"Airtime is a privilege."
"Airtime is a privilege."
Santa Banana, in my 70 years as a journalist, I have seen history in the making. In fact, many times, I was part of it!
I also saw the birth of television in the early 1950s, and with it the rise of the Lopez-owned radio and television network, and also of RPN-Channel 9 together with the partnership of Don Andres Soriano, who was then the owner of The Philippines Herald, with the Canoy-owned Radio Mindanao Network after buying out Don Vicente Madrigal, who used to own El Debate, Monday Mail, The Philippines Herald and Mabuhay.
The Soriano-Canoy partnership gave birth to International Broadcasting Corp. or IBC-13, where I had a talk show under the direction of broadcast icon Dick Taylor.
These were followed by the rise of the Roces-Prieto radio-television network, Channel 5, now owned by taipan Manny V. Pangilinan, and Bob Stewart’s RBN or Republic Broadcast Network, Channel 7.
The birth of television in the Philippines may well be attributed to an American, Jimmy Linderberg, who partnered with Antonio Quirino, who put up Alto Broadcasting System during the presidency of Tony’s brother, Elpidio Quirino. Thus, it can be said that Linderberg was the father of Philippine television.
Tony Quirino, however, did not have the financial resources to go it alone on television. He then partnered with the Lopezes, who had a newspaper called The Manila Chronicle, one of the three newspapers that dominated media. This partnership gave birth to ABS-CBN.
My gulay, there were only two talk shows at that time—the late Doroy Valencia’s Over a Cup of Coffee and yours truly’s Headline Now. Both of us were awardees of the Citizens Mass Media Awards, the precursor of the Catholic Mass Media Awards.
For the record, I was also the recipient of the CMMA for Best Radio Commentator.
Santa Banana, I can’t believe it, but while I was writing columns daily as business editor at the Herald, I also had a radio and television program. I was young then, about 30, and felt I could do anything.
Post-Martial Law, Philippine television has also changed. ABS-CBN was given back to the Lopezes after Marcos crony Roberto Benedicto managed and operated it during the martial law years. Santa Banana, the sequestration of RPN 9 and IBC 13 made the government practically the sole owner of these networks. There is also the government network, the People’s Television Network.
Stewart’s network became GMA7 when the triumvirate of Atty. Felipe Gozon, Menardo Jimenez and Gualberto Duavit bought it.
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I write about the rise of television in the Philippines in view of the fate of ABS-CBN if Congress does not renew its franchise, which will expire this March 30. Unless the President recommends a buyer for the network, this year might see its demise. It could also be that ABS-CBN would become a blocktime of Manny Pangilinan.
The probable end of ABS-CBN has nothing to do with press freedom as others insist. The grant of franchises to radio and television is a privilege given by the state for the use of airwaves. The state has dominion of this.
Both ABS-CBN and GMA have since become giants, with MVP’s Channel 5 a poor third. But if ABS-CBN’s franchise is revoked, GMA will become the dominant network. My gulay, that could be providential since GMA has neither bias nor vested interest.
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Having spent 70 years of my life in journalism, and having gone full circle in print and broadcast, I have seen how newspaper reporting has evolved from being objective to subjective. Then, it was always about the 5Ws. Today, media outfits do not mind if their biases show.
Santa Banana, when you read newspaper reports including headlines, it is almost the same as when you read the op-ed page. What I knew when I was young does not anymore apply today!
Journalists no longer observe what they learn in journalism school!
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Santa Banana, for the nth time I urge the Ombudsman and even Malacañang, as well as anti-corruption agencies and the private sector, to look deeper into the reported joint venture between the Bases Conversion and Development Authority and a Malaysian firm called MTD Capital Berhad. It’s a can of worms!
Among the questions that need to be answered are:
1. Why did the BDCA consent to Section 8 of the draft agreement which says the Malaysian firm will be reimbursed for the cost of the construction of sports facilities at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac through a yearly installment for five years? The contract review done by government lawyers said this was supposed to be the contribution of the Malaysian firm to the joint venture.
2. Why did the BCDA make matters worse and insert Section 4.9 (n) in the draft agreement that the income will be divided 50-50? This provision was not in the unsolicited proposal originally agreed upon.
There was also an insertion that “once and for all, such advances have been repaid, the balance of such annual installment shall be payable to the winning PSP to cover the winning PSP’s reasonable costs and returns.”
Thus, MTD Capital Berhad would be entitled to receive from BCDA P2.490 billion as return on its investment.
This is onerous, don’t you think? I smell a rat in this joint venture.