987FM

987FM

Broadcast area	Singapore
Slogan	All Hits All Day (1 January 1989 - 26 June 2005) Only the Hits (27 June 2005 - 25 March 2012) Singapore's Number 1 Hit Music Station (26 March 2012 - 25 June 2013, 1 December 2013 - Present) Singapore's Hit Music Station (26 June 2013 - 30 November 2013)
Frequency	98.7 MHz
First air date	(1989-01-01) 1 January 1989
Format	Contemporary hits Top 40
Owner	MediaCorp
Webcast	Web Stream
Website	xinmsn.com/987fm

987FM (previously known as Perfect 10 98.7 FM before July 2005) is an English radio station of MediaCorp in Singapore. It is a 24-hour radio station that plays English hits from Singapore, the UK, USA, K-Pop hits from Korea, and around the world.

987FM's studio moved out of Caldecott Broadcast Centre on 19 July 2010 and broadcast at *SCAPE along Orchard Road at 2 Orchard Link for 3 years. 987FM moved back to Caldecott Broadcast Centre on 20 May 2013 after its tenancy with *SCAPE expired.

Notable staff

Directorial and Management

• Managing Director, MediaCorp Radio: Florence Lian ^[1]
• Vice President, English Programming (Music): Dahlia Zainuddin^[2]
• Asst Vice President, English Programming (Music): Georgina Chang^[3]
• Assistant Programme Director: Justin Ang
• Music Director: Colin Minjoot
• Senior Creative Producer: Kelvin Loke

DJs

Full-time

• Sonia Chew
• Joakim Gomez
• Kimberly Wang (Kim)
• Justin Ang
• Vernon Anthonisz (Vernon A)
• Divian Nair
• Dee Kosh (Darryl Koshy)
• Dom Lau (via Syndication)

Part-time

• Tabitha Nauser
• Darren Wee

Former DJs

• Maddy Barber - most recently a Kiss 92FM DJ
• Glenn Ong - left in 2001 and joined Class 95FM in the mornings.
• Mark Van Cuylenberg - left in 1996 and joined Class 95FM in the mornings. Now currently at Gold 90.5FM in the mornings.
• Jean Danker - left in 1998 and joined Class 95FM in the evenings.
• Jamie Yeo - joined Power98FM.
• Otelli Edwards - moved to Channel NewsAsia as news presenter
• Tim Oh - most recently a Gold 90.5FM DJ
• Carrie Chong - left in May 2007
• Don Richmond (Don) - left in November 2008
• Andrew Crothers (Drew) - left in November 2008; founder of RADIOactive, a streaming service provider for radio stations (see also Sonar Radio)
• Chew Soo Wei (Soo) - left in July 2009
• Daniel Ong ("Dan the Man") - left in January 2010 and joined Radio 91.3 from September 2010 to February 2011.^[4]
• Vanessa Fernandez (previously known as Ms Vandetta) - Member of the now defunct band Parking Lot Pimp, left on 3 December 2010 to pursue a music career. She has moved to Lush99.5
• Emily Teng - left and joined Power98FM in October 2010
• Leong Teng Young (Mr Young) - left in February 2011 and joined Lush 99.5FM in the evenings. Now currently at Power98FM.
• Genevieve Lim (Gen) - left in May 2011
• Shan Wee - left on 18 February 2012. He is now at HOT FM91.3
• Sarah Tan - left on 23 March 2012 and joined Lush 99.5FM in the evenings as a replacement for Mr Young.
• Shayma Alkaff
• Jacqui Thibodeaux - left in early January 2013. Joined Power98FM in the evenings, with effect from 10 June 2013.
• Constance Lau - left in late February 2013 and joined Lush 99.5FM. Left Lush 99.5FM in March 2013.
• Desiree Lai - Left on 28 February 2013 and joined Kiss 92FM.
• Jade Seah - left in early March 2013, currently working under 987TV.
• Rosalyn Lee (Rozz) - left on 3 January 2014 and joined Lush 99.5FM.
• Bobby Tonelli - left on 3 January 2014 and joined Class 95FM.
• Jeremy Ratnam - left on 3 January 2014 and joined Class 95FM.

