REVISITING THE OLD NORMAL: GMA’s 2012 and 2016 highlights

2020 is about to end. It wasn’t as sweet as it was meant to be as it tasted too sour and bitter once more. And Kiel’s World understands about it but before we say “good riddance” or any uttering to release such frustrations from this annus horribilis, let’s all recall the milestones of GMA-7 in 2012 and 2016.

2012

For this year, the entertainment group welcomed a new head in Lilybeth Rasonable after the retirement of Wilma Galvante. The opening salvos on primetime included Legacy, a luxurious drama starring Heart Evangelista and Lovi Poe, My Beloved, a romantic fantasy series starring real-life couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, Alice Bungisngis (a fantasy dramedy with Bea Binene) and Biritera, a musical with Dennis Trillo and new child wonder Roseanne Magan. Following suit were the generational series Luna Blanca, Makapiling Kang Muli (Richard Gutierrez’ first venture into traditional drama after many years of doing fantasy and action programs), One True Love (starring Louise delos Reyes and Alden Richards), and two fantasy series in Aso ni San Roque (starring Mona Louise Rey as a blind girl with a guiding pet dog) and Paroa (starring Barbie Forteza as a half-human, half-butterfly). They also had the rights to localize Korean classics Coffee Prince and Temptation of Wife. Pahiram ng Sandali (Lorna Tolentino and Christopher de Leon’s comeback project with GMA) started to air barely a month before the year ended. The latter was originally Haram, which was supposed to showcase the connection of Islam and Christianity but was shelved to religious sensitivity issues.

In the afternoons, they aired The Good Daughter, Broken Vow, Hiram na Puso, Faithfully, Kasalanan Bang Ibigin Ka, Hindi Ka Na Mag-iisa, Magdalena, Yesterday’s Bride and the revival of the early 2000s primetime drama Sana ay Ikaw na Nga. They also tried to venture into entertainment in the mid-to-late mornings with Kusina Master (where Chef Boy Logro showcased his cooking skills to the audience), the short-lived Nay-1-1 (hosted by Jaya and Gladys Reyes) and Cielo del Angelina (their first self-produced morning soap, still with Binene). These were considered as attempts at countering every move ABS-CBN made, most especially when Be Careful with My Heart started.

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In the comedy department, Bubble Gang continued to impress viewers every Friday night, while Pepito Manaloto had a short break in March but revived in September with the subtitle Ang Tunay na Kwento. Eat Bulaga created a milestone when they launched its Indonesian version. They even tried to give Rivera a chance to showcase her comedic skills in the short-lived Tweets for my Sweet.

On weekends, they started airing the informative show IBilib and they countered Gandang Gabi Vice with Pare & Pare, a nightly talk show with Ogie Alcasid and Michael V that didn’t last. Gutierrez was also given a travel show entitled Pinoy Adventures.

Showbiz Central and Manny Many Prizes were cancelled as part of its continuous shake-up and were replaced by HOT TV and Teen Gen. The former mixed showbiz issues with other topics while the latter was a revival of the 90s classic TGIS. However, Teen Gen failed to replicate the success of TGIS, Click and Tween Hearts (which ended earlier). Sarap Diva, a cooking talk show with Regine Velasquez-Alcasid (who was about to get back to work after giving birth) began airing on Saturday mornings.

In the latter part of that year, they even tried to revive the mid-2000s reality show Extra Challenge but it still failed to deliver. Magpakailanman was revived on Saturday nights as a response to MMK and they made another groundbreaking game show entitled Celebrity Bluff.

The title cards of Magpakailanman and Extra Challenge’s revival.

GMA 7 reshuffled its weekend public affairs shows, moving its Saturday night stalwarts Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho and Imbestigador to Sunday. Friday offering Tunay na Buhay, which already aired way after midnight, took “Imbestigador’s” place. By June of that year, News TV launched MARS, a talk show with Camille Prats and Suzi Abrera which happens to have the same format as SIS.

Talent newsmakers this year include Jeric Gonzales, Thea Tolentino, Ruru Madrid and Mikoy Morales who were launched by the second season of Protege. Ryzza Ma Dizon was discovered by Eat Bulaga’s Little Miss Philippines pageant. They revived the career of former ABS-CBN hunk actor Vince Saldana as Benjamin Alves in June and they also welcomed Rafael Rosell to its talent roster. Katrina Halili made the news when she got pregnant by her then-boyfriend Kris Lawrence and she eventually gave birth to a healthy baby girl in September.

2016

They started the year with Wish I May, an afternoon drama named after the sentimental hit by Alden Richards and starred rising young stars Miguel Tanfelix and Bianca Umali. This was followed by The Millionaire’s Wife, Hanggang Makita Kang Muli, Magkaibang Mundo, Sa Piling Ni Nanay, Hahamakin ang Lahat and two movie remakes in Sinungaling Mong Puso and Oh. My Mama!. The latter two were considered a rebirth of Sine Novela in the late 2000s but failed to make an impact. Before the year ended, the infidelity-themed Ika-6 na Utos was launched and starred Gabby Concepcion, Ryza Cenon and Sunshine Dizon (who made headlines after separation from her estranged husband) which would soon become a hit.

On primetime, Poor Senorita marked Regine Velasquez’ return to primetime drama after at least 5 years. Once Again was a reincarnation series with Aljur Abrenica and Janine Gutierrez taking the lead. This year saw the revival of Encantadia, a fantaserye that made waves in the mid-2000s with a relatively new cast. Alyas Robin Hood with Dingdong Dantes earned controversy for being a ripoff of Arrow. They gambled into an election series with Naku, Boss Ko with Gabbi Garcia and Ruru Madrid. Dennis Trillo and Heart Evangelista showcased their sultry side with Juan Happy Love Story, which was followed by Tom Rodriguez’ portrayal of a man with Alzheimer’s disease in Someone to Watch Over Me. Meanwhile, Wowowin continued to impress the mass audience before the news.

The main cast of Encantadia’s 2016 revival

Noontime saw the end of Ryzza Mae Dizon owning the slot after 3 years. With the fact that her exposure was being surpassed by the AlDub loveteam and other new faces from Eat Bulaga, her show was replaced by Trops, starring the BAES. KalyeSerye went through a rough time when its rival in It’s Showtime revived Tawag ng Tanghalan. Eventually it became an independent segment and was no longer part of Juan for All, All for Juan.

In the comedy department, they had Laff, Camera Action, a non-scripted comedy game show every Saturday afternoon, and then a semi-revival of the KiliTV block with A1 Ko Sa ‘Yo which aired every Thursday night. Conan, My Beautician, Tsuperhero and Hay, Bahay ruled the Sunday post-noontime slot, and he latter marked the union of 2 comedy legends: Vic Sotto and Ai-ai delas Alas in one show, joined by real-life couple Kristine Hermosa and Oyo Boy Sotto. 

The cast of A1 Ko Sa’Yo

Weekends saw the launch of the first comedy anthology on Philippine television, Dear Uge, hosted by Eugene Domingo and was characterized as funnier version of MPK. Lip Sync Battle also launched its local adaptation with Michael V and Iya Villania as hosts. Superstar Duets hosted by Jennylyn Mercado showcased celebrities dueting with impersonators of global singers. Sunday PinaSaya also kept impressing viewers as it reached its first year on air. #LIKE with Tom Rodriguez and Balang showcased acts that went viral.

Among the talents that made news that year was the so-called Master Showman, German Moreno who passed away when that year just started. Best known for his distinguished work with up-and-coming stars on ‘That’s Entertainment’, as well as a near two-decade run hosting the Saturday late night show ‘Walang Tulugan with the Master Showman’, the whole entertainment industry got shocked as they lost a man who was considered a father and a mentor to them. His death also ended an era for late-night variety shows on Philippine television, as ‘Walang Tulugan’ signed off for good in February. Despite that, Kuya Germs’ legacy lives on with the Eastwood City Walk of Fame.

REVISITING THE OLD NORMAL: TV5’s 2012 and 2016 highlights

2020 is about to end. It wasn’t as sweet as it was meant to be as it tasted too sour and bitter once more. And Kiel’s World understands about it but before we say “good riddance” or any uttering to release such frustrations from this annus horribilis, let’s all recall the milestones of TV5 in 2012 and 2016.

2012

For that year, TV5 continued to dominate the ratings as the No. 3 network. They started the year with The Biggest Game Show in the World Asia, hosted by Richard Gomez and took place in various parts of Southeast Asia. There was also a local version of Extreme Makeover with Paolo Bediones as host.

With their constant responce to the teleserye dominance of ABS-CBN and GMA, they aired the following soaps: a remake of the 90s classic Valiente on primetime and a mini-series with David Archuleta entitled Nandito Ako. In the afternoons they had Felina, a fantaseries with Arci Munoz who portrays a girl with cat looks. Isang Dakot na Luha was among the quintessential afternoon tearjerkers. Another fantaserye, Enchanted Garden, aired in July every early evenings.

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Later that year, Artista Academy was launched and aired daily. A reality show patterned after Star Circle Quest and StarStruck that aims to look for the next stars of TV5, this one launched the careers of Mark Neumann, Shaira Diaz, Chanel Morales and Vin Abrenica (who is incidentally a brother of SS graduate and now-Kapamilya star Aljur Abrenica).

Meanwhile, Talentadong Pinoy remained a force to be reckoned with. They put up a junior and a worldwide edition during that year.

In May, TV5 tried putting up a talk show in the afternoon entitled Sharon, Kasama Mo Kapatid. This supposed revival of the Megastar’s iconic self-titled talk show on ABS-CBN failed to impress viewers, as it constantly lost to the afternooon soaps of GMA and ABS.

In the variety show department, they had Sunday Funday which aired every Sunday afternoon from April to June and was catered to teenagers. Accepting defeat, they created a purely game-oriented noontime show entitled Game n Go in mid-June. Tagged as the union of game show masters in Joey de Leon, Edu Manzano and Arnel Ignacio, they proved to become a good alternative for the musicals offered by their rivals.

