SINGAPORE – On Jan 6, when veteran local radio DJ The Flying Dutchman (FD) was moved from SPH Radio station Kiss92 to sister station One FM 91.3, it ended a 10-year on-air partnership with fellow radio DJ Glenn Ong.

FD, whose real name is Mark van Cuylenburg, tells The Straits Times it was not an easy break-up.

On Kiss92 morning show The Big Show, he co-hosted with Ong – who he has worked closely with since they were in Mediacorp in the early 2000s – and Angelique Teo, who joined the duo in 2021.

On One FM 91.3’s The Morning Drive on weekdays from 6 to 10am, he was paired with Lavinia Tan for a few days, then with Carrie Chong, after Tan went on maternity leave.

“If you add up all the years we’ve been together, it’s a difficult separation,” says FD, 68, of Ong. “I was going into a situation where it was a partner I’d never worked with, so it was a bit daunting. But I was really surprised how comfortable I got with Carrie so quickly.”

The transition also felt like a homecoming. When FD and Ong moved to SPH Radio from Mediacorp in 2015, they helmed One FM 91.3’s morning show until 2023, when they were transferred to Kiss92.

“On One FM, I don’t have as many worries about what I say. The Kiss92 audience is much younger, so you tend to try and be as politically correct as you possibly can. And with Carrie, one of the joys of working with her is that she is very much one of the boys.”

Still, he misses the on-air bickering with Ong, which was all done in good fun. “I miss the digs at me, like when he would make a comment about my age or something. I have worked with some of the best people in radio, and this guy is one of them.”

In recognition of his 45-year radio career that began at Rediffusion in 1980, FD received the Lifetime Achievement Award at SPH Media’s annual English, Malay and Tamil Media (EMTM) Group awards ceremony on April 4.

“I’ve had such a privileged career – not many people can say that. The people I’ve worked with, the people I’ve met, the people I’ve relied on for motivation when I was feeling down. I don’t see getting the award as the end, I see it as recognition for what I’ve done.”

He still enjoys every minute he is on air and has no plans to quit. “The minute I feel this is work, then I will start thinking of retirement.”

He adds: “When you are behind the microphone, y...