Radio veteran Melson stayed connected with listeners

Like many of our pioneer radio listeners and the deejays she trained well, I am saddened by radio veteran Juanita Melson’s death (“Radio DJs pay tribute to voice of MRT announcements”; Jan 24).

My late wife and I had subscribed to Rediffusion for more than 30 years, and the morning requests show, which allowed its listeners to dedicate songs, brought sunshine into our lives at the start of the day.

Despite her busy schedule as a programme manager, Mrs Melson would squeeze in time to perform DJ duties, as she had a passion for staying connected with her listeners.

Through these song requests and dedications, friendships were developed among listeners who regarded the station as another family member.

During her Rediffusion stint, Mrs Melson invited the likes of Pat Boone, Lobo, Skeeter Davis and Engelbert Humperdinck into the studios, and it was interesting to listen to these interviews on the airwaves.

These singers’ classics were some of the broadcaster’s favourite tunes, and Rediffusion DJs went the extra mile to source complimentary tickets to give to their listeners during quiz segments when these celebrities had concerts here.

Mrs Melson may have left us, but as we listen to classic songs on the radio or our compact disc players and also as we travel on the MRT, we will remember her.