For the news and public affairs divisions, Sapul sa Singko and Aksyon JournalisMO were renamed as Good Morning Club and Pilipinas News as part of a major change in an effort to boost its competition. Insider, an investigative program was aired in February while Reaksyon, a news magazine and public affairs show hosted by Luchi Cruz-Valdes, aired in August. In early May, a scandal involving the Tulfo brothers and the Santiago brothers in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport demoralized the management. T3, the show they were hosting, was suspended by the MTRCB and temporarily replaced by Metro Aksyon. The court of Appeals issued a 60-day suspension and T3 returned in late June.

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Talent newsmakers this year include Derek Ramsay, a hunk actor from ABS-CBN who signed a contract with the network in April. He was tapped to be the ambassador of their London Olympics coverage and eventually became the host of The Amazing Race PH. Twink Macaraig jumped ship from ANC to join News5. Rufa Mae Quinto, a mainstay of GMA-7’s Bubble Gang, began hosting WilTime Bigtime. Before the year ended, they launched a website called Kristn which focused on different lifestyle topics.

2016

This can be described as TV5’s ‘worst year ever’ under MVP.

Chronologically, it started when the retrenchment in the previous year affected its in-house entertainment department and reached out to VIVA’s Vic del Rosario for its entertainment programs. The offerings included sineseryes such as Bakit Manipis ang Ulap and Ang Panday, a singing search entitled Born to Be a Star, and a music countdown, MTV Top 20 Pilipinas. Wattpad Presents was downgraded into a made-for-TV movie on Saturday nights, and Happy Truck moved to Friday nights as a gag show entitled HAPPinas Happy Hour. Neither of these strategies succeeded, and not even Claudine Barretto and Richard Gutierrez’ supposed comeback to the drama arena made an impact. Low viewership numbers, inconsistent scheduling, as well as the PBA affected their plans.

They replaced this ‘lost opportunity’ with foreign programming, including those from MTV and American series to air on non-PBA game days (The Walking Dead, Arrow, Nikita, Scandal). Ogie Alcasid’s exclusive contract got expired and eventually rejoined ABS-CBN. TV5 became badly known for being tempted to sportscasting commitments, including the FIBA Olympic Tournament and the Rio Olympics. The latter’s coverage was doomed since not all people subscribe to PLDT, Smart and Cignal. Unable to take account of the time difference, they failed to air the games in the wee hours of the morning. TV5 should have prioritized their coverage on free TV in the first place. October marked Gilas coach Chot Reyes’ ascension to the CEO position replacing Noel Lorenzana.

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News5 also deserved criticism this year. Since Rodrigo Duterte got elected as President, Martin Andanar was the first anchor to leave as PCOO Secretary. Cherie Mercado followed suit as Transportation spokesperson, then came Ina Zara, Jun Loyola and Mia Reyes. Dino Apolonio, the head of production engineering, became the General Manager of People’s Television Network Inc.

Because of that, some Aksyon newscasts had to use a solo anchor formula. However, Luchi Cruz-Valdes stayed as head of the news division. Gladys Lana-Lucas was also in hot water after Radyo5 NewsFM failed to cover the House and Senate hearings on the Drug War and extrajudicial killings from September to December unlike DZBB and DZMM.

In September, the regional newscasts of Aksyon in Cebu and Davao were cancelled as part of the cost-cutting measures done by management, making a significant reduce in TV5’s regional presence.

CONCLUSION AND OUTLOOK FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR

2013 would be the year Willie Revillame’s variety show would move to noontime and it may also lead to competition in a 3-way battle. From that time, TV5 would create more innovative programming in the years to come.

Chot Reyes deserves to make TV5 totally different this 2017. With TV movies from renowned filmmaker Brillante Mendoza and the return of anime, he hopes that what’s in store for them under his wing will be more profitable, hoping to recover from last year’s difficulties.

Stay tuned for the next part, where I will discuss GMA in 2012 and 2016.

REVISITING THE OLD NORMAL: ABS-CBN’s 2012 and 2016 highlights

2020 is about to end. It wasn’t as sweet as it was meant to be as it tasted too sour and bitter once more. And Kiel’s World understands about it but before we say “good riddance” or any uttering to release such frustrations from this annus horribilis, let’s all recall the milestones of ABS-CBN in 2012 and 2016.

2012

According to Gabby Lopez, this year they were able to recover financially after a challenging 2011, further reflecting the improved confidence of the local economy. ABS-CBN stayed strong in ratings and revenues throughout that year.

They started the year with Walang Hanggan, a drama that relaunched the early 90s tandem of Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulueta, joined by Coco Martin, Julia Montes and Susan Roces. Princess and I in April skyrocketed Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla to full stardom.

Noontime was filled with heartwarming stories through Precious Hearts Romances and the sineserye Mundo Man ay Magunaw. They also showcased the story of OFWs in Qatar with Kung Ako’y Iiwan Mo. July marked the launch of Be Careful with My Heart, a romantic comedy series which served as Jodi Sta. Maria’s big break on TV. From that point, it earned huge success and started the trend of noontime teleseryes on local television after almost a decade. Young stars such as Ella Cruz, Zaijian Jaranilla and many more were given their time to shine with Aryana and Lorenzo’s Time, as an attempt to strengthen their youth viewership. MMK remained a force to be reckoned with every Saturday night.

February marked the transformation of Showtime into a full-fledged noontime show as it is today, renaming as It’s Showtime. This ended ABS-CBN’s dipping fortunes on the noontime slot after Wowowee ended. Since then, Vice Ganda and company became the new king of noontime TV. They were joined by PBB graduate Ryan Bang and promising actress Coleen Garcia.

In April, Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition 4 launched the professional careers of Myrtle Sarrosa, Yves Flores, Karen Reyes and a lot more. Two months later, The X-Factor Philippines was aired, launching the career of Soul Supreme KZ. At the end of the year, they had MasterChef Pinoy Edition which ought to search for the next cooking superstar and was also a critical success in the ratings.

Beyond entertainment, that year became a milestone for the news department. as it integrated all its news platforms in one banner. This year marked the silver anniversary of the longest-running newscast, TV Patrol.

Pinoy True Stories was launched by the public affairs department in December and was aired every weekday afternoon. Each weekday was a show in itself—docu-dramas featuring aspects of day-to-day issues Filipinos face: example is that Julius Babao resolves abuses every Monday, Karen Davila went to barangay halls every Tuesday, and Fridays are when Atom Araullo discovers the paranormal.

TALENT NEWSMAKERS

Rock superstar Bamboo was launched as a Kapamilya when he joined ASAP after his own band disbanded. Former GMA-7 stars Iza Calzado and Carmina Villaroel signed up in January, the former was given a teleserye, Kahit Puso’y Masugatan, the latter marked her temporary return to the network after nine years and was given a talk show, Showbiz Inside Report which replaced Entertainment Live. The network also broadcasted her wedding with then-longtime boyfriend, Zoren Legaspi in November.

Sarah Geronimo became less visible on ASAP during that year, as she was given her own primetime variety show, Sarah G Live on Sunday nights.

July marked the death of one of its longtime contract stars, the King of Comedy, Dolphy. He was featured in almost every show of ABS-CBN as they looked back on his showbiz achievements.

2016

ABS-CBN maintained its lead as the no. 1 network throughout that year.

This year was a landmark year for the entertainment division. It’s Showtime went on a rebound thanks to the rebirth of Tawag ng Tanghalan, the oldest stand-alone talent search in the Philippines, as an attempt to regain their glory from the segments containing lack of wholesomeness last 2015 as they defeat the five-and-a-half months old Kalyeserye.

They also reigned in the drama department. Be My Lady was the hottest program every pre-noontime. Coco Martin and Julia Montes had to be proud as their respective teleseryes (Doble Kara, Ang Probinsyano) turned one year old. Love teams still ruled the post-AP timeslot (LizQuen for Dolce Amore, JaDine for Till I Met You). The Story of Us, starring Kim Chiu and Xian Lim, and Born for You, starring Janella Salvador and then-new Kapamilya Elmo Magalona, despite being shot abroad, were deemed as critical flops. Meanwhile, Tubig at Langis and The Greatest Love further made its afternoon block very formidable.

In the reality and game show department, Pilipinas Got Talent returned after two and a half years. The reason behind its hiatus was due to the rise of more reality competitions that were all the same, most especially The Voice and Your Face Sounds Familiar. A new set of judges was introduced, since Kris Aquino prioritized her health and family while Ai-Ai delas Alas moved to GMA-7. Replacing them were Vice Ganda, Robin Padilla and Angel Locsin. Family Feud was reintroduced to TV in April with Luis Manzano as host, a further sign that he has reached the level of his father.

Sarah Geronimo took a breather from judging The Voice so as to redirect her attention to her growth as an artist and as a performer on ASAP. Sharon Cuneta was tapped as her replacement for the meantime. Pinoy Boyband Superstar, which was aired during the latter part of the year, aimed to introduce a new boyband and temporarily welcomed back Aga Muhlach and Star Circle Quest graduate Sandara Park. Meanwhile, ASAP returned to the top of the game by improving its production values and introducing new segments (Soul Sessions, Birit Queens, ASAPinoy).

Magandang Buhay was launched in April with Melai Cantiveros, Jolina Magdangal and Karla Estrada as hosts. These 3 ladies were graduates of the first season of Your Face Sounds Familiar (the former was the grand winner), while Tonight with Boy Abunda lasted over a year despite airing every late night.

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On the negative side, the youth-oriented show Luv U came to a close, marking the end of youth-oriented shows on PHTV. Eventually, it was replaced by an extension of game shows on its timeslot. One of the factors behind its demise was due to the changes in viewership tastes. Five months later, Team Animazing laid to rest. Kuroko’s Basketball Season 3 was due to air on June 20 but the sense of urgency in breaking the tie in the NBA Finals series between Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers postponed it. Afterwards, the back-to-back weekday morning programming block’s extension of 30 minutes and Kapamilya Blockbusters thereafter shelved indefinitely, effectively ending the said programming for the said channel.

On the news aspect, they saw their news division transform into a true multi-platform news organization. The coverage of the presidential elections was available to consumers on a broad range of platforms including television, cable TV, DTT, online and mobile. On television, they delivered the highest national ratings for TV Patrol and Umagang Kay Ganda, winning against the competition on both time slots. They even maintained our leadership online, with their digital platforms now delivering over 250 million page views, making it the highest ranked Philippine website.

