By Cheryl Tan

Dressed to the nines in a suit and glasses and seated behind a desk swamped by computers and papers, you’d never
guess that Jenny Teo is the brain behind all things radio.

Currently a programme consultant for SAFRA Radio, Jenny has been in and out of the radio industry for 29 years due to family commitments. Having handled all aspects of radio, even the setting up of SAFRA Radio, her strong affection for the craft is no secret.

“Radio is in my blood. I’m very passionate about it,” she says.

Although she left the radio industry for 11 years, the offer to return was just too hard for Jenny to resist. Now, she sees herself as a juggling act, being involved in a variety of roles which include monitoring the station and helping in the planning of programmes for Power 98 and JIA 88.3 FM.

On what drives her passion, she says, “I want to impart whatever I learnt in my years as a broadcaster to the new jocks, so that we can compete and improve as a radio station.”

“We are kind of like a family here, where I get to be in touch with the people on the ground.”

Work aside, Jenny puts family first, and is a self-confessed “true-blue mother”.

To ensure that she has enough time for the family, Jenny officially works four and half-hours each day at SAFRA radio.
“I don’t have much free time but I try to schedule my time around my son. When I get home, I switch my hat, and when my husband gets home, I wear another hat.”

However, if her son stays back in school for co-curricular activities, she gladly uses the free time for her second love: radio.

When she chatters about her involvement with radio, delight and dedication evidently swell up in her voice. For Jenny, the most gratifying part of her job is “the opportunity to see the whole radio station in macro view and be able to identify where problem areas are and how to rectify them and improve them”. To see her radio station brimming with success has naturally become her pride and joy.

After all, like how every juggler wants a perfect balance of all their props, Jenny has put her heart and soul into nurturing her two babies – her son and radio – so that they may mature into big and healthy boys in time to come.