Author’s Note: This is an open letter for Ms. Mocha Uson, who I hear, is making waves in social media for her publicized love for Mayor Rody Duterte and anything related to authoritarianism.

 

Dear Ms. Uson,

First of all, I have respect for you since I grew up listening to your songs on the radio and I used to listen to a local radio station when you were interviewed.

I have read your posts on your page and was horrified at what I saw. It’s what you wrote against other people who the youth look up to just because they endorsed Mr. Mar Roxas. I know you would accuse me of being paid by the Liberal Party for writing this, and, allow me to explain. I am doing this because of my hatred for dictatorships and what it brings like censorship of the press, extrajudicial killings, torture and the “silencing” of his critics.  Is that what you want? Only you and other Duterte supporters want it as part of their “change”. But the people do not want it, since we overthrew Ferdiand E. Marcos in 1986. And what, you want to avenge Makoy by supporting Duterte? We do not need a president who womanizes (like Marcos, who has the Dovie Beams affair, and Estrada), condones extrajudicial killings, and has no morals. By saying p***** i**  in front of  national television and attacking Pope Francis, he has earned the ire of Catholics, the Iglesia Ni Cristo, and other groups.

Imagine the situation when he wins, his first edict is to declare Martial Law for “peace and order’. He would also return mandatory ROTC since in his words “the youth spend more time holding a cellphone than a rifle.”, ban Clash of Clans, Facebook, and other social media sites, and close the free press. Also, he would eliminate his critics.

Is that what you want? I suggest you read your history books and watch Batas Militar documentary, since it would help change your mind. I respect your opinion, but I think it’s like selling your soul to the devil.

 

Love,

the author of this blog.

Editor’s Note: This is reblogged from the Filipino Catholic Apologetics WordPress blog. I do not mean to rudicule the faith, since I do believe in the idea that there is one God with different names. I also do not want to offend my INC friends, since I share a house with a member of the said faith. And if you were offended, I  sincerely apologize.

 

Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) is a local cult that originated from the Philippines. It was founded by Felix Manalo a former Catholic who left the Church and joined other Protestant denominations until he decided to found his own Church. Majority of the members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo are former Catholics and Protestants who have fallen to the tricks and deceptions used by INC ministers to make the people believe that they are truly Biblical. If ever you or one of your friends and family members are thinking of joining this local cult it is better to know what this cult really is and why it is a bad idea to join them.

1. The Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) was founded by Felix Manalo, not by Jesus Christ

The Iglesia Ni Cristo apologists rely on a single Bible text to prove that INC is the true Church of Jesus Christ. According to them since the name of their Church is “Church of Christ”, and in Romans 16:16 we can read “Churches of Christ” therefore, theirs is the true Church of Jesus Christ since the name of their Church can literally be found in the Bible. This argument cannot hold water for two reasons,

1. If the name of the Church is the basis of it authenticity then the INC have to accept that other Protestant denominations that got its name from the pages of Scripture must also be a true Church of Jesus Christ.

2.  The authenticity (or being the true Church) relies not on its name but whether it is personally of historically founded by Jesus Christ.

The first one is a pill that is hard to swallow by INC apologists because they truly believe that they are the true Church of Jesus Christ. The reason that the INC holds on to their name game argument is that they cannot prove historically that their Church was personally and historically founded by Jesus Christ. If Christ is not the founder of INC then who is? Where was it founded? And when was it founded? The founder of INC is Felix Manalo, it was founded on July 27, 194 at Punta, Sta. Ana, Manila, Philippines.

If you truly want to follow Christ would join a Church which claims authenticity, yet, its origin can only be traced back into Felix Manalo rather than Jesus Christ?

2. The INC teaches that Felix Manalo is the last messenger of God, not Jesus Christ

One of the primary teachings of INC is that Felix Manalo is the restorer of the apostatized church and that he is the last messenger of God not Jesus Christ. This belief is what makes INC more of a cult than a mainstream religion, Felix Manalo being a last messenger is contrary to the teaching of the Bible. Nowhere in the entire Bible ever mentioned his name nor made any reference to him. This belief is not akin to INC in fact Felix Manalo simply copied this belief from Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons. The Scripture is clear whom God sent in the last days to tell us His ways, it is Jesus Christ not Felix Manalo.

