In 150 Words: Mukha 200

One of the Philippines’ longest-running documentary programs has hit a new milestone.

ABS-CBN News Channel’s ‘Mukha’ entered the 200-episode mark earlier this month with a look back at some of its most memorable stories. These flashbacks involved people taking night shifts, kids with special needs and abilities, or men and women whose daily struggles typify today’s society.

‘Mukha’ first aired in April 2014 on ANC and has since become a fixture on the channel’s programming. It has also aired on ABS-CBN Channel 2 at one point and later made its way to DZMM TeleRadyo (albeit exclusive only to television).

In 2016, ‘Mukha’ earned its first big accolade when it won a silver dolphin at the Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards for the episode ‘Sisid’. The following year, ‘Mukha’ earned another award for best short film, this time at the Save the Children Media Awards’, for the episode ‘Sustansya’.

Although ‘Mukha’ still has a long way to go before joining documentary immortality with the likes of ‘The Probe Team’ and ‘I-Witness’, the program has shown plenty of promise to join such fraternity. Expect more interesting stories to come as ‘Mukha’ nears its fourth year on air.

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DZMM TeleRadyo Unveils New Look, Programs

It is a new era in DZMM TeleRadyo’s 10-year history.

At 4:00 a.m. of Monday, June 19, viewers of the channel were treated to something different and fresh. Updated graphics were introduced to DZMM TeleRadyo, with an increased emphasis on the program and the hosts.

This is how DZMM TeleRadyo looked like last Sunday during the showbiz talk show ‘ChisMax’.

Latest showbiz intriga at chismis, ibabalita nina Ambet Nabus at @gretsfullido sa "Chismax" Tutok na!

LIVESTREAM: https://t.co/Fu1W2npyEG pic.twitter.com/wymscGHX5R

— DZMM TeleRadyo (@DZMMTeleRadyo) June 18, 2017

And this is how the same channel looked like the following morning during ‘Failon Ngayon sa DZMM’.

Komentaryo, balita, at impormasyon. Samahan si Ted Failon sa #FailonNgayon. https://t.co/Fu1W2nH9we pic.twitter.com/RbHqYvc9MQ

— DZMM TeleRadyo (@DZMMTeleRadyo) June 19, 2017

Another change that took place on DZMM TeleRadyo is the use of a studio set in lieu of the normal radio booth for select programs. This new set made its debut on ‘Sakto’.

Masayang talakayang may kabuluhan. Samahan sina @amypcastillo at @marc_logan sa #Sakto. https://t.co/Fu1W2nH9we pic.twitter.com/lo3CYmoIkp

— DZMM TeleRadyo (@DZMMTeleRadyo) June 19, 2017

The set is later used on the debuting program ‘Good Vibes’ and on the DZMM mainstay ‘Todo-Todo Walang Preno’. Speaking of ‘Good Vibes’, this new show is essentially ‘Magandang Gabi Dok’ moving into the early afternoon slot, with the latter’s hosts Niña Corpuz and Dra. Luisa Puyat now at the helm of this program.

Another new show is ‘On the Spot’, which takes over the timeslot of ‘Radyo Patrol Balita Alas-Kwatro’. Hosts Vic de Leon-Lima and Toni Aquino are carried over to this new program.

Other programming changes on DZMM TeleRadyo include a new timeslot for ‘Usapang de Campanilla’, now airing at 8:30 p.m. (the show will only air for 30 minutes on TeleRadyo), and ‘MMK Klasik’, now airing at 9:00 p.m. The only casualty of the change is the afternoon music program ‘Dr. Love Always and Forever’, which was canceled to give way to ‘Good Vibes’.

But for those who still clamor the original style, here is how the new graphics were implemented with the traditional TeleRadyo look, as seen in ‘Mismo’. It is likely that this classic graphics setup will be used in a few other shows, most notably those that air during the wee hours and on weekends.

Makisaya kay Papa @AhwelPaz sa 'Mismo'.

LIVESTREAM: https://t.co/Fu1W2npyEG pic.twitter.com/k98IrlOoV0

— DZMM TeleRadyo (@DZMMTeleRadyo) June 19, 2017

Only ‘Headline Pilipinas’ remains unchanged as far as graphics go, since the said newscast premiered just recently.

The updated look and new programs on DZMM TeleRadyo continued a process that began last April. Part I of the makeover saw the network unveil an afternoon block for other ABS-CBN news and current affairs shows and an early edition of ‘Bandila’.

Changes are indeed aplenty for DZMM TeleRadyo. But it doesn’t stop here, as the urge to innovate further will continue amid the ongoing evolution of journalism in the country.

