‘More Than Words’, starring Elmo Magalona and Janine Gutierrez, was supposed to premiere November 3, but was moved instead to November 17. (Photo credit: GMA Network)
It is becoming an infectious habit for GMA Telebabad to screw its viewers.
Last Friday, the official Facebook account of the upcoming Kapuso teleserye ‘More Than Words’ announced that they would air starting Monday, November 3. However, in a last-second move, GMA decided that the series will air beginning November 17 instead.
And in a rather awkward change of direction, GMA chose to air a re-run of the Koreanovela ‘Coffee Prince’ yesterday, as a replacement to the fill-in programs ‘Seasons of Love’ and ‘Elemento’. As Timow’s Turf pointed out, the decision of GMA to re-air ‘Coffee Prince’ was in response to government station PTV-4’s airing of ‘Here Comes Mr. Oh’, which is really pointless given that PTV-4 is not a rich network giant that GMA is.
In essence, the latest programming change implemented by GMA’s entertainment division only made things even more complicated.
By re-airing ‘Coffee Prince’ on the early evening slot, GMA has essentially conceded defeat to ‘Pure Love’, one of ABS-CBN’s strong primetime performers. The Filipino remake of the Koreanovela ’49 Days’ has been a thorn on GMA’s side since its premiere, as it beat the likes of ‘My BFF’, ‘Seasons of Love’ and ‘Elemento’.
Because of that, expect nothing from ‘Coffee Prince’ on primetime since it is a re-run. Sorry GMA, but ‘Coffee Prince’ is no ‘Meteor Garden’.
With regards to ‘More Than Words’, the postponement of its premiere came at a not-so opportune time. The historical drama ‘Ilustrado’ is on its final two weeks, and it is expected to be replaced by the Jennylyn Mercado-starred series ‘Second Chances’.
Given the recent tendency for GMA to cram its teleseryes on primetime, it seems likely that GMA will use this strategy once again, just to include ‘More Than Words’ on Telebabad. This should spell disaster for the Kapuso network, as the potential eight-pack would push ‘Saksi’ to the more dreaded 11:15-11:30 slot, and worse, further the gap between Telebabad and ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida.
Already wrecked by poor ratings and lack of bankable and relatable stars, this latest blunder only shows how dilapidated GMA Telebabad is now. And unfortunately, it only gets worse from here.
From the Tube 
GMA has reportedly reacquired the airing rights to ‘Secret Garden’ and ‘Stairway to Heaven’ (the original) on Philippine TV (along with ‘Coffee Prince’), so expect these two K-dramas to be seen again on GMA soon.
‘Hiram na Alaala’ is also rumored to end this month.
Apparently they’ll never end their fascination with these throwback Koreanovelas.
As for Hiram na Alaala, their run on primetime is definitely a disaster. They can cancel that series anytime they want, even if it meant cutting the story short before a proper ending is in place.
Heard that the reason they are airing More Than Words is to counter the strong following of Forevermore in both Nationwide and Mega Manila. However the Elmo starrer series will enter the same fate as the Julie Ann San Jose musical drama last year due to these stars are not that popular to pull in the numbers. And MTW is too similar to Strawberry Lane. I also heard that they are postponing Second Chances to giveway to MTW but that will just complicate their lineup since they need to move HNA again which means they are surrendering to Forevermore after two weeks of battle.
They’d better put the ax on HNA now, even if it means cutting the story short without a proper ending. The series, honestly, is a disaster for GMA.
And GMA has not done the job well in terms of honing younger talent. While Elmo Magalona and Janine Gutierrez definitely have showbiz blood in them, they can’t thrive with GMA’s poor backstage culture and lack of capable staff. Good thing for Liza Soberano, she quickly cut ties with GMA when she realized that the network has a poor reputation of creating bankable stars.
There is just a lot of confusion going on the GMA camp, to be honest..
If they decide to end HNA then much better, but what they can do is to put MTW after 24Oras so the kilig series would preempt Forevermore. Their best bet against Forevermore is Strawberry Lane. Even if they will do it MTW will have a hard time as well against the last three weeks of HK and we all know that ABS teleseryes fair much better in their final weeks.
Who will have thought that Kaye Abad and Enrique Gil will slaughter GMA’s chances on scoring at least 1 point at the end of 2014.
If I were Elmo I will not be thrilled at all since its not a promotion its a suicide to be aired in primetime. If he can pull some strings he better do now or else he will be like to his former screen partner Julie Ann, without a daily soap.
The mere fact that Rexona made him a support cast to Enrique Gil and Sarah Geronimo’s commercial is a clear sign that people are not confident in him, let alone how a young team up is slaughtering the soap of Dennis Trillo and Kris Bernal which can be considered veterans in GMA.
