IBC News Network Needs Improvement

May 6, 2014

In a previous article, I discussed about IBC-13′s continuous programming rebuild. And while management has been trying their best to improve Channel 13, the same be said of its sister network on the UHF band, which has been in a state of aggression since last year.

IBC News Network (INN), once the one and only all-English and all-Filipino 24/7 news channel, I wrote about some of the changes that took place within the said network, and I waited a while in hopes of watching them. A few months later, poof. INN’s became itself a news, public service, business and sports.

The programming is news and current affairs, public service programs, business, travel and sports events. IBC′s current affairs programs become more frequent with some business shows such as Investment Class, Ka-Agri Pinoy, A Business Insights and travel show Travel and Trade, while live simulcasts of IBC newscasts were seemingly more tracting than ever thanks to the increasing amount of sports events.

First of its all, simulcasting IBC′s newscasts on Channel 45. The best that INN could do at this point is to have Eala ng Balita as its nightly newscast airs at 9:30 p.m., and Balitang 90 as its 8:30 p.m. newscast as well as the popular business newscasts are PSE Stock Market News at 11 a.m., CNBC Konek at 3 pm. and The Money Tonight at 10:15 p.m., the foreign partners are CNBC Asia: CNBC Cash Flow (12:30 p.m.) and Business Center (3:30 p.m.) and FOX News Channel: Special Report with Bret Baier (2 p.m.) back-to-back with Just In with Laura Ingraham (2:30 p.m.) and Fox Report (4:30 p.m.), a early mornng show Fast Morning (9 a.m.) as the network’s early morning program, a noontime newscast Lunchtime News (Monday-Saturday 12 noon), PAGASA-TV (1:30 p.m) is an afternoon weather newscast, Taglish sports newscast Sports Center (5:30 p.m.), a nightly entertainment newscast Dumaual Tonight (6 p.m.), English world late-night newscast Global Desk (11:30 p.m.) will help matters, and this point, the Saturday weekly English newscast on television The Week that Was (12:30 p.m.) and Prime Week (11:30 p.m.).

That way, INN helps spread out the news in case of up-to-the-minute reports, while attracting viewers that want some more news updates. INN needs to go produce its original programs. The lineup of INN, other than the presence of live sports events, is wide open. Adding some new original and informative programs will help balance the equilibrium, while at the same time reestablishing its reputation as a reliable news station.

Indeed, they should focus on a different set of programs to a different set of audience. That way, INN will become more stable, more reliable, and more driven in providing viewers more information to digest.