This year marked the launch of the Regional Channel, which was catered back then to the homesick probinsyanos and it featured a wide array of programming from its Regional Network Group. ABS-CBN TVPlus also launched the Kapamilya Box Office or KBO, which is aimed at Filipinos who cannot go to the cinema or spend for cable TV to watch a movie. There was also TAG, a channel that showcased foreign films dubbed in Tagalog.

TALENT NEWSMAKERS

This year they also welcomed Jona and Jaya, two former resident divas from their rival network. The former in February (she was also promoted to being an ASAP regular), the latter in July (she became a judge on Tawag ng Tanghalan). In September, ABS permanently bade goodbye to a legend that is Kris Aquino. A few months after her talk show ended, she eventually decided to settle down and prioritize herself as a single parent to her two sons.

Before the year ended, Ogie Alcasid (a former Kapuso singer who then recently worked with TV5) formally rejoined the network in November after he was being announced as the new judge of Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids.

When the year started, they lost its 2 beloved directors to death: Wenn V. Deramas and Francis Pasion. The former was dubbed as ‘The Master Storyteller’ while the latter recently directed On the Wings of Love at that time. The Multimedia Star, Toni Gonzaga-Soriano, went on a maternity leave until the year ended as she gave birth to her first son, that’s why she was not visible during the latter part of the year, most especially during PBB and ASAP.

OUTLOOK AND SCENARIO FOR THE COMING YEAR

2012 was also the time ABS-CBN began to celebrate its 60 years of operation. As the calendar flips to 2013, the network would look back on how it has touched Filipinos with its unexceptionable quality programming.

2016 was just a continuation of its constant success ratings-wise and finances-wise. 2017 is expected to be an even bigger year for them.

Tune in tomorrow, where I will look back at TV5’s achievements in 2012 and 2016.

2011/2015 RECAP: GMA

2019 is about to end. But before the calendar flips to the sweet 2020, let’s look back at what happened in Philippine television in 2011 and 2015. In this part, we’ll look back at the rollercoaster moments of GMA-7 during those 2 years.

2011

This year, GMA claimed that it has become No. 1 nationwide, when in fact their ratings sharply began to decline, due to uninteresting stories and costly production measures. They started the year with Dwarfina with Heart Evangelista and Dennis Trillo and Machete with Aljur Abrenica which failed to click. The return of Captain Barbell followed suit, with Richard Gutierrez taking over the lead role.

In May, they had Amaya, an epicserye set in the pre-colonial period of the 1500s. Though Marian Rivera was cast as the lead, there were some people who criticized management for casting a mestiza in the lead role. There was also the family drama Munting Heredera which marked Gloria Romero’s return to the Kapuso network.

Drama aside, they took entertainment to the next level. March witnessed the launch of Spooky Nights, a show that combined horror and comedy in its inital months, but in October became a straight-up horror anthology. Then-Representative Manny Pacquiao also had his own game show entitled Manny Many Prizes. Their production of kid-friendly programming continued, with the likes of Sabadabadog, I-Shine Talent Camp, Amazing Cooking Kids and My Chubby World. During mornings, they had a revival of Family Feud with Edu Manzano hosting it, as well as the short-lived talk show StarBox, with Ali Sotto and the Magno Twins as hosts.

Their Sunday slot continued to capture viewers’ attention, most especially with Party Pilipinas and Tween Hearts along the way. In addition, the latter show was extended to introduce a bigger cast, with some new additions.

The Artist Center also attempted to create their own ball at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati, and it was also the launch of the short-lived PROFILES Magazine. but since then, their only kind of ball was their Thanksgiving Party.

On the news aspect, in late February, they launched their own news channel, GMA News TV. This was a response to the public clamor for a news channel on free TV. From QTV, GMA News TV has received warm support from its audience. The channel’s approach on News, public affairs, features, lifestyle, sports and entertainment was proven effective and successful even if the channel didn’t reach its first year mark.

Talent Newsmakers of 2011

September marked the launch of Protege, an all-original singing talent search wherein music icons become mentors for each contestant from a certain place in the Philippines. Krizza Neri, under her mentor Ice Seguerra, emerged as the winner of its initial season.

In November, it was a wedding month as their then-personalities like Jolina Magdangal and Kyla got married to their longtime boyfriends. At the same time, Party Pilipinas mainstay Regine Velasquez-Alcasid gave birth to her first child. Months before her birth, she announced in April her pregnancy and took a break from her performing duties, and also left I Heart You, Pare where she reunited with Dingdong Dantes. Iza Calzado took over Regine’s role.

2015

It was the year they celebrated their 65th year of operation, but was mostly defined as a poor year in terms of performance and quality, yet they had their own share of positives. GMA News TV nearly lost their unreliability towards the three committed news coverage for the year. GNTV drew fire for lacking the most coverage of five-day Papal Visit last January. On July 27, the same channel did nothing to cover the PNoy’s last SONA — unlike her main channel — and to carry on with the regular programming. On the bright side though, in November, the APEC 2015 Summit was successfully covered on Strata 2000, despite of the main channel’s apathy to cover.

On April 5, Colgate-Palmolive commercials returned within each commercial break after six years of exclusivity to its rival ABS-CBN.

During the summer season in April, sans its seasonal station ID, four regional offices were closed: Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Ilocos and Naga City. The network justified the closure as a “strategic streamlining of programs and manpower in its provincial stations to ensure business competitiveness.” Not only the closure of offices but also Cebu and Davao’s regional programming are also severely affected by the said decision. Seven months later, another regional office temporarily closed down but this time in Iloilo City.

Three teleseryes produced by GMA Entertainment TV Group stirred controversy on conservative groups. The first one, The Rich Man’s Daughter was topbilled by Rhian Ramos, Glaiza de Castro and Luis Alandy; the first Telebabad teleserye was seen as a complement to My Husband’s Lover in 2013. The second replacement teleserye, My Faithful Husband (Dennis Trillo and Jennylyn Mercado), was tagged for infidelity. The third, under Afternoon Prime, Destiny Rose, portrayed by Ken Chan, is contested due to the sexuality of the protagonist. The former may not have reached the same success as MHL.

In June, the 2014 case filed by 52 members of the Talents Association of GMA (TAG) was finally resolved by the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) and was finally reinstated as regular employees. At the same time, following the prima facie of financial difficulty found on the preceding paragraphs, the decision of Gozon to call off Ramon S. Ang’s deal for the network’s minority interest last year drew the ire of the latter party to charge the network’s management for estafa. Ang demanded to return PHP 1 billion down payment from Gozon and company and the latter responded a month later with the San Miguel Corporation CEO’s decision to withdraw the complaint.

The biggest yet unexpected moment of the year happened on July 4, 2015, when Maine Mendoza, the Dubsmash Queen, was introduced as Yaya Dub to Lola Nidora (Wally Bayola) but on July 16 at 1:47 p.m., during the Eat Bulaga’s segment of Juan for All! All for Juan!, Maine Mendoza accidentally met Alden Richards on the split-screen. Thus, the term “AlDub” was born and KalyeSerye replaced the Problem Solving portion. Ever since the KalyeSerye regained the relevance of Eat Bulaga’s 36-year broadcast, this affect the news programs over the network (including GMA News TV) include the recap of the KS during the entertainment segment. Other neighboring networks, except ABS-CBN, made the elements of a live soap opera parody an inspiration from motivational mnemonic on TV5 to a piece of satire on PTV. Yet, with the excessive spotlight over the couple, other exclusive talents began losing their opportunity to shine in their projects and lose their attention. One of such victims is Elmo Magalona; he moved out to the neighbor in order to join with his sister, Maxene. Since September, advertising endorsements were offered over the couple and they somehow accepted it. This exponential acceptance envied ABS-CBN and thus, they deliberately edited and/or shortened out of jealousy. On October 24, the “Sa Tamang Panahon” concert at the Philippine Arena did not only break the viewership record for the year but also breaks the all-time record on Twitter with 41 million real and organic tweets. Days later, the phenomenal couple sprouted over on magazines (e.g. Yes!, Preview & Reader’s Digest Asia), on international television (e.g. BBC & Bloomberg) and on social news sites like BuzzFeed.

Sunday All Stars waved the white flag on August 2 after realizing their cowardice of the show to compete against ASAP 20. A week later, the comedic Sunday PinaSaya was able to trump out the longest-running musical variety show. This show, produced by APT Entertainment (a subsidiary of TAPE, Inc), acts as a Sunday extension of Eat Bulaga with Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola and Alden Richards belong to the gang. The launch of the said show occurred at the growth stage of KalyeSerye.

Despite of a fresh identity, StarStruck opened its sixth season after six years of waiting. This season marked the first time since its second season (2004-05) that the show ran only on weekdays and its first time that the show runs as the first program for the Telebabad than on the traditional late night, not like its early editions (2003-04 to 2006-07). However, the ratings were not satisfied as their rival’s Pasion de Amor trumped them out. And this was the first time Regine Velasquez judged a talent search before Idol Philippines.

Startalk would have been 20 by October but by September 12, the entertainment news and talk show finally took a bow with a look back on the show’s history. Like what happened to The Buzz on ABS-CBN, the show ended due to the change of provider and viewer’s taste.

Problems plagued GMA News and Public Affairs as they created programs unrelated to news stories, such as To the Top (a boy band search), Alamat (a children’s show) and Dangwa (a morning drama). Such responsibility, in the eyes of its defenders, believed that the news department had a good standing in finances and in goodwill than the entertainment department.

When Ryzza Mae Dizon received a script and a small director’s chair on her 10th birthday at the Ryzza Mae Show on June 12, a speculation concluded that a drama series from the producer, TAPE Inc., would be aired here. Three months later, the talk format was finally replaced and the drama was subtitled “Princess in the Palace.” Marking the return of teleserye venture for the producer since Daisy Siete, the drama was also topbilled by Aiza Seguerra and Eula Valdez.

GMA-7 remained the only mainstream network that does not have a home shopping block to compete until that day. From then, Shop TV premiered as the last program for the broadcast day and is currently airing every weekday.