Cathy Garcia Molina is doing damage in primetime. Such a talented director whether in films and tv. Honestly thought Forevermore will not rate that much, but her magic can work with any stars. That should increase her value and set her as the most sought after director of her generation.
Indeed. Si Direk Cathy na talaga ang may magic touch. There is always no chance for GMA to beat her shows.
For GMA to survive today, they need to accept the fact that they can no longer beat ABS in the entertainment department. It may be very difficult considering their defiance, but they should start realizing that as soon as possible.
GMA need to hire someone who can think outside of the box programs right now. Programs not movies to dub. They will be toast as soon as the new kapamilya gold rolls out by December. If I am a GMA employee I will just wait for the 13th month pay and resign, the company is destined to be the no. 3 network
Indeed. TV5 would be a bigger threat for them from this point on.
Just a bit off the topic in here, GMA7 today is not anymore number 1 in telebabad shows. But they are still better in News and Public Affairs (in my own view), especially they have a great signal reception in most public transpo buses. I do think they have to accept new changes in their way of airing shows. Just an observation for example, they don’t show or air good movies like Captain America, Avengers, Man of Steel, etc. Unlike TV5. They still air very old school movies not once, not twice, but raise to infinity. Also, they should try to strive for sports not just Shakeys but also in other big leagues like NCAA (hope they could acquire this one because their stint in TV5 is getting worse) .
Dapat lang. They need to accept the fact na hindi na nila matatalo ang ABS. They can just change course and air alternative programming the same way TV5 is doing now.
GMA could try airing sports but as you have posted, GMA has no budget for sports coverages. Tagalized movies and reruns is their only option now.
Infomercials are also an option, such as EZ Shop and HSN. And animes too, total nananalo ang GMA sa mga replay ng anime.
Mag News at Docu na lng sila tutal dun nman sila magaling
Indeed.
What’s sickening is that GMA News TV, not GMA 7, will show Jiggy Manicad’s docu on Yolanda this Sunday night at 8. GMA will show the Jackie Chan movie Shaolin on SNBO versus the replay of Atom Araullo’s Yolanda documentary on Sunday’s Best.
That will hurt. Kasalanan uli nito ni Rasonable.
Rasonable has had a lot of bad programming decisions sa GMA since before pa. GMA is also airing Get Smart with Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway this Sunday afternoon after Sunday All-Stars. TV5 showed this movie before.
Mr. Sunday, focus on Telebabad first, not those Sunday movies because they have nothing to do with this article. Here’s a question: If you’re the programming director of GMA, would you cancel the poorly-rated Hiram na Alaala now even if the story has yet to conclude, and would you move Strawberry Lane, as Marcus proposed, to a timeslot opposite Forevermore and place More Than Words to an earlier timeslot?
I guess you’re too good for Sundays.
Plot Twist: Rasonable is working for ABSCBN. Hahaha!
That would be a very combustible combination indeed. Pero in case nasa ABS na siya, a less pressure-packed and powerful position will await her, since andyan pa si Mam Charo.
What I meant was bayaran ng ABS si Rasonable to sabotage GMA programming. Wala pa syang nagagawang matino since taking over the post of Wilma
I see. Total walking distance lang ang dalawang istasyon so your theory may be possible.
Come to think of it GMA’s biggest mistake was to promote Rasonable and allow Wilma to retire. Dapat binigyan n lng si Wilma ng mas mataas na posisyon or refrain her to be hired by TV5. Magulo lng TV5 kasi ang daming other businesses ni MVP na sumasabit sa station pero pag naayos ito lagot ang GMA7. If I were GMA, I will shutdown GNTV. Merge programs with GMA. Axe 24Oras and Saksi, so that State of the Nation can retain its timeslot. Also create weekly series instead of teleseryes. GMA is struggling but if you think about it they have the most potential to become a game changer and take the risk of changing the landscape on Philippine TV. Because they have nothing to loose and everything to gain if this works. Mag fail man sila at least may ginawa sila.
Was Ramon Ang one of the owners of RPN 9 nung time na naging number 1 ang channel 2? If so, Ang’s entrance is a bad omen for GMA
Ang never owned RPN, ever. He basically acquired minority ownership of GMA this year, but so far, wala pa siyang ginagawa rito.
GNTV can revert back to being the all-religious ZOE/Light TV. Pero dapat i-retain ang 24 Oras and Saksi, kasi matagal na yan and it will suck further kung ma-cancel sila. And weekly series, why not? But it will only happen if people become patient at waiting, since most TV viewers here have shorter attention span. GMA, for sure, has the potential to change the way Philippine TV is presented, but they need the right personnel to make it work, and unfortunately, it may be of their best interest to convince Rasonable to resign.
Oh I see, who owns RPN9 back when they are number1?