Gina Lopez’s G Diaries This Sunday on ABS-CBN

Gina Lopez has come home.

After a controversial 10-month run as environment secretary, Lopez embarks on a new role, that of a television personality. Her 13-episode series, ‘G Diaries’, serves as a platform of her past experience, as she dives deep into the country’s most scenic locations while continuing to advocate environmental protection.

As previously mentioned, ‘G Diaries’ is a homecoming of sorts for Lopez. Prior to her stint as environment secretary, Lopez served a variety of roles within the ABS-CBN family, most notably as managing director of the Lingkod Kapamilya foundation.

In ‘G Diaries’, Lopez pays a visit into some of the country’s must-see attractions, and along the way she will meet new friends and talk about preserving the environment. According to Lopez herself,

“‘G Diaries’ seeks not only to entertain viewers and promote the Philippines as a majestic travel destination but also to inform and incite action, for everyone to be part of the collective effort to preserve the environment and bequeath it in its healthiest state to the next generation.”

All 13 episodes of ‘G Diaries’ will be directed by esteemed Hollywood director, producer and writer Wil Harper. The series will kick off with a signature prelude film featuring celebrities such as Sharon Cuneta, Eddie Garcia and Charo Santos-Concio.

While ‘G Diaries’ may be just another travel program, there is one aspect of the show that is worth looking at. Not only will viewers see some new destinations, but they will also look at the environmental and aesthetic aspect that each locale presents.

That said, awareness of one’s surroundings is put to a premium in this series. And for those who want to become environmentalists someday, this show is worth watching.

The premiere episode of ‘G Diaries’ will air this Sunday before ‘ASAP’, after which it will air every Saturday at 8:00 a.m. on ABS-CBN. The series will also be seen on Lifestyle Network and the ABS-CBN News Channel.

FTT Year 2015 in Review: Television’s Best

Another year is about to end. But before the calendar flips to 2016, here is a look back at the year that was in television and radio. This article looks back at the 10 best moments in Philippine television this year.

AlDub Invades Eat Bulaga and the World

The now-popular Kalyeserye segment of ‘Eat Bulaga’ began on July 16, as a then-unknown Maine Mendoza (under the Yaya Dub character) caught the eye of rising Kapuso star Alden Richards. Since then, AlDub grew into a social media phenomenon, and it culminated into a slew of advertisements, magazine covers, a supporting role in ‘My Bebe Love: #KiligPaMore’, and a sold-out ‘Sa Tamang Panahon’ live episode at the Philippine Arena.

While the popularity of AlDub had some negative effects on GMA and its rivals, there is no denying that the duo became the key ingredient that introduced ‘Eat Bulaga’ into a new generation. The 36-year-old variety show is now enjoying its best ratings in years, thanks largely to AlDub.

LizQuen, KathNiel and JaDine Dominate Primetime Ratings

While AlDub dominated noontime, primetime belonged to ABS-CBN’s three hottest love teams.  The year began with LizQuen (Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil) of ‘Forevermore’ continuing their winning run, before handing it over to KathNiel (Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla) of ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’, and JaDine (James Reid and Nadine Lustre) of ‘On the Wings of Love’.

The success of LizQuen, KathNiel and JaDine were crucial in Primetime Bida’s thorough domination of Telebabad in the national ratings. Although GMA responded with BiGuel (Bianca Umali and Miguel Tanfelix) in ‘Once Upon a Kiss’, and GabRu (Gabbi Garcia and Ruru Madrid) of ‘Let the Love Begin’, they were unable to make an impact.

A New Sunday Afternoon Habit

August 9 saw a new rival for the 20-year-old ‘ASAP’, but they did not expect it to be different. In came ‘Sunday PinaSaya’, GMA’s newest variety show that emphasized more on comedy than musical performances.

The presence of ‘Eat Bulaga’ hosts Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola and Alden RicRhards (with Maine Mendoza later added) helped ‘Sunday PinaSaya’ defeat ‘ASAP’ on a consistent basis. In response, ABS-CBN moved ‘Banana Split: Extra Scoop’ to Sunday afternoons as ‘Banana Sundae’, but it still failed to reverse the trend.

Willie Revillame Returns 

Speaking of Sunday afternoons, May 10 saw the return of Willie Revillame to the small screen with ‘Wowowin’. Initially airing every mid-Sunday afternoons, it later moved to an earlier timeslot after ‘Sunday PinaSaya’, where it has since flourished.