The Half Sisters, the daytime drama after Eat Bulaga, reached more than a year as the first program of their Afternoon Prime. Topbilled by Barbie Forteza and Thea Tolentino, the teleserye won the Best Daytime Drama Series on the PMPC Star Awards, emulating the successful factor once hold by ABS-CBN’s “Be Careful with My Heart” last year.

Throughout 2015, four news correspondents from Kamuning departed due to their new venture and/or other personal reasons: Claire Delfin, Hadji Rieta, Dante Perello and Michael Fajatin.

GMA also made the year 2015 very memorable as they marked the 20th anniversary of its weekly comedy show, Bubble Gang and its late night news program, Saksi.

Former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson and Sarangani representative Manny Pacquiao seek to buy their shares of the network last October but on December 9, Gozon rejected the offer as they are “focused on growing the business.” Defenders see this as a way of protecting their integrity and impartiality from being influenced by politicians as the national election draws near.

Talent Newsmakers of 2015

The stars who made headlines this year include Ken Chan, whose first lead role was in Destiny Rose before becoming immensely popular for her loveteam with Rita Daniela, and then, Maine Mendoza who shot to fame via Eat Bulaga’s Kalyeserye segment. The sixth season of StarStruck made stars out of Klea Pineda, Migo Adecer, Ayra Mariano and Arra San Agustin, while To The Top created the boyband Top One Project.

Ai-ai de las Alas returned from ABS-CBN, and a month later, Willie Revillame leaped back into TV action with Wowowin on that day but for viewers who have been victimized but have remembered him on his past hosting stints have chills of the spine as they have an instinct of repeating his antics. Originally, the taped show was purely block timer and aired at 3:30 p.m. every Sunday. But with the premiere of Sunday PinaSaya three months later, Wowowin finally moved to 2 p.m. time slot, became a co-production with GMA and raised up the numbers in the ratings game. Last October, the Court of Appeals ordered the arrest of Revillame after affirming the 2013 complaint in connection to the child abuse case in 2011. Nevertheless, his show won the Best Game Show on the PMPC Star Awards and himself won the Best Game Show Host (together with Luis Manzano).

Conclusion and Outlook for the Following Year

For 2012, GMA is expected to roll out teleseryes that have original concept (Biritera, Legacy, My Beloved, Broken Vow, The Good Daughter, Hiram na Puso), meaning no remake of any film or comic at all. They are also expecting a second season of Protege, albeit next year will be similar to StarStruck.

For 2016, GMA will still eye for credibility on the News and Public Affairs for covering the coming national polls. However, the coverage will certainly be separate between Channels 7 and 11. Financial stability will be improved for that year, as political ads will compose more percentage in revenue than its rival is.

Establishing sports division or re-establishing live-streaming will still give no attention for Gozon and associates but according to Business World, the network will venture into digital TV innovation. Such innovation should need increasing and continuing flow of revenue (by not considering the political advertisements) to maintain the safe transition.

Meanwhile, on the entertainment side, the afternoon drama Wish I May — named after a popular and successful love song by Alden Richards — will replace the veteran The Half Sisters this January. However, because of the immense popularity of the latter that gave the last extension, the upcoming teleserye topbilled by Miguel Tanfelix and Bianca Umali (BiGuel), would see it as downhill due to a ground of delay. Finally, there were speculations online that the sequel of the early 2000s fantaserye Encantadia is expected to revive after few years of abandonment. Although it may sound exciting, the costs of producing it would be problematic because it causes layoffs of regional personnel, shutdown of more regional stations and relegation of their respective transmitter’s status.

 

2011/2015 RECAP: T5N

2019 is about to end. But before we enter the sweet 2020, let’s look back at what happened in Philippine television in 2011 and 2015. This part, we’ll travel to what happened on The 5 Network during those 2 years.

2011

This was their first full calendar year as a mainstream network. Going head to head with ABS-CBN and GMA, they launched their first Teledrama, Babaeng Hampaslupa, which was like ‘Mano Po’ reimagined as a series, with Alex Gonzaga in the lead role.

They ventured into ‘sineseryes’ with ‘Ang Utol Kong Hoodlum’, ‘Bagets: Just Got Lucky’ and  ‘P.S. I Love You’. ‘Face to Face’ continued its reign during daytime, capturing the hearts of the barangay viewers showcasing fights between 2 people who encounter difficulties along the way.  Comedy galore was felt as they launched new sitcoms like ‘Sugo mga Kapatid’ and ‘The Jose and Wally Show’. The former would also be used for their regional tours, albeit it is entitled Sugod Mga Kapatid, based on the Sandwich song Sugod.

Its own reality talent search ‘Talentadong Pinoy’ continued to earn wide support from the Filipino audience. Season 2 grand champion Joseph the Artist, displayed artistic excellence using sand.

Their aggressive move through its own news and sports channel AksyonTV also got wide support with its round-the-clock broadcast.

Regarding their ‘negatives’, their primetime game show, ‘Willing Willie’ faced controversy after a 6-year-old boy named ‘Jan-Jan’ cried while dancing in front of the audience. It forced most advertisers to pull out, leading to its suspension. It returned on air in May, under a different title, as ‘WilTime BigTime’.

They also tried to strengthen their Sunday noontime slot with new shows replacing P.O.5, namely: Lucky Numbers, Fan*tastik and Celebrity Samurai. Unfortunately, only the latter was able to make it last until the following year. The former 2 were cancelled because it lacked support, though they tried their best to crash ASAP/Party Pilipinas.

In terms of talent newsmakers, they spent their resources getting big-name stars like Sharon Cuneta, Alice Dixson, Aga Muhlach, Lorna Tolentino and the homecoming Nora Aunor. They even acquired noontime show host Mariel Padilla and news personality Tintin Babao from ABS-CBN, as well as Gelli de Belen and young star Nadine Samonte from GMA. Aga was the host of the travel-edutainment show ‘Pinoy Explorer‘, while Gelli was tapped to host Gellicious. Nadine would do several dramas for TV5, such as ‘The Sisters’, Nora would do the miniseries Sa Ngalan ng Ina, while Lorna would star in its successor, Glamorosa.

2015

That year, it was a different story for TV5 as they distinguished from the Big 2 networks and continued being an alternative network.

Despite the teleserye dominance, it still encouraged TV5. They made the remakes of two K-Drama’s “The Baker King’ (with Mark Neumann) and “My Fair Lady‘ (with Jasmine Curtis) in May and September. However, the network did not air their dubbed, original Koreanovelas as the former belonged to GMA and the latter to ABS-CBN.

Following the cancellation of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ in early November due to the management change (see later paragraph), ‘Wattpad Presents’ became the network’s longest-running active entertainment program before the year ended, having been on the air for over a year. The youth-oriented anthology reached over a year thanks to an endless supply of new stories and a dedicated fanbase. It is considered a perfect alternative to the long and dragging storylines that a teleserye usually provides.

Die-hard anime fans who are keyboard warriors have answered their pleas over the Anime’s “El Niño” of 2014 in January, the return of AniMEGA initially aired on weekend mornings.

Two programs on News5 aired on different platforms of the network for the year. The first is the digital series, Kontrabando, a news satire and free-to-air weekly game show series, Barangay Utakan. However, one of the common presenters of the said new shows, Ramon Bautista, was under fire for hypocrisy (i.e. criticizing the presidential candidate then but later endorsing him on a music video.)

The 1999 Australian children’s show, entitled ‘Hi-5‘ approved the first full franchise in Southeast Asia and got a go signal to air, beginning in June. It aired every day: twice per weekday and once each weekend. As a prelude to the local edition, they aired repeats of the original series’ 2011 edition.

Throughout the rainy season, TV5 made shows with diverse genres ranging to kid-friendly with a techie twist (LolaBasyang.com) to comedic horror (ParangNormal Activity). Both were aired on Saturdays and were produced by The IdeaFirst Company, helmed by Director Perci Intalan. Not to forget, Kano Luvs Pinay, also on Sundays, made into the small screens.

VIVA Entertainment’s CEO, Vic Del Rosario replaced Wilma Galvante as the chief strategist for entertainment in October. This came at a time when their entertainment division temporarily dissolved due to the major retrenchment, and when TV5 started relying on blocktimers for their entertainment content.

Bloomberg finally ink the deal with TV5 for a local franchise on March 25. On that day, was launched as the first business news channel round-the-clock but the second global network to set a localized channel. This channel gave amazing insights on the APEC Summit, while dismaying the network’s other channels.

After 15 years off the air from IBC under Vintage Enterprises, on that day, Blow by Blow is currently hosted by Manny Pacquiao, one of its featured homegrown boxers. However, objections were raised over his hosting but the answer was clear that this presentation did not breach his exclusive contract with GMA.

On the negative side, AksyonTV decided to allocate their airtime to Shop Japan. This surprise strategy remained with the introduction of Pilipinas Commercial Basketball League (PCBL) and Filsports Basketball Assocation (from PTV). That said made Channel 41 unreliable to cover the APEC Summit last November.

KIS Pinoy broke the hearts of K-Pop fans for the second time under a new venture on TV5. The first venture under PTV last year was not fully materialized due to misunderstanding with the network and obvious programming priority. Originally aired on Saturday night and hosted by Richard Gutierrez, the said talent show aired only three episodes from July 11-25 until YU&IQ International, the producer of the program, on that day over Facebook, decided to cease production due to financial difficulties.

The talent newsmakers for this year are: Lee O’Brian, an American who became Tuesday Vargas’ on-screen partner in Kano Luvs Pinay and Aira Binas, Alex Reyes, Rissey Reyes, Gerard Pagunsan and Fred Lo, the hosts of Hi-5 Philippines.

In April, Janno Gibbs finally took a bow from GMA 7 for three decades in order to join his old friend, Ogie Alcasid. On June 14, Happy Truck ng Bayan premiered and acted as a response to ASAP and Sunday All Stars. However, it is not aired live but recorded the day before, giving the certain and obvious factor of the truck travel and the coverage constraint. Atty. Rod Nepomuceno also rejoined the TV5 camp, transferring from 9TV in order to join the then-newly launched Bloomberg TV Philippines.

