Radio Philippines Network

Radio Philippines Network
(Solar TV)
	File:Solar tv.jpg
Type	Broadcast television network
Country	Philippines
Availability	National
Owner	Philippine Government, Radio Philippines Network, Inc. (Airtime leased by Solar Entertainment Corporation)
Key people	Willie Milan, Chairman ; Antonio Albano, President and CEO; Jess Anthony Yu, General Manager
Launch date	June 29, 1960
Former names	Kanlaon Broadcasting System (1960-1975); Radio Philippines Network (1975-2008); C/S9 (2008-2009)
Official website	http://www.solartv.ph ; http://www.rpn9.com

Radio Philippines Network (Solar TV) is a broadcast television network in the Philippines owned by the Government Communications Group, with programming managed by the Solar Entertainment Corporation, a Filipino media company. The network was previously known as the Radio Philippines Network, which remains the legal name of the network. This station studios are located at Broadcast City, Old Balara, Capitol Hills, Diliman, Quezon City. With transmitters at Panay Avenue, Quezon City.

History

Kanlaon Broadcasting System

RPN was launched and granting the first broadcasting franchise on June 29, 1960 as the Kanlaon Broadcasting System (KBS). Kanlaon is a volcano on the Philippine island of Negros, the home of Benedicto and in 1969, KBS-9 was launched as the home of the first state-of-the art superior color transmission in the Philippines dubbed Accucolor.

Radio Philippines Network era

Logo used from 1979 to 1989, 1995 to present. It's been a secondary logo for the network.

In 1975, KBS renamed as RPN, During the first years of the new RPN, the network enjoyed popularity when its shows John En Marsha, Flordeluna (which starred the then-rising star Janice de Belen), and Superstar (featuring "Superstar" Nora Aunor) were hits. The station signed a contract with TAPE, Inc. in 1979, and the station became the first co-producer and gave popularity to Eat Bulaga (hosted by Tito, Vic and Joey), which is now the longest-running noontime variety TV show. The title of its nightly newscast, Since 1969, NewsWatch, became the generic name for any televised newscasts because it was the premiere newscast of its day; and its panel of newscasters, led by Ramon Imperial, Harry Gasser, Cathy Santillan, Coco Quisumbing and Frankie Abao, Jr. became household names. The lifestyle TV show, Since 1975, Us Girls, (hosted by Helen Vela, Amalia Fuentes, Mike Lacanilao, Joanne Lorenzana, Loren Legarda, and Mel Tiangco, became to you 70,s

During these glory years, RPN became one of the first Philippine television stations to broadcast anime, including Macross, Voltes V, Astroboy, Starblazers (predating ABC by a decade), and later airing Dragonball Z in the mid-90's. It also aired popular series from the United States, like Hunter, Airwolf, and MacGyver; as well as game shows like The Price is Right. However, when the network was held under sequestration after the EDSA Revolution in 1986 (along with IBC 13), it lost ratings supremacy and advertising shares to other networks (notably GMA-7 and ABS-CBN, in succession). By 1989, its local shows John en Marsha, Student Canteen Superstar ended broadcast while top-rating daytime programs Eat Bulaga!, Agila and Coney Reyes on Camera moved to ABS-CBN before RPN 9 rebranded itself as New Vision 9 from October 1989-October 1994.

File:New Vision 9 The Future.jpg

Logo used from 1989 to 1994. The word "New Vision" and the '9' logo was gold and the background is violet in color.

After the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, the stock and assets of RPN, IBC and Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation's BBC-2 were sequestered by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG). President Corazon Aquino awarded BBC, through an executive order, to ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation headed by Eugenio Lopez, Jr. RPN's and IBC's assets were turned over to the Government Communications Group.

It fell into a slump with the resurrection of ABS-CBN and the reformatting of its one-time rival GMA Network. However, the network gained popularity once again in 1996 when it aired the Mexican soap opera Marimar and started a telenovela craze in the country.

Partnership with Solar Entertainment

C/S9 logo use from October 4, 2008-November 28, 2009.

On March 11, 2007, RPN began a partnership with the Solar Entertainment Corporation, which began co-producing new programming for the network, such as a local version of America's Next Top Model. The network underwent management changes on December 24, 2007, as Tonypet Albano (undersecretary and executive director of Malacañang's Office of Political Coalition Affairs and Deputy Spokesperson of TEAM Unity) was appointed chairman of the network (replacing Education Undersecretary Mona Valisno, incumbent Presidential Assistant for Education). Undersecretary Robert Rivera was appointed director of the board, while the president and chief executive officer became former senator Orlando Mercado.^[1]

Mercado's first major move was to extend their partnership with Solar Entertainment, with programming from their cable network C/S premiering on RPN at the start of the new year. The PBA would also return to the network beginning in the 2008-09 season, as part of a three year contract with Solar Sports after an intense bidding war with ABS-CBN.^[2]^[3]

In October 2008, RPN's stations ultimately took on the C/S name as part of their permanent branding, and rebranded itself as C/S 9. On November 29, 2009, the network re-branded again under the new name Solar TV.

Programming

Solar TV Programs

Slogans

Branding	Slogan	Years Active
KBS 9	Accucolor 9	1969–1971
RPN 9	The Leader	1979–1989
New Vision 9	The Future	1989–1994
RPN	The Network	1994–1995
RPN	Your Friendly Network	1995–1997
RPN	Leading The Way	1997–1998
RPN	Quality Primetime Television	1998–1999
RPN	World-Class Quality, Family TV!	2000–2001
RPN	Your Kind of TV!	2001–2003
RPN	Moving Ahead	2003–2007
RPN	Prime Shift	2005–2007
RPN	Kasama Mo! Simple Ang Ligaya, Masarap Kasama!	March 11-July 15, 2007
RPN	Pare!	July 16-December 16, 2007
C/S on RPN	C/S First. C/S Free.	January 1-October 3, 2008
C/S 9	Right Here, Right Now	October 4, 2008-November 28, 2009
Solar TV	It's A Bright New World	November 29, 2009–present
RPN	RPN 50 Years (1960-2010)	2010–present

List of RPN stations and affiliates

References

^ ABS-CBN Interactive, Tonypet Albano is new RPN-9 chief
^ "SOLAR SPORTS BAGS 3-YEAR PBA TV DEAL". PBA official website. 2008-05-27. Retrieved 2008-05-27. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
^ Macamay, Zean (2008-05-28). "Solar gets it". People's Journal. Retrieved 2008-06-02. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

External links

[1] ABS-CBN Interactive, Tonypet Albano is new RPN-9 chief

[PBA-2] "SOLAR SPORTS BAGS 3-YEAR PBA TV DEAL". PBA official website. 2008-05-27. Retrieved 2008-05-27. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)

[3] Macamay, Zean (2008-05-28). "Solar gets it". People's Journal. Retrieved 2008-06-02. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

[1]

[2]

[3]