GMA 7‘s ‘Startalk‘ is currently the longest-running showbiz talk show in the Philippines today, but one must wonder why they do not air anymore on Sundays? It has been debated many times over the years, and it still continues today. With GMA 7’s late Sunday afternoon timeslot vacated after the cancellation of ‘HOT TV‘, I have to wonder if ‘Startalk’ needed to return to a Sunday timeslot. Before going to this discussion, here’s how the show started.
‘Startalk’ debuted on GMA 7 in 1995. The program originally competed head-on with ABS-CBN’s ‘Showbiz Lingo’ on a Sunday timeslot. That’s right, Startalk started their run on a Sunday. It soon gained a reputation for its explosive and hard-hitting reports on the lives of Filipino celebrities, that it gained the title “The Only Showbiz Authority”. But while it gained a significant fanbase and a controversial yet popular host in Rosanna Roces, in 1998 GMA 7 decided to move the show to a Saturday timeslot after Eat Bulaga, upon realizing they couldn’t beat ‘Showbiz Lingo’ on its timeslot. The move to Saturdays effectively killed off ABS-CBN’s efforts of airing a weekly drama series opposite ‘Startalk’. A year later however, ‘The Buzz‘ debuted as a replacement of ‘Showbiz Lingo’, and their first recruit turned out to be one of the original hosts of ‘Startalk’ in Boy Abunda.
From then on both ‘Startalk’ and ‘The Buzz’ dominated their respective timeslots, and along the way several competitors came and went, such as GMA 7’s ‘S-Files‘, ‘Showbiz Central‘ and ‘HOT TV’, and ABS-CBN’s ‘Showbiz Sabado’ ‘EK Channel’, ‘Entertainment Konek‘, ‘Entertainment Live‘, and TV5’s ‘Juicy’ and ‘Paparazzi’, neither of which were able to equal or surpass the viewing audience of ‘Startalk’ and ‘The Buzz’. Today the only other weekend showbiz talk show aside from the two is ABS-CBN’s ‘Showbiz Inside Report‘.
Soon after GMA 7’s cancellation of ‘HOT TV’, they have stayed away from producing a replacement showbiz talk show, instead airing Filipino-dubbed American films on the timeslot against ‘The Buzz’. GMA 7’s lack of effort replacing ‘HOT TV’ gave ‘The Buzz’ further headway in the ratings. With ‘The Buzz’ dominating, it may just be a matter of time before ‘Startalk’ returns to Sundays and start competing with ‘The Buzz’. After all, the only showbiz talk show that can rival ‘The Buzz’ is ‘Startalk’ itself.
I think moving ‘Startalk’ to Sundays is the right deal. And moving it to an earlier timeslot after ‘Sunday All Stars’ will help showbiz aficionados get their fix earlier than what ‘The Buzz’ offers. I would rather see teen-oriented shows like ‘Teen Gen’ on a Saturday because it benefits teenagers more during their downtime. So moving ‘Startalk’ to Sundays should be good for GMA 7, and for the television audience as a whole.
From the Tube 
According to PEP Alerts that Startalk will possibly return to Sunday in future time.
That’s great. GMA desperately needs to bring Startalk back to Sundays because their programming on that day has been suffering of late.
UPDATE: Startalk will be moved timeslot starting on Sunday, January 26, after True Horror Stories. (not sure kung 3 *if SAS will be moved into a 3 hour show or 4 pm)
GMA Blockbusters (which formerly aired on Sunday afternoon) will carry the timeslot used to be occupied by StarTalk and now-cancelled Out of Control (which is both shows are after EB)
I think SAS will stay as a two-hour show followed by True Horror Stories. Startalk will come in at 3 pm para makauna sila sa Buzz ng Bayan. Then I Bilib will follow at 5 pm.
Buzz ng Bayan is down to just an hour and a half, by the way, so Startalk has more showbiz updates since the latter show is two hours.
And since Buzz ng Bayan is LIVE, Startalk’s move to Sundays is a good one. Now GMA can concentrate on removing their Sunday morning and Sunday night Tagalog-dubbed movies.