Conclusion and Outlook for the Following Year

In 2011, TV5 was fast gaining momentum as a worthy contender to ABS-CBN and GMA, while enjoying their time then getting big-name stars. They were planning to do more reality shows the following year, with the likes of ‘Extreme Makeover‘ and ‘The Biggest Game Show in the World’ going underway.

Four years later, it will be very hectic for TV5 on both news and sports division. On News5, their division’s “Bilang Pilipino” has disseminated through programs such as “Politics for Beginners” and reviving B.A.Y.A.W. (starring Jun “Bayaw” Sabayton) election fillers on its plugs.

On Sports5, they have the official broadcast rights to cover the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Following the Gilas Pilipinas’ qualification after losing to China in the finals on FIBA Asia Championship in the latter’s city of Changsha, the bidding and hosting of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament for men’s basketball will be committed to air live.

Specifically on January, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will begin to cover under the new broadcast rights on this network that will aid their dormant sports channel, Hyper.

With the new entertainment strategist, their responsibility center would be easy to deliver but it would be rather be difficult to materialize, since PBA remains their primetime strength. More sineseryes are coming up, with Bakit Manipis ang Ulap? and Ang Panday leading the way, with viewers looking forward to the return of Claudine Barretto and Richard Gutierrez.

2011/2015 TV RECAP: ABS-CBN

2019 is about to end. But before the calendar flips to the sweet 2020, let’s look back at what happened in Philippine television in 2011 and 2015. In this part, we’ll look back at the rollercoaster moments of ABS-CBN during those 2 years.

2011

Despite having dominated Philippine television, it was a challenging year for them as far as financial performance was concerned. Gabby Lopez said, based on their Annual Report, that production costs were increased and advertising revenues were sharply declined. The main factor behind their leadership was how they understood the preferences and tastes of each Filipino audience.

DOMINANCE. Primetime Bida totally became television’s primetime powerhouse, with ABS-CBN producing innovative programs that celebrated the human spirit. ‘100 Days to Heaven‘ was another inspirational drama that served as Coney Reyes’ first lead role. They produced their first-ever advocacy-themed drama, ‘Budoy‘ which starred Gerald Anderson portraying the average mentally-challenged man. ‘My Binondo Girl‘ starred the then-newly formed loveteam, Kim Chiu and Xian Lim, or ‘KimXi’ for short. It showcased the everyday lives of the Filipinos with Chinese heritage.

‘Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin‘ was among the pre-‘Ang Probinsyano’ Coco Martin-starrers that made a huge impact, revolving around the lives of military. They also created their first Christmas special, ‘Ikaw ay Pag-Ibig‘ which gathered their then-child superstars, who are nowadays all grown up. Their local remakes of foreign dramas were well-received, with ‘Green Rose’, ‘Nasaan Ka, Elisa?’ and ‘Maria la del Barrio’ captivating the viewers’ hearts.

This year, they produced Pinoy editions of ‘The Biggest Loser‘ and ‘Junior MasterChef‘, both hosted by superstar icons Sharon Cuneta and Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo. The former was Cuneta’s last project before transferring to TV5, while the latter showcased Santos’ hosting craft, while at the same time, offering her a break from doing soaps.

Pilipinas Got Talent earned the top spot for the most searched reality talent television show in the country.  Judges Ai-Ai delas Alas, Kris Aquino and Freddie Garcia scoured Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao to find the best Filipino act worthy of national and international acclaim. The final say however, still lied in the hands of the texting public.

Having aired back-to-back seasons, singers have been bagging the much coveted title of PGT grand winner.  Season 2 to Season 3 winners Marcelito Pomoy and Maasinhon have all received unprecedented support from their townmates in Cavite and Leyte respectively.  Maasinhon Trio’s triumph may have been plagued with controversy but its 22.59% voting figure versus its closest rival Khalil Ramos’s 18.64% gives the singing group its license to fame.

They also went the original route with ‘I Dare You‘, a joint production of the Entertainment and News department, with Melai Cantiveros, Jericho Rosales and Iya Villania as the hosts. They created new talk shows, namely: ‘Kris TV‘ and ‘Gandang Gabi Vice‘. The former was Kris Aquino’s last talk show on ABS-CBN which had a successful run, while the latter, hosted by Vice Ganda, continues to air every late Sunday night, continuing too provide humor for its fellow viewers, along with more superstar guests.–

In terms of comedy, they produced ‘TODA MAX’ with Robin Padilla and Angel Locsin as stars, and the premise was about a man coping with the tragic loss of his wife. Regarding their other dramas, MMK, the longest-running drama anthology, celebrated its 2nd decade on air, by featuring highlights of its best episodes through the years. ‘Growing Up’ on Sunday afternoons became the launchpad for Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla as a loveteam.

‘The Bottomline with Boy Abunda’ won as Best Talk Show in the Asian Television Awards. For their variety shows, ‘ASAP’ and ‘Showtime’ continued their dominance. Backed by “power” celebrities Anne Curtis and Vice Ganda, ‘Showtime’ remained a staple afternoon program among viewers.

Whereas, ‘Happy Yipee Yehey’ suffered ratings-wise, a sign that its weekday noontime slot continued to slump. Despite the poor ratings, the noontime show had its own share of controversies.  John Prats’ relationship with former beauty queen Bianca Manalo was a hot issue this year.  Former HYY host Mariel Rodriguez’s alleged feud with John Estrada and Toni Gonzaga plus Matteo Gudicelli’s “Star Magic brawl” with Coco Martin were also considered big showbiz issues.

The Sexbomb Dancers headed by their manager Joy Cancio jumped from their home network GMA to ABS-CBN. The surprise switch however didn’t include some of the group’s pillars like Rochelle Pangilinan-Solinap who decided to go separate ways and stay with GMA.

BEYOND ENTERTAINMENT. The news division launched the ‘Bayan Mo I-Patrol Mo’ campaign to give audiences the information they need and the power to participate. They provided updates on certain calamities, such as the Japan tsunami and the typhoon Sendong. ANC celebrated 15 years, maintaining its foothold as the source of news for the upper-to-middle class audience. In the sports department, they returned to broadcasting the NBA games after a long time. They continued to be the home of the UAAP, and at the same time, Studio 23 continued to appeal to the masses, while airing the biggest sports events, airing hit shows from abroad, and taking advantage of the world’s biggest events.

Talent Newsmakers of 2011

Their new child discovery this year was Mutya Orquia, whose debut project was the mermaid-themed ‘Mutya’. ‘100 Days to Heaven’ launched the acting career of Louise Abuel.

AJ Perez died in a vehicular mishap in April while they lost Aga Muhlach, Lorna Tolentino and Tintin Babao to the then-TV5. Paulo Avelino signed up with ABS-CBN in August after a few years in GMA. Piolo Pascual and KC Concepcion also ended their relationship, the former was being accused of the latter’s departure from Star Magic and her transfer to VIVA to join her mother. Nevertheless, she renewed her ties with ABS-CBN at the end of that year. They also promoted YouTube sensation Maria Aragon, by offering her an album and singing their Yuletide song.

But their most important contribution was that Star Magic created their own music video featuring their talents to celebrate their 19 years, with Yeng Constantino singing their agency anthem.

Coleen Garcia started her professional career that year, after being discovered in an ice tea ad. Her journey in showbiz began with Good Vibes as the leading lady of Sam Concepcion. She also joined ‘Showtime’, but first she was a judge before being promoted to co-host.

2015

ABS-CBN continued to reign Philippine TV this year. Primetime Bida for 2015 is mostly significant for the two love teams for social media. KathNiel’s “Pangako Sa ‘Yo” (since May 25) and James Reid and Nadine Lustre’s “On The Wings of Love” (since August 10) hyped up the national Twitter trending list during weekdays. After Coco Martin’s portrayal as a commando of PNP Special Action Force that was part of the Fallen 44 tribute on MMK, he bagged the lead role in the TV drama adaptation of the 1997 action film, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano. You’re My Home was launched in the last quarter to take advantage of its rival’s weak offerings.

Teleseryes made their return to Kapamilya Gold on January 19, as ‘Flordeliza’ and ‘Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita’ premiered on the afternoon block. This was followed by four other series: ‘Doble Kara’, ‘All of Me’, ‘Walang Iwanan’ and ‘And I Love You So’. The former, in particular, ran for 1 year, making it among their successful afternoon soaps. Since then, the battle between Kapamilya Gold and Afternoon Prime dramas became a tight one, both in ratings and momentum. However, it didn’t stop ‘The Half-Sisters’ from achieving the one-year milestone in June.

Following up the success of ‘Be Careful with My Heart’ was a difficult task, but Janella Salvador and Jana Agoncillo proved that they were able to thrive with this challenge. Janella’s ‘Oh My G’ and Jana’s ‘Ningning’ flourished as one the country’s top-rated programs on weekdays, despite a stiff competitor in GMA’s ‘The Ryzza Mae Show’.

In terms of reality and game shows, Your Face Sounds Familiar, a new reality show franchise, where celebrities impersonates music icons, became a hit for viewers during weekend prime time, not once but twice. Hosted by Billy Crawford, its first season had Melai Cantiveros-Francisco as its grand winner. Ironically, she, along with her co-hosts on ‘Magandang Buhay’ (which would premiere a year later), Jolina Magdangal and Karla Estrada, were also contenders. The second season was a minor success, with Denise Laurel emerging as the winner, her co-contenders include KZ Tandingan, Sam Concepcion and Myrtle Sarrosa, yet Melai served as Billy’s co-host. 

Kapamilya Deal or No Deal returned this year, now they air on weekdays, same as its first era, still with Luis Manzano as host. Pinoy Big Brother commemorated its 10th anniversary this year with a new hybrid edition, ‘PBB 737’. Celebrity Playtime marked a return for localized game shows, with Luis as host. Its format was similar to Hollywood Game Night. Dance Kids was a localized search for the next young dance royalties.

Weekend anthologies MMK and Wansapanataym continued to rule their slot, so does the sitcom Home Sweetie Home. They also created online-exclusive shows, such as Team Gonzaga, Must Date the Playboy, Melason Forever, etc.

