My parents were fans of Rádio Comercial in its Medium Wave version, so I listened to many of this station’s programs and some of them became quite popular, as was the case with When the Telephone Rings. It helped to popularize requested records and make it common on all radio stations.
Matos Maia is the presenter who shaped and idealized this requested record program, first on Rádio Clube Português and then in the heyday of Rádio Comercial in the medium wave, in the first half of the 80s. Recording their favorite songs, many asked for the songs both to dedicate to someone they liked and so they could record and have the song they loved so much.
There were some that were classics, shown more than once a week and were also repeated on Wednesday, the day when the most popular and most requested songs on the program were shown. A sentence was said, usually referring to a sponsor, and then the song was asked which could or could not be dedicated to someone,
Demis Roussos, Julio Inglesias, José Cid, Juan Luis Guerra and Charles Aznavour were just some of the most popular names in this rubric. Over time other artists began to become popular there, with the program becoming something similar to what would become the Pacific Ocean, flooded with English pop slows. Not long ago, CDs were even released with some of the best themes on the show, who listened to this on the radio the most?
It was without a doubt one of the most interesting programs in what was the alternative to a TV that closed too early and left us eager for something that could entertain us at night.
Source: aindasoudotempo.com
