AN AM RADIO STORY
A reformat there led him to the doors of DZBM, where he dropped the ‘Smilin’ tag and went by The Real Steve O’Neal, the station’s new morning man
The real O’ Neal
There’s a saying that ex-DJs don’t die, they just find a different way to use their voice. But, some DJs relent and continue to do what they do best, like Danee Samonte.
At 12, he already dreamed of being a DJ at 12. He’s been at it since he was 14, starting in radio (pro bono) at DZSA, DZMB then to his first paying radio gig at DZZZ as Smilin’ Danee Samonte.
A reformat there led him to the doors of DZBM, where he dropped the “Smilin’” tag and went by The Real Steve O’Neal, the station’s new morning man. For a spell, he was known as Charlie Tuna (sounds like a canned mascot) then as Deep Throat during BM’s Berry Mint incarnation.
Aside from DJ duties, he also did Sales for the station. While many of his radio colleagues have gone Stateside or otherwise like Bwana Johnny (Anthony Llorente) who’s UK based and Lee Michaels (Bambi Fonacier later of WKW) now in Vancouver, Danee’s done tons of stuff after his BM days.
He exclusively provided music video services to most of (if not all) the clubs and restos in Manila once upon a time; had a short-lived TV show Eurovision; got into concert promoting with his own production house, Steve O’ Neal Productions, and of course went back to his first love — a midmorning radio show at RJFM for nearly a decade until he left in 2017. Who woulda thunk?
DZBM was the flagship AM station of Mareco and their sister FM station was DWLM, one of the very first FM stations in Manila. A station where George Mercado aka Joy Rider (nee George Boone) got his start in the early 70s playing Top 40 hits. He occasionally did boardwork for BM as well, until he moved to DZMM which was still an AC (Adult Contemporary) station of ABS-CBN. Radio came to an abrupt end for George when Martial Law was declared.
The joy of riding
Unlike Steve O’Neal (one of his mentors), George never dreamed of becoming a DJ. Peer influence from his best friend Brown Pepper (aka Robert De Leon) of BM (later Robert The Lion of WKW) and two other classmates Peter St. John and Ricky Dizon who were already working at BM, led him to the radio booth. Boarding at DZLM Love Radio 1430 (Love.. 143.. get it?), BM’s sister AM station under the name Joy Rider. BM and LM played records under foreign labels like CBS, Warner Brothers, RCA, Motown, Verve and many others since their mother company Mareco, distributed them locally. George later became part of DWLM (105.1 FM), the station that replaced DZLM 1430. He also did double duty for BM from time to time mentored by Steve O’ Neal on a 3-hour show six days a week. But, he left when BM reformatted into DWOO that had a showbiz oriented format.
Joy Rider was no more, so were most of the other BM stalwarts, but those misplaced talents scattered, and like seeds, they took root and flourished elsewhere. George later found his claim to fame on the FM band around 1977. His journey brought him to DWXB 102.7 with the help of (the late) Freddie Dandan and Ciro Songco. XB was still an MOR station then, owned by the Protestant church, the UCCP. Being young and rebellious, George began playing fast song, including Disco, which was starting to gain ground at the time. The pastors were livid, but when they realized the station was selling for the first time, they relented. Hiring talents like Joey Don Roo (later of RT), Lord Shiloh, Jessie Ferrer and others, XB converted into Magic Disco 102.
After hooking up with Where Else, Manila’s most popular disco then, things really took off. It’s one of many stations and successes of George, which extended well into the succeeding decades with stations such as 97.1 WLS-FM, 101.1 KISS-FM, ZOO 101.9 and KOOL 106, to name a few. His is a passionate tale of electrifying airwaves and the joy for radio. Perhaps we’ll save it for a different story. Today, he still works with a microphone, speaking to corporate managers and CEO’s offering sound management and financial consultancy. Kudos to you, George Mercado.