Beyond entertainment, after five years of trial and error, the ABS-CBN TVPlus, nicknamed as the “Mahiwagang Black Box,” is released commercially to selected markets since February 11, with new sub-channels such as Yey! and Cine Mo and existing ones from cable such as Knowledge Channel and DZMM Teleradyo. Nine months later, the high-definition feed of the mainstream channel, ABS CBN HD, is released in selected cable operators on October 3.

ABS-CBN Sports+Action went full capacity on June 20, and from that day, NCAA aired on its new home. The decision of covering the oldest (but not popular) collegiate athletic association would not simply make their Sports Division very busy year-round but astonish their technological advancement to sportscasting. ABS-CBN Sports also signed a fresh five-year deal with the UAAP, following another successful season. The network now plans to extend its coverage to other UAAP tournaments, in addition to full coverage of men’s basketball and women’s volleyball.

Its news division, in particular, was praised for covering the biggest events of the year, especially the last SONA of Benigno Aquino III was the highest-rated coverage among all networks. As the Philippines hosted APEC 2015, cable news channel ANC decided to reinstate Cathy Yang as the business news anchor. On October 26, ANC freshened up their identity.

On the negative side, ABS-CBN’s It’s Showtime had a tough year after the loveteam of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza on ‘Eat Bulaga’‘s Kalyeserye made a huge impact. They attempted to counter it with Twerking Girls but it drew fire by a solid Kapamilya netizen. After the controversial celebrity competition, they replaced it with “Nasaan Ka, Mr. Pastillas” featuring Angelica “Pastillas Girl” Yap. However, netizens are unamused by the content as it acts as the antithesis of the norms of traditional Filipino courtship exemplified by its rival. Not only that, the girl herself was also the butt of the joke with one of her old videos posted containing dirty language spreading online with degrading reactions in return. The segment was also compared to an American reality dating show, “The Bachelorette” and called it ‘Bugawserye’. Such complaints drew Gabriela Partylist’s attention to call MTRCB and to summon the show’s creators.

Also, with AlDub’s then-exponential success, it stripped their endorsers from the last Kapamilya talents (such as McDonalds’ chicken meals from Toni Gonzaga and Nino Muhlach, Hapee toothpaste from Angel Locsin and Rejoice shampoo from Kim Chiu). Because of that phenomenon, according to an insider, some advertisers decided not to renew their contract with ABS-CBN. Hence, the network issued a memo to advertisers that they have a right not to air any commercials that is associated with the rival’s programs, indirectly or directly. Hence, their intentional acts of not airing it, reducing it, splitting Maine Mendoza and Alden Richards apart or omitting Maine whatever possible. Kapamilya fans, belonging to the AlDub nation, sees it as a form of bitterness (jealousy) and endorsement protectionism, calling both as unfair, as KathNiel and JaDine’s commercials on GMA were aired in full.

Easter Sunday this year marked the new life but for Boy Abunda, it marked the death of his showbiz show, The Buzz. Though they would be come back soon, the return is remote from being materialized, thanks to social media. However, the show was posthumously awarded as the Best Showbiz Oriented Talk Show on the 29^th PMPC Star Awards.

During ‘PBB 737’‘s early run, when the teens entered the Bahay ni Kuya, the show drew fire over bromance and the action of one housemate, Ryan James Bacalla. Because of this, the 24/7 live cable streaming was pulled out until the teens’ part ended after seven weeks of stay.

‘ASAP’ reached 20 this year but the longevity of the institution paid the decline of its domestic base as viewers at home are fed up with repetitive dance movements and its lack of innovation. When GMA decided to scrap the cowardice Sunday All Stars in favor of the comedic Sunday PinaSaya, they try to compete with the comedic opening but the main host, Martin Nievera, was disappointed with the setup by a tweet. SPS won the ratings game in August and ASAP decided to shorten their airtime to two hours in November and again, Nievera remained in denial. Nevertheless, they continued to promote star power in some of their episodes.

In February, as far as sports coverage was concerned, NBA coverage on ABS-CBN and ABS-CBN Sports+Action has been purely local, handled in-studio by Boom Gonzalez, TJ Manotoc, Ronnie Magsanoc and Benjie Paras. But to the surprise of many, only Manotoc traveled to the United States to cover the NBA Finals, and ABS-CBN opted to call the games in-studio rather than on location.

Delayed broadcast of the NBA games were a primary reason behind ABS-CBN’s questionable decision. Still, with digitization looming, and the migration to HD underway, it seems like this is a more logical solution for the network to save costs.

Talent Newsmakers of 2015

Five Kapamilya singers (Lyca Gairanod, Angeline Quinto, Jed Madela, Darren Espanto & Erik Santos) performed in different venues of the itinerary of Pope Francis’ five-day visit. The Voice Kids Season 1 champion, Lyca Gairanod, performed “Tell the World of His Love” before the main program of Encounter with Families at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Quinto, Madela and Espanto performed during the Encounter with the Youth at the University of Santo Tomas and Erik Santos sang the Responsorial Psalm at the Concluding Mass at Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park.

ABS-CBN also promoted child talent this year, with new discoveries like Marco Masa of Nathaniel, Elha Mae Nympha and Esang de Torres of The Voice Kids 2, as well as Xymon Ezekiel Pineda (Onyok) of Ang Probinsyano. ‘It’s Showtime’‘s MiniMe 2 discovered the likes of Chun Sa Jung, Xia Vigor, Enzo Pelojero and Heart Ramos. Sophia Reola started her professional career that year by joining Goin’ Bulilit.

On the other hand, ‘Nasaan ka, Mrs, Pastillas’ launched Angelica Yap. Bailey May and Ylona Garcia (BaiLona) and Tommy Esguerra and Miho Nishida (ToMiho) were their ‘Pinoy Big Brother’ winners this year.

As far as transferees were concerned, those who transferred from GMA were Sarah Lahbati and Elmo Magalona. Those who transferred from the then-TV5 were Wendell Ramos and Vin Abrenica. Sharon Cuneta also came home after 3 years at TV5.

Then-outgoing Presidential sister and veteran Kapamilya, Kris Aquino narrowly escaped stroke after filming “Etiquette for Mistresses.” Because of the traumatic health effect, she decided to leave “Aquino and Abunda Tonight” and decided to remain only on her talk show, Kris TV in order to achieve a “healthy work and life balance.” Despite her departure from TV Patrol and DZMM for her news delivery, Korina Sanchez still hosts Rated K every Sunday night. The said program and the presenter won the Best Magazine Show and Host respectively on the Star Awards.

Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, took a break from work and got pregnant with her third child. ‘Your Face Sounds Familiar’ season 1 launched the friendship of ‘Magandang Buhay’ hosts Melai Cantiveros-Francisco, Jolina Magdangal and Karla Estrada. ‘The Voice’ and ‘Pinoy Big Brother’ host Toni Gonzaga got married to her longtime boyfriend, Director Paul Soriano. ‘ASAP’ regular Yeng Constantino also got married that year, to her boyfriend Yan Asuncion. 

Conclusion and Outlook for the Following Years

Despite the challenges, ABS-CBN continued to be the undisputed television leader in each household. In 2011, their noontime woes would end once they reformatted Showtime into a full-fledged noontime show as they are now. They would also air the localized version of ‘The X Factor’, and begin to celebrate its 60th founding anniversary.

In 2015, It’s Showtime would rebound the following year once they revived Tawag ng Tanghalan, while at the same time, having its hands full for the coverage of the 2016 Presidential elections. The entertainment division would promote the elections with MMK featuring life stories of some senatorial candidates. They also ended the year gracefully with an above 41% audience share nationwide, according to what Kantar Media has gathered.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where I will tackle about T5N (The 5 Network) in 2011 and 2015.

A Look Back at GMA in 2010 and 2014

2018 is about to end. But before the calendar flips to 2019, let’s look back at what happened in Philippine television in 2010 and 2014. This part, we’ll travel to what happened on GMA during those 2 years.

2010

This year was a milestone year for them: it was their 60th anniversary. It was marked by a major concert at the Araneta Coliseum where they looked back at GMA’s history. Then they also made innovative programming: 1st musical drama (Diva), 1st reality sitcom (Pepito Manaloto) and 1st comedy bar on TV (Comedy Bar).

It was during those times that their programming gradually became on the rocks. ‘SIS’ and ‘SOP’ were cancelled due to declining ratings and they also lost the rights to air the Binibining Pilipinas pageant to ABS-CBN. They tried their best to make their programming formidable with the launch of a new variety show in ‘Party Pilipinas’ and the ‘Click’-esque ‘Tween Hearts’. The latter showcased the acting roles of their young artists back then.

Their sister channel, ‘Q’, brought back its mass appeal with the slogan ‘Buhay Q Kumpleto!’, and they received awards by winning 15 titles in the PMPC Star Awards and they had no title during the KBP Golden Dove Awards because they have left the organization 7 years earlier.

2014

This year was characterized by inconsistency in programming. On the public affairs side, ‘Reporter’s Notebook’ moved to Saturdays, and weekday late night public affairs programs were shifted to the late afternoons in order to compete against ABS-CBN.

GMA Telebabad was still an underwhelming performer for them, the mini-series ‘Ilustrado’ was the late 1990s classic ‘Jose Rizal’ reimagined as a soap opera. With the pre-AlDub Alden Richards taking the title role, the show failed to make an impact. Despite their claims as having won against AGB Nielsen, they were never a hit with the viewers.

Their weekend programming had a purge that wasn’t as tense as the previous year. The variety show ‘Sunday All Stars’ had a gradual retreat and changed timeslots from 12nn to 2pm. It was a sign that GMA has been scared of defeating ‘their rival’s ASAP’. ‘Startalk’ underachieved with its poor performance which is why they changed timeslots too. Trying to respond to ABS-CBN’s strategy, they re-aired ‘Jewel in the Palace’, ‘Coffee Prince’ as well as ‘My Name is Kim Sam Soon’ but these reruns flopped. They produced the likes of ‘Marian’, ‘Don’t Lose the Money’, ‘Bet ng Bayan’ and ‘Basta Every Day Happy’ just to counter ABS-CBN only to have produced negative results.

