Arts
Tuned in from day one
“It starts with a lot of coffee,” confide Dilini Perera and Dino Corera. If you tune into TNL Radio on any weekday morning you’d find it hard to believe that behind Dilini’s warm, bubbly tone or Dino’s sarcasm are copious amounts of caffeine and a routine that begins at the crack of dawn. Taking over the morning show for TNL Radio since February, the duo has already found their groove on air.
Dilini and Dino: Finding the correct balance between music and small talk
That’s perhaps to be expected considering their backgrounds- Dino is a name and face Colombo theatre-goers are familiar with, whether he’s in costume, compering behind a podium or lending his smooth tones to commercials. Dilini’s experience behind the mic is a tad different. In 2011 she won TNL Onstage in the solo category and has since been the vocalist in the Onstage backup band. She has also dabbled in theatre and journalism.
Although they come from different spectrums of media and entertainment the two found themselves on air at the same station long before they even met. When Dino’s voice first came over the radio waves it was as a news reader, fresh out of school. Having been an announcer at school, he was used to people suggesting he join radio. When he did finally, “I liked the culture of the company,” he says. Following her win at Onstage, Dilini was also immersed in the TNL family, from singing in the backing band to hosting the 1p.m. -5p.m. afternoon show and later co-hosting the morning show with the vibrant Tracy Holsinger.
The chemistry between radio personalities is key to a successful show and the lack of it can be very obvious but for Dilini (who goes as “Lin” on air) and Dino, awkward pauses thankfully have not been an issue. “Our conversations on air are very similar to our conversations in real life.” Although he has years of experience behind the mic, this is Dino’s first time working the mic as a radio personality but between the coffee breaks and the “be prepared attitude” they had, the morning show went off without a hitch on their first day, after the first few nervous minutes, they add.
For any radio station, the morning and evening shows are usually the most listened to. Growing up in the Walkman-cassette tape era, “Radio was the primary source of media,” Dino says, and TNL was what he was listening to growing up. For Dilini the morning school van ride wasn’t complete without SLBC blaring in the background- which is why she still has a soft spot for oldies’ music. The ideal type of show they explain, needs to be a balance of music and small talk, with just enough to keep the busy commuter stuck in traffic or the lucky few who have time for a leisurely breakfast engaged. The duo makes sure hardly anything is left to chance- “We want it to be smart,” says Dino. Their dialogue comes from a printout they work on every day before they enter the studio. The 20% that’s not part of the literal plan is left for interactions with their growing fans, who keep their Whatsapp and text lines continuously active.
Pix courtesy TNL Radio
When they’re done at 10 a.m., it’s off to their desks and paperwork but the next morning’s show is always on their mind, with ideas for topics always passing between them throughout the day. Working on radio, especially taking the morning show has become more of a lifestyle now. Although the show is from 6 a.m.-10 a.m., the day starts for Dilini at 4.45 a.m. when she is picked up for work and for Dino at 6.30 a.m. It means that weeknights end relatively early for the two, especially for Dilini who has a young son.
It also means keeping a positive attitude for five days of the week. “People don’t care if you’re having a bad day,” Dilini adds; the effect radio and their job has on uplifting or in their case- affecting somebody’s entire day from morning. But the reward-whether it’s emoji or acronym sized has an equal effect on the two. On their second day on air, the two got a message mid-show from a listener who was on a bus commute “he was begging us not to make him laugh on the bus,” Dino smiles. For Dilini, knowing she has made someone’s day is enough- “even if it’s a simple LOL.”
Catch Dino and Lin every weekday morning from 6-10 a.m. on TNL Radio 99.2 or 101.8