Well sometimes they need to cut the arm to salvage the patient. They have nothing to loose anyway if they decide to revamp their programming completely. ABS did it before when they launched teleseryes on primetime. They just to have the right programs to make it work. Hangang mataas ang rating ng GMA sa hapon nde magreresign si Rasonable
The Benedictos owned RPN back then, noong panahon ni Marcos.
They can just demote Rasonable if they want to and place a more capable leader. If GMA wants to be relevant again, that’s the way to go.
Ang’s magic is not yet working in GMA precisely because his ownership interest is yet to be delineated and clarified (as regards his influence in GMA’s programming). At this point, I believe Ang acquired a stake in GMA because he saw the umderutilized potential of GMA. Businesswise, GMA is thriving. It is free of debts (long-term), and has the best asset and equity position among the major players, making it attractive to investors like RSA and MVP. FLG is retiring soon, I believe, due to old age maybe. As Duavit takes over and Ang makes his presence felt, surely, GMA shall face a better 2016 (not 2015, actually). These all started with the major changes in the executive posts, including Jessica Soho’s retirement and GMA News’ entry into Telebabad.
24 Oras and Saksi will not be axed, and GNTV is seen to continue its air. It has started to generate good revenues since 2013. The birthpains of launching a news channel are seen to end in 2016, if we will follow the trend (and 2016 is an election year). And the major change in GMA News: Vicky Morales shall join Mel and Mike in 24 Oras starting Nov.10, Pia Arcangel gets promoted to Saksi, and Connie Sison takes Pia’s Balitanghali anchor chair.
Businesswise GMA is loosing money, their revenue hasnt been up since 2013. Their stock prices is way low and the under performance of gma films let alone the ratings slump has caused them to look for potential investors to fund their production due to their major losses. They also have lowered their adrate to make them a more affordable alternative. The reason why MVP wants GMA is simply because he wants a monoply. Ramon Ang investment is tight and secure though since his arrangement with GMA is rumored to have been written as safety net and not as project fund. ABS might have debts but its because of the infrastructure projects for their studios in Bulacan and the Theme park in the Fort.
Jessica Soho resigned for personal reasons and she cut a deal not to speak about it
Sooner or later, GMA may file for bankruptcy and eventually be forced to liquidate their assets unless they reverse course. In the history of Philippine media, never before has a major broadcast station been shut down due to bankruptcy. IBC may be on the verge of that, but GMA is in a way worse shape.
Yes also heard that tipid din ang Xmas Party nila this year. Yes dpat tlga magfile na sila ng bankruptcy or reorganize their organization.
They didn’t even had an answer to the Star Magic Ball, which is a total shame to their young crop of artists.
Nagkaroon sila dati pero di na naulit. Kaya nde ako naniniwala na business wise they are thriving. But the facts are their there were even posts and pictures before na di nila mamaintain ang bagong building. Poor facilities. A colleague is working there at naghihiraman sila ng computer to edit. Although I understand na to protect intellectual property nde pdeng magdala ng sariling devices, pero they dont have the facilities to support creativity kaya nga pumalpak ung station id nila last year at ung effects ng genesis even kambal sirena. Tpus nag memo ang post prod department na walang fantaserye ang pdeng magsabay kasi nde tlga nila kaya
Very sad to see why. Next thing you know, they’ll lay off more employees, making the situation more dire than ever. Kung mas marami silang empleyado, malamang mahihirapan talaga silang mag-sweldo dahil sa kanilang economic situation.
Di pla ball un, launch pla ng catalog sorry for the wrong info pero di na naulit.
Actually may GMAAC ball rin sila in the past, pero dahil lugi, wala na to. And it is also possible na matigil na rin ang pagpublish ng GMAAC catalog in the near future dahil na rin sa kanilang pagkalugi.
GMA will air MTW after 24Oras amd move Strawberry Lane against Forevermore. It will be “Battle Of The Strawberries”. Let’s see what show ABS will counter MTW, if I were them I will put Zanjoe’s DreamDad not Jolina’s FlordeLiza, para light lng at nde masyadong heavy drama
Wow! Panay-hype nila sa Second Chances, hindi pala matutuloy for the time being. What a big accomplishment sa mga magugulong utak ng GMA ETV.
Well bka maiba ulit hahaha! Hanggat hindi pinapalabas eh di hindi natin alam kung tuloy or hinde
That said, it’s a shame why they decided to hold off that project for now. Sabay silang prinomote along with MTW, with the expectation na November ang magiging target date ng premiere nila. But then came Coffee Prince rerun, and it ruined their equilibrium somewhat. Magulo talaga ang GMA.
At ang lalong magulo, Bantatay will be revived starting tomorrow. Another programming mistake by GMA.
There’s an article I made about it. GMA seems to be following ABS’s lead with this.