Miller, Bacharach and Sinatra at an age when I was really into Deep Purple, Pink Floyd and the Allman Brothers."

"The jazz purists should be bashing you guys," we tease Robert.

Like an expert slinger on quick draw, Robert retorts. "But they never listen to the radio anyway!"

It was Louie who explained the station’s music preference. "See, it’s a matter of deciding whether you want to satisfy the majority. Not that we don’t like the hardcore stuff," he clarifies. "But you see, long, drawn-out jazz solos tend to bore listeners, even in the live arenas. Pinoys are music lovers, but they’re still more song-oriented. Play something heavy and they’ll feel alienated."

But what about the Martin connection? Isn’t he a bit too pop for Crossover’s tastes? "We do play pop anyway. But Martin’s music is acceptable for us. We do believe in the artists we work with," Robert says.

Given the chance to play any type of music just for a day, Robert gamely replied, "Pat Metheny, John Willilams, Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd, Bacharach, movie soundtracks, some Baroque music perhaps."

Asked why their management styles click, Robert says, "There are no formulas. We’re always evolving." And as marketing honcho Rochelle Villar added, "We give our advertisers more value for their money. A lot of our clients love that."

True enough. Their handiwork can be seen all over the metropolis – from the glaringly gigantic posters, billboards and streamers strewn all over the major malls and thoroughfares. From the Crossover Live Series to the monthly Crossover Presents – the station has mastered the science of marketing.

We won’t be surprised if, a few years from now, the Crossover logo becomes a common fixture in such fertile turf as TV, movie production and maybe even restaurants. With Crossover, sky’s the limit, remember?