Tune in every morning for a dose of laughter as these two entertainers make waves on air
From left: Pei Fen, Jack Neo, Jia Min and Wang Lei after this morning’s segment. (Photo: SAFRA Radio)
It’s 9 a.m. in the morning, and over breakfast, I hear the distinct voice of director Jack Neo on the radio.
“When we filmed Money No Enough, we really had no money before and after,” the acclaimed local filmmaker quips. “So when it became a success, we were very shocked. Some people were telling us that they couldn’t even get tickets.”
It’s not often you hear Neo on air, but there he was talking comfortably like a seasoned DJ. If you missed him on air this morning, you’ll be glad to know he wasn’t just a special guest.
Neo has joined the 88.3 Jia FM team, together with getai maestro Wang Lei and DJs Jia Min and Pei Fen, in a new show airing every day from 6am-10am.
The new Chinese segment, called “早晨最劲爆” (“Mornings are the Craziest”) is an eruption of laughter, trending topics and nostalgia talk, accompanied by Mandarin top-charting hits.
Wang told Weekender that the number of songs played in between their dialogue has been cut down from the usual three to one or two, so that listeners can enjoy more of their morning banter – which, by the way, includes dashes of “unfiltered” Hokkien humour from Wang, says Jia Min.
Wang defended himself and said, “Of course I do control what I can say on air.” To this, the rest of the team chortled and jokingly said, “Sure!”.
The segment will also be pulling out the stops for a National Day special tomorrow, when it will bring in a keyboardist to accompany Pei Fen as she belts out popular National Day songs for listeners.
“I’m no Kit Chan, but I can be Kit Kat,” she jokes.
The team’s chemistry is obvious both off and on air, and here’s a surprising nugget: None of them prepare scripts or prompts for the show.
“We just come in and start talking to each other,” says Neo. Wang chimes in, “In a way, this is a true test of skill – whether we can keep readers engaged and happy in the morning.”
“For that, we ourselves need lots of food first!” adds Jia Min.
Catch Jack Neo and Wang Lei with DJ Jia Min and Pei Fen on 88.3 Jia FM every day from 6am-10am.
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