Radio DJ The Flying Dutchman’s new direction

When we spoke to Gold 90.5FM DJ Mark van Cuylenburg earlier this year, the 58-year-old, who is better known to listeners as The Flying Dutchman or FD, jokingly said he was working on his “retirement plan”. Yesterday, during his morning slot on The Gold Breakfast Show, FD officially put said plan into action when he announced he would leave MediaCorp today. (If you tune in to the show before 10am, you’ll be listening to his swansong on radio.)

But FD said this wasn’t a last-minute decision. “It has been on my mind for the past six months,” he explained, adding that one of the reasons was he wanted to focus on his businesses outside radio. “It reached a point where the businesses were growing faster than we expected and they need more attention. And there are not enough hours in the day.”

Despite having a health scare two years ago (he had a heart attack), that “has never been a consideration”, he said. “My health is fine, the ticker is working great, but then I’m 58, I want these things ... I want to enjoy my retirement. In five years’ time, at 63, I’m going to be retired, drinking pina coladas by the beach.

“I need to do this, I need to look after this stuff, shore up the businesses to make sure they give me the retirement I want.”

A DREAM JOB

FD started his career with the then Radio Corporation of Singapore in December 1996 and spent most of his 18 years with the company hosting Class 95FM’s The Morning Express with Glenn Ong, before switching to The Gold Breakfast Show last year.

Listeners, colleagues and friends had mixed emotions about his departure.

“Of course, I’m sad and disappointed, but I understand why (he wants to leave),” said Georgina Chang, vice-president, English programming — Music (Radio) at MediaCorp.

Erina Cook, assistant vice-president of Gold 90.5FM, Radio, said: “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Mark since he joined Class 95FM in 1996. He has connected well with listeners and willingly shares his experiences and ideas with colleagues. I wish him a good break.”

Vernetta Lopez, his co-host on The Gold Breakfast Show, said although she had known about his plan to leave a while ago, it still “took some time to get used to it”.

“It’s obviously kind of sad that he, being someone I’ve barely begun to work with exclusively, so to speak, has to leave. I’m going to miss working with him. I wish him all the very best,” she said.

“It’s kind of hard to say bye-bye to someone like that,” she added. “But I was ‘scolding’ him on air (yesterday morning) about his leaving.”

Netizens took to the station’s Facebook page to express their thoughts. “All good things must come to an end. Having said that, nobody is indispensable! Enjoy your retirement, FD.” wrote Emma Krish.

Andy Michaels Lim posted: “I may not agree with some of the things he has said, especially about the general behaviour of Singaporeans ... but I have to say he has (for the past 18 years) made radio entertainment a whole lot more entertaining, especially in the mornings.”

Daphne Hwee wrote: “The Gold Breakfast Show will not be the same without hearing yours and Vern’s hearty laugh over some silly jokes and comments.”

For FD, working with Lopez on Gold was one of the highlights of being on MediaCorp radio. “Working with her and having a woman as open as her as a co-host — it’s a delight,” he said, adding that the 16 months he had spent were among “the best times I’ve ever had on radio”.

“It was a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to be on Gold. Why? Because I didn’t have to wake to ‘umbrella-ella-ella, every morning!” he quipped. “I mean, the music selection (on Gold) is a bit more to my age.” However, FD said that there was one good thing about him vacating the morning show slot: “You will see Vernetta shine. She will take on the challenge.”

ALL ABOUT CHANGE

FD won’t be kicking up his feet by the beach just yet. “Drinking coffee at the coffee shop? That’ll never happen,” he quipped.

One thing to tick off in his list is a trip to South America with his wife. “It’s my turn to pay back to my wife,” he said, citing how she had done the lion’s share of raising their children and looking after the family through the years. “We want to take a long trip to South America — Brazil, Argentina, Peru. My wife has always wanted to go to Macchu Picchu, so the payback begins now!”

And there’s the issue of tending to his businesses. There’s TFD Pte Ltd, the entertainment and events company that he has run for 12 years; The Wedding Entourage, the wedding planning division of TFD; and the Emcee Academy, where he teaches “the next generation of MCs”. And these are only his businesses in Singapore. He also has business interests in Indonesia: One in Jakarta, which will be launching a smartphone app very soon; The Air Adventures Flying Club Bintan, which offers flight training and introductory flights in two-seater aircraft; and Flyboyz, a three-level concept bar featuring a retro club, a bistro and a Cuban lounge, which is set to open on March 28 at Bintan’s Lagoi Bay.

“That bar is where I’m going to be drinking my pina coladas,” he quipped. “I’m going to be like Ernest Hemingway — without all the problems.”

Does this mean we’ll never hear FD’s voice on air again? “Well, I never say never,” he said. “You gotta understand that I’m at a stage of my life (when) I really do want to be able to (do other things) while I can. I don’t want to be 70 and doing radio full-time.”

FD reiterated that he loved his time on radio. “Those 18 years have been fantastic,” he said. “And to have management back you when you er, do something wrong — it’s hard to find management like that.

“It’s been an incredible 18 years, but life is about evolving, it’s about change and change has to be embraced,” said FD. “This is Chapter 2 of my life. It’s exciting.”

For the time being, Lopez will continue to helm The Gold Breakfast Show by herself, but Chang hinted that more news would be coming soon. “We’ve been planning a few exciting things for the Gold line-up. These changes are in the way it sounds and feels, in terms of music and time belts.”

Added Cook: “Stay tuned and look forward to more great music and exciting programmes on Gold 90.5FM in 2015.”