8 Reasons There Will Never Be
Another Delamar
By Kel Fabie
Ever since The Morning Rush started in 1996, the word “Chico” always had to be followed by “and Delamar” out of sheer habit. It was, at the time, a revolutionary move in Philippine radio, to have a female co-anchor on the show, instead of just having her as a newscaster, and the mid-to-late 90s of Philippine radio were never the same.
[Photo c/o Connie Avila]
Admit it: you thought they would get together. And some of us still do.
While Chico and Delamar may have had a brief detour at another station, the dynamic duo will always be associated with RX 93.1 and as a team, even after adding Gino and Bea to the fray, with 20 years under their belt earlier this month, it always seemed like this tandem was not going to stop trucking anytime soon.
Which makes it all the more sad to find out that as you read this, Delamar has already said her goodbyes on her last day in radio.
I won’t mince words here: there will never be another Delamar. Many talented women come and go in Philippine radio, but the trail she blazed is one that can only be followed, but never blazed again, and we could never thank her enough for that.
Here are just 8 reasons why Delamar is truly irreplaceable.
8. She was the prototype female DJ.
Prior to Delle, most females in the radio industry were newscasters, and there was nothing wrong with that. What Delle did though was to break the door down for females to become anchors and DJs. Aside from hosting The Morning Rush, Delle also got her feet wet, doing a solo show that was called Strictly OPM.
The Legacy: From Jinri Park to Joyce Pring to Nicole Hyala and Tanya Chinita, radio has never been the same since the influx of female jocks, and it has been all the better for it. Delamar was one of the first, if not the first of her kind, and she deserves credit for that.
7. She helped create the radio tandem.
In the early days, most radio shows were composed of one DJ, and maybe a newscaster. The idea of a tandem was virtually unheard of and, on paper, seemed like a waste of money. Why hire two jocks when one could handle the job just fine, right? Well, The Morning Rush blew that notion out of the water. Ever since then, the concept of the multiple hosts per show became so commonplace that, with the exception of Papa Jack, it’s hard to immediately think of a highly successful radio personality who is doing his or her show solo. And let us not forget how so many of us Rushers wanted Chico and Delle to end up together—they also created the radio love team!
[Photo c/o Raymond Ancog]
For the people who believed that true love could only happen “over their dead bodies,” well…
Aside from creating more diverse shows in general, this was also a boon for any newbie to radio, as they would usually be paired with a veteran who could help them along the way as they tried to find their voice. It was a win-win situation all around, and Delle was instrumental in bringing that about.
The Legacy: Whether you enjoy the antics of Nicole Hyala and Chris Tsuper in the mornings, or the insanity of Toni, Slick, and Sam in the evenings, prior to The Morning Rush, it was a rarity to see a show helmed by more than one jock. We aren’t saying that Delamar herself made the radio tandem a thing, but you cannot deny that she had a pretty huge hand in making it so.
6. Her sense of humor bowed to no one.
Delamar was known as “Super Fun” for a long time–her superhero alter ego because, supposedly, she couldn’t tell a funny joke to save her life. Nobody on radio before or since her has reveled in the fact that she has mastered the art of making people laugh by being incapable of telling a joke that could make them laugh.
Literally the first thing that turns up when you Image Search for “Delamar funny joke.”
The Legacy: “Super Fun.” “Delle-Level Jokes.” While Delamar has often found herself affectionately joined at the hip with corniness, it takes an extraordinary person to turn that corniness into cheesiness from everyone the minute she says goodbye.
5. She can change how we feel at the drop of a dime.
While Delle frequently pokes fun at Gino for having “the emotional depth of a teaspoon,” it’s scary how Delamar can draw all sorts of emotions from us whenever she wants to. She effortlessly can shift from a tear-jerking discussion about losing love to a (tastefully) suggestive one about 50 Shades of Grey, to suddenly making us think about how we are as a nation in the few times she indulged talking about politics.
In the 20 years we have known and loved Delamar, she has taken us on an emotional roller coaster that we are still wishing would never stop.
What better way to show off those divine armpits than in a roller coaster?
The Legacy: Beyond amusing us and providing us with music, did we ever really care much about a DJ after they do what we expect them to do? Well, that’s exactly what Delamar did: she made us care, because she knew how to bring on the feels all the time. There is a school of thought among some jocks then and now will always tell you that you have to make the listeners care about you to make it in this industry, and Delamar is living proof of that.
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