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Around DZMM: Pasada 630’s New Hosts, Plus Where’s Ted Failon?

DZMM’s ‘Pasada 630’ has found a new tandem.

For the past few weeks, the ‘Teka Muna’ team of Peter Musñgi and Pat-P Daza were asked to take over ‘Pasada 630’ in lieu of longtime host Vic de Leon-Lima. But after a two-week trial run (which was well-received by the way) DZMM decided to keep the change permanent starting last Monday.

In the past, ‘Pasada 630’ was hosted by the aforementioned Vic de Leon-Lima and Karen Davila. The duo were once the faces of the program for many years.

However, Karen decided to leave the show earlier this year for health reasons while Vic went solo. ‘Pasada 630’ continued with Vic as the man on the microphone until late October when Peter and Pat took over.

While ‘Pasada 630’ will soldier on with a new tandem, Vic will continue to appear on ‘On the Spot’ and ‘Tandem: Lima and Oro’ while making select appearances on the microphone for breaking news stories. In short, listeners will still hear Vic’s ageless baritone on the air.

Meanwhile, listeners of ‘Failon Ngayon sa DZMM’ are still perplexed over the absence of Ted Failon on the program. For those who may not know, Ted’s last appearance on his show came on August 31, 2018.

Since early September, however, a number of substitute hosts took over ‘Failon Ngayon’. These include DZMM reporters Ricky Rosales and Johnson Manabat, as well as occasional co-hosts Alvin Elchico and Jing Castañeda.

Yet despite his absence on radio, Ted continues to appear on ‘TV Patrol’ and ‘Failon Ngayon’ on ABS-CBN. It really doesn’t make sense for Ted not to show up on the DZMM booth while still working ‘TV Patrol’ and ‘Failon Ngayon’ on television considering that he is in good health.

Anyway, comments are welcome on this article as we debate over Ted Failon’s absences on DZMM. Listeners can only hope that this iconic news anchor will once again grace the DZMM booth in the near future.

Bonus: Kim Atienza replaced Marc Logan as Amy Perez’s co-host on ‘Sakto’ effective October 15. No explanation was given regarding the change.

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Live Blog: 2017 ASEAN Summit on ANC (Part I)

The 2017 ASEAN Summit is up and running, as heads of ASEAN nations as well as other world dignitaries converge to discuss various political issues that affect both their countries and the world. At around the same time, the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit also takes place, focusing on business concerns surrounding the ASEAN region.

The ABS-CBN News Channel and CNN Philippines are the primary channels that will cover in detail the ASEAN Summit. For this live blog, I will focus on ANC, so keep refreshing this blog for the latest updates on their coverage.

5:30-7:25 a.m.

ANC began its ASEAN coverage last Saturday night and stepped up its game further yesterday with a more detailed analysis on the event. ‘Early Edition’ kicks off Day 3 of the ASEAN Summit.

While I was still in bed, Annalisa Burgos, TJ Manotoc and Paolo Abrera are inside ANC’s main studio to begin the coverage. Co-anchor Michelle Ong is also live at the Solaire Resort and Casino in Parañaque.

During this time, the ‘Early Edition’ team conducted interviews related to the ASEAN Summit.

Also inside Solaire Resort and Casino is ‘Market Edge’ anchor Cathy Yang. She will anchor ‘Market Edge’ on location and conduct interviews with various business personalities.

7:25 a.m. 

Christian Esguerra is inside the 8 Rockwell studio for Matters of Fact. His guest, former Foreign Affairs secretary Roberto Romulo, speaks about Donald Trump, his relationship with President Rodrigo Duterte, the South China Sea, and other ASEAN-related issues.

7:49 a.m.

What’s buzzing on social media? Maria Isabel Lopez’s controversial bypass to the ASEAN lane generated plenty of reactions on social media.

Take it away, TJ.

8:00 a.m.

‘Headstart’ with Karen Davila is about to start. As always, ‘Headstart’ takes place inside the 8 Rockwell studio.

Her guest: ASEAN expert and columnist Karim Raslan. But first, headlines on the ASEAN Summit.

8:13 a.m.

Hot Copy with Karim Raslan starts now, and he’s taking on both sides of the ASEAN story.

While the interview was going on, I was eating my breakfast. All in all, watching ‘Headstart’ is like drinking my coffee to begin weekdays.

8:28 a.m.

Although there are no classes and work (at least in the Pasay-Parañaque area), the Philippine Stock Exchange will remain open during the entire ASEAN Summit week. ANC business reporter Warren de Guzman is already live-tweeting some stock market stats during this time, indicating that he will be inside the PSE to report on the stocks and foreign exchange figures.