Last night ABS aired the new Three Musketeers movie with Milla Jovovich and Orlando Bloom which was shown on local TV for the first time compared to GMA’s Cop Land which has been aired many times on both GMA and TV5. Even when Three Musketeers was plugged, ABS did that plug in straight English. Even their graphics were in English.
Sayang yung Out of Control. Just another failed attempt by GMA.
Kung ako ang GMA management, mas gusto kong tapatan yung Celebrity Bluff sa The Singing Bee kaysa sa GMA Blockbusters. Nakakapagrate naman yung Celebrity Bluff, tapos magandang follow-up to sa Eat Bulaga.
Buzz ng Bayan was live yesterday and Angel Locsin was among the live studio guests. This may have prompted GMA to move Startalk to Sundays.
In addition, most observers have pointed out that it was the emergence of ‘The Singing Bee’ that prompted GMA to move Startalk back to Sundays.
By the way, the PBA games on TV5 will now be up against Buzz ng Bayan, Startalk and Luv U. In fact, Bianca King was a guest in the PBA yesterday to promote her new show on TV5 because that channel has no more showbiz talk show and noontime variety show on Sundays.
Puwede sana sa The Mega and the Songwriter mag-promote si Bianca but that show is on replay. PBA Sports5 Center na lang ang vehicle for TV5 stars to promote their new shows.
IDK about this, but Showbiz Police now has a weekday program before Face the People. Weekday showbiz programs are nothing new to TV5; remember Juicy and Paparazzi? I think may opportunity si Bianca King to guest on the Showbiz Police spinoff.
It’s confirmed. Showbiz Police is now a daily show.
And that means Pinoy Explorer, Tropa Mo Ko Unli, Killer Karaoke Pinoy Naman and Juan Direction will be aired at an earlier time. Now if they cancel What’s Up Doods for good and air SPINNation and Pilipinas News Weekend at an earlier timeslot.
If there will be an extension of the PBA quarterfinals on Saturday, the games start at 4:15 pm instead of 3:30 pm.
Kaya pala ginawang weekdays na yung Showbiz Police because of this.
And what’s worse, the PBA didn’t air the first game live yesterday dahil nga sa mga daily shows ng TV5 na ayaw alisin ni Wilma Galvante.
Plus AksyonTV aired the UFL as scheduled, when in fact they should have made the decision to air the games on a vacant Thursday instead to give way to the PBA.
IMO, I’m starting to dislike the UFL airing on AksyonTV. Kung pwede na lang sana sa ABS-CBN Sports+Action na lang yung UFL para may extended exposure si Bob Guerrero, aka the voice of Azkals football.
I remember, ABS CBN Sports used to air the UFL
Wow, I didn’t know that. Kaso that was before the Azkals became relevant, so di masyadong nagpakilala ang UFL sa mga Kapamilya.
No PBA quarterfinal games today because of TV5’s primetime shows tonight like Obsession with Bianca King and Asia’s Next Top Model. Aksyon TV will air regular shows today like T3, Aksyon and replays of their past shows.
As I mentioned, big mistake for AksyonTV to air the UFL when the PBA scheduled a rare Tuesday doubleheader. Walang game ngayon, pero they still refused to move their live UFL matches dahil ‘Tuesday is always football day’.
DZBB just plugged GMA’s new Sunday programming which takes effect on Jan. 26. Sunday All Stars will be at 12:15 nn, True Horror Stories at 2:15, I Bilib at 3:15 pm and Startalk at 4
Chris Tiu will now be GMA’s answer to the Luv U teens.
Good luck.
In addition, may conflict of interest din siya sa PBA. What more if a Rain or Shine game was against his show?
PBA semis games on Sundays will start at 5 pm. Only one game per day come semis until finals. That means no conflict si Chris dito.
I think it will come in the Commissioner’s Cup, if I-Bilib’s sked stays.
24 Oras with Pia Arcangel and Jiggy Manicad will follow at 5:30 pm after Startalk starting this Sunday. Same time with TV Patrol which comes in after Buzz ng Bayan.
I Bilib and PBA are different shows so I don’t think there is a conflict of interest. Chris began hosting I Bilib even before he turned pro.
Ok then.
24 Oras with Pia Arcangel and Jiggy Manicad will follow at 5:30 pm after Startalk starting this Sunday. Same time with TV Patrol which comes in after Buzz ng Bayan.