Their audience are mainly dialect speaking Chinese age 40 and above. I am honoured to have the opportunities to be interviewed during the VIP programme last December and this year's Valentine’s Day. I used Hokkien phrases freely on air and spoke about how parents could play a supportive role instead of pressurizing their children to get married.
Lydia outside the studio
Between the interviews, Teochew songs were played. The DJ and I casually chatted about the issues that old folks face in Singapore. We agree that Singapore has evolved so fast over the last 15 years that the illiterate folks find it tough to keep up with times.
My relatives in their 70s feedback why they feel cooped up at home. There have been so many new buildings and roads that they are afraid to get lost. They could not take public transport as they do not understand English, neither are they tech-savvy to use maps or GPS. The safest way for them to commute alone out of their area is through taxi; which may be pricy for some of the retirees. As such they spend most of their time at home listening to Rediffusion.
While their kids and grand-kids are busy with work and school. Rediffusion has empowered these old folks mentally and emotionally. The dialect language is something they can relate to and it comforts them. If this radio service is gone, they will feel more lost, lonely and detached from society. Sincerely hope this station will be kept to accompany the old folks through their sunset years.
If it is not sustainable to keep Rediffusion due to commercial reasons, maybe MCYS can consider collaborating with Mediacorp to fill in this gap — a dialect radio station to meet the needs of the illiterate folks and senior citizens. It will be an avenue for youngsters to pick up their dialect and communicate with their grand parents too. There are more than 10 radio channels in Singapore. One dialect station will not dilute Mandarin or English language abilities but enrich Singapore's culture and make Singaporeans feel more connected to our roots.