8:40 a.m.

As I continue to watch ‘Headstart”s interview with Karim Raslan, I always think to myself that Karen Davila is a terrific interviewer. And like TJ Manotoc who goes between delivering news on ‘Early Edition’ and sports on S+A’s ‘The Score’, Karen is a multi-faceted personality that can shift from one particular medium to another.

After ‘Headstart’, some lunch and occasional tapings for ‘My Puhunan’, Karen would go to the main ABS-CBN Broadcast Center for DZMM’s ‘Pasada Sais Trenta’ in the afternoon and ABS-CBN’s ‘Bandila’ at night. A woman of many talents indeed.

8:52 a.m.

A live shot of the ASEAN Summit opening ceremony at the CCP Complex. Today and tomorrow will be a very busy one for our top dignitaries.

8:58 a.m.

Our beloved president greeting some of his fellow subjects at the CCP, as seen on ANC.

9:03 a.m.

We are back inside ANC’s main studio with Annalisa Burgos. Sometime later on Cathy Yang will make an appearance at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, so keep an eye on her.

Meanwhile, our beloved president greets more guests.

9:15 a.m.

Oh look, Cathy Yang is now LOL (live on location) at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit. George Barcelon of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry is her first guest.

Meanwhile, more guests are arriving at the CCP.

9:22 a.m.

Lost in the hoopla of the ASEAN Summit is the announcement that the ABS-CBN Christmas Station ID will air at around 7:40 p.m. on ABS-CBN and its family of networks. And yes, our ANC anchors and reporters will be there wearing the Just Love shirts.

Meanwhile, our president continues to welcome his guests.

9:35 a.m.

Traffic is a concern at the ASEAN Summit with all the closed sections. Thank goodness ANC has a traffic report to keep us informed.

Over at the CCP, the Donald is in the building, Americana and all. Plus the stock market opens higher.

9:45 a.m.

ASEAN Summit opening ceremonies is about to begin any minute now. Stay tuned.

9:48 a.m.

Now underway.

9:53 a.m.

Uh-oh. Those anti-ASEAN Summit protests are at it again. Good thing the police are prepared.

9:55 a.m.

Our president now speaks at the opening ceremony of the ASEAN Summit.

Stay tuned for Part II.

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FTT’s Guide to SONA 2017

The second State of the Nation Address under President Rodrigo Duterte is about to happen.

At around 4:00 p.m. of Monday, July 24, the vicinity of the Batasan Pambansa will be filled with politicians, delegates, spectators, mediamen, PNP and AFP officers, Vice President Leni Robredo, and the President himself. The SONA is an annual occasion where the President mentions his accomplishments and reveals his plans for the year ahead.

Last year’s State of the Nation Address was directed by Brillante Mendoza, which was met with mixed reviews. This year, Mendoza will once again be at the helm, but after an unimpressive first outing, expect a few tweaks in his directorial approach.

As for the coverage of the event, here is a summary of how the participating networks will approach the SONA.

ABS-CBN

  1. Channel 2, S+A (simulcast with Channel 2), DZMM and the ABS-CBN News Channel will be the participating stations; each broadcast will be simulcast online on news.abs-cbn.com/sona2017.
  2. Channel 2’s coverage will begin after ‘It’s Showtime’, with Karen Davila as anchor. As mentioned earlier, it will also be seen on S+A Channel 23.
  3. DZMM’s coverage will begin at 1:00 p.m. Karen Davila and Johnson Manabat will anchor the first two hours, followed by David Oro and Ricky Rosales at 3:00 p.m., before Gerry Baja and Anthony Taberna join the fray at 5:00 p.m.
  4. ANC’s coverage will take place throughout the day, with a townhall forum at 3:00 p.m. to be moderated by Karmina Constantino and Tony Velasquez.

CNN Philippines

CNN Philippines’ coverage begins at 5:00 a.m. In typical CNN Philippines fashion, their coverage will be bilingual; mid-morning to early afternoon coverage will be in Filipino while the rest will be in English.

Viewers of the network will see the likes of Claire Celdran, Amelyn Veloso, Ruth Cabal, Pinky Webb, Pia Hontiveros and Mitzi Borromeo anchor CNN Philippines’ SONA coverage. It will also be aired online on Facebook and on the CNN Philippines website.

GMA Network

GMA News TV confirmed that they will cover the SONA starting at 3:10 p.m., marking the first time since 2014 that the oft-criticized news network will participate in the event. Jessica Soho and Arnold Clavio will anchor said coverage.

