Timow's Turf

We're now on Week 2 of Vice President Sara Duterte’s historic impeachment trial. When the Senate gavel fell last week to open such reckoning, it was an intense trial by fire. For the Philippine media, such a trial is the ultimate broadcasting showdown that  requires stamina, strong legal literacy, a solid team of anchors, and expert mastery of live production. The 2026 media landscape is vastly more fragmented than during Renato Corona’s 2012 trial or Joseph Estrada's 2000-01. Legacy networks are leaner, digital challengers are bolder, and state-backed channels are asserting unprecedented independence for the moment (while they still report the incumbent President's policies and POV). The coverage highlights a stark contrast between veteran composure, rookie ambitions, structural failures, and surprising comebacks across all media outlets. The Legacy Giants: Veterans vs. Missing Infrastructure ANC (ABS-CBN News Channel) The seasoned veterans are back, exhibiting the unwaver...

On April 10, the  NCAA-GMA marriage  had ended as scheduled. Following the Letran Lady Knights’ volleyball win, Martin Javier thanked GMA (especially HOA Channel) for the coverage, as they are not renewing their broadcast rights, a decision reportedly made last December. For those keeping score, the "widest reach" network is essentially saying, "Thanks for the content, but we prefer airing movie blocks over another San Sebastian-Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) matchup. The country’s oldest athletic league is now officially homeless, clutching its neocentennial trophies and a suitcase of broken dreams. Let’s dissect this mess. The GMA Era: High Definition, Low Vibration When the NCAA moved to GMA after ABS-CBN’s shutdown, it was called a "masterstroke." If you define a masterstroke as becoming the secondary priority on a channel with a name that sounds like expired motor oil (GTV), then it was a success. I doubted at first, but now I believe. GMA promised the moo...

For years , the Philippine media scene resembled a never-ending teleserye—with a clear protagonist, antagonist, and secondary networks vying for attention. The "Main Character Energy" ABS-CBN once wielded like a scepter is no longer a given—it’s now contested. Nowhere is this clearer than in the digital trenches where Kapamilya apologists dwell. Recently, the online uproar wasn’t over their new teleserye or star transfer, but a boardroom feud within the Lopez family. What’s intriguing isn’t just the conflict, but the reaction. Why did fans sharply criticize Bilyonaryo’s report while ignoring Rappler’s coverage of the same circumstance? The facts are clear and the financial figures are public. PSE filings and disclosures reveal the truth. Yet, nearly six years after the 2020 shutdown and franchise rejection, the illusion of "invincibility" lingers among fans, even as corporate walls are exposed and crumbling. The Bilyonaryo Stigma vs. The Rappler Filter When Bilyon...

Back in 2014, I went on a rant on WordPress about the PMPC Star Awards for TV , frustrated by what felt like blatant favoritism toward ABS-CBN .  Year after year, if the Kapamilya network had nominations, it seemed like a guaranteed win, leaving fans of other networks questioning the credibility of the awards. It’s not that they didn’t produce great shows, but the perceived bias was hard to ignore. The PMPC, composed of tabloid reporters and entertainment press, should theoretically be neutral. But it felt like a local version of the Emmys , except with favoritism that was a little too obvious. Fast forward to early 2020 , right before the pandemic flipped the world (and the industry) upside down, and the PMPC publicly supported ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal . We all know how that ended—outright rejection, thanks to the former president’s ego trip . (Speaking of that former president. He's now in the Netherlands facing an ICC trial.) This deliberate turn amidst the unpredictable wo...