RPN-9 renamed as 9TV

August 20, 2014

'RPN News and Public Affairs, along with RPN-9, will officially become 9News and 9TV, respectively. The change will take effect on August 23. (Logo courtesy of 9News)'

Channel 9 on Philippine free TV has a new name.

On August 23, RPN-9 will officially rename themselves as 9TV, leaving behind its iconic ‘sun’ logo and blue and yellow scheme in favor of a more generic blue and red branding. In addition, RPN News and Public Affairs organization will change their name to 9News which is under Media ng Bayan.

The announcement was first made on August 13 through a Twitter post of 9News senior anchor Jing Magsaysay. According to the said statement, the network’s rebrand ‘marks the beginning of the channel’s thrust to reach a wider audience and to strengthen its presence on free TV RPN-9.

Other than the brand change, the staff, objectives and values, and programming will be retained. However, the previously announced Kids Weekend, originally slated to premiere last August 16, will now be launched this Saturday, alongside other programs aimed towards a bigger audience.

The seeds of Channel 9’s rebrand were first sown in November 2013, when Ramon Ang acquired Solar News and a stake on RPN-9 from Solar Entertainment. Soon after, SNC and ETC traded channels, with SNC moving to UHF TV and ETC to SBN-21.

Then in late July and early August, news programs of Arangkada Balita and NewsWatch, while the ‘sun’ logo and RPN News signage were taken the network’s studios in Broadcast City. And in a sign of things to come, all reporters of the said network are now required to use the 9News name after every report.

That said, the rebrand of the RPN-9 to 9TV as The Kasama Network will officially mark the partnership of Solar Entertainment’s decade-long relationship with RPN. Solar was essential in privatizing RPN after two decades of government sequestration, but the finances also led to their sale of RPN to Ramon Ang, who promptly changed the direction of Channel 9. This Saturday will mark a new era in Channel 9’s storied yet tumultuous history. And for 9TV, it is time to start fresh.