People's Television Network

People's Television Network

Type	Broadcast television network
Availability	Nationwide
Broadcast area	Philippines
Parent	People's Television Network, Inc.
Launch date	April 1974 (1974-04)
Former names	Government Television (1974–1980) Maharlika Broadcasting System (1980–1986) People's Television Network, Inc. (1986–2001, 2011–present) National Broadcasting Network (2001–2011)
Picture format	4:3 (480i, NTSC)/16:9 (576i, SDTV)
Official website	www.ptv.ph
Language	Filipino English

People's Television Network, Inc.

Founded	March 26, 1992 (1992-03-26)
Headquarters	Broadcast Complex, Visayas Ave., Diliman, Quezon City
Key people	Dino Apolonio (Network General Manager and COO) Josemaria Claro (Network Vice Chairman)
Operating income	₱ 139.4 Million (FY 2014)
Net income	₱ 316.4 Million (FY 2014)
Total assets	₱ 1.27 Billion (FY 2014)
Total equity	₱ 689.8 Million (FY 2014)
Owner	Government of the Philippines (Presidential Communications Office)
Number of employees	555 (2014)
Website	ptvnews.ph

People's Television Network, Inc. (abbreviated PTV / PTNI) is the flagship government television network owned by the Philippine Government under the helm of the Presidential Communications Office. Its head office, studios and transmitter are located at Broadcast Complex, Visayas Avenue, Barangay Vasra, Diliman, Quezon City.

History

File:Gtvnetwork.JPG

GTV Network logo in 1978.

The country's government television network began operations in April 1974 as Government Television (GTV-4) through the National Media Production Center. The government channel was first headed by Lito Gorospe and later by the then-Press Secretary during the Marcos administration, Francisco Tatad.

It was renamed Maharlika Broadcasting System in 1980 under the leadership of NMPC Minister Gregorio Cendana, at the same time the network began broadcasting in full color, thus it was the last national network to transition to color broadcasting. By then, it began expanding with the opening of provincial stations nationwide, including 2 stations in Cebu and Bacolod who once owned by pre-martial law ABS-CBN.

Following the People Power Revolution in 1986 on which it was taken over by pro-Corazon Aquino soldiers and supporters, it was, during that very historic event in national history, officially rebranded as People's Television (PTV) at the same time. It later became the national network for the broadcasts of the 1988 Summer Olympics along with RPN.

On March 26, 1992, President Cory Aquino signed Republic Act 7306 turning PTV Network into a government corporation known formally as People's Television Network, Inc.

Shortly after he took over the mantle of government in June 1992, President Fidel V. Ramos appointed PTV Network's first board of directors. The Network was given a one-time equity funding for capital outlay. Since 1992, PTV has been operating on revenues it generates on its own. Republic Act 7306 stipulates that the government shall not appropriate funds for the operations of the Network .

PTNI is on full satellite transmission nationwide since 1992 using PALAPA C2. Its flagship station PTV-4, which is based in Quezon City, boasts of a 40-kilowatt brand-new transmitter sitting on a 500 ft (150 m) tower. With its 32 provincial stations across the country, the network has extended its reach and coverage to approximately 85 percent of the television viewing public nationwide.

So far, PTNI has come up with the kind of programs that have earned for itself the Hall of Fame Award for Best Station and for Most Balanced Programming in 1987 and two succeeding years thereafter, from the Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA). It has, to its name, several pioneering and award-winning educational, cultural and public service programs for their relevance and production excellence. In 1996, PTV won the award for Best TV Station ID ("Ang Network Para Sa Pilipino") in the PMPC Star Awards for Television.

PTNI has pioneered educational and cultural programming. Some of its award-winning programs were Tele-aralan ng Kakayahan (which predated ABS-CBN's The Knowledge Channel by decades), Ating Alamin, Small World (and its successor) Kidsongs, For Art's Sake, Coast to Coast and Paco Park Presents. In the 1990s, at the core of its educational programming is the Continuing Education Via Television or CONSTEL, a program aimed at upgrading teaching skills of elementary and secondary teachers of Science and English. Institutionalized by Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), CONSTEL Science and English are being used in teacher training by the Regional and Divisional Leader Schools of the Department of Education, culture and Sports and in Teacher Education Institutions of the Commission on Higher Education.

PTNI has also been the official broadcaster of major international sports competitions. It has covered the Olympic Games, starting with the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, except Barcelona Olympics in 1992 (covered by ABS-CBN), the Beijing Olympics in 2008 (covered by Solar Entertainment Corporation), London Olympics in 2012 and the Rio Olympics in 2016 (covered by TV5). PTNI was the carrying station of the South East Asian Games in 1991, 1995, 2005, and 2007, missing in 2009, Asian Games from 1986 to 2006 and the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in 2007 and 2009. During these coverage, PTNI has received commendations from various sports organizations. In 1996, it received a presidential citation from then President Fidel V. Ramos for the successful coverage of the Atlanta Olympic Games.

NBN logo from 2007-2011

On July 16, 2001, under the new management appointed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, PTNI adopted the new image and name National Broadcasting Network (NBN) carrying a new slogan "One People. One Nation. One Vision." for a new image in line with its new programming thrusts, they continued the new name until the Aquino administration in 2010.

NBN expanded its broadcast reach with the launching of NBN World on February 19, 2003 in cooperation with the Television and Radio Broadcasting Service (TARBS). This global expansion signals new directions for NBN as it becomes accessible to the rest of the world, particularly the millions of Filipinos overseas. NBN can be seen in Australia, North America and the Asia-Pacific. NBN is previously transmitting via satellite nationwide using Agila 2 then moved to ABS 1 (now ABS 2) last September 2011 (Now in Telstar 18 as of present time).