But at the positive side, they brought back the Sunday TV Mass after 3 years. They got the services of the Society of Divine Word – Mission Communications Foundation, Inc. (SVD-MCFI) to broadcast the weekly Mass every Sunday morning just for the network’s mass appeal, only to have been removed before the year ended. In terms of news, Vicky Morales was added to ’24 Oras’, joining the 10-year-old tandem of Mike Enriquez and Mel Tiangco. Pia Arcangel replaced Morales as Arnold Clavio’s co-anchor on ‘Saksi’.

The positives in entertainment? GMA Afternoon Prime emerged as a top performer every weekday afternoons. Comedies like ‘Bubble Gang’ and ‘Pepito Manaloto’ continued to sustain its loyal following. They produced another realistic drama entitled ‘Sa Puso ni Dok’ with Dennis Trillo and Bela Padilla, which earned critical praise.

This year was a homecoming for Iya Villania, who happened to be one of their teen royalties during the early 2000s. Upon signing a contract in November to join her then-recently married husband, she was given a stint on ‘Sunday All Stars’. And also, Willie Revillame was on the verge of reviving his hosting career, having made negotiations between Joey de Leon and Mike Enriquez to place his show every early weekday primetime, only to have came to fruition a year later, to high reception with the masses.

And the veteran celebrities which became their primary focus in Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes eventually tied the knot, whereas Jennylyn Mercado received an award at the Metro Manila Film Festival for Best Actress for the movie ‘English Only, Please’. The latter was also invited to perform at their ‘SOP’-esque New Year party at the SM Mall of Asia.

The most important negative of the year: it was Ramon Ang who made a negotiation with Felipe Gozon for the latter to sell the network for good. A month after the deal, Ang was able to grab 30%  of the network’s stocks but exercised the influence by November. Plus controversies plagued them this year. Bong Revilla was arrested on the charges of malversation of funds as he was the first to be tagged on the PDAF swindle last June, hence ‘Kap’s Amazing Stories’ was cancelled. Aljur Abrenica and GMA’s news talents under the name ‘Talents Association of GMA’ filed lawsuits against the network for various complaints.

Conclusion

Overall, 2010 was still a lucky year for GMA, celebrating its 60th anniversary. Making a milestone was what they were proud of. With their then-precious possessions like Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid having been married before the year ended, one must know that they have another chance against ABS-CBN as 2011 arrives. And Q-11 has been on the rocks as of late amid a new campaign, due to lower advertising revenue, and a news channel getting in the way called ‘GMA News TV’.

As for 2014, it was an abysmal year for them in terms of ratings, financial performance and quality standards. As ‘Second Chances’ went underway, things seemed like they still at least gave Felipe Gozon and company a second chance to survive. Everything remained to be seen if their offerings on the entertainment side would recover and regain the viewers’ interest, especially ‘StarStruck’ which also returns in 2019.

And another thing is that Bianca Umali, Miguel Tanfelix, Ruru Madrid and co. have a long way to go before being at par with Kathryn Bernardo, James Reid, Daniel Padilla and etc. as to become their promising young artists.

A Look Back at T5N in 2010 and 2014

2018 is about to end. But before the calendar flips to 2019, let’s look back at what happened in Philippine television in 2010 and 2014. This part, we’ll travel to what happened on The 5 Network during those 2 years.

2010

New shows, new campaign and a new management. Let’s look back at 5’s early history under Manny Pangilinan’s ownership. This year marked Associated Broadcasting Network’s “rebirth” as TV5 or the Kapatid network. MediaQuest, a company owned by Filipino tycoon Manny Pangilinan, acquired the network from Tonyboy Cojuangco and Media Prima Berhad of Malaysia and poised it to compete head on against giant networks ABS-CBN and GMA-7, abandoning their so-called ‘Iba Tayo’ programming approach, and bearing a new slogan in ‘Para Sa’ Yo, Kapatid!’. Many people expected MVP to rise to the level of a Gabby Lopez, Felipe Gozon or Charo Santos-Concio, considering the many long-term plans he envisioned.

Embellished with the color red and a new shining number 5 billiard logo which represented that they were prepared for the most important aspects of TV gameplay, it established themselves as third player in the TV landscape after an explosive launch at the World Trade Center in Pasay.

Under MVP’s ownership, his aim for the network was to ‘give viewers programming that provide less nonsense and will excite them’. Catering to the so-called ‘Bagong Pinoy’ audience, several stars from both ABS-CBN and GMA-7’s stables transferred to the new network such as Ruffa Gutierrez and JC de Vera. Paolo Bediones, a long-time Kapuso, also moved to TV5, anchoring the early years of ‘Aksyon’ with former Kapamilya Cheryl Cosim. TV5 also signed some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry such as Comedy King Dolphy and Diamond Star Maricel Soriano.

The Kapatid network was responsible for producing such programs such as “Face To Face” hosted by Amy Perez, the weekly entertainment talk show “Paparazzi,” which was hosted by Gutierrez, showbiz columnists Dolly Ann Carvajal and Cristy Fermin, and former Kapuso host Mo Twister, the fantasy series ‘Pidol’s Wonderland’ with the late Dolphy, the horror sitcom ‘My Darling Aswang’ starring Vic Sotto and Dayana Menezes, and even ‘P.O.5.’, a Sunday variety show. The latter 2 tried its best to keep up with ABS-CBN’s ‘ASAP’ and ‘The Buzz’ but fell short. They also launched a ‘StarStruck’-esque reality show in ‘Star Factor’ which launched the careers of Ritz Azul and Morissette, plus they created their first soap starring JC de Vera and Arci Munoz, entitled ‘My Driver Sweet Lover’.

But there were some shows carried from the Ka-Shake era which tried to survive the changes in programming and management, such as ‘Talentadong Pinoy’, the local version of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’, ‘Juicy’, ‘Midnight DJ’ and ‘Lokomoko’.

This year also saw them air cartoons from Turner and Disney’s library after they lost their Nickelodeon rights to ABS-CBN, though they still aired independently-produced children’s programming (e.g. ‘Bob the Builder’, ‘Hi-5’ (Series 11), ‘Chuggington’).

Despite his legal battles against ABS-CBN, Willie Revillame and TV5 launched a new variety program entitled “Willing Willie.” The show, which aired at around 6:00 p.m. from Mondays to Saturdays, competing with ABS-CBN and GMA’s nightly newscasts, and is considered as a continuation of ‘Wowowee’, or it could also be ‘Eat Bulaga’ on primetime. TV5 also got then-Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Soledad as Revillame’s co-host. This year also, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, the sister of Anne Curtis was tapped as TV5’s new star, groomed to have been their own primetime princess, who back then still had a long way to go if she would be at Kim Chiu’s level.

And before the year ended, they launched an all-news radio station on the FM band, Radyo5 92.3 NEWS FM which bore the tagline ‘Iwanan Mo Na Ang Lumang Tunog ng AM’.

2014

TV5 went back to where they were before MVP bought them: an alternative station which used to be their formula during the Tonyboy Cojuangco ownership. They even bore a new slogan: ‘Happy Ka Dito!’.

This year, TV5 said many ‘yeses’ to sports coverage from Super Bowl to the Sochi Winter Olympics to Incheon Asian Games to NCAA’s March Madness and even the FIBA World Cup. This year also marked the full-time return of the PBA to TV5’s primetime schedule. On non-PBA game days, Movie Max 5 would be aired.

Viewers also witnessed the premieres of highly-praised weekly series ‘JasMine’ and ‘Trenderas’, as well as a franchised game show in ‘Quiet Please! Bawal ang Maingay’. TV5 also collaborated with both E! and Wattpad to broadcast ‘It Takes Gutz to Be a Gutierrez’ and ‘Wattpad Presents’, respectively, to good reviews. The latter was able to survive more than 1 year, being a hip anthology series for young audiences which became a more lighthearted counterpart to ABS-CBN and GMA’s soap operas. Gone were the ‘Weekend Do it Better’ and ‘Everyday All the Way’ program blocks, ‘Face the People’ and ‘Let’s Ask Pilipinas’ were cancelled just before 2014 ended.

At the same time, a second coming of ‘Shall We Dance’ in ‘Celebrity Dance Battle’ aired between March and June. ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, ‘Tropa Mo Ko’, and even ‘Wow Mali: Lakas ng Tama’  managed to survive the programming changes due to having developed a cult following. ‘Talentadong Pinoy’ also returned with the real-life couple Mariel and Robin Padilla at the helm but it failed to regain the popularity of its past seasons’ glory days.

In terms of acquired programming, they aired the Koreanovelas ‘Bride of the Century’ and ‘Cool Guys, Hot Ramen’ while mornings were dominated by Western cartoons such as Disney’s ‘Sofia the First’, “Gravity Falls’ and ‘Henry Hugglemonster’ which premiered during the time its program block turned 4 years old.

News5 saw a slight decline in quality this year. The Aksyon brand became universal by July and AksyonTV started to lack original programming and relied more towards TV5’s programming. The sex scandal that involved Paolo Bediones in September demoralized News5 management. He did return to host ‘Demolition Job’ and continued his duties as Rescue5’s head once the impact began to dissipate.

The biggest issue that came from the camp? Departure of some superstars with the network. This year, they lost Aga Muhlach, Nora Aunor and Sharon Cuneta to freelance status. Muhlach left first in March when TV5 announced they won’t renew his contract due to a change in programming that was about to happen. Cuneta followed suit in August when TV5 realized that her contract became pre-terminated. At that time, she was busy taping a sitcom with Richard Gomez but it shelved due to heavy production budgets. Finally, Aunor left in October because she seemed more interested doing indie films rather than television acting. Plus at the same time, their internet experiments Balut Radio and Kristn ended service.

Conclusion

Overall, the year 2010 proved to be a good start for TV5 to gain momentum in all aspects, as its tried hard to counter what ABS-CBN and GMA offered back then.

