People's Television Network

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

History
The country's government television network began operations on February 2, 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.

As the People's Television
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 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. At present in 2012, CONSTEL can now be seen on PTV as part of Telebisyon ng Bayan branding.

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) and the London Games in 2012 (covered by TV5). and returned in 2014, starting with the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. 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 coverages, 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.

As the National Broadcasting Network
On July 16, 2001, under the new management appointed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, PTNI adopted the 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, continues the new name until 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 transmitting via satellite nationwide using Agila 2 but now moved to ABS 1 last September 2011.

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 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).

Although the branding is officially known as the National Broadcasting Network, in August 2011, the "People's Television" brand which was retired in July 15, 2001 was reintroduced as a secondary brand until a few months later on October 6, 2011, PTNI became a primary brand, and the branding National Broadcasting Network was retired.

As Telebisyon ng Bayan
In addition on July 2, 2012, PTV was relaunched with the new advertising campaign and corproate slogan Telebisyon ng Bayan along with a new logo and the new improved computer animated graphics at the time with the acquisition in the broadcast rights of the PBA D-League together with the news and public affairs, cultural and educational, entertainment and sports programs with its live sports coverage of the Olympic Games, the Asian Games and the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). Also, the rights of Cartoon Network shows begin to aired on PTV in August 2011 as it launched the network as Cartoon Network on PTV  which airs selected Cartoon Network programs dubbed in Filipino viewers who watch Cartoon Network on PTV. The block used to air in weekday mornings and weekend afternoon smostly animated series during that time.

On March 2013, president Noynoy Aquino III signed Republic Act 10390, superseding the old Charter, in which the government will infuse P5 billion to PTV to revitalize the station and make it "digital competitive" despite 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.

In 2014, PTV bagged the TV broadcast rights of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, 2014 Summer Youth Olympics and the 2016 Summer Olympics. By that virtue, PTV has been named as the Olympic Network in the Philippines.

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 their own 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, the visits of US President Barack Obama and Pope Francis and the APEC Philippines 2015.

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 delayed telecast on IBC and heard in Radyo ng Bayan stations nationwide, broadcasting from its own studios and the Radyo ng Bayan radio booth. Before the launch, Radyo ng Bayanis part of the Philippine Broadcasting Service had already, since 2012, been simulcasting News@1 and News@6 on radio on all its stations.

Programming
PTV airs several news and public service shows, documentaries, educational, sports 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 and RPN since PTV focuses on its function as the government's voice, while IBC and RPN are general entertainment/sports channels due to its programming.

PTV's International Subsidiaries

 * PTV United States
 * PTV United Kingdom
 * PTV Canada
 * PTV Southeast Asia
 * PTV America
 * PTV World
 * PTV Middle East

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