If your love life needs a lift, call late-night love adviser Ni Lin at Happy Radio. The highly successful TV matchmaker now offers to help you become more attractive and unlock the secrets of passion as well as commitment - on love-talk radio.

Popular TV hostess Ni Lin poses with local anchormen at the launching ceremony of her new program "Fei Ni Mo Shu."

Over the past nine years, popular TV hostess Ni Lin has successfully brought several hundred couples together through her funny, savvy and touching matchmaking TV program, "Date on Saturday."

But few know about her own love stories. Her wit, humor and quick-thinking are displayed in front of the camera, making her a reliable source when it comes to affairs of the heart. Yet when Ni walks out of the TV studio, she is a mystery.

Recently the "matchmaker," wearing an elegant wedding dress (no, she wasn't getting married - it was just show for the cameras and publicity) launched a program by the Shanghai Media Group, "Fei Ni Mo Shu" ("Only You"). It marks the beginning of a new career for this anchorwoman off the screen and into a radio studio, giving advice about love, always a favorite topic.

Every Saturday at 10 PM, on Happy Radio FM107.2, Ni will share her knowledge and heretofore private emotional experiences with listeners who feel helpless and confused in the face of love problems in modern society.

"This entertaining radio show is perfect for me," Ni says. She discloses that next year she will marry the man who unexpectedly understood her melancholy on first meeting.

The one-hour program will analyze some current love topics, introduce romantic resorts and give practical tips on love and dating.

Ni and guest anchors will discuss if being well-matched in social and economic status is significant in marriage and important to keeping love fresh.

"In love and marriage, there are very real attitude differences between men and women," Ni says. "I hope the program can be inspiring, helping people to cherish love, learn from the other gender's thinking mode, customs and characteristics."

Ni is not the first local TV hostess to expand her career to the radio studio.

Entertainment anchorwomen Ji Xueping and Chen Chen have recently opened emotional programs targeting white-collar female listeners between 15 and 35 years old. Both of them believe such fresh and innovative talk shows will revive radio, considered a fading medium nowadays.

"The program got inspiration from interesting night chats with roommates when I was a university student," Chen says. "It is popular for undergraduates to chat in the dormitory about life, love and dreams."

Though Chinese radio did have a popular age during the 1940-1980s, conventional broadcasting has suffered a steady decline with the booming of new media such as the Internet, mobile television and cellphone networks.

The 1,500 traditional AM/FM radio stations in China are experiencing essentially flat revenue, taking up only two percent of combined television, newspaper and Internet advertising.

"We need new positioning to attract the young audience and foster their loyalty to radio," says Rong Rong, veteran radio DJ and producer.

"Collaborating with well-known TV hosts is a 'win-win' approach. Their fame will increase young people's interest in radio. They can showcase another, unknown side to our listeners."

Additionally, they have opened radio versions of popular TV programs "Dancing Star" and "Date on Saturday."

"Compared with television, radio broadcasting provides more interactive features," says Karen Wang, a university student and loyal radio listener. "It is faster and more inexpensive, which means it is easily accessible."

Ni calls her latest role as a radio talk show host an engaging experience. "I am totally enchanted with it. You don't have much talking time when you host a television program. But now I am able to express myself freely."

She anticipates that with the sharp increase of car owners, radio broadcasting will have another golden period sooner or later.

On the other hand, famous talk radio DJs such as Lin Hai, Wan Feng and Qiu Lin are active in television hosting, planning and producing.

Media experts and producers expect there will be few boundaries between radio and television in the future as mass media platforms and resources will be integrated and shared to achieve goals of mutual interest.

"It is an inevitable trend," says Jin Lei, deputy director of the Entertainment Center with SMG. "We appreciate and will certainly strengthen the collaborations between radio and television."

(Shanghai Daily February 12, 2007)