Programmes and events

Specialised and weekend shows

• 9 In A Row: 9 songs are played in a row starting from the top of the hour, with no commercial breaks. Listeners can request for songs via their Facebook page. (Weekdays 12pm - 4pm)
• 987 Top 20 Countdown: The "official chart show of Singapore", playing the top 20 most popular songs in the country for the week. The results of the past weeks' Top 20 Chart can be found here. (Fri 8 - 10pm, repeats Sun 9 - 11am)
• 987 Top 100 Countdown: On New Year's Eve annually, there will be a countdown of the year’s biggest hits on 987FM, played out over a 10 hour period from 12pm to 10pm, with a repeat on New Year's Day. If New Year's Eve or New Year's Day falls on a Friday, the 987FM Top 20 Countdown will be played on the coming Sunday, without a repeat.
• Asia Pop 40: Asia's first own home-grown radio chart show featuring tracks and artists from all over Asia, as well as the best of the rest from all over the world. (Sat 7 - 10am, repeats Sun 2 - 5pm)
• 987 Home: Local singers and their gigs would be introduced. Local artistes perform live at the studio every week. Music in their acoustic versions would be played during this show too. (Sat 5 - 6pm)
• Girls Night Out: Party Music and remixes of current hits will be played throughout the entire program. The presenters dish out relationship advice and talk about places to hangout. (Sat 6pm-10pm)
• 987 Anthems: Dance and club music will be played during the show, with some remixes of the songs. Hosted by AOS DJs from The Butter Factory (Sat 10pm - 12am)
• 987 First: The newest hits are played on this show. Selected songs will eventually be added to 987's playlist and featured on New on 987 (Sun 1pm - 2pm)
• Rock Radio: Rock Music will be played throughout the entire program. (Sun 5pm - 6pm)
• The Edge: Featuring the hottest new sounds that don’t often make it to radio playlists, listeners are also treated to various artists’ info and trivia as well as the latest news on the horizon. The show also features the Top 5 on the Indie Charts every week. (Sun 10pm - 11pm)
• 987 Download: A one minute capsule where you'll get to hear about the latest technologies, hot off the press reviews and virtual hands on demos of the coolest games in town. (Mon to Fri 8:32am, 3:32pm, 6:32pm & 11:32pm)

987 RSVP

Every last Saturday of the month, 987FM holds a party at a club, with all the DJs (except the one on shift) attending. Free drinks are provided. Admission is free, but invites have to be won through the contests on the weekday shifts or through the 987 RSVP card, given with the 987 RSVP CD.

Discontinued shows

• 987 Ultimate: Used to be aired every Saturday from 11pm to 12pm by Carrie Chong. It featured a playlist of 10 songs that best suits a particular mood / occasion. Replaced by 987 Club.
• US Top 20 Countdown: Used to be aired every Saturday from 11am to 12pm by Justin Ang. It featured the Top 20 songs in the United States, based on Radio & Records. It was removed in June 2008.
• 987 Control: Used to be aired every Sunday 1pm to 2pm, a listener who had sent in an SMS in a particular format would be selected to host his or her own show for 1 hour with Rosalyn Lee (Rozz). The DJ in "Control" would be able to choose and play his or her songs during the show. Removed in September 2008.
• Live Over Lunch: Plays the music recordings of artists "live" in concert. Removed in July 2010.
• 987 Remix: Plays remixes of songs. Removed in July 2010.
• 987 Generations: Plays songs of different genres from '70s, '80s, '90s and the present weekly. The show was launched on 22 March '08. Different themes of songs are alternated consecutively every weekend during the shows in the following order.
  • Dirty: Featuring beats that define street culture through the years from Big Beats to G-Funk to Krunk. Artistes to be featured include Public Enemy, Missy Elliot and Flo Rida. The various forms of hip hop culture include break dancing, rapping, beat boxing, graffiti and hip hop fashion.
  • Melted: Featuring soaring rock ballads from the 60’s all the way to today. These easy listening rock hits emerged into prominence in the early 1970’s. Artistes to be featured include Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi and 3 Doors Down.
  • Blended: Featuring songs that are created from the combination of 2 or more songs which usually includes an acapella of one or more songs over the music track of another song or songs. Most mash ups created are considered bootlegs and are usually produced and mixed by amateur DJs. Artistes to be featured include Madonna, Kelis and Snow Patrol.
  • Slap: Featuring bass-driven soul and R & B grooves that includes the heavy use of the electric guitar, the electric bass and a horn section. This African American music style originated from the mid to late 1960’s. Artistes include James Brown, The Commodores and Prince.
  • Rebel: Featuring punk rock inspired hits that were not considered to be popular mainstream rock music at the time. This genre of rock music originated in the 1980’s and became popular in the 1990’s. Artistes include The Cure, R.E.M. and Green Day.
  • Back Rub: Featuring laid back and lounge music that may include soothing vocals over a beat and a groove. This slower paced form of music emerged in the 1990’s. Artistes include Thievery Corporation, Kruder & Dorfmeister and Jack Johnson.
  • Pink: Featuring the music mix of Divas of our generation. These songs are performed by artistes who have defined a new generation of followers and been extravagant in their own lifestyles. These extravagant artistes include Elton John, Madonna and Mariah Carey.
• UK Top 20 Countdown: The chart toppers in the United Kingdom, based on the UK Singles Chart and BBC Radio 1's Official Top 40 Chart Show are selected and played. Removed in July 2010.
• 987 Stripped: Plays music in their acoustic versions. Merged with 987 Home on 13 Nov 2010.
• Around The World In Sixty Minutes: Plays songs that have charted in the US, UK or Australia. Discontinued in March 2011 and replaced by 987 First.
• 987 Club: A non-stop DJ mix of club tracks. An external club DJ would sometimes be featured in any of the four segments, playing his or her personal DJ mixes. Replaced by 987 Anthems.

