In 1989, Manila FM radio station DWTM (now Magic 89.9) launched a 15-minute love counseling corner program that they called “Love Notes.” It was hosted by a radio DJ named Rolando Sulit, but who became better known to his listeners as Joe D’Mango (not DiMaggio, foreign readers). With Joe behind the mike, “Love Notes” exploded to become the template of love-counseling radio content, becoming a TV show in ABC5 (now TV5), a 1995 VIVA movie, a pocketbook novel series and more. Then in 2012-13 the program ended after Joe D’Mango moved his family to Australia on permanent residency visas. Who would think the program would revive this year, on YouTube?

As told by The Philippine Star, the once-well-remember “Love Notes” love counseling program that graced Philippine radio, TV, film and pulp media of old has actually been reinvented as a web series since this past April 27, hosted on the official YouTube channel of longtime host Joe D’Mango. The series is a co-production between Joe, still residing in Canberra, Australia, and Philippine-based Curve Entertainment, which provides the musical performers providing the soundtrack which has been emblematic of D’Mango’s love advice. And while a solid portion of his digital following are Filipinos, the fandom is international.

“I wasn’t expecting anything fancy,” notes Joe of when he and Curve Entertainment made the first online “Love Notes” videos. “But when the first two introductory videos appeared and the first official ‘Love Notes’ episode was aired, I was flooded with hundreds of comments and encouragement from many of the original listeners of ‘Love Notes.’ They were ecstatic about the return of the program that has been part of their growing up years.” Not bad for a media partnership between D’Mango and Curve that was ironed out only via Zoom.

From their end, Curve Entertainment is looking to release a digital album with the songs and artist featuring in the “Love Notes” web series. Some of the performers in the album either were fans of the original radio show, as in the case of the BOU acoustic pair, or related to old-time fans as in the mother of Nasser. Another contributor is Emmy Cayabyab, wife of National Artist Ryan Cayabyab, the Kilos alternative rock band, and even more to come. The “Love Notes” web series streams new videos on Tuesdays available at Joe D’Mango’s official YouTube channel, Dear Joe TV.

Image courtesy of Manila Bulletin

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