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Awesome Radio App To Keep Ah Gong, Ah Ma Company
While most of us are starting to come to terms with the new normal, many others still have trouble coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, and all the safety measurements that come with it - most of all, the elderly.
Our beloved seniors have been one of the hardest hit groups: their already limited social circles got downsized due to social distancing measures, and, since they are at high risk of contracting the virus, it’s doubly risky for them to head outdoors for some light exercise or fresh air.
My own grandparents have been limited to the living room and staring at endless dramas on TV or listening to the usual radio shows.
That’s why Vintage Radio SG will be music to their ears, quite literally. The new free radio app aims to bring some joy back into the lives of our seniors amid these uncertain times.
Here are 5 reasons why I’m getting my Ah Ma and Ah Gong to download the app (and you should do the same stat!):
The team has worked hard for the last 6 months to make this happen. The robust zoom brainstorms, countless meetings with potential funders, donors and partners, endless music meetings to select the 70s, 60s, 50s repertoire, the thorough search for our four prominent presenters, who represent not only the age profile of the station but the language and racial mix across the different races in Singapore. “VintageRadio.SG is a digital app, it’s not just a radio station. We are not competing with any local radio stations. It’s an app where everything the seniors need, is collapsed together for them, to make it very easy for them.” Co-founder for VintageRadio.SG Mark Richmond. “It’s not just about the music, we want to connect our seniors digitally, it’s very much the content in the app. So we curate all the content together for them to have an opportunity to discover, be more informed and to be engaged”, added Aloysius Tan, the other Co-founder for VintageRadio.SG. The team at VintageRadio.SG would like to express our deepest gratitude and appreciation to our generous philanthropist for their personal donations as well as the OSCAR@SG Fund and ACI-Trampoline Fund, for without them, this community project would just exist as an idea. We also appreciate the advice shared with our team from our distinguished board of directors, who have each come from their respective industry and field of expertise. Thank you to Beatrice Chia-Richmond and team for the filming, editing and quick production turnaround. Thank you as well to The Straits Times Life team for the media coverage yesterday and to our partners as well. https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/radio-app-for-seniors-presented-by-seniors?xtor=CS3-18&utm_source=STiPhone&utm_medium=share&utm_term=2020-09-16%205%3A09%3A52 We are super-charged, thrilled and absolutely delighted that this day has come. Let us now present. VintageRadio.SG iOS : https://apps.apple.com/app/id1511450771 Android : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.radioactive.vintage Huawei : https://appgallery.huawei.com/#/app/C102750671 #vintageradiosg #alwaysageless #pioneergeneration #merdeka #oscarsgfund #seniorsgodigital
Posted by Vintage Radio SG on Tuesday, 15 September 2020
1. It's created by senior ex-DJs, means sure to be tok kong one
Vintage Radio SG is the baby of DJs Mark Richmond and Aloysius Tan. These veteran names are sure to bring a wealth of experience to the radio app. Mark Richmond is the son of Brian Richmond (who has a career in radio spanning four decades) and Aloysius Tan is the main man behind Radioactive.sg, a company that provides streaming solutions for radio networks.
Music is streamed 24 hours while the DJs will present pre-recorded takes from 8am to midnight on weekdays. The list of multilingual DJs include familiar names (and voices) such as broadcasting veteran Brian Richmond, P.N. Bala Supramaniam and former DJ Patrick Kwek, also known as Guo Xianhua, as well as Rahimah Rahim.
2. It's chock-full of useful info for seniors
The online radio app will play carefully curated tunes for our silver generation. Think music from the 50s to the 70s, including pop classics from famous artistes such as Elvis Presley as well as ABBA. The app will contain relevant content including nostalgic photo galleries of vintage Singapore, and opera videos in Cantonese and Hokkien.
While steps have been made to help seniors, such as the dialect videos about COVID-19 created by the couple behind LearnDialect.sg, more measures are always welcome. Seniors can expect handy links to articles and videos that discuss health issues and financial guides. There are also useful contacts of organisations that cater to the needs of the elderly, such as RSVP Singapore and St. Luke’s Eldercare.
3. It's designed for easy navigation
The app has been designed to be user-friendly for the less tech-savvy elderly. The founders say seniors do not need to be as wary of spam or online scams as the app provides a safe environment for them to utilise digital content. Also, the app is designed to use minimal data; users do not have to worry about it consuming big amounts of data even if they are not connected to a WiFi network.
A shout out to our Android users for the VintageRadioSG App. By default, Android tries to help you save on data and...
Posted by Vintage Radio SG on Wednesday, 16 September 2020
4. It’s interactive and lets seniors be part of the show
Let’s face it, our seniors have limited mobility and this radio app will allow them to recline back in a comfy armchair while drifting off into nostalgia. The app encourages users to contribute content with a special segment called “Weekend Warrior”: they can get to be presenters on the weekend by recording themselves, sending over audio files, and letting the production team transform them into professional radio hosts.
5. It's free!
Good things must share and you know how Singaporeans love free things! VintageRadio.SG app is available on the App Store, Google Play Store and Huawei AppGallery.
The founders anticipate a great response, saying: “20 years down the road, we hope everyone around the world will say Singapore has the most digitally savvy seniors, and this radio app will become self-sustainable. Most importantly, this is a form of thanks to the seniors as they are the hands that built this nation.”
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