Before the year 2010, NBN main studios in Quezon City and its regional stations in Baguio, Cebu and Naga will be equipped with the most modern news gathering equipment for them to compete with the major television networks. Also, a new Harris Transmitter has been installed. NBN's transmitter power shall be increased from 40 kW to 60 kW. NBN's digital channel is now available on channel 48 now moved to channel 42 using the Japanese digital TV standard.

In 2011, NBN continued to enhance its digital broadcasting capabilities with equipment donated from the Japanese government. This equipment will also allow NBN to begin broadcasting emergency alerts when necessary (similar to the Emergency Alert System in the United States, but it is more likely, due to the usage of the Japanese digital TV standard, that the system would be based on the Japanese J-Alert system).

File:PTV4Logo 2011.png

Station logo from 2011-2012

Although the branding is officially known as the National Broadcasting Network, in August 2011, the "People's Television" brand which was retired in 2001 was reintroduced as a secondary brand until a few months later, PTNI became a primary brand, and the branding National Broadcasting Network was retired.

On March 2013, President Benigno Aquino III signed Republic Act 10390, superseding the old Charter, in which the management will be under reorganization and the government will infuse P5 billion to PTV to revitalize the station and make it "digital competitive" in spite of GMA Network's questionings of the law, fearing that it may enter competition. PTV has earned P59 million generated revenues for the first and second quarter of 2014.

Under the new management, PTV has started their modernization program (since 2012) including the acquisition of studio technical equipment, cameras, vehicles and high-powered transmitter for the main office in Visayas Avenue, Quezon City, together with few regional offices, included in their plans is the rehabilitation of PTV stations in Naga, Baguio, Iloilo, Cebu, Zamboanga, Cotabato, Calbayog, Tacloban, Pagadian and Dumaguete.

Despite being operated with little or no budget, the new PTV had still managed to cover the biggest events in the country including the 2013 National and Local Elections, 2013 Central Visayas Earthquake, Typhoon Ketsana, the visits of US President Barack Obama and Pope Francis, the APEC Philippines 2015. and the 2016 National and Local Elections.

It should be noted that in 2005, several Radio ng Bayan programs were also aired on then NBN with the Visayas Avenue studios used for some of them, under the Tinig ng Bayan banner. In 2014, the partnership between the two was revived with an all new morning news program, RadyoBisyon, which is also simulcast on IBC-13 and heard in Radyo ng Bayan stations nationwide, broadcasting from its own studios and the RnB radio booth. Before the launch, RnB - as part of the Philippine Broadcasting Service - had already, since 2012, been simulcasting News @ 1 and News @ 6 on radio on all its stations.

Recent developments

Under the guidance of Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, the network will undergo a major revitalization plan to improved the station's programming and expanding nationwide presence to being at par with the state-media outfits BBC of United Kingdom, NHK of Japan, PBS of United States of America, CBC of Canada and ABC Australia and to bring back its glorious years as one of the Top 5 television networks in the country in the 1970s and 1980s. He will be also implement editorial independence in the station. Andanar noted that teams from the state-owned network ABC and BBC will sent to the Philippines to helping the PTV's revitalization plan. He also tapped a former executive of ABS-CBN News to overseer the news division of PTV-4, which later identified as Charie Villa. However, Villa turned down the offer due to her strong opposition on key national issues.

In June, then-President-elect Rodrigo Duterte earlier stated that he will no longer conduct press conferences, and instead, the announcements and press releases will be aired through PTV. Two months after, his promise was retracted, and the press interviews and conferences resumed on the channel.

On June 17, 2016, the PTV and Japan signed the 38.20 million yen worth of Cultural Grant Aid and acquisition of programs from NHK to improve the network's overall programming. Within weeks, NHK's Japan Video Topics returned to the channel after several years.

On July 7, 2016, PTNI Chairperson Maria Cristina C. Mariano, PTNI Vice-Chairperson Veronica Baluyut-Jimenez, Network General Manager Albert D. Bocobo, and Board Directors Josemaria Claro and Cindy Rachelle Igmat, who all appointed by the Aquino administration, tendered their resignation to Duterte through Andanar. Andanar also announced the appointment of Dino Apolonio, former Vice President for Production Engineering of TV5 as the incoming Network General Manager. However 4 months later, on November 25, 2016, it was officially announced that PTV named Apolonio was appointed as the Network General Manager and he also assumed as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the network, while the network's board member Claro was also appointed as Network Vice Chairperson.

In his first State of the Nation Address, President Duterte wants to pursue the creation of a law that will merge and integrate the People's Television Network and the Philippine Broadcasting Service, and will be amalgamated into a single entity, called the People's Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), similar to the BBC. The proposed PBC will also launched the country's first Specialty channel for the Muslim (Salaam TV) and the Lumad people. PBC will also putting up broadcasting hubs in the Visayas and Mindanao regions, aside from the main headquarters in Luzon.

Programming

Main article: List of programs broadcast by People's Television Network

PTV airs several news and public service shows, documentaries and other programs. PTV serves as the main television broadcast arm of the government. The network is a part of the Messaging Division of the government's newly formed Presidential Communications Group. Its programming is diverse from the other state-controlled network IBC since PTV focuses on its function as the government's voice, while IBC is a general entertainment/sports channel due to its programming.

PTV Stations Nationwide

Main article: List of People's Television Network stations and channels

PTV Website

The PTV Website is another initiative of People's Television Network to reach out to all Filipinos worldwide using the internet. PTV features free live video streaming of PTV's flagship station programs from Quezon City, Philippines.

See also

• Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation
• Philippine Broadcasting Service
• Radio Philippines Network
• Overseas Filipinos
• Filipino Americans

External links

• Official website