An Inside Look at the Life of a Radio DJ: A Profile Interview with a BA Communication Alumna.

Saint Louis University is a prestigious institution renowned for producing accomplished alumni and alumnae. And one of these esteemed graduates is a Radio DJ who has earned considerable fame and recognition for their work.

Venus Laureen Millet, also known as “Maria Morena,” has been a radio announcer at Love Radio since July 16, 2018. She began her career after graduating from SLU with a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication. Being a radio announcer also entails that they have a role to play, which is much different from who they are in reality. One of our questions was about how the name ‘Maria Morena’ came into life.

“Actually hindi kami yung namimili ng names namin. It was given na nung time na ‘yon.” She says, “Though obviously hindi ako morena pero diba pero since yung yung personality parang siguro ano nalang since ang 95.1 love radio kasi may branding na siya so,alam na nila kung base sa boses mo kung ano yung personality ang kukunin nila..”

She explained further about how Maria Morena came from Maria Clara because she’s a bit modest but rude and described that Love Radio has an image of being a ‘babaeng bakla’ or a woman acting like a gay person. She added that she did not pick the role but had to make it more believable.

Morena also shared her hobbies back when she was in high school and was under special programming in arts, and from then on, she was already writing in City High. She once told herself that she would not pursue writing once she was in college because she was tired of writing, as she had been doing it for four years. She tried a different program, financial management, but it only lasted a year. Upon shifting to another course, AB English, someone asked her why not try Mass Communication, which made her rethink and ask the question, ‘Why?’

“Marami ‘kang mapupuntahan.” That was the answer.

And then she described the comm people as ‘Jack of all trades, master of none.’ We can do a lot of things that pertain to communication. She also added that another leap of faith or a different personality comes out in her upon studying mass communication, as it goes beyond what we can do. She emphasized that it wasn’t her original plan but a risk to pursue, and she eventually grew to like it.

Love Radio is her first job concerning Mass Communication. She worked as an English teacher to Koreans, Chinese, etc., before and said that she planned to take the path of teaching once she graduated. But she got a call about a hiring on Love Radio a week after graduation. Together with her resume, the audition, which was on the spot, was recorded where she introduced herself and had the quality the bosses sought.

She emphasized that their job was to ensure their connection with the people, and it’s more important than their voice itself.

Upon questioning her about the memorable experience in her career so far, she answered, ‘Love gives.’ Morena explained what they were doing then, such as bringing children to Sky Rise and Jollibee, as well as giving them gifts, and making them happy with what they had to offer. She felt the fulfillment of her work during those days.

When it comes to radio broadcasting, she pointed out that her five years of experience in Love Radio is already a significant accomplishment for her, and she thanked that in those years, even if she resigned for a year and came back again, the audience was still there, supporting her. She added that her connection with the people is that even if she were to leave, they would still ask about her and watch her once she returns.

One of the challenges in her work was going outside the box. She described herself as being happy when she’s alone, compared to others who can carry on with their lives when people are around.

“Ang confidence ko nasa mikropono.” She further explained that she has a character to portray (as a Radio DJ). No matter how big the problem she’s experiencing as Venus, it shouldn’t be a problem once Maria Morena comes into the picture.

One’s lifestyle is often seen as carefree and glamorous. Being on air, playing music, and interacting with listeners is a dream job to many. However, there is a lot more to being a radio DJ than just the glitz and glamor. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance requires hard work, dedication, and a strong sense of boundaries. She emphasized how different her personality is from the character she has on air. She advised us to carry our principles wherever we go as they stand our ground.

When asked about what she feels upon GMA Network using Artificial Intelligence as their news sports casters, she answered “Parang nakakadegrade ‘yon sa mga taong inaaral talaga nila yung profession. If it’s easy as that, kaya palang gawin, so ano ang gagawin ng tao?”

She added that she hopes it will last only a short time, as AI still comes from the intelligence of humans; hence, it’s still limited. Morena says that people will soon realize that once (AI) fails, it’s not that easy to fix/recover, and not that it only makes things easier.

Morena also talked about her religion and her love and appreciation towards her viewers and audience, which continues to support her in her journey as a radio DJ as she is now considered a public figure.

One of the few things she learned in SLU was to be resourceful and independent, as the University does not require spoon feeding their students. Other than that, she added that people have a lot of things to say about their generation, especially at her age, where they say they are quickly exhausted and easy to give up. There’s a fire within her that wants to prove them wrong.

Her success as a radio DJ has been cemented for five years, but despite this, Morena still wants to pursue having masters of Development Communication. “Yung interactions sa mga tao na everytime we go on field andun yung sense of belonging ng mga tao sa’yo.. ‘Yung sense ng fulfillment na hindi ka basta nagsasalita lang d’yan. may mga taong nakakarinig sayo na nagkakaroon ng impact sa buhay na ‘yan.”

Maria Morena left a statement as an advice for students in the Communication Field, “Stick with those people na may direction, na makakatulong sayo.” she further added upon asked about what message she will say to her younger self, “Sana natutunan ‘kong magsalita pa more, kasi very ano ako ‘nun eh, na kahit na alam kong mali yan, alam ko lang mali pero hindi ako magsasalita.”

She then encourages everyone to speak up for themselves, not for the sake of others but to help themselves.

References:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KDB5ZoD2CkbJpR9_vDrADwxnuaA-LdeN?usp=sharing