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Hits and Misses: The Inaugural (1st) FAMAS Broadcast Arts Awards


The Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS), a longtime Philippine cinema authority, recently decided to branch out. After decades of handing out golden statuettes, someone within the committee thought, "Podcasts and midday TV are booming—let's create a spin-off!"

Perhaps due to the outdated, strict criteria of PMPC and KBP coping with the lingering crisis of 2020, this indeed occurred.

Enter the 1st FAMAS Broadcast Arts Awards.

It was billed as a grand evening at the Manila Hotel celebrating the best in TV, radio, and digital media. But when a legacy film institution enters the chaotic realm of broadcasting and internet culture, chaos ensues. To gauge how well the academy’s refined tastes match reality, a poll was conducted among everyday listeners and viewers, who predicted winners in 28 categories (two were excluded due to open-ended questions).

The results? The statistics expose a huge, absurd gap between public favorites and the FAMAS judges’ choices. Here's a breakdown of the winners and how many voters were correct:

Audio Categories

  1. Best AM Program: Healing Mass sa Veritas (1/10)
  2. Best FM Program: Dr. Love (3/10)
  3. Best AM Anchor: Ahwel Paz (0/9)
  4. Best FM Radio DJ: Papa Jackson (1/11)
  5. Best Radio Drama Show: Gabi ng Lagim (7/9)
  6. Best Radio Drama Performer: Nong Lading – Nong Lading Official Drama, 96.7 FMR Iligan (0/8) 
  7. Best Podcast: Facts First (0/11)
  8. Best Podcast Host: Christian Esguerra (3/10

The Highlights (and Lowlights)

The Absolute Zero Club: Kudos to Ahwel Paz (Best AM Anchor), Nong Lading (Best Radio Drama Performer), and Facts First (Best Podcast). Not a single voter predicted these winners -- zero out of 11. Even in a podcast-loving crowd, no one guessed Facts First.

The Spooky Exception: The only time the public and judges agreed was with DZRH's Gabi ng Lagim, which won Best Radio Drama Show with a strong 7 out of 9.

The DJ Dilemma: Papa Jackson (who left Energy 106.7 earlier this year, tried to debut on DWIZ but failed) won Best FM Radio DJ -- yet only 1 out of 11 voters expected it. (DJ Chacha has the plurality.)

Visual Categories

  1. Best Series (Long or Short): Batang Quiapo (5/10)
  2. Best Anthology: MMK (6/10)
  3. Best Performer: Kelvin Miranda (Encantadia Chronicles: Sang'gre) (1/9)
  4. Best Supporting Performer: Joel Lamangan (1/10)
  5. Best Director: Coco Martin (Batang Quiapo) (4/8)
  6. Best Screenplay: Coco Martin (Batang Quiapo) (4/9)
  7. Best Variety Show: It's Showtime (5/10)
  8. Best Comedy Show (Long or Short): Cong TV (1/9)
  9. Best Educational Show: Born to Be Wild (6/8)
  10. Best Lifestyle Show: Biyahe ni Drew (1/9)
  11. Best Magazine Show: Rise and Shine Pilipinas (PTV) (2/10)
  12. Best Entertainment Talk Show: Fast Talk with Boy Abunda (6/10)
  13. Best Public Affairs Talk Show: I-Listen with Kara David (1/11)
  14. Best News Program: The World Tonight (0/11)
  15. Best News Anchor: Korina Sanchez (for BNC) (3/11)
  16. Best Public Service Show: Ivana Alawi (2/11)
  17. Best Documentary: Embalsamador de Motor (i-Witness) (1/11)
  18. Best Show for Game, Reality or Competition: Family Feud (2/10)
  19. Best Host for Entertainment: Vice Ganda (4/9)
  20. Best Host for Public Service: Kara David (0/10) and Ivana Alawi (2/10)

The Heavy Hitters vs. The Surprises

  • The Big Pop Culture Wins: Best Anthology (MMK at 6/10), Best Educational Show (Born to Be Wild at 6/8), and Best Entertainment Talk Show (Fast Talk with Boy Abunda at 6/10) showed solid alignment. When Boy Abunda asks direct questions, the public can typically predict the outcome.
  • The News Flash Nobody Saw Coming: The World Tonight won Best News Program, with all 11 voters wrong. The flagship late-night show that is accessible on cable unexpectedly edged out predictions, with many expecting 24 Oras to win.
  • The Public Service Split: Kara David and Ivana Alawi tied for Best Host for Public Service. Kara David drew no calls, while Ivana received 2 out of 10. A veteran journalist and a YouTube star with 20 million subs sharing the same award highlights the shifting future of broadcasting.
    • Speaking of Ivana Alawi, her victory became more contentious with the recent phone giveaway raffle and her endorsement of online gambling.
  • The Web Creator Curveball: Cong TV won Best Comedy Show, despite only 1 out of 9 voters expecting a digital creator to beat traditional network shows like Bitoy's Bubble Gang and Pepito Manaloto. Meanwhile, Kelvin Miranda’s surprise win for Best Performer also caught nearly everyone off guard, with a 1/9 prediction.

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