GMA 7’s Balitang Bisdak: New timeslot seen to widen viewership for GMA newscast

CEBU, Philippines - The production behind GMA-7 Cebu’s Balitang Bisdak believes that moving their daily newscast to the 6 o’clock primetime slot will result to increased viewership.

Anchored by Bobby Nalzaro, together with women and children’s rights advocate Atty. Rose Versoza and segment host Cecile Quibod-Castro, Balitang Bisdak began airing back-to-back with 24 Oras beginning last November 12.

“It’s management’s decision. Based on our assessment, it’s more beneficial for our local program because there’s higher viewership compared to the 5 o’clock timeslot,” Nalzaro said.

He said they can also contribute to 24 Oras because with the back-to-back programming, viewers will stay on watching the flagship broadcast after the local news. “In the same way, they’re helping us because those waiting for the 24 Oras newscast will be forced to watch Balitang Bisdak in the meantime,” said Nalzaro, who has 32 years of uninterrupted broadcast journalism experience to back him up. The tri-media personality finished Mass Communications from the Ateneo de Zamboanga University and in 2004, won the KBP Golden Dove Award for Best Public Affairs Program host in radio.

Balitang Bisdak had experimented on a back-to-back formula in 2010 and GMA-7 Cebu program manager Suzanne Salva-Alueta said it resulted to their program entering the Top 30 in ratings and topping against rival program TV Patrol Central Visayas on some days, although not consistently. But for some reason, Manila management decided to move them up again to an earlier timeslot.

Now that they’re back on primetime, Alueta said they are targeting improved viewership and double-digit ratings.

“Admittedly, TV Patrol is ahead of us because they’ve been here for the past 25 years and we’ve only been around for 13 years. But the margin is very slim. We’re hoping we can actually beat the margin with this back-to-back effort,” Alueta said. (FREEMAN)