DWFO

DWFO (87.5 FM), broadcasting as 87.5 Republika FM1 (stylized as Republ1ka FM1), is a radio station owned and operated by the Philippine Broadcasting Service, the broadcast arm of the Presidential Communications Group. Its studios and transmitter are located at the 4th Floor, Philippine Information Agency Building, Visayas Avenue, Quezon City. The station operates Mondays to Saturdays 5:00 AM to 12:00 MN, and on Sundays from 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM; and 24 hours a day (until Sunday at 9:00 PM) on its online platforms (through its website and streaming application Radio Nation Philippines).

"FM1 (radio station)" redirects here. For other uses, see FM1.
DWFO (Republika FM1)
CityQuezon City
Broadcast areaMetro Manila, and surrounding areas
Nationwide (planning stage)
Worldwide (online)
FrequencyFM: 87.5 MHz[1]
RDS Name: DWFO-FM1
Branding87.5 Republika FM1
SloganRadio Republic of the Youth
Isang Tunog, Isang Republika (One sound, One republic)
Forever Young
Programming
Language(s)English and Filipino
FormatTop 40 (CHR), OPM
Ownership
OwnerPhilippine Broadcasting Service
RP1 738, RP2 918, DZRM 1278, 104.3 Capital FM2, RP Worldwide
History
First air date
November 1, 2017 (test broadcast)
January 1, 2018 (soft launching)
Call sign meaning
DW
FM One
Technical information
Licensing authority
NTC
ClassA, B and C
Power25,000 watts
ERP30,000 watts
Links
WebcastFM1 LIVE Audio
Listen live (via TuneIn)
Websitepbs-fm.com

History

Prior history

Prior to the PBS's acquisition, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) asked the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to reserve the said frequency for local campuses (including Angelicum College, where they own the said frequency under the call letters DWAC-FM) due to multiple reports that some others will use the latter frequency for commercial purposes.[2] Also, a few religious and community groups (such as Jehovah's Witnesses) operated the frequency with a low-powered signal enough to cover its main target area.

Acquisition by PBS

Radio veteran Rizal "Bong" Aportadera, Jr. (Sonny B) was appointed by Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Sec. Martin Andanar as the Director General of the Philippine Broadcasting Service (PBS) in July 2016. A month later, Carlo Villo (Carlo José) was then appointed by Aportadera as the agency's Deputy Director and head of the new FM division. Villo serves as the program director for FM1, as well as its sister station 104.3 FM2.

In an official statement by Andanar, PBS acquired the 87.5 MHz frequency and was later approved by the NTC.[1][3][4]

On November 1, 2017, FM1 began its test broadcast at 1:00 am. A few days later, the station's DJs (mostly poached from Mellow 947 and Tiger22's stations 99.5 Play FM, Wave 89.1, Jam 88.3, Magic 89.9 and 103.5 K-Lite) identified the frequency under the call sign DWFO, subject to approval from the NTC.

Since November 1, 2017, the station's initial 1 kW power increases in two phases: an increase to 10 kW by December 28, 2017, then upgraded to 25 kW (the maximum licensed nominal power for an FM station) on January 1, 2018. The power increase makes FM1 able to cover Mega Manila and some surrounding provinces, though the ERP power is currently not at par with FM2 as well as the orientation of the new antenna expected to adjust to provide stable coverage.

FM1 have bared plans for nationwide expansion by launching provincial stations, including FM1 Davao which was launched on August 1, 2018 (later moved to 87.9 MHz in February 2020), with plans of establishing more stations on Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Iloilo, Baguio, Bohol, Boracay, General Santos, Laoag, Legazpi, Butuan, and Zamboanga.

On January 8, 2020, however, FM1 began to phase out its regular programs (except for its news bulletin) following the resignation of Villo from PBS. Since March 2020, the station began to streamlining its operations by launching new programs and segments, including an all-day weekly indie/chill music block Sunday Slaps.

On June 12, 2020 in the day of the Philippine independence at 12:00 nn, FM1 enhanced its branding as Republ1ka FM1, with the slogan Radio Republic of the Youth. The rebranding went same for its station in Davao.

See also

References
  1. Jasper Marie Oblina-Rucat (August 10, 2016). "Sec Andanar pushes bill to create People's Broadcasting Corp". Philippine Information Agency. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  2. "KBP ASKS NTC TO RESERVE FM RADIO FREQUENCY FOR SCHOOLS". Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas. September 16, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  3. WATCH: PCOO Year Ender Achievements for 2016. YouTube. PTV. December 9, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  4. "PCOO E-Brochure" (PDF). Presidential Communications Operations Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 7, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2017.

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