24K Friday

24K Friday was an oldies radio show of 99.5 RT. It was an extremely popular 24 hour program that featured the classics from the 70s', 80' and 90's every Friday. It is now called 24K Weekend, playing a variety of songs centered around the 80's and 90's every Weekend, and features several special music programs.

History

Around 1989, 99.5 RT decided to field an all-day classics program of its own in response to Friday Magic Madness on rival Magic 89.9. The deejays of RT at the time were quite confident they could put forth a better version of the oldies format because of the depth of the RT music library. This library was famous for being well-stocked with virtually every released and charted single since the late 1970's, as well as the songs which only RT played and turned into certified golden hits. In CONTRAST, Magic 89.9's program played more classic bubblegum pop, in keeping with its regular daily programming.

But to avoid competing head-on, the show was originally put on the air on Saturdays. One of the more famous deejays of the RT lineage, North Andrew, was the very first jock to go on board for the first 24K Saturday show at 6:00 am, kicking off this iconic program with the song "Mornin' " by Al Jarreau. He also, incidentally came up with the title "24K" for the show, a "no-brainer" in his words.

After 24K gained considerable ground and popularity, the decision was made to move it to Fridays and compete directly with Friday Magic Madness, where it stayed for most of its existence. From there, it became one of the most popular and enduring programs on RT, so much so that the station is famously equated and associated with the unique programming qualities of 24K.

In 2005, a management move took place that quietly had 24K Friday taken off the air. A move which became quite controversial and resulted in much uproar and dissent from the loyal listeners of RT, who insisted that it should be brought back.

After AbOUT a year, much to the delight of the listeners, 24K Friday was placed back on the air, but with a somewhat restricted playlist that featured more mainstream classic pop and less of the RT staples for which the show had become famous for.

However, it had its final show on December 16, 2008. But it continued without stingers until December 30, 2008.

24K on Hit FM

In 2007, after RT revamped as 99.5 Hit FM, 24K Friday was also replaced by another oldies program called Old School Wednesday. This show still sounded much like 24K, but was simply given a different name and day to differentiate itself from the RT program. Later on that year, Old School Wednesday was scrapped and 24K Friday was on the air again in its place, but only for a couple of months before it was taken off again, owing to allegedly flip-flopping management decisions and issues concerning the viability of having an oldies show while the station targeted an increasingly younger audience.

The 24K Experience

In January 2008, a four hour program called The 24K Experience started airing every Sunday afternoon from 2:00 to 6:00 pm on 99.5 Hit FM. It was hosted by veteran radio personality Joshua, featuring a 24K Friday-like program with a playlist of classics from the 60's, 70's and 80's. At the time, 99.5 Hit FM had discontinued its version of 24K Friday and retained only the 90's program, No. 1 Hit Weekend, as its oldies show. Joshua's program lasted until March 16, 2008, just before the station switched to the Campus 99.5 brand.

24K Weekend

After 99.5 RT was brought back on the air on September 1, 2008, 24K Friday programming was reintroduced as 24K Weekend. This oldies show now spans two days, every Saturday (beginning at 6:00 am) and all day Sunday, playing a diverse mix of classics from the 80's and 90's, with the occasional 70's number thrown in. Plus, special three to four hour shows are included featuring highlighted genres such as new wave, hard rock and movie themes. Sometimes, 24K Weekend starts with the song "Rhythm of The City".

Special Programs:

• New Wave Extra - New Wave music; Saturdays 6:00 - 10:00 PM.
• 24K In The Mix - Dance hits mixed, spanning from the 70's, 80's and 90's; Saturdays 10:00 PM - 2:00 AM.
• Soft Sundaes - The last stretch of 24K that plays mellow music such as R&B, Soul, and Soft Jazz; Sundays 9:00 PM - 12:00 AM.

24K Friday on Mix FM

105.9 Mix FM in Davao City, Philippines also has an oldies program called 24K Friday as well. Its format is patterned after the original show of RT, also featuring classics from the 70's and 80's.

Compilations

• 24K Friday (MCA Music Philippines, 2006)
• 24K Friday 2 (MCA Music Philippines, 2007)