Celebrating 53 years of television

March 28, 2013

The 53 years of station ID celebrates the historic moments that IBC has brought to the nation. Began in 1960 for Channel 13 as Inter-Island Broadcasting Corporation of 1961 thru the tri-media conglomerate of RMN-IBC-Philippine Herald owned by Andres Soriano. In the first day of February 1975, Inter-Island 13 was renamed Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) under the auspices of the Benedicto Group of Companies, the Philippines was delighted in the birth of a television station that would bring color to the dark years of the Martial Law brought forth DZTV Channel 13, a commercial television station based on Metro Manila and initially beamed to seven relay stations in Visayas and Mindanao scattered all over the archipelago era. DWKB-FM 89.1 was opened and in a short time, it became the number one FM station in the country. From a relatively TV station, IBC-13 reached greater heights and became the country's top-rating network. Through hard work coupled with and intrepid business sense, IBC management developed a strategic programming that appealed to the mass audience metamorphosed into one of the country's most viewed TV network in 1976. Thus, IBC-13 set a firsts in the broadcasting industry There's the commercial-free screen featuring images, showing full-length Tagalog films on primetime and IBC-13's top-raters introduction of one-of-a-kind program genres were first seen on Channel 13 like Iskul Bukol, TODAS, Chicks to Chicks, Seeing Stars with Joe Quirino, Johnny Weismuller as Tarzan, See-True, among others. This catapulted IBC in the number one slot among all television networks in 1978.

Through the sweat of it's employees and the income generated from it's programs, the network built and finally moved into its present home - Broadcast City. The complex was a five-and-a-half hectare land located at Capitol Hills, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.

It was 1978 marked the biggest, most progressive leap any network has ever made. Because of its station produced shows and co-production ventures, it penetrated a wider market. Thus, remarkable productivity surfaced with a acquisition of several provincial TV and radio stations.

Years passed after EDSA Revolution, things were never the same again in the network. IBC became a sequestered by the government controlled operation under the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG). Malacañang appointed several management groups to oversee the operation of the stations. The network's condition became congruent with the government situation, new administrators meant new management. A board of administrators was created to run the station of 1986. Cost of programs went up by threefold. Line produced shows and co-production ventures with Viva, Regal, and Seiko were favored. The top rated shows of IBC were pirated by rival networks.

IBC took a new image, Pusong Pinoy Pusong Trese, to recapture the glory days it once had of 1989. But because of the sequestration, periodic change of management and the internal problems, the network started to lose the support of advertisers. By 1990, Islands Broadcast Corporation took over the management and the marketing of IBC which came to be known as Islands TV 13. It was in the later part of its operations that ratings and income suffered due to mismanagement which caused labor unrest.

During this time of 1992, IBC became a 100% government owned station by virtue of a compromise agreement between PCGG and Mr. Roberto S. Benedicto, management and marketing were returned to the IBC Board of Directors. Programming remained at a standstill in preparation for the launching of a new image. It was May 1994 when IBC launched Pinoy ang Dating with a visually enticing MTV, an innovation in terms of station identification. Despite limited resources, programming improved the battle for audience share continued. Advertisers became more responsive to marketing efforts.

IBC-13 managed to survive despite unstable conditions. The niche it has carved in the broadcasting industry proved to be an indelible one. Instant recall has always been associated with IBC and its glorious past. Filipinos became part of the global village through IBC's nationwide satellite broadcast in 1994. Vintage Television (VTV) entered the scene with PBA Games as it's major program. Rehabilitation of the Transmitter and other technical facilities where initiated in the central and provincial stations. A new Harris 60-kilowatt transmitter was installed. The global service of APSTAR 1 satellite was utilized for a wider global reach. By 1998, it was the number 3 network in the country, positing among TV networks from now, and the images of the 53 years of station ID prove. On another screen are IBC's pioneering all-Filipino flagship news programs Express Balita.

Now on its 53rd anniversary, a new hope shines on IBC, the network which pioneered various genres in TV production. As long as IBC remains a network with its innovative and creative core intact, the dream of reaching the top is not so far away. Viva-TV continues to reign on primetime with its sports and entertainment programs from established popular shows, home to the NBA and PBA games. IBC's Kapinoy programming dominate the non-prime slots. Foremost concern is to maintain the viability and competitiveness of the network in preparation for its privatization. This is achieved by providing for the personnel welfare and benefits and by renewed programming thrust which would cater to the biggest sector of society, the youth.

Another screen commemorates IBC's expanding reach, with IBC News Network (INN), IBC Regional, IBC Global, IBC Interactive and IBC Foundation, Inc. iDMZ, now on its #1 internet danze mix FM radio station in the country will target the A-B-C markets. And then there are Viva-TV's current success stories on IBC, with the NBA and PBA games, cartoons Pop Pixie and Winx Club, hit telenovelas like Rosalinda and Palabra de Mujer, hit Koreanvelas like My Daughter the Flower, Esperanza, 5 Girls and Daddy, Dear Heart, Cyborg Kurochan, popular and top-rating phenomenal game shows like Who Wants to be a Millionaire, The Weakest Link and a popular talent search show Born to be a Star featured, among other Viva shows on Channel 13.

The spot also featuring the behind IBC's growth. There is Andres Soriano, the founder of Inter-Island Broadcasting Corporation with Roberto Benedicto. Now, there are new management and board of directors in the plug like IBC chairman Eric Canoy, the president and CEO Boots Anson-Roa, vice-president Lito Ocampo Cruz and sales and marketing Tessie Taylor tasked with carrying the network into the future.

IBC's new digitally computer-animated 53 Years of station IBC produced by IBC's award-winning Creative Communications Management (CCM) division. More of quality Filipino television, viewed in the Philippines and here in the international scene.