A GLIMPSE IN THE LIFE OF MR.

RONNIE WANIWAN: A NARRATIVE REPORT

ON MARKETING MANAGEMENT
By: Marivette Joy S. Martinez-Benedicto, CUGS-MBM

Last March 2, 2019, the Marketing Management class under the guidance and leadership of Dr.
Odette Leh V. Caragos did a site visit at the Mellow Touch 95.7 FM Cagayan de Oro at their
radio station and office located at Corrales Avenue, Cagayan de Oro City.

We had previously contacted and invited him to be our speaker and host in this activity. Mr.
Ronnie Waniwan, the station’s consulting manager, gladly agreed to share his knowledge and
expertise to the class as he is also a fellow Capitol University Graduate School student enrolled
in our doctorate program.

Mellow Touch is a radio station broadcasting from Cagayan de Oro. It has been on air 24 hours a
day except on Mondays since it was launched in 1992. It features news, talk shows and music
programs.

Mr. Waniwan welcomed us to the station and began his lecture with a background about his life.
He shared his experience about being an activist and most especially about his arrest in 2016. He
was arrested in downtown Cagayan de Oro after the Gingoog court issued a warrant in
connection with a decided libel case that was filed by SPO4 Tito Buadlart in 2005.

Mr. Waniwan was a candidate for councilor in Cagayan de Oro under the Padayon Pilipino while
doing an on-air commentary program. Before his arrest, he also hosted a program at Gingoog’s
Beat FM radio station, and sharply criticized the administration of Mayor Marie Guingona.

After surviving his ordeal, Mr. Waniwan continued to work in the media and is presently the
managing consultant of Mellow Touch 97.5 FM Cagayan de Oro and operates his own franchise
of the station in Gingoog City.

With his business sense and activism combined, he introduced a change in the station through
varying the programming from the traditional style of music and entertainment by including
mainstream news and public affairs.

Magnum Radio is a direct competitor of theirs. But Mr. Waniwan shared that their competitive
edge is that Mellow Touch does not deal with current events, more specifically, flash news such
as major incidents in the city and nearby areas like fire, accidents or other catastrophes – for the
lack of better term – but instead the station tackles controversial issues and invites those
concerned and interested to express their views about it.

He shared three categories or strategies in their marketing-revenue-making mix. First is the

BLOCK TIME which is inviting or giving local politicians and personalities their own time to
share their views. They can also have their own radio station show if they opted for it and be able
to share their views about certain issues which might concern them or their opponents.
Of course, they also have paid advertisements and sponsored time checks/sections wherein
airtime is either contracted to include specific mentions or just general deliveries of information.

Mr. Ronnie Waniwan is a very interesting personality to have a chat with because he has an
extensive background in activism, media communications and business. He is the perfect speaker
to give us a lecture for the Dr. Caragos’ class in Marketing Management. Mr. Waniwan is also
finishing his doctorate degree in Capitol University Graduate School this year.