In time past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe. Heb.1:1-2 NABRE

This son whom this passage is speaking about cannot be Felix Manalo since God did not create the world through him. The footnote of the Christian Community Bible explains that the Son in this passage is Jesus Christ.

The starting point of his argument is the unique dignity of Jesus, not a prophet or a supernatural personage like so many others, but rather, the Son of God. Every word of this verse asserts that Jesus is unique, God born of God. Christian Community Bible, Footnote on Hebrews Chapter 1

Despite of the preponderance of evidence that Jesus Christ is the last messenger that God sent to us, INC ministers still insists that it was Felix Manalo not Jesus Christ. This is a blatant disregard of the word of God contained in the Bible.

3. INC believes that Felix Manalo is an angel, but Jesus Christ is just a human being

The INC ministers and followers prefer to believe, accept and preach that Felix Manalo is an angel of God but Jesus Christ is just an ordinary human being. Despite of no biblical support for their claim they accepted this doctrine without hesitation. On the contrary the evidences for Christ’s divinity is overwhelming. There is no question whether Christ is human or not for the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is truly human and truly God. In proving Christ divinity we have to first visit the Gospel of saint John which beautifully sums up Christ divine nature.

In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through him and without him nothing came to be. John 1:1-3

This passage demonstrates the dual nature of Christ, that He is both true God and true Man. There is no question whether Christ is a man or not for the Catholic Church accepts and profess Christ’s humanity. The controversy begins when the cultic INC assail the divinity of Christ even if it is obvious that the Scriptures is telling us that Christ is also a God.

In the beginning was the Word

This passage points not to the time wherein the world was created but on the time before the world was created, this tells us about the preexistence of the Word. Jesus Christ on the other hand manifest his existence before the world was created in John 17:5 Jesus Christ said,

Now Father give me in your presence the same glory I had with you before the world begun. John 17:5

Jesus Christ is speaking here in the past tense which means that he was already with God before the world was created. This is a very clear and explicit words from Christ that he himself confess that he was with the Father before the world begun. So who are we to believe? The INC ministers or our Lord Jesus Christ himself? St. Paul in his epistles also affirms this truth, in his epistle to the Colossians he speaks about Christ preexistence.

He is the image of the unseen God, and for all creation he is the first-born, for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, thrones, rulers, authorities, powers all was made through him and for him. He is before all and all things hold together in him. Col.1:15-17

St. Paul is telling us that it was through Christ that everything was created and this would only be possible if Christ has a preexistence. But on the same passage Christ’s preexistence is affirmed with the words “He is before all”.

And the Word was with God

This statement tells us of the distinction between the Father and the Son, some pseudo Christians believe that the Father and the Son are one and the same, this is a serious error concerning the relationship of the Father and of the Son. Since Christ has a preexistence as proved by the passages we quoted above this brings us to a logical conclusion that Christ is distinct from the Father. This distinction was already been prefigured in the Old Testament when God showed himself to Abraham under the appearance of three men.

Yahweh appeared to Abraham near the oak of Mamre. Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent, in the heat of the day, when he looked up and saw three men standing nearby. Genesis 18:1-2

In this passage we are told that Yahweh appeared to Abraham under the appearance of three men. But why three men? Because it is a revelation that there is one God in three distinct persons. In like manner Christ was with God in the beginning because they are distinct yet shares that nature of God. In the Gospel of Matthew such a distinction is also mentioned by the Gospel writer in Mt.28:18-19, Jesus Christ said,

Go therefore, and make disciples from all nations, Baptize then in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Mt.28:19

Notice that the Gospel writer wrote “in the name” not “in the names” which is plural, because the Gospel writer is referring only to one God in three distinct persons which is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

And the Word was God

St. John when writing his Gospel carefully wrote “Word was God” and not “Word was a god” which would imply that Jesus Christ or the Word is a God lower than the Father as what the Jehova’s witnesses believed. He did not also write “Word was the God” because it would mean that the Father and the Son are one and the same. What St. John wrote was crystal clear “And the Word was God” referring to the nature of the Word which is divine. In St. Paul’s epistle to the Colossians he is telling them that Christ possess a divine nature, hence Christ is truly GOd.

