As someone who has been a part of Wave 89.1’s roster over the years, it feels fitting to send them off with a hearty tribute fitting the status of one of the most iconic radio stations on the airwaves.

8. It was home to legends

From the magician Erik Mana to heavyweights in the voiceover industry like Robi, and long-established radio legends such as Lindy, who we generally now know as “Inka’s mom,” to being the first station the Joe D’ Mango managed, Wave 89.1 was home to some of the biggest names in various industry today. Heck, even people you’d never think were Hip-Hop or R&B like perennial rock and metal fan King DJ Logan had a stint in the station, too!

7. Memorable shows

Everyone remembers Dreamsounds and The Quiet Storm, among other stalwarts of Wave’s programming, and why wouldn’t they? When you wanted to sleep with background music soothing your frayed senses or wanted to focus on studying while the radio was helping you focus, Wave 89.1 managed to make it mainly about the music and keep people tuned in for what they had to play, more than what they had to say.

And who can forget Waveback Wednesday, and its eclectic mix of throwback hits before the word throwback was even a thing? Heck, I remember playing songs like “Gaya Ng Dati” from Gary V and “When I Met You” by APO Hiking Society as one of the highlights of my (every other) week when I was on board!

In an age where talk radio is king, Wave managed to buck that trend and put the focus back on the hits.

6. A unique format

A hip-hop and R&B station was practically unheard of at the height of Wave’s powers, but lo and behold, it found a core that was all its own for most of its lifespan. It really went above and beyond when it came to the type of music it catered to, not just playing it all the time, but even promoting and fostering it to heights it never expected to ever reach.

5. A willingness to evolve

Wave 89.1 has subtly changed with the times throughout its run. It started out in 2001 as a platform for artists like Paolo Santos and Jimmy Bondoc to make their stamp on the music industry, before letting that part of the playlist go to Jam 88.3, as Jam really focused more on that type of music. Then it went more urban, and kept having different shades along the way.

Through it all, Wave managed to keep its very essence, and it’s hard to imagine the airwaves in the last 23 years with anything else on that dial but your most influential #1 Hip-Hop and R&B station that caters to Your Lifestyle, Your Music.

See? The different eras of the station just mesh together so well. It evolved naturally and almost seamlessly, but it evolved nonetheless.

4. It offered a great alternative to the usual talk radio

We’ve tackled this earlier, but Wave 89.1 managed to be a great midpoint between talk radio and radio with no talking whatsoever. If you wanted only music, the midnight slot was perfect for that. If you wanted to hear interesting conversations, the drive time was your go-to for just the right balance. The jocks never overstayed their welcome because they knew what Wave was really all about.

3. It gave rise to countless core memories

One look at the comments on Wave’s final post tells the story: 

So many fond memories, from the most obvious to some of the deepest cuts. There was truly something for everyone who had even a remote appreciation for the kind of music Wave 89.1 played, and it truly shows. It will truly be missed and its disappearance from the airwaves, along with its repercussions, will be felt for a long time.

2. It was a hotbed for local, vocal, loud, and proud artists

From the Flip Top movement to the likes of Gloc-9 and some of the biggest names you know right now in PInoy hip-hop, Wave 89.1 served as a platform for them to make their way into the mainstream. The unwavering support the station had for the culture really made them a rallying point, and it can be quite shocking just how many people it helped put on the map, one way or the other.

1. It truly changed the game

There’s just no better way to say it than their exact words: in an era where we talk about trendsetters, we have to remember the game changers. Wave 89.1 played a key role in a lot of people’s formative years, but was always underrated in such a way that it took it finally giving us its final #WaveGoodbye for us to realize just how deeply ingrained the station’s legacy is in a lot of our lives.

As a niche genre station instead of the bigger scheme of Pop in general, Wave won’t have as many people saying it’s the best of all time or even their favorite, but those who would simply swear by it. Its effect was far less pronounced, far more subtle, but ultimately, indelible because it just managed to be a part of most of our lives somehow without us realizing it.

And it’s in that understated yet important way that Wave truly made its mark: as a core memory for a lot of us, as a Mandela effect moment, or a trivia question in the coming years that would really take us back, much in the same way Wave’s predecessor, Dance Music Zone, probably does to an earlier generation. Marks like those are the ones that last and are simply indelible.

I should know. Wave was my first radio home when I wanted nothing more in my life than to be a DJ. And it opened that door for me.

And for that, I, and thousands, if not millions of other people whose lives Wave 89.1 has managed to touch over the last 23 years, will forever be grateful.

We’ll catch you later, Wave. This has been Kel, signing out. One love.

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