However, Channel 7 and DZBB have yet to reveal its plans for the SONA. If Channel 7 and/or DZBB pushes through with separate coverage, it is likely that Mike Enriquez, Mel Tiangco and/or Vicky Morales will anchor the proceedings while DZBB will utilize some of its mainstays such as Joel Reyes Zobel.

TV5

The network that infamously snubs President Duterte’s live speeches on television will have no choice but to join in. While Luchi Cruz-Valdes is penciled in to anchor their coverage, she might as well need some help considering how decimated TV5’s team is right now.

TV5’s coverage will most likely be simulcast on AksyonTV (unless it changes its mind and airs nonsensical TV shopping programs), Radyo5 92.3 News FM, and on News5’s Facebook page and official website. They do not need to worry about preempting programs because their lineup is all but a free-for-all.

PTV-4

PTV-4’s coverage, which also features special packages throughout the day, will be led by Rocky Ignacio, Aljo Bendijo, Angelique Lazo, Alex Santos and Catherine Vital. The government-owned station will begin their coverage of the SONA at 2:30 p.m., with a simulcast on the network’s YouTube channel.

The revitalization of PTV was among the many objectives that President Duterte raised during last year’s SONA. The project is still ongoing, but viewers can only hope that PTV’s presentation will be a much-improved one.

Other networks

All AM radio stations (save for specialty ones) will be on-hand to cover this year’s SONA. On the television side, independent UHF TV stations Net 25 and UNTV-37 will also participate in the event.

As far as IBC-13 is concerned, it is likely that the beleaguered network will no longer play a role in the SONA. Although President Duterte promised an immediate privatization of the network in last year’s SONA, the process remains slow to say the least.

Come this Monday afternoon, all eyes will be on President Rodrigo Duterte. Never mind how long his speech will be, as long as viewers understand his message going forward.

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Wow Trending: DZMM’s Hidden Gem

It has been a month since DZMM (and DZMM TeleRadyo) underwent a drastic overhaul.

On June 19, DZMM made some significant changes, both in programming and in TeleRadyo’s presentation. Two new programs (‘Good Vibes’ and ‘On the Spot’) premiered in both channels, a new studio set (used in ‘Sakto’, ‘Good Vibes’, Todo-Todo Walang Preno’ and ‘On the Spot’) was introduced, and updated graphics were implemented to make the host more visible.

The only update DZMM made since was the rebrand of ‘Mismo’ to ‘Showbuzz’, which took place two weeks ago. Ahwel Paz and Jobert Sucaldito remain the hosts of the refreshed program.

Amid these changes, one new program went unnoticed to viewers of TeleRadyo. While DZMM’s TV equivalent air programs produced by ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs at 2:00 p.m. every weekday, Radyo Patrol 630 has a pair of programs that air at the same time: ‘MMK sa DZMM’, and the new program that will be the focus of the article.

June 19’s reboot of DZMM marked the premiere of ‘Wow Trending’, a 30-minute program that looks back at the top 10 news that trended on social media. The program, now a month into its run, is hosted by Rica Lazo.

For those who may not recognize Rica, she is best known for her work in both the ABS-CBN News Channel and MOR 101.9. As Rica Lazo, she anchors ANC’s graveyard shift newscasts six times a week, and as Yumi, she hosts ‘Ready, Get, MORe!’ with Papi Charlz at 9:00 a.m. on weekdays.

The entry of ‘Wow Trending’ meant that Rica will now be seen or heard on three different stations within the ABS-CBN family of networks. Unfortunately, ‘Wow Trending’ is only exclusive to Radyo Patrol 630, so to benefit TeleRadyo viewers, DZMM decided to stream the program on Facebook, thus giving viewers a peek of Rica at the booth.

Indeed, Rica has a resume unheard of within the confines of ABS-CBN. There are some ABS-CBN News personalities that work effectively in both ANC, DZMM and/or Channel 2 (e.g. Karen Davila), but going from MOR to ANC and then to DZMM is an unusual feat that Rica should be proud of.

‘Wow Trending’ airs weekdays at 2:30 p.m. on DZMM Radyo Patrol 630. It is also streamed live on the official DZMM TeleRadyo Facebook page.

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Early Live Edition of Bandila Part of DZMM TeleRadyo’s New Slate of Programs

Two editions of ‘Bandila’ begins tonight.

ABS-CBN announced that ‘Bandila’ will now be seen and heard on DZMM Radyo Patrol 630 and DZMM TeleRadyo at 10:00 p.m. starting later tonight. The newscast will continue to air live on Channel 2 after ‘Tonight with Boy Abunda’, marking an unprecedented milestone in which one Filipino late-night newscast has two live editions spread across two channels.