Obtaining schedules

987FM schedules are published in Today newspapers, together with 938LIVE, Class 95FM and Gold 90.5FM. They can be found in the same page as Toggle schedules. Information can also be obtained from the 987FM's xinmsn page.

Awards and accolades

Singapore Radio Awards 2006

• Carlsberg's Friendlist Radio Personality Award for 987FM: Carrie Chong
• Most Favourite Radio Personality for 987FM: Daniel Ong

Singapore Radio Awards 2007

• Most Creative Radio Trailer (English): "Remember The Name" by Desiree Lai
• Carlsberg's Friendlist Radio Personality Award for 987FM: Daniel Ong
• Most Popular Radio Personality for 987FM: Daniel Ong

Singapore Radio Awards 2010

• Best Radio Show (English): Muttons To Midnight
• Most Creative Radio Trailer (English): "UK Top 20" by Shan Wee
• Best Radio Personality Blog: Rosalyn Lee Chicken Scratchings on the Wall
• Most Popular Radio Personality for 987FM: Daniel Ong

Singapore Radio Awards 2011

• Best Radio Show: Muttons On The Move
• Most Stylist Radio Personality: Rosalyn Lee
• Most Popular Radio Personality for 987FM: Vernon A.

Mediacorp Radio Awards 2013

• Best Radio Show: Muttons On The Move
• Most Stylist Radio Personality: Bobby Tonelli
• Most Popular Radio Personality for 987FM: Justin Ang

Criticism

• May 2007: The Muttons were suspended for a while due to their participation in No Bra Day, an activity that was sponsored by FHM Singapore and featured young models competing to see who could remove their bras in the fastest time possible. A video taken in the studio was posted on YouTube and the resulting uproar from viewers forced the station to fork out S$9,800 to the Media Development Authority of Singapore for 'inappropriate and offensive content'. Muttons in the Morning was then replaced with The Dan and Young Show. They soon came back to 987FM in July 2007 for the late night slot show, now called 'Muttons To Midnight'.^[5]

• July 2007: There were rumours about either Dan or Young leaving the 'Dan and Young show'. Young was allegedly pulled out of the 987 studio by security guards on 11 July 2007, according to Miss Vandetta who substituted for him on the then renamed 'Dan and Van Show'. After Mister Young's departure, a huge number of listeners called in asking about Young, some even demanding that he be brought back. The response was overwhelming to the extent that the 987FM email department was flooded with mail. Eventually, it was revealed that Young was away in Langkawi and none of them were required to leave 987FM. However, they were moved into the morning slot (5am to 10am), from their slot in the evening (4pm to 8pm) as stated in MediaCorp Publishing's 8 Days Magazine.

• November 2008: There used to be a show called 'The Serious World' hosted by Don & Drew that aired for a brief period from July 2008 to 31 October 2008. When it was decided that the hosts of the show were to be taken off-air and replaced by On Air with Ryan Seacrest, there was a huge outrage among the listeners claiming that the show should not be scrapped in favour of 'foreign talent' and a petition was started on a Facebook group, asking the management not to suspend Don and Drew.

• July 2009: There was a lot of controversy when ex-DJ of 987FM, Soo, was "asked to leave" by the then programming director, Daniel Ong, over alleged claims of failing to put on an American accent and issues with proficiency of the English language. Listeners expressed disdain that it was unfair for DJs with local accents to be discriminated while DJs who speak with an American accent receive preferential treatment.^[6][7]

• March 2010: It was announced that Ris Low would be joining the 987 crew and hosting the evening drive-time show. There was a huge outrage among listeners over her unprofessional attitude, including turning up more than 2 hours late for her first radio show and usage of bad English. It was eventually revealed on 1 April 2010 that the whole stunt was part of an April Fools' prank cum publicity stunt for Burger King and Ris would not be a permanent DJ at 987.^[8]

• March 2012: When Shan Wee left 987 in February 2012, a 'ManHunt' was conducted to find a replacement for Rozz's co-host on the morning show. Listeners were invited to audition for the spot from 12 to 16 March 2012 and were told that they stood a chance of getting a spot on 987. However, it turned out that Rozz's new co-host is Bobby Tonelli from neighbour radio station, Class 95FM. There were several conspiracy theories that the auditions were a waste of time and effort and simply just a ploy by the station's creative director to gain more listenership.^[9][10]

• August 2012: The Muttons were criticised for calling Singaporeans who do not celebrate Feng Tianwei's victory at the 2012 Summer Olympics "MORONS AND BABIES". Netizens commented that the words are inappropriate for a national public broadcaster as they reflect badly on the station and stir up xenophobia and tension in society. ^[11]

See also

• List of radio stations in Singapore

References

External links

• 987FM Official Website
• 987FM Wiki
• Radio Forum
• Past 987FM Podcasts