For in him dwells the fullness of God in bodily form. Col.2:9

Such a fact is irrefutable but the INC ministers will surely find a way to beat around the bush and raise hilarious and illogical explanations regarding this passage. In Hebrews chapter 1 verse 8 it is no longer the apostles who professed Christ divinity but it was already the Father who is telling us that Christ is God. Who then shall we believe the INC ministers who are famous for deceiving people of God?

But of the Son we read this: Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever; a rule of justice is your rule. Hebrews 1:8

Beyond any reason of a doubt it is quite clear from the passages of the Holy Scripture that Jesus Christ is God. Any person who deliberately refuses to believe such truth will have nothing in the end of times but the fires of Hell.

4. The Iglesia Ni Cristo is not a Church nor a faith, it is a corporation solely owned by the Manalo family.

Ever wonder why INC’s executive ministers were all members of the Manalo family? Because the Iglesia Ni Cristo was registered as a Unipersonal Corporation owned and managed by Felix Manalo. Even their official publication “Pasugo” attests to this.

“…In the Philippines, the Iglesia Ni Cristo was registered with the Philippine government. but even before the documents of the Articles of Incorporation were filed with the office of the Division of Archives, Patented Properties of Literature and Executive Office of Industrial Trade Works. . . A Glimpse into the history of the Church, Nicanor P. Tiosen, Pasugo Special Edition, p.16, 2014

“Articles of Incorporation” is defined as:

A set of documents filed with a government body legally document the creation of a corporation. Articles of Incorporation must contain pertinent information such as the firm’s name, street address, agent of service process, and the amount and type of stock to be issued.http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/articlesofincorporation.asp

Clearly the INC is a corporation under the pretext and guise of a religion. Their reason for doing so is only known to themselves. As far as we know it is morally wrong for a Church to have an identity of a corporation while preaching the Gospel.

If you are planning to join the Iglesia ni Cristo for whatever reason you should think twice and know more about them, don’t be a victim of their false faith because your salvation is at stake. Be with the Church that Jesus Christ himself personally and historically founded not the ones invented by mortal men.

 

Since I covered the free TV side, let us see wht’s in the other side, brought to us by our friend JRDV’s World.  Enjoy!

As 2015 ends, let’s take one last look at the biggest news in Philippine cable TV.

BALLS SIGNS OFF

It’s the end of the era for Balls, the last of ABS-CBN’s three replacement channels last 2008 which replaced the Solar Entertainment-owned Solar Sports, BTV, Jack TV, ETC, C/S and 2nd Avenue due to contract issues. Eventually, ETC, C/S and 2nd Avenue found their free TV homes via SBN 21, RPN 9 and RJTV 29, while other Solar channels were dropped. Balls replaced Solar Sports and BTV on Sky, Maxxx replaced C/S and Jack TV on Sky, and Velvet replaced ETC and 2nd Avenue on Sky.

Since Maxxx and Velvet are already gone, let’s talk about Balls. Its programming initially consisted of ball sports (football, basketball, golf, tennis and volleyball). It even aired French Open (before moving to Fox Sports last 2014) and US Open tennis Grand Slam tournaments, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, English Premier League, ATP matches, FIVB, FIFA World Cup, Azkals matches,  The programming broadened further to include boxing, wrestling, mixed martial arts and 2011 SEA Games. Balls gained attention when it aired UFC matches from 2009 to 2015, promoted UFC matches and even boosted the popularity of UFC in the Philippines.