Even though Willie faced an arrest warrant over the ‘Willing Willie’ macho dancer kid case, this didn’t stop him from receiving accolades for ‘Wowowin’. The rebirth of the controversial host was capped off with a pair of awards for best game show and host in the PMPC Star Awards.

Wattpad Presents Turns 1

The teleserye dominance of ABS-CBN and GMA did not deter TV5. Following the cancellation of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ in early November, ‘Wattpad Presents’ became the network’s longest-running active entertainment program, having been on the air for over a year.

Under-appreciated by most television viewers, ‘Wattpad Presents’ was able to make it 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.

ABS-CBN Goes Digital and HD

February 11 saw the much-awaited launch of ABS-CBN TVPlus, the first-ever digital terrestrial television service in the country. The so-called ‘mahiwagang black box’ quickly became popular, selling nearly a million units.

Then on October 3, ABS-CBN HD was launched, bringing virtually every program on Channel 2 into crystal clear high definition. And finally, ABS-CBN announced that they will replace Balls HD with ABS-CBN Sports+Action HD starting January 1, ending a six-year run for the network’s first-ever HD channel.

Kapamilya Gold Reloaded

Teleseryes made their return to Kapamilya Gold on January 13, 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’.

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.

NCAA Returns to Channel 23; UAAP Extended

After a fruitless three-year tenure with Sports5, the NCAA returned to ABS-CBN Sports in late June. The renewed partnership featured new innovations, such as social media interaction and high-definition broadcasts.

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.

The Big Two-0

November 27 saw ‘Bubble Gang’ celebrate its 20th anniversary with a documentary special. The 20-year-old gag show continues to defy time, maintaining its status as a Friday night habit despite an evolving cast of talents and advancements in technology.

Also reaching its 20th year is ‘Saksi’, the second longest-running active free TV newscast in the country. So is ‘ASAP’, who despite fading ratings with the entry of ‘Sunday PinaSaya’, remains a fixture on Sunday noontime.

Janella, Jana Shine on Lunchtime

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 ‘The Ryzza Mae Show’.

In response, the TAPE-produced talk show starring Ryzza Mae Dizon was rebooted into a drama series as ‘Princess in the Palace’. However, the reformat did not produce the desired results.

2015 was another year to remember for television viewers. Although ABS-CBN continued to reign this year, GMA and TV5 enjoyed their own share of moments as well, and with digitization now underway, the preparation for a full-digitized television signal in the Philippines is on.

So what is in store for 2016? Find out as From the Tube continues to look at events and changes that shape Philippine media.

FTT Year 2015 in Review: Television’s Worst

Another year is about to end. But before the calendar flips to 2016, here is a look back at the year that was in television and radio. This article looks back at the 10 worst moments in Philippine television this year.

GMA Scraps Sunday TV Mass

On January 4, GMA decided to cease its broadcast of the Family TV Mass organized by the Society of Divine Word – Mission Communications Foundation, Inc. (SVD-MCFI), replacing it with the movie block ‘Kapuso Sine Klasika’. The Sunday Mass of SVD-MCFI returned to its old home in IBC-13 a week later.

Poor ratings of the Sunday Mass was among the reasons behind the cancellation. Despite the claims of many that GMA is promoting apathy and not favoring the Catholic religion, they still managed to cover (albeit not as dedicated as other stations) the visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines, as well as produce a religiously-themed teleserye ‘Pari ‘Koy’ starring Dingdong Dantes.

Gone Too Soon for KISPinoy and Misterless Misis

‘KISPinoy’ and ‘Misterless Misis’ aired for only three episodes each during the third quarter of 2015. The former was axed in late July, while the latter received a postponement (or possibly a cancellation) notice the following month.

Both events paved the way for VIVA to take over TV5’s entertainment department, with Vic del Rosario replacing Wilma Galvante.

PBB, It’s Showtime Summoned by MTRCB

‘Pinoy Big Brother: 737’ and ‘It’s Showtime’ were each summoned by the MTRCB for offending viewer sensibilities. The former was for the so-called ‘bromance’ involving teen housemates Bailey May and Kenzo Gutierrez, while the latter was for the alleged ‘pimping’ of ‘Pastillas Girl’ Angelica Yap in the ‘Nasaan Ka Mr. Pastillas’ skit.

Both shows eventually complied by imposing self-regulatory measures, among other rulings. MTRCB also summoned GMA’s ‘The Rich Man’s Daughter’ for strong language inappropriate to viewers.

GMA’s Finances Put Into Question

Despite an increase in revenue, GMA’s financial capabilities were on the hot seat anew this year. The increased revenue was done at the expense of the network’s ‘streamlining’ efforts which featured, among others, the closure of regional networks and programs, and the termination of long-time employees.

Felipe Gozon’s reluctance to sell a part of the network’s shares was also a major issue. Talks between him and Ramon Ang collapsed in August (with the latter later accusing Gozon of estafa), and a few months later, Gozon rejected offers from Chavit Singson and Manny Pacquiao to purchase a part of the network.

Pope Francis, SONA and APEC Coverage Issues

Not all news networks were able to cover the three biggest news events of the year. GMA News TV received major heat for their lack of coverage in both the visit of Pope Francis in the Philippines and the State of the Nation Address, while AksyonTV was criticized for their non-coverage of the APEC Summit.

The two embattled news networks deserved a lot of blame this year. Speaking of AksyonTV,…

AksyonTV’s Identity Crisis Continues

Admit it or not, AksyonTV really needs a makeover. No longer the 24/7 all-Filipino free TV news channel of years past, the network is now increasingly littered with sports coverage, ranging from major leagues like the PSL to more low-scale ones like the PCBL.

Perhaps the time is now for the network to bring back the AKTV name it once used as a blocktimer on IBC-13. After all, AksyonTV’s glory days are behind them.

StarStruck’s Disaster

The return of ‘StarStruck’ proved to be a glorified failure, as ratings and a questionable timeslot doomed the reality show’s sixth season. It was also long overdue, and it would have made a big difference for the network had it been placed opposite ‘Pinoy Big Brother: 737’.

That said, there may never be another season of ‘StarStruck’ after this. So much for hype gone wrong.

Goodbye Showbiz Talk Shows As We Know It

Easter Sunday of this year marked the final episode of the 16-year-old ‘The Buzz’. Seven months later, ‘Startalk’ took a bow as well after 20 years on air.

A change in viewer’s taste was a key reason behind the demise of both shows. Although ‘CelebriTV’ replaced ‘Startalk’, and ABS-CBN planned to revive ‘The Buzz’ in the future, it won’t be easy adapting to a new audience.

CNN Philippines Not Living Up to Expectations

Launched last March 15, CNN Philippines was supposed to be a local version of its parent network. However, a lot of issues surfaced from the beginning.

Whether it’s due to the revolving door of anchors and reporters, an overemphasis on Nancy Grace or the lack of round-the-clock news coverage, it is clear that CNN Philippines is still a work in progress. That said, Nine Media will need to make a lot of changes to ensure that this venture between them and CNN won’t end quickly.

NBA on ABS-CBN Demoted to the Studio

Since February, 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.

In tomorrow’s year-end special, From the Tube will look back at the 10 best moments in Philippine television this 2015.

More Programming Problems on AksyonTV With Entry of Shop Japan

Shop Japan’s entry to AksyonTV only made things worse for the said network. (Logo courtesy of Shop Japan Philippines)

Shop Japan has now infiltrated AksyonTV’s programming.

The infomercial series first aired on weekends at 12:00 p.m., originally in lieu of reruns of the defunct KBO block. Nowadays it airs specifically during most vacant programming hours, replacing the reruns of defunct AksyonTV-produced programs while serving its purpose as filler programming during a lull in sports or news coverage.

Shop Japan was first introduced to TV5 last year in response to ABS-CBN’s establishment of the O Shopping block. The said program currently airs on TV5 every day as the network’s final program prior to sign-off, airing almost at the same time as rival O Shopping.

Shop Japan became the first infomercial program on TV5 since the combination of EZ Shop, Venta5 and Winner TV aired on its predecessor ABC-5.

Shop Japan also airs on BEAM Channel 31, which also happens to broadcast the infomercials of rivals O Shopping and TV Shoppe.

The entry of Shop Japan only furthers the growing gap between AksyonTV and its rival sister stations. There is nothing wrong about TV5’s decision to bring Shop Japan to its sister station, but airing them very often only provided further complications.

For instance, the PBA coverage on TV5, Radyo5 92.3 News FM and AksyonTV forced several Radyo5-simulcast programs to adjust their schedules during weekday doubleheaders. But beginning with the Governors’ Cup, only the final 60 minutes of ‘Punto Asintado’ is simulcast on AksyonTV, giving away the first 30 to Shop Japan instead.

The presence of Shop Japan simply hampered AksyonTV’s hopes of refurbishing what has been a declining product. The said network has depended a lot on Radyo5, News5 and Sports5 programs to keep it afloat, but as it stands, little to no improvement has been made on TV5’s sister station when it comes to its lineup.

Only time will tell when AksyonTV will finally come to its senses. At this point, however, the network has nowhere else to go.