Both editions of ‘Bandila’ will be anchored by Julius Babao, Karen Davila and Ces Oreña-Drilon. The newscast is now ABS-CBN’s longest-running Filipino-language late-night newscast, having first aired in 2006.

In addition to ‘Bandila’, DZMM TeleRadyo will air five different programs at the 2:00 p.m. slot on weekdays. They are:

  • Rated K (Mondays)
  • Matanglawin (Tuesdays)
  • Ipaglaban Mo (Wednesdays)
  • SOCO: Scene of the Crime Operatives (Thursdays)
  • Mukha (Fridays)

Both ‘Rated K’ and ‘Mukha’ are also seen on ABS-CBN Channel 2 and the ABS-CBN News Channel, joining ‘Sports U’ and ‘My Puhunan’ as the only shows to air across three Kapamilya channels. ‘Matanglawin’, ‘Ipaglaban Mo’ and ‘SOCO’ also air on Channel 2 during weekends, with the latter having its own radio program on Saturday nights.

These programs will only be seen on DZMM TeleRadyo (radio listeners will still hear ‘Dr. Love: Always and Forever’ on the said timeslot). DZMM TeleRadyo will likewise continue to air TV-exclusive current affairs programs at 9:30 p.m. on weeknights (radio listeners will still hear ‘Usapang de Campanilla’ on that timeslot).

According to ABS-CBN, the addition of these programs are part of DZMM’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its programming as strives to deliver the best and most relevant news content for Filipinos all over the nation round-the-clock. Not only that, DZMM’s increased presence in radio, cable TV and digital TV (via ABS-CBN TVPlus) made it possible to add new shows exclusive to the channel.

The addition of ‘Bandila’ and five other ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs programs is just the continuation of DZMM TeleRadyo’s ongoing evolution. After ten years, this channel is no longer a mere simulcast of an AM radio station, but rather a more hybrid and complete news channel in more ways than one.

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Three’s a Crowd: Aksyon Tonite Becomes a Three-Anchor Team

Looks like the solo anchor setup on ‘Aksyon’ newscasts is not working for News5.

Last Monday, News5 decided to once again revamp ‘Aksyon Tonite’, adding erstwhile weather reporters Lia Cruz and Marga Vargas to the newscast alongside Ed Lingao. Both Lia and Marga were intended to be ‘anchors in training’ as far as News5 is concerned.

This marked the first time that ‘Aksyon Tonite’ went with a three-anchor setup. Past lineups of the newscast featured either a two-anchor setup (Paolo Bediones/Ed Lingao and Cheryl Cosim) or a solo anchor setup (Ed Lingao).

The reaction to the move was mostly negative. They argued that Lia and Marga were the latest in a line of ‘entertainers masquerading as journalists’ (EMAJ), as the two lacked any journalistic background owing to their past experience as sports reporters (Lia for Solar Sports, Marga for ABC-5).

While Lia and Marga’s addition to ‘Aksyon Tonite’ serves to develop the two into well-rounded journalists, it is clear that News5 is once again dooming themselves with these questionable moves. A rundown of other late primetime newscasts on major privately-owned networks should show the foolishness of News5’s decision.

  • Bandila (ABS-CBN) – Julius Babao, Karen Davila, Ces Drilon
  • Saksi (GMA) – Pia Arcangel, Arnold Clavio
  • Newsroom (CNN Philippines) – Mitzi Borromeo
  • State of the Nation (GMA News TV) – Jessica Soho
  • Eagle News International (Net 25) – Alma Angeles, Sam Cepeda
  • Why News (UNTV News and Rescue) – Gerry Alcantara, Darlene Basingan, Diego Castro III
  • The World Tonight (ANC) – Tina Monzon-Palma

The list above shows that all listed anchors are indeed legitimate journalists. Too bad for News5 and its head Luchi Cruz-Valdes.

Going down the EMAJ route just to revamp ‘Aksyon Tonite’ should serve as a way to destroy its once-credible aura. When the newscast was anchored by Cheryl Cosim and Ed Lingao, many praised it for its emphasis on hard news, which helped restore its credibility that was lost during Paolo Bediones’ time.

Now that they promoted Lia Cruz and Marga Vargas to serve alongside Ed Lingao, expect that praise to turn against ‘Aksyon Tonite’. They may be added just to gain experience, but unless they grow and learn quickly, they might become the next Menchu Macapagal or Hillary Isaac.

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