With the loss of UFC rights looming, ABS-CBN decided to shut down Balls for good, and it happened last January 1 at 12:00mn. Its last programming was indeed UFC. Speaking of UFC, Sports5 currently hols the rights of UFC matches, and we’ll talk about it on this post.

As for high-definition broadcasts, Balls HD was the first Filipino cable channel to broadcast in HD. It aired UAAP and NCAA matches in high definition. The high definition feed of Balls was replaced with ABS-CBN Sports + Action HD, airing UAAP and NCAA games in HD, as well as sports coverage in which ABS-CBN Sports have rights, excluding NBA, in which HD broadcasts are aired at NBA Premium TV instead.

NEW LOGO, NEW LINEUP, SAME FOCUS

The best is getting better than ever. After the high-profile hirings of Christian Esguerra, Cathy Yap-Yang and Nancy Irlanda on the said network, ANC decided to have a major makeover, and it happened last October 26.

The most notable change is the weekday morning lineup of ANC. Mornings @ ANC used to air at 9:00am before the revamp. Nowadays, Mornings @ ANC is now at 5:30am (the said timeslot was used to simulcast Umagang Kay Ganda of ABS-CBN channel 2). ABS-CBN even utilized its Rockwell studio in Makati for ANC programs, such as Mornings @ ANC and Market Edge. Headstart with Karen Davila stayed on its usual timeslot.

Market Edge, hosted by Cathy Yang, premiered last September 1 and it was initially aired at 3:00pm, replacing News Now @ 3. Its initial focus was to break down the closing numbers as the Philippine Stock Exchange ends its trading session. After the network revamped, Market Edge now airs every mornings @ 9:00am, replacing Mornings @ ANC which aired on the said timeslot. The morning edition looked down the top business news, as well as opening figures from Asia-Pacific stock markets, including the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Nancy Irlanda hosted two programs: News Now @ 10 (which airs every weekdays @ 10am) and Shake with Nancy Irlanda (which airs every Saturday @ 9:30am and Sundays @ 4:30pm). News Now @ 10 serves as Nancy Irlanda’s first newscast since leaving Solar Nightly News last 2014. On The Money now airs every 10:30am, instead of 7:30am (right after the UKG simulcast).

With new lineup and new logo, ANC is and will remain as the news channel which served the latest news and information, something even its newer rivals won’t ever do.

CIGNAL’S BIG EXPANSION

Cignal expanded on a new way and it reached a milestone no other pay TV operator has done before: having more than 1 million subscribers.

Since we’re focused on Cignal’s expansion, let’s take a look on the new channels aired on Cignal. One of them is Bloomberg TV Philippines. Just months after Nine Media Corporation and Turner Broadcasting System’s brand-licensing agreement giving way to the birth of CNN Philippines, MediaQuest Holdings decided to negotiate with Bloomberg Television and reached a deal to create the Philippine version of Bloomberg TV. TV5 even lured Atty. Rod Nepomuceno away from 9TV (now known as CNN Philippines) to help with the new channel. After various delays, the Philippine version of Bloomberg TV, Bloomberg Philippines, finally launched on October 5. Despite the hype, the new channel had its share of controversy: having Shawn Yao read headlines every top of the hour with her own show Top 5. Despite its controversies, Bloomberg TV Philippines aims to serve the growing needs of the Philippine business community.

Another new kid in town is Sari-Sari Channel. It is a joint venture between Viva Communications and TV5. This channel airs archive shows and movies from Viva Television and VIVA Films, Studio5 original movies, and in-house original productions. The said channel had its test broadcast last December 1 and will formally launch on January 15.

Another shocker is Cignal acquiring the rights of UFC matches from ABS-CBN Sports, which gives you to this next item.

UFC FOUND ITS NEW HOME

We mentioned earlier that ABS-CBN’s rights to air UFC matches lapsed last December 31 and Balls will sign off for good. The question is where UFC matches will air now that Balls is now gone? The answer is Hyper. The said channel was rendered useless by most Philippine TV observers until recently, when Sports5 announced that they will take over the rights to air UFC matches starting 2016. Filling the huge gap is a huge challenge for Hyper, since this channel is not well-known to most Philippine TV observers or even carried by provincial cable TV operators.

