GMA refutes SkyCable claims on QTV 11 issue

GMA Network has refuted allegations made by Lopez-owned Sky Cable that it would "be unfair to subscribers to pull out one channel just to get a second feed of a channel they can already view."

Network officials said the ‘must carry‚’ and ‘same channel’ rules create a preferential right in favor of television broadcast stations over channel assignments in cable. "Besides, there’s no second feed because Channel 11 in cable will be transferred to Channel 27 of VHF Channel 27," they pointed out.

GMA 7 earlier asked the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to immediately order the carriage of GMA’s UHF TV station in Channel 27 of Sky Cable’s cable system, in accordance with Memorandum Circular No. 04-08-88 on mandatory and manner of coverage. Channel 27 is airing programs of QTV 11.

GMA 7 had asked the NTC permission to place its UHF Channel 27, which ceased operations in 2001, on SkyCable Channel 27 so that it can air its blocktime QTV 11 as a double feed.

It said any assignment of cable Channel 27 to another party, ANC in this case, was only temporary. ANC itself cannot insist to remain in that channel because it has no ‘must carry’ status, not being a television broadcast station but a program or content provider, the network added.

GMA officials explained that the present channel position of QTV 11 on cable Channel 11 is not technically feasible as it suffers from some form of interference.

GMA Network’s vice president for legal affairs Dick Perez noted that the NTC’s rules and regulations are explicit that cable TV operators must carry the television signals on the channel they are transmitting.

Perez said a tv station has the recognized right and a cable operator has the corresponding obligation to broadcast the television station’s signal on its original channel assignment, except when it is not technically feasible.

Leading cable tv company SkyCable has asked NTC to disallow GMA’s request to place its UHF Channel 27 on cable Channel 27.

SkyCable officials said it will be unfair to its subscribers to pull out one channel just to get a second feed of a channel they can already view.

SkyCable explained that all its analog channels are presently occupied, except for those channels that are deemed not feasible for use due to noise or interference. "This means we will have to kick out one channel in order to accommodate another. But it’s unfair to subscribers to lose one channel only to receive another one that they are already seeing," the company said in a statement.

Company officials emphasized that SkyCable has always endeavored to cooperate with and accommodate the requests of the channels. Pursuant to ZOE 11’s request in 1999 , it provided the station with channel assignment 11. In 2005, ZOE 11 entered into an agreement with GMA 7 to transmit its blocktimed programs known as QTV. Soon thereafter, ZOE 11 and GMA 7 advised that they were experiencing channel interference on 11 because they increased their signal strength from 10 kilowatts to 100 kilowatts.

After GMA 7 obtained National Broadcasting Network (NBN 4)’s written agreement to switch their channel assignments, SkyCable dutifully switched the channels as preferred by GMA 7, officials added.

However, NBN 4 later requested for a reversal of the channel switch. After NBN 4 obtained GMA 7’s written agreement, SkyCable said it complied with the wishes of both parties and returned them to their original channel assignments. Despite the inconvenience to its operations to the detriment and confusion of its subscribers, SkyCable continued to accommodate these requests, the company noted.

Now, GMA 7 wants SkyCable to provide a duplicate feed of QTV 11 on UHF 27.

SkyCable emphasized that this matter on QTV 11’s bid for a duplicate feed on its system should be resolved in favor of SkyCable subscribers.