Timow's Turf

FOR DECADES , Philippine entertainment was controlled by gatekeeping, with success tied to playing by the "Press Clubs" or private organizations' rules for TV awards.  But last week, FAMAS—the country’s oldest and most prestigious award body—decided to stop watching from the sidelines. The inaugural FAMAS Broadcast Arts Awards , set for May 4 at Manila Hotel, is more than a new event date. It's a deliberate move to challenge the "antiquated mindset" that has caused Philippine TV awards to fall into favoritism, network bias, and irrelevance. The PMPC Problem: A Legacy of Favoritism To understand why the FAMAS expansion is crucial, we must confront the elephant in the room: the PMPC Star Awards for TV. Since 1987, the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) has held a near-monopoly on recognizing television excellence. However, longevity does not always equate to integrity. The Star Awards have long been marred by whispers—and often shouts—of network favoritism. T...

Since the year began, the historic TV5 and ABS-CBN partnership has officially ended, leaving a significant gap in the "Kapatid" network's lineup. TV5 stands at a crossroads with a new slate of original shows, Wattpad adaptations, and high-stakes reality reboots—not all announced at their Trade Event last November, but fans speculate about some on social media. When will these shows air? Between Jan. 12 and Jan. 18, we surveyed audiences on 12 highly anticipated titles. The results show cautious optimism, some long-term plans, and one notable absence fueling industry buzz.

THE PHILIPPINE BROADCASTING industry often kicks off the new year with press releases (PR) touting "groundbreaking" stories and "powerhouse" casts.  GMA Network follows this tradition, releasing a slate repeated across major outlets like Manila Bulletin or paraphrased elsewhere. Yet, beneath this polished PR lies a network at a crossroads.  As a deep observer of the media landscape, I see through the hype.   With no election year on the horizon—a time historically marked by tighter ad budgets—the network’s creative choices appear to be reactive, driven by financial constraints and changing audience preferences. The Economic Reality: Revenue in a "Quiet" Year It's well known in the industry that Philippine TV revenue cycles are tied to the three-year election cycle. In 2025, midterm elections boosted profits, but 2026 will be a "famine" year for political ad spending. For GMA, this means they've now surpassed 75 years and must move beyo...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s signing of Republic Act No. 12311 , renewing the broadcast franchise of the Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC-13) for another 25 years, until 2050 , gives the country’s state-run network a rare and long-awaited reprieve. For a broadcaster that has spent years lingering in obscurity, operating on the margins of public consciousness and government attention, this new franchise is more than a technical extension — it is a lifeline. Whether it becomes a fresh beginning or just another round of stagnation depends on what comes next. Survival, Not Success The most immediate takeaway from the renewal is simple: their fear of getting shut down  was averted . IBC, part of the Integrated State Media (ISM) portfolio alongside People's Television (PTV) and Radyo Pilipinas, faced an uncertain future. Its franchise under Republic Act 8954 was due to expire last month. Without renewal, it would have been forced to go dark, leaving hundreds of employ...

After 19 years on the air, Boys Night Out on Magic 89.9 ended quietly — no farewell, no montage, no goodbyes. Just gone. They took away their last celebration. To me, it felt like a sign of what’s been happening to traditional broadcast radio since 2020: industrial damage, slow decline, and political intervention. Podcasts and Spotify ate its lunch, but censorship nailed the coffin shut.  The final straw? Management, particularly Sarge, forbade discussion of the news, including the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court. Tin Gamboa confirmed it on Threads, screenshots, and all. From there, it spread to Reddit and beyond. But before her receipts, I had already published something that broke wide open — a blog post that became my most-read entry in twelve years. Stumped in August That month, I didn’t even know what to write. I was poking at side stories on television: why PMPC is catching up on Star Awards for TV, or why Malou Choa Fagar becam...

WHEW.  The PMPC Star Awards for Television have been awarded. It’s that time when stars dress to the nines, networks rally behind their shows, and online fans on Facebook and Twitter show support for their idols.  Here, we just want to see if our predictions come true. (Don't worry, there's no real money involved in this patch, unlike those online gambling/casino sites that are sadly sponsored for the recent event.)  Honestly, making guesses beforehand is half the fun, but as I’ve learned over the years, the results can humble you. This catch-up edition's awards did exactly that. Some of their bets paid off, but others… well, let’s just say PMPC has a way of surprising us. So let’s sit down and go through the categories. I’ll share how the predictions stacked up, what truly happened, and my personal thoughts as I watched the results unfold. The Predictions vs. The Reality Here’s a breakdown of who won last Sunday and how accurate the predictions were. Program Winners BES...