That’s the biggest developments on Philippine cable TV in the year 2015. 2016 should be exciting for Philippine pay TV and it will be an exciting year.

2015 is about to end in a few days. But before we bid goodbye to this year, here is a look back at what happened in the world of Philippine Radio. This article will analyze on the Top 10 newcomers, comebacks, reformats & restructures in Metro Manila (and a few in other key cities).

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This list ranges from newcomers to restructures to ventures.

1. 8TriMedia’s Big Move

Late last year, 8TriMedia, a media company of Jojo Soliman, began as a blocktimer on DZJV 1458, airing its programs during nighttime (6pm onwards).

Last April, 8TM bought time from DWBL 1242 to air its programs. From 4 programs, they expanded to 7 on this 20-Kw station. The roster is consisted of veteran newscaster Miguel Gil, singers Lloyd Umali & Ima Castro, showbiz columnists Shalala & Rodel Fernando, and former Manila mayor Fred Lim, among others. Percy Lapid (who used to be with DWIZ) used to host a program on DWBL Katapat. However, he later joined the 8TM roster.

Recently, in October, 8TM made a bigger step by buying time from DZRJ 810, the so-called “Voice of the Philippines”. From 7 programs, they expanded to 10 on this 50-Kw station. Their programs can be heard from 9am – 7pm straight. Tolits Laureño (of Brgy. LS) and DJ Toni (ofHome) joined the 8TM roster.

Time by time, 8TriMedia slowly grows bigger, it’d probably set up its own station one of these days.

2. Retro Invades Cebu

Last January, after almost 12 years on the air, 103.5 Wild FM left the airwaves without any formal announcement, leaving its listeners nonplussed & disappointed. However, it went back on air a month later, but this time playing Classic Hits. Hence, on March 16, 103.5 Retro Cebuwas born. This was the 2nd retro station set up by UMBN (the 1st one was Davao’s 95.5 Hit Radio, owned by ACWS-UBN).

After a few months, Cebu’s 1st & only retro station proved to be a huge success. As a result, UMBN will rebrand Hit Radio as Retro Davao next year.

3. Mom’s Radio

After 5 years of absence, on October, Mom’s Radio has returned to the airwaves. Estima Content, the program provider for Mom’s Radio, renegotiated with SBN.

However, it can be only heard on 3 key cities: Cebu, Bacolod & Davao. Prior to the return, those stations had a mere 8 hours of airtime, playing only a variety of music. Now, they have a longer airtime, with a ton of interesting programs.

4. The Ultimate Revamp

Last March, Central Luzon’s most powerful FM station got revamped.D’Ultimate rebranded as 105.5 UFM with a CHR format & a new slogan “You’re On The Right Side”. All the DJs are now using English, except for its News/Talk-oriented programs.

5. Retro Revamp

Last October 12, Hillbilly Willy (who was recently fired from Wish for unknown reasons) was appointed as Station Manager of Retro 105.9. His “mission” is to improve the station’s programming, as it was a mess sinceSgt. Pepper left.

Trouble came when Willy was sent a restraining order from UNTV, refusing him to use the Morning Flight. However, this doesn’t stop him from using that name. [see below]

A few days later, Jimmy Jam was fired [see below] and later replaced byBruce Romano (of RX, Kool & Energy). The latter enjoyed some fame on Energy as Prinsipe Mola & its 1st & only Mola-serye, Digmaan Lusob Mola. Later on, Bobby Ante (who used to be with HBW in WKC) joined the Retro roster. In Addition to those, every Saturday night is reserved for a guest DJ, .

Retro Discoteria & Retro In Love were replaced with Club Retro & Retro Romance & new hosts DJ Papi & Maxine (of Radio Romance) respectively.

