He kept his hands busy to put up DXCC, a 500watt AM radio station, the first one in Cagayan de Oro and one of the firsts in Mindanao. DXCC started its maiden broadcast on August 28, 1952. But who would have thought that a station which started with merely a junk transmitter, coconut tree antenna and tartanilla mobile unit would become the largest radio network in the country?

In 1957, DXCC became officially known as Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) after expanding radio operations to Iligan, Butuan and Davao. Today, RMN takes pride in its illustrious 55 extensive years of existence, marked by significant milestones and intense public service. It has established itself as one of the eminent institutions in Philippine broadcasting. It has also kept the public abreast with the nation’s most important events and issues in the last 55 years.

RMN’s growing network has 28 AM and 25 FM stations across the country. In the most recent Geovisual Solution survey (www.radioview.net), RMN’s roster remains the most listened-to AM radio stations in Visayas and Mindanao. By 2008, additional stations will be operational in Batangas, Lucena City in Quezon and Misamis Occidental.

Running the broadcasting empire are the second generation of Canoys – Eric (President), Butch (Vice President for Sales and Marketing) and the youngest of the three, Charley (Vice President for Operations) – who are all Henry’s sons. They have been in the forefront of RMN’s leadership for the past two decades.

RMN was also one of the firsts to initiate public service on air. In 1954, Henry went to the US to complete an exchange program to observe broadcasting in America. His trip took him to Chicago, New York, Boston, Florida, Washington, San Francisco and Colorado, where he saw how primitive RMN’s facilities were compared to the stations in the US.

"But the most valuable lesson I learned in the US was that in order to succeed in a small community, a radio station must operate on the principle of public service," Henry wrote in the book about RMN’s history, released on the network’s 45th anniversary in 1997. So the first thing Henry did when he returned to Cagayan de Oro was to make DXCC the first-ever public service station in the country.

In Mindanao, where many towns and barrios were isolated by lack of bridges, roads, communication and transport facilities, the station supplied a basic need. DXCC became a public assistance center, post office, long distance telephone system, dog pound, medical dispensary and civil emergency headquarters, all rolled into one.

Public service is their "sweetest achievement," according to Charley. "Being able to reach out to as many people as possible and extend an arm to them – that is the foremost reason my dad created RMN," Charley grants. "Our radio journalism is coupled by public service."

Living up to its "Kasama Mo" catchphrase, RMN has indeed become the listeners’ partner for a better living, with programs like outreach projects and the regular medical and dental missions.

There are service-oriented radio shows have also helped listeners in many ways like giving free health advice and legal counsel straight from authority figures, addressing the concerns of OFWs and granting simple wishes through raffles and promos.

When it comes to technology and reach, RMN’s growth has indeed been non-stop since its inception. In 1962, RMN joined forces with the Philippine Herald and Channel 13 in a powerful tri-media organization with the help of the late business leader Andres Soriano Sr. This tie-up made RMN the only provincial network to expand to Metro Manila back then. In 1968, it made a first in Philippine radio history with its national newscasts via microwave.

In April 1991, President Corazon Aquino signed a republic act that renews RMN’s franchise for another 25 years – the first broadcast franchise approved by the Aquino administration.

Today, RMN is armed with state-of-the-art radio technology, the first in the Philippines to use a digital transmitter in its FM stations which gives clearer sound. Charley describes it as something so clear, it feels like listening to a CD. "Whatever is the latest in technology, we bring it to RMN," Charley says.

The three Canoy brothers keep on breaking new ground as they give their AM radio a "new sound." Charley informs this new direction is so dynamic, it’s bound to attract even the young generations who barely listen to AM radio.

"We are doing away with the normal, monotone, ‘AM’ style of reporting," he says. "We will have an entirely different sound, a more interesting way of reporting news, something that encourages the people to be involved."

With its cutting-edge technology, RMN can also be clearly heard by our kababayans abroad via audio streaming through its website (www.rmn.ph).

RMN’s flagship AM radio station, DZXL, redefines its programming format with its present lineup of reliable anchors and reporters that include former ABS-CBN news executive Jake Maderazo in "Taumbayan Naman," Erwin Tulfo and Doris Bigornia in "Birada," Ira Panganiban in "30 Minutos, 30 Segundos," Ogie Diaz in "Wow, Ang Showbiz" and Melo del Prado in "Kasado 558."

For its 55th anniversary on August 28, RMN pays it forward by mounting a medical mission to be held in different areas nationwide – Cagayan de Oro City, Cebu, Bacolod, Davao and even in Binangonan in Rizal.

On the same day, DXCC will unveil its newly-renovated office, with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as the guest of honor to lead the ribbon-cutting. The AM radio will also hold a free concert featuring Bamboo with pop bands 6Cyclemind and Sandwich at the Ampitheater in Cagayan de Oro City. Moreover, DXCC joins hands with the local government in its city-wide "Drive for Cleanliness" project.

The Canoy family acknowledges RMN’s listeners behind the success of the radio network. "That’s why we continue to reach out to people all over the country," Charley said. "We will not stop until the whole archipelago is dotted with RMN radio stations."