TV5 did not have a bad year in 2014, but sportscasting commitments became a hindrance for them to sustain its entertainment assets. They eventually decided to create a New Year party of their own to be held at the Quezon City Memorial Circle with the help of the local city government, as it becomes a very crucial way to promote what would have been in store for them the following year. It’s time they tried to maintain their niche in the TV landscape by spreading inspiration and delight to Filipinos who got tired of the heavy and problem-laden TV shows. Amid the departure of high-profile talents, they were ‘the only major TV network that airs basketball on primetime’, according to an Inquirer report. They also produce more light entertainment shows, especially the comedy type, as the New Year comes.

Many young viewers looked forward to AniMEGA’s return of giving them anime and even the return of the Aussie children’s show ‘Hi-5’ after 3 years, but this time bringing back the classic hits, especially, ‘L-O-V-E’, ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ and ‘Ready or Not, I’m Gonna Find You Again’, so what more for Noel Lorenzana, Ray Espinosa and friends, especially MVP? Then, invite someone like Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Stevie Nicholson or Lauren Brant to sing ‘What Shall We Plan Today?’ or ‘Trying On These Plans’ with 5’s management team.

A Look Back at ABS-CBN in 2010 and 2014

2018 is about to end. But before the calendar flips to 2019, let’s look back at what happened in Philippine television in 2010 and 2014. This part, we’ll travel to what happened on ABS-CBN during those 2 years.

ABS-CBN

2010: It was a great year for the Kapamilya network. According to Gabby Lopez on their annual report, they benefited from the overall growth of Philippine economy, and they remained as benchmark of Philippine TV programming, suiting the tastes and reflecting the values of the Filipino people.

It was during those times that IWanTV was launched to cater viewers who miss any show on ABS-CBN. Last May, after their historic coverage of the presidential elections entitled ‘Ako ang Simula’ wherein they showcased use of holograms, they changed their corporate name to ABS-CBN Corporation which means they have moved beyond broadcasting. As they celebrated 60 Years of Pinoy Soap Opera, dramas like ‘Agua Bendita’, ‘Imortal’, the reboot of ‘Mara Clara’, ‘Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo’, ‘Habang May Buhay’, ‘Magkaribal’ and ‘Noah’ were able to impress viewers on primetime. It was also the year they revived ‘Wansapanataym’ and ‘Kokey’ for those who missed those well-received programs. In the afternoon, Precious Hearts Romances (PHR) showcased the top-caliber performances of its then-second-tier stars.

Moving beyond teleseryes, on the reality show side, ‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ was also launched, with Jovit Baldivino emerging as its first grand winner. In April, ‘Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Clash 2010’ managed to launch the careers of Ryan Bang, Devon Seron and James Reid. Original creations in Sharon Cuneta’s ‘Star Power’ and even the return of ‘Star Circle Quest Kiddie Edition’ also caught viewers’ attention and were able to launch the showbiz careers of Angeline Quinto and Clarence Delgado.

There was a fair share of problems when it comes to noontime shows. Willie Revillame left ‘Wowowee’ in May due to disagreements with Jobert Sucaldito causing the show’s downfall and the launch of ‘Pilipinas Win na Win’. But the latter fell short to ‘Eat Bulaga’ and it underwent a series of changing timeslots and host line-ups and was reduced to 1 hour during their final months. One of their final hosts happened to be Rico J. Puno who passed away eight years later.

Beyond entertainment, their sports division entered into partnership for cheerleading and football. They became the broadcast partner for the National Cheerleading Championship and the Philippine Football Federation. Their UHF network, Studio 23, started to cater to the mass audience with its new slogan: IbaKabarkada! in August.

2014: On the positive side, it was a year full of high viewership numbers, top trending topics on social media and a wide line of awards, meaning it was another impressive year for the Mother Ignacia folks.

For its daytime programming, the musical game show ‘The Singing Bee’ moved to weekdays while the Jodi Sta. Maria-starred ‘Be Careful with My Heart’ eventually bade farewell. ‘It’s Showtime’ continued to dominate noontime viewing while ‘Give Love on Christmas’ became their second Christmas special drama after ‘Ikaw Ay Pag-Ibig’ a few years earlier.

On Primetime Bida, the year 2014 became the year of the “wives” with two controversial teleseryes on their third slot. ‘The Legal Wife’, top billed by Jericho Rosales, Angel Locsin and Maja Salvador, became a controversial teleserye and well-known of its weird promo prize of Uni-Pak sardines. TLW’s ending was unique among other teleseryes: no happy ever after series but a happy scene of poetic justice made by Locsin. Two Wives is based on the SBS Korean drama five years ago, starring Kaye Abad, Jason Abalos, Erich Gonzales and Patrick Garcia. Both series were able to gain high ratings, beating their GMA counterparts. Ikaw Lamang, topbilled by Coco Martin, Kim Chiu, Jake Cuenca, Julia Montes and KC Concepcion, was the only teleserye that spanned more than six months on primetime TV during that year (7.5 months to be exact). It was replaced by Enrique Gil and Liza Soberano’s first drama as a love team, entitled ‘Forevermore’, shot in the Ilocos Region.

In the reality show department, Pinoy Big Brother: All In‘s housemate selection drew flak by netizens, trending with #PBBScripted. During the four-month stay, there are issues provoking within the Big Brother house including the intimidation of a nude painting challenge. In the end, on August 24, the latecomer Daniel Matsunaga was crowned as the Big Winner, while as far as singing contests were concerned, last July 27, during The Voice Kids’ premier season, judges and the plebs chose Lyca Gairanod as the winner instead of Darren Espanto due to her pitiful socioeconomic background.

Their sports division had a successful year, beginning with the end of Studio 23 and the start of ABS-CBN Sports + Action. Because the UAAP and the NBA sustained its higher ratings that year, it led to another 5-year contract for the 2 leagues’ broadcast rights.

In other programming, this year saw the return of the legal drama ‘Ipaglaban Mo’ while ‘ASAP’ celebrated its 19th anniversary with two shows outside the Philippines: Dubai in January and Los Angeles in October. The latter also introduced new groups like ‘IG’ (the second coming of It Girls) and ‘Homegrown Divas’. A late-night talk show premiered last February, entitled ‘Aquino and Abunda Tonight’, wherein Boy Abunda and Kris Aquino would deliver the top stories in showbiz and politics for just 15 minutes. The showbiz talk show ‘The Buzz’ celebrated its 15th year which is why the title ‘Buzz ng Bayan’ got scrapped. Can’t you imagine Boy, Kris and Toni Gonzaga all together every Sunday afternoon?

It was also a year of homecoming celebrities. Jolina Magdangal and Maxene Magalona returned to their first home in TV career after 12 years of projects on GMA. The former began her TV career in 1992 as a pioneer Ang TV teen, whereas the latter returned to her first home as April Mae of Dream Dad (starring Jana Agoncillo, Zanjoe Marudo and Beauty Gonzalez) after 19 years of working with the rival network, except for her 2005 guest stint on ASAP Fanatic (just a mere asterisk). Like Jolina, Maxene started her career as an Ang TV kid during its second season.

There were also things on the negative side, however. While Primetime Bida dominated the primetime slot, they had a fair share of busts. Julia Barretto’s debut teleserye Mirabella failed to impress, while the reboot of ‘Dyesebel’ and ‘Sana Bukas Pa ang Kahapon’ never met expectations.

The last two quarters of 2014 saw the decline in quality of Kapamilya Gold. The network’s last two afternoon soaps, ‘Galema: Anak ni Zuma’ and ‘Moon of Desire’, were replaced by a combination of Asianovela reruns, ‘Bet on Your Baby’, the ill-fated ‘Ana Manuela’, and ‘Kapamilya Blockbusters’, a sign that ABS-CBN was letting their rival GMA dominate the afternoon slot.

Speaking of reruns, ABS-CBN re-broadcast the highly successful ‘Meteor Garden’ to rave reviews. Later reruns of Asianovelas like ‘My Girl’ and ‘Lovers in Paris’ and even classic Asian cartoons ‘Princess Sarah’, ‘Marcelino Pan Y Vino’ and ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ were considered as flops in the daytime slot.

Finally, regarding their sports and news divisions, they also had some negative moments. On the sports side, WWE fans in the Philippines cried foul over the missing Wrestlemania XXX, thinking it was just one special that will be skipped last March. However, it was confirmed that WWE’s local broadcast rights has been moved to Fox Sports, meaning that the new Sports + Action will focus on real action on sports (hence, UFC was retained) and not mostly entertainment on sports (where WWE devotes more on discourse and less on value-added activity). In June, the coverage of all five NBA Finals games of San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat delayed in favor of Kris TV. Three months later, the FIBA World Cup in Spain was accredited but the Gilas games are delayed by an average of a day than TV5’s live coverage. Netizens cried foul over few delayed Azkals matches last November due to priority of NBA games. Whereas on the news side, February saw the weekday late night news program Bandila deliver the unconfirmed news item on the communicable “mysterious flesh-eating disease” in Pangasinan which triggered mass panic and prayer on national trends, and a month before the year ended, on December 3, during the banter segment on TV Patrol, Korina Sanchez was once again in the spotlight of controversy when she prayed that the Typhoon Ruby will swerve to Japan. Four days later, Atom Araullo once again braced his bravery on the intense effect of the typhoon in Samar on DZMM Teleradyo. As the typhoon diminished into a tropical depression, sparing Metro Manila, Kim Atienza explained during the interview on Aquino & Abunda Tonight (where it began last January) that the strong Amihan monsoon was credited for the weakening of the typhoon.

Conclusion

What was funny for them? None other than Marc Logan provided humour to each viewer every late Saturday afternoon with ‘Mga Kwento ni Marc Logan’ which premiered during the month of August but ended September last year. But seriously, ABS-CBN still bannered in most aspects that year amid the controversies and problems they have faced, especially when they have ended the year gracefully with an above 30% audience share nationwide according to what Kantar Media has gathered.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where I will tackle about T5N (The 5 Network) in 2010 and 2014.

My Opening Blog

Hi! My name is Lorenzo Kiel M. Cerin, I am a PHTV and radio enthusiast and an avid fan of Ralphierce’s From The Tube, as well as Timow’s Turf. There’s only a few days left in 2017, so I have to make up my own blog before this year ends. Hopefully I will get to know what is happening on the landscape of TV and radio. Good luck!