6. Wish Well

Goodbye, Hillbilly Willy. Hello, T-Bone. Last October 12, T-Bone (who, I guess, resigned from DWIZ) took the place of Hillbilly Willy, who was fired before. As a result, Morning Flight, in which Willy requested to use while he was with the station, was reverted to Morning Wish. Wish also unveiled its new slogan “All Hits 24/7”, along with a new set of stingers.

JJ Sparx is back again from his 1-year hiatus & goes on board every Sunday morning. He was also appointed as director of  UNTV’s International News Divison.

A month later, Jimmy Jam joined the station as Program Director & T-Bone’s substitute every Saturday. Its playlist improved; it now plays a majority of 70s, 80s & 90s. As a result, Saturday Hitback was phased out.

7. Home Radio’s Natural Changes

After Holy Week, 97.9 Home Radio revamped once again as an English-speaking station with a CHR Local format, a mix of CHR/Top 40 & OPM. And it even dumped its Tagalog ID in favor of its new slogan “Be You”. In short, it completely exited the Hot AC market.

Miguel “Migz With A Z” Anzures (of RT/Hit) was appointed as station manager. Most of the jocks were replaced with new ones, including Anne (of Wave; who left after around 2 months). Nonetheless, Braggy &Castri were retained. In addition to that, The Vault was replaced withGuilty Pleasures, playing only 2000s music.

Recently, the “Natural” slogan was finally dumped in favor of its new slogan “The Music of Now” & “The Home of The Millennials”.

8. Sgt. Pepper invades Wave

Last March, Sgt. Pepper (who left Retro a month before) was appointed as Station Manager of Wave 89.1. New & recurring programs were introduced, such as Quarter Attack, Street Mix & Bass Hour. The Flow was revamped as a program to promote Pinoy Hip Hop. BITD: Back In The Daywas replaced with SOS: Saturday Old School, focusing only on Classic Hip Hop & R&B. Hence, the new slogan “Change The Game”.

Among the people who joined the Wave roster are former Max FM  DJsPeter Clay (who left last October) and Zip Cody, R&B singer Jay-R & Fil-Am Hip Hop group Q-York.

A month prior to this, Pepper slammed Margaux (who joined Play the next month) for not being familiar with Paul McCartney (who has been popular for the last 6 decades) and thanking Rhianna & Kanye West for bringing him to fame. H-Town later defended Margaux that she was just “joking”. This is probably one of the reasons why Pepper moved to Wave.

9. iFM: Your New Bestfriend

Last November, 93.9 iFM revealed its new logo & slogan Ang Bestfriend Mo. It’s been around 4 years since they changed its slogan several times, from Ambot sa Kambing na may Bangs to Ang Radyo Ko, iFM, Hiyang na Eh? to #RamdamKita. Last June saw the return of Nikka Dyosa (formerlyCeline Labuyo of Energy).

Their identity changed from Barkadooter to Kakambing to Bestfriend. Let’s hope that their new identity would last as long as their formerPuwede era.

10. EZ Shop Radio

Recently, at the height of the INC leadership controversy, EZ Shopventured into radio through EBC‘s radio stations. This block can be heard everyday on Radyo Agila & Pinas FM. This is another first in Philippine radio history.

Other Changes

There are other events, which aren’t mentioned in my Top 10. So, I’ll summarize them.

1. DZME 1530 is Radyo Uno no more. DZME phased out its long time slogan in favor of “Ang Pagbabagong Hanap Mo Sa AM”, continuing the FM on AM trend. (After Holy Week)
2. Brgy. LS 97.1 ranked #1 on Nielsen’s most listened FM station in Manila, beating the long-time topnotcher Love Radio. After 8 years, Mike Enriquez’s wish came true. (December)
3. Brigada News FM continues to expand with Pampanga (92.7) & Davao (91.5). 92.7 was initially as a repeater for Manila/Batangas station, but later on began airing a few originating programs, such as Brigada Lovelines, hosted by John Ericson (of D’Ultimate). (April-August)
4. 95.1 Kiss FM was sold to DCG Radio-TV Network (owner of Retro) & moved from its long-time home in Broadcast Village to to its new home at the newly inaugurated 1022 DCG Tower 1. (July)
5. Saved Radio on 106.7 Energy FM has expanded to an 18-hour program. As a result, K-Pop Sarap moved to Saturday Nights, whileDigmaan Lusob Mola & The Best of 106.70s were scrapped for good. Recently, as a result of Dear Pangga (a Sunday early morning program, which is a mere revival of Energy Lovelines) being scrapped, it can be heard all-day Sunday. (June)

Sorry if I missed some other events. But, the list goes on.

