'Idol, True Colors' in Chinese

Jia of miss A, from left, Zhou Mi of Super Junior-M and Fei of miss A beam as they host “Idol, True Colors,” a new type of a radio program in both Chinese and Korean designed to reach Chinese fans. / Courtesy of MBC

Radio show in Mandarin targets hallyu fans

By Kim Ji-soo

Wearing black sunglasses, Fei and Jia of girl group miss A, and Zhou Mi of Super Junior-M move rhythmically as the music begins in a radio booth at MBC in Yeouido, Seoul.

As they bob their heads left to right, the three DJs of a new radio show resemble that beaming happy emoticon. Then they lunge into fluid Chinese for “Woosangbonsaek” or “Idol, True Colors.”

“Speaking in Chinese, I can speak almost like I am rapping,” said Jia, before the show began.

The three meet prior to the show with producers to discuss how to proceed with the recording.

After years of training and performing in Korean in Korea, these Chinese K-pop “idol” stars are in charge of “visual” radio. In Chinese, it’s pronounced as “Ouxiangbense,” which the three DJs shout out intermittently during the program that is recorded for two hours but is edited into a 50-minute show.

The program on the new media platform showcases content produced by the network and targets the large number of hallyu or Korean wave fans in China.

The network produces one episode each week, and the show is released to Chinese viewers on a Chinese video site, Youku Tudou, without going through a Chinese broadcasting station.

K-pop group Bangtan Boys’ members Jin, Junggook and Suga talk with the DJs on the program “Idol, True Colors” which was recently recorded at MBC in Yeouido, Seoul.

The show is mostly done in Chinese and the DJs switch to Korean at times when talking with Korean guests.

Fei, 27, is originally from Haikou, Hainan and Jia, 25, is a native of Loudi, Hunan. Zhou Mi, 28, is also from Wuhan. They came to Korea several years ago to train and debut with their respective talent agencies and are now as popular in China as they are in Korea.

On a recording last week, they invited the rising K-pop boy group Bangtan Boys.

After some 15 minutes of pure Chinese talk where Zhou Mi, Fei and Jia responded to emails and questions, including how to apply “gwang” or light makeup popular in Korea, the seven members of Bangtan Boys entered.

The seven — Rap Monster, Jimin, V, Jin, Junggook, Suga and J Hope — each took turns to introduce themselves in Chinese. “Dajiahao?” (is everyone feeling good) the seven all started out.

Then each of the seven members put forth their varying degree of Chinese ability as they introduced themselves.

Fei, Jia and Zhou Mi chipped in from time to time, advising them on the pronunciation or emphasis. Then the DJs and the guests talked about the group’s hit song “Boy in Luv” that raised its profile and the latest song “Miss Right.”

And the 10 K-pop stars, both established and new, continued the chit-chat in the cozy ambience of the radio studio. They looked like schoolmates who had gathered for the afternoon. The topics however were what hallyu fans crave but find it hard to find; tips on fashion, diet and glimpses of life into K-pop group life.

“This actually is a radio show only in name; what makes it exciting is the visual content,” said Kim Bit-na, producer of “Idol, True Colors.”

Fei and Jia said that they see the show as an outlet to let their hair down a bit.

“The image of me on stage has been cold and not talkative,” said Fei. “But here I can show myself as active and a person who likes to fool and joke around at times.”

“But the show also allows me to be more like myself, a fun-loving person.”

The two said it’s their first time hosting a radio program so they are learning that spoken words are really important and for that reason, try to watch their words.

But they loved the idea of sharing with the fans what they know about Korean culture, K-pop dance and even how to do a successful diet.

“You know, it’s like you’re talking with your girlfriends, sharing this and that information,” said Jia.

Such intimacy has Chinese fans clicking onto the program so that each episode of the “Idol, True Colors” garners around 1.4 million views from Chinese fans. Cumulatively, the nine episodes of the show have collected 13 million views so far.

“I think the Chinese fans are acclimatizing to the subtle charms of Korean radio,” said producer Kim.

For the network and its unit, MBC C-Radio — the “C” standing for China and to “see” — such program format allows a direct reach to the Chinese fans that they might not have had they aimed for the Chinese television screen.

Foreign content is heavily screened and restricted by China’s State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television.

“The Internet has restrictions too, but we are trying to find the best content format within it for the Chinese hallyu fans out there,” Kim added.