Award-winning documentary programs such as ‘I-Witness’ will greatly benefit from the move to GMA’s ‘Afternoon Prime’.
Desperate times need desperate measures. And for GMA, it’s all about trying to reverse an ongoing ratings slide.
Already suffering from a decline in viewership in the Telebabad slot, the Kapuso network’s fortunes in the afternoon slot took a turn for the worse after ABS-CBN‘s post-‘Showtime’ afternoon ratings improved, largely due to the success of programs such as ‘Kapamilya Blockbusters’, ‘Galema: Anak ni Zuma’, ‘Pinoy True Stories‘, and ‘Princess Hours‘. As a result, GMA responded with their own movie block in ‘GMA Blockbusters’, which like its ABS-CBN counterpart, will feature more recent films from the GMA Films library.
But is the movie block really the answer for their ratings slide? As far as I’m concerned, ‘GMA Blockbusters’ is not the solution to the network’s problems. In fact, it would have been better if they moved their award-winning documentary programs out of the midnight slot. Why? Because the awards that shows like ‘I-Witness‘ earned would be worthless if no one is watching. By placing them into the afternoon slot it will help them attract more viewers, in the same way that ABS-CBN’s ‘Pinoy True Stories’ accomplished a few months earlier.
Aside from the GMA documentary programs, I also liked to see ‘Love Hotline’ move from GMA News TV to the mother network. ‘Love Hotline’, a love advice program hosted by Jean Garcia, has been airing on weeknights since it debuted last October, opposite the main networks’ newscasts. Moving ‘Love Hotline’ to GMA’s afternoon slot will greatly benefit the program, as it will now go head-to-head against TV5’s ‘Face the People’ on the same timeslot.
With that, here is what I think should be the best lineup for GMA’s ‘Afternoon Prime’:
2:30 p.m. – Villa Quintana
3:20 p.m. – Magkano Ba ang Pag-Ibig
4:10 p.m. – I-Witness/Reporter’s Notebook/Born to Be Wild/Alisto/Out of Control
5:00 p.m. – Love Hotline
With ABS-CBN pushing the right buttons for the past few years, perhaps it is time for GMA to do the same. And shuffling its afternoon slot should help.
From the Tube 
GMA should improve its Sunday programming. Here are my suggestions:
10 am — Sports Coverages like PBA D League
12 nn — Sunday All-Stars
2 pm — Dormitoryo
3 pm — a new Showbiz talk show preferably with Ricky Lo as one of the hosts
5 pm — I Bilib
5:30 — 24 Oras
6 pm — Kap’s Amazing Stories
6:30 pm — Pepito Manaloto
7:30 pm — KMJS
9 pm — Imbestigador
10 pm — SNBO with more documentaries and less Tagalized movies. Also, less concerts with GMA stars who don’t have singing talent.
I think this is good. But the 3 pm slot should be for Startalk. And Kap’s is better off airing opposite ‘Matanglawin’. Picture Picture should be aired after Eat Bulaga should Startalk decide to return to Sundays.
GMA airs AHA and Born Impact against Matanglawin. The network feels that Kap should be a good match for Goin’ Bulilit.
But Kaps in the evening won’t even allow Jessica Soho’s program to start almost at the same time to the timeslot of Rated K. Pepito Manaloto is a better counterpart to Goin’ Bulilit. Kaps is better off as a morning program, perhaps either before or after AHA or Born Impact.
GMA is airing Kap’s on Sunday nights because the network feels Bong Revilla is not fit for a morning show. All his shows on the Kapuso Network have always been on primetime.
Then bring Kim Atienza to primetime.
By the way, Rambo 2 with Stallone will be the movie GMA is airing on Sunday night on SNBO.
This will be the last unrelated comment. Any comment not related to my blog post will be unapproved immediately.
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Nice suggestion, here’s my two pesetas: How about the regional programming in, for example, Cebu?
I don’t live in Cebu; however, GMA should devote the 5:00 p.m. slot to localized news programming in Cebuano, Davaoeno or other regional dialects. ABS-CBN has done a splendid job with their regional versions of TV Patrol. Get rid of the Asianovelas in favor of regional news.
And as I have written in that article, why not move their ‘Night Shift’ block featuring I-Witness, Born to Be Wild, etc. to the afternoon slot. These shows will be the perfect lead-in to the regional news programs. Two teleseryes in the afternoon is are just enough; wag puro drama araw-araw.
How about a dedicated news bulletin for Metro Manila. Is it possible?
No. Besides, who need a regional news program concerning Metro Manila when the common language of that region is Tagalog. The only concerns I have is for the other regions whose dialects are spoken by the majority. Being the center of the Philippine government, there’s definitely no need for regional news about Metro Manila.
err, Cebuano and Davaoeño are languages of their own. Please be careful
Sorry about that.
for example: The BBC produces a dedicated news bulletin for London daily.
I see. That’s a great example.
News TV already has Balita Pilipinas which covers all regions under GMA’s regional news division.
But it’s in the Filipino language like all other News TV programs, unlike ABS-CBN’s regional versions of TV Patrol where they anchor them in a particular dialect (e.g. Cebuano, Davaoeno).
ralphierce, here’s the sked of GMA News TV tonight:
5:45 pm — Ang Pinaka: KSP na Paandar ng Lovers Online
6:30 pm — Idol sa Kusina (Guest: Julie Anne San Jose)
7:15 pm — Good News (Metabolism booster recipes and more)
8 pm — Reel Time: “Kailangang umalis, para makabalik”
9 pm — GMA Documentaries
10 pm — Bayan Ko
11 pm — I Witness
12 mn — Jesus the Healer
Dapat ibalik na lang kasi ng GMA-7 at Focus Entertainment ang Daisy Siete ng Sexbomb Girls at new season na po (bagong storya na po) kasi yan po nagpapataas ng ratings ng afternoon prime ng GMA-7 ang Daisy Siete ng Sexbomb Girls dahil sa may followers pa rin ang sexbomb girls until now may humahanga pa rin sa Sexbomb Girls at maganda naman ang storya ng Daisy Siete its simple story and casts.
nung nawala sa ere ng daisy siete yun bagsak na tuloy ang ratings ng afternoon rime ng GMA 7.
Problema lang, ang mga Sexbomb lumipat sa ABS noong itinatag ng Eat Bulaga ang EB Babes; ngayon ay dancers sila ng Showtime. Si Rochelle lang ang nanatili sa GMA, at nasa teleserye siya at ilang beses na ring nakasama sa Eat Bulaga.
Ang nais ko sa GMA ay ilipat na ang kanilang public affairs programs sa hapon bilang pantapat sa ABS, tapos ibalik na lang yung Kapuso Blockbusters bilang pantapat sa Kapamilya Blockbusters. Masyadong madami nang pang-drama, kaya masama rin ‘to sa viewership.
I doubt if GMA will put its news and public affairs shows in the afternoon. That’s where News TV has to step in. Talagang nakakalito ang programming ng Channels 7 and 11 because GMA lacks people who can come up with creativity in their programming.
Sayang. By the way, pag-nagpost ako ng article that suggests programming changes, reformatting or criticism of a particular network, libelous na ba yon? The SC kasi sabi constitutional na daw ang Internet libel.
I don’t think so. As far as you criticize constructively without hurting other people’s feelings.