Way Back With U

Interview by William Urbanski.

GFN, the Gwangju Foreign Language Network, has a brand-new radio show that has hit the airwaves this spring: Way Back With U. The cohosts of the station’s newest project are Aline Verduyn, who is new to GFN, and Woong Tae Ryu, a veteran GFN host. The Gwangju News was fortunate to be able to interview the show’s cohosts recently. — Ed.

Gwangju News (GN): The first thing I would like to know about is this YouTube Live initiative you are doing. Why did you decide to go with a “multimedia” approach to your show?

Aline Verduyn (Aline): Ah, you must be referring to the Birthday Special we did on April 1! We streamed our show live on YouTube and interacted with our listeners live for the first time. It was a lot of fun, and we are now thinking of making this a regular practice. We are still working on it but would love to interact more with our listeners.

Woong Tae Ryu (Tae): Before we even mention it, I think you all know it. Although radio is one of the most profound broadcasting mediums out there, it is handing over its position to new platforms, like YouTube. It is a general consensus in the radio industry that it would be very difficult for radio to survive without merging or using the power of YouTube in one way or another. Also, after a couple of months of piloting, we are planning to promote our show on other platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. So, sit tight and be ready for it!

GN: How did both of you get involved with GFN? Did you have previous experience in broadcasting?

Tae: You know, when you read this kind of interview, the interviewees often say things like “I never dreamed of doing this kind of thing for a living.” Well, welcome to my life! Before doing this, I was just working for conventional Korean companies in overseas marketing. But the passion for leveling-up my English proficiency, combined with a crucial push factor from a near life-threatening office drama, made me crazy-brave enough to dive into the completely new realm of radio broadcasting. Oh, one more fun fact about me: I landed my job here at GFN six years ago by doing an impersonation of Agent Smith in The Matrix during the interview.

Aline: Well, I miraculously rolled into my position only six months ago, when I was interviewed by GFN for Gwangju People. In awe of the experience, I said I was willing to come back for anything else they would need me for! They took me seriously, and I then did a little segment called “Lost in Translation” with our favorite host, Arlo. So, this new show is not only a new adventure but a massive promotion and a great honor for me!

GN: How would you describe the “radio chemistry” between the two of you?

Tae: Absolutely off the charts! I really could not have asked for a better cohost, coworker, secretary, teacher, communicator, friend, or more simply, a better human being! In the very first week of the show, some listeners told us that they thought we had known each other for a very long time because we were just telepathically synchronized (if you have ever watched the Japanese animation series Evangelion, you would get this reference instantly), but we basically just met at a brainstorming meeting, without even having a chance to formally or informally introduce ourselves to each other, less than a week before the show was launched. Considering that, our chemistry is even more miraculous, on a cosmic level, I would say.

Aline: [Flattered] I agree! Absolutely superlative! I do not know whose idea it was to pair us up, but I could not have asked for a better cohost, partner in crime, and mentor. We are two peas in a pod. Thanks to our different backgrounds and talents, we are constantly learning from each other. We understand each other (including our sense of humor!) so well and have so much fun on the show together. My favorite messages that we get from the listeners are the ones saying our chemistry is good, so I am happy that listeners have picked up on that and the positive vibes transmitting through our microphones.

GN: Listening to the show, I noticed that it switches between English and Korean pretty seamlessly. How do you find a balance between the two languages? Also, why is this an important feature of the show?

Aline: Yes, we love the bilingual aspect of our show! Creating a bilingual environment starts with considering it to be normal to switch between languages. And that is how we are – all the time! Listeners can pick up on a few words in the other language while still following the gist of our news items. Before you know it, you will all be bilingual!

Tae: For GFN, up until recently, the target audience was expats in the Jeollanam-do area. However, a lot of factors started to seep in that required rethinking our strategy. Those include both a decreasing number of international students on government scholarships and of English teachers, and the rise of YouTube. So, GFN set the new direction of embracing more local Korean listeners. Also, another underlying factor could be that South Korea seems to be in the entry stages of becoming a multicultural society, with more multicultural families in rural areas and more expats getting media exposure. Hence, the bilingual show – to answer the call of the era.

GN: Talk about the importance of your time slot: 6:10 to about 8:00 p.m.

Aline: Well, it is an honor to be on prime-time radio every day! We have big shoes to fill following Arlo’s seven-year tenure. We say that we are “responsible for your evening” and a “companion on your way back home from work.”

Tae: As Aline said, prime time! That is when most of our target audience tunes in: expats, students, office workers, anyone trying to learn English or Korean by listening to both an informative and fun radio show. So, here is our selling point. Unlike other so-called news shows, these key words are what we are all about: informative, fun, homey. On your way back home from a long day, you would not want to tune in to something overly serious or critical. You want to relax, but you kind of want to know what has been happening around the world while you were at work. So that is where we come in. Just like good old buddies, with a pat on the back, we talk to our dear listeners, saying, “Hey, I know it’s been another long day, but you did good. Now, just sit back and relax, and we’ll tell you what’s been happening today.”

GN: There have been a lot of shake-ups at GFN lately – program changes, etc. When you were developing the show, what lessons did you take into consideration?
Tae: When it comes to radio station shake-ups, or reshuffling, I think there are two kinds. The first is seasonal or yearly shake-ups – the regular ones – and then there are the “earthquake” shake-ups where programs are either terminated or created. When Way Back With U was first conceived, it came from the latter, as it was the first time in GFN’s history to put a bilingual show in its prime-time slot, where the show City of Light had been for over seven years led by our veteran host Arlo. Arlo’s show and his style of conducting a show is tailored towards more traditional radio listeners and, it can also be said, for more of the intellectual types. Now, for our Way Back With U, Aline and I try to inherit the informative element of Arlo’s show and mix it up with our golden retriever and poodle-like reactions to keep it relaxing and fun on everyone’s way back home after work. So, informative and fun – two birds with one stone.

GN: With so much happening in the world today, how do you decide what to talk about every day?

Aline: In the first half of the show, we cover a lot of news updates in the show’s different segments: “What’s Up Today,” “Hello World,” “Today’s Korea,” and “Eyes on Gwangju.” Unfortunately, it is not always positive news. A lot of sensitive topics are addressed, but we try to keep an open and positive mindset. To keep things upbeat, our team always finds quirky news that makes us chuckle or smile, like that article about the bear entering a house and being chased out by two small barking dogs!

Tae: We keep the best for last: “In Your Letter.” That is where we read the heart-warming stories of our listeners. They have made us laugh, tear up, and ponder. So, if you have a story you would like to share with us, be it happy, sad, or funny, please do not hesitate to submit it to gfnwayback@gmail.com! Include a song request, and it will make for an excellent end to our show. So, stay tuned!

The Authors
Woong Tae Ryu loves genuine conversations with people from different walks of life and loves them even more when they require learning a new language. This human golden retriever spent five years in the U.S. trying to study numbers but instead ended up making lifelong friends and mastering their language. Marking his sixth year at GFN, Tae started hosting the new flagship show Way Back With U with Aline, the best cohost on Planet Earth.

Aline Verduyn has lived in Korea for five years across different cities and is now happily settled in Gwangju, where she is co-hosting Way Back With U on GFN Radio and working on her master’s thesis. Instagram: @gwangjumiin