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Time to wrap things up. A blocktimer moves to a more powerful station with more programs. An “exchanging papers with seatmate” peg happened between Retro & Wish. A station, which entered the battle in the Hot AC market & lost in the long run, made a good move by entering the CHR market. A Hot AC station kept on changing its identity (looking for a better one) in order to survive the stiff competition. A particular station reformatted because of Politics & Crab Mentality.

With other blogs sharing their insights on Philippine Television in 2015, I will show you some big news in Philippine Radio.

CALM AFTER THE STORM

 

After the disastrous re-formats of 103.5 K-Lite (from AC on its launch last July 22, 2013 to CHR last April 21, 2014 to Adult Hits last August 18, 2014 (as a desperate attempt to compete against Retro 105.9 DCG-FM and 107.5 Wish FM) before settling in to the AC format last November 24, 2014), it seems that the listeners of 103.5 K-Lite have something to cheer on this year. A year after settling on the Adult Contemporary format, K-Lite was ranked #6 on Metro Manila FM Ratings, based on AC Nielsen survey. I’m pretty sure that learning their mistakes from last year actually helped them a lot and I hope that it will continue in the years to come.

Another station that struggled last year was 97.9 Home Radio. After dropping its Adult Contemporary format last February 28, 2014, the station was relaunched and became 97.9 Home Radio Natural! and went masa. They dropped Home Radio on its station branding, fired all of its female DJs, and even hired Duncan Ramos and Jimmy Bondoc on its roster, but it doesn’t help at all. After realizing that they have no chance against stations like 90.7 Love Radio, 101.1 Yes FM, Barangay LS 97.1, MOR 101.9, 93.9 iFM and 106.7 Energy FM, they decided to reformat from masa to CHR last August 2014, which continued until today. The Home Radio branding returned last November 3, 2014 and broadcasting in full English last January (for the first time since dropping the AC format in favor of masa). It seems that 97.9 Home Radio learned their lessons this year, like 103.5 K-Lite, and it should help them to succeed in its new format. To remove such connection from the masa disaster, 97.9 Home Radio decided to drop its slogan “Natural!” for good. The station now targets millennials with today’s hottest music.

EXPANSION MODE

It seems that Brigada Mass Media Corporation’s expansion continued this year. Even though 104.7 Brigada News FM National became #1 in Batangas and Lipa (based on 2015 KBP-Kantar Media Survey), the station faced lots of issues in Metro Manila, especially on its signal reception. To solve the problem, BMMC launched 92.7 Brigada News FM Pampanga based in San Fernando City, Pampanga (which initially relayed programs from 104.7 from April before launching its own programming in September 14) and 93.5 Brigada News FM Olongapo (launched last April and aired its own programming).

BMMC made headlines in Davao after acquiring the 91.5 frequency from its previous owner Primax Broadcasting Network (which also occupied Jacinta Building 2 in Makati and occupied the 10th floor of the said building, while Brigada’s National Headquarters occupied the 5th floor of the said building). BMMC even constructed the station’s new transmitter st Shrine Hills, replacing the old one. Test broadcast started last August 10 before being formally launched last August 23, in time for Davao City’s 30th Kadayawan Festival. The new station now competes against 94.7 Radyo Ni Juan (which occupied 94.7 Mellow Touch Davao’s blocktime since May 2014), Radyo5 101.9 News FM and 105.9 Balita FM. Brigada’s expansion might continue as stations in cities like Tuguegarao, Cauayan and Roxas City will be airing soon.

CEBU GETS RETRO-FIED!

After years of success as 103.5 Wild FM Cebu, Ditan Communications (University of Mindanao Broadcasting Network’s Visayas subsidiary) shocked Cebuanos after signing off 103.5 Wild FM Cebu last January without any announcements. The station went off-the-air for over a month. Last March 16, the station was relaunched and it became 103.5 Retro Cebu. Unlike the previous Wild FM format which played CHR, Retro Cebu played the greatest hits from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. The success of the format even convinced UMBN to rebrand its station in Davao from 95.5 Hit Radio to 95.5 Retro Davao next year. For those wondering if Retro 105.9 DCG-FM and 103.5 Retro Cebu have the same ownership (even though they have the same format), THE ANSWER IS NO. The Manila station is owned by DCG Radio-TV Network with radio stations in CALABARZON, while the Cebu and the soon-to-be relaunched Davao stations are owned by UMBN.

DREAMS DO COME TRUE, BARANGAY LS GOES NATIONWIDE

Dreams do come true, after all. After eight years of waiting, Mike Enriquez’ dreams of 97.1 being the #1 FM station came true. Based on the 2015 Nielsen survey, Barangay LS 97.1 recently proclaimed as the new #1 station in Metro Manila. It seems that the nationwide integration of some of Barangay LS’ programs to provincial Barangay FM stations have finally worked. We have to see if Barangay LS will hold on to the #1 spot after 90.7 Love Radio held on after more than a decade.

Speaking of Barangay LS, at the height of the recent closures of GMA’s regional stations in Ilocos, Naga, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro and General Santos last April, GMA decided to made Barangay LS more available to listeners nationwide and have a nationwide simulcast of Barangay LS. The programs that simulcasted to Barangay stations nationwide include “Barangay Love Stories” and “Talk To Papa”, in order for the network to fulfill its promise as stated in its slogan “Isang Bansa, Isang Barangay”. Both programs started airing in provincial Barangay stations this year.

GOODBYE, CHICO LOCO AND TROUBLES FOR PAPA JACK

The shocker this year is the unexpected cancellation of the Friday night program “Gabi Na, Gising Na!” earlier this year, hosted by Chico Loco of 101.1 Yes! FM and Papa Jack of 90.7 Love Radio. The real shocker is the announcement of Chico Loco’s resignation last March, after 7 years of service at 101.1 Yes! FM and 5 years of hosting “Yes! Diaries”. Chico Loco eventually settled in Dubai and is now working on Tag 91.1.

As for Papa Jack, his loyal listeners, as well as netizens have wondered why Papa Jack went off the air after Chico Loco’s unexpected resignation. After two months, Papa Jack returned to the airwaves and continued hosting “True Love Conversations” on 90.7 Love Radio. The companion program “Wild Confessions” was cancelled.

As for the replacement of “Yes! Diaries”, Yes! FM launched “Usapang LDR” and even hired 2 ex-iFM DJs Megan and Kara, to do the job. Despite these woes, expect Love Radio and Yes! FM to recover its lost ground.

HOME SHOPPING ON RADIO

We always thought that home shopping will forever stay on TV. I guess we’re all wrong. Last December 24, listeners of DZEC Radyo Agila 1062 and Pinas FM 95.5 were greeted with EZ Shop products, and is aired from Monday-Sunday on both stations. It might be a first in Philippine radio history, it might help EZ Shop to gain more exposure, especially on a medium that is reached by more people, especially in rural areas. I’m not sure if MOR will add O Shopping, Radyo5 adding Shop Japan and Barangay LS adding Shop TV in the future.

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

It seems that Mom’s Radio returned to the airwaves after five years. Estima Content revived the said brand and even re-negotiated with SBN, resulting in Mom’s Radio’s revival. So far, Mom’s Radio is currently heard in Bacolod (90.3), Cebu (88.3) and Davao (97.9).

Expect Philippine radio to be exciting in 2016 since the elections are coming up soon.