There’s good reason for the station to celebrate. After all, for several decades now, it has been one of the biggest and best networks all over Asia, having won countless honors from several international award-giving organizations.
GMA 7 started in 1950 as AM radio station, DZBB, which operated under the corporate name Republic Broadcasting System (RBS). It was founded by Robert "Uncle Bob" Stewart, an American war correspondent who decided to make the Philippines his home after marrying Loreto Feliciano of Pampanga. Among his early achievements was the continuous coverage of the eruption of Mt. Hibok-Hibok off Camiguin and, later, the 1953 presidential elections which saw the landslide victory of Ramon Magsaysay.
The station, however, didn’t go into television until October 1961. One of its earliest local programs was a judo instructional show that featured Vic Vargas, who later became one of Sampaguita Pictures’ top leading men and regular hunk in local sex flicks.
Channel 7 later became a major player in the TV industry with the success of two other local shows: Dancetime With Chito and Eskwelahang Munti (hosted by Ka Tino Lapus, grandfather of comedian John Lapus). Eskwelahang Munti was even made into a Sampaguita movie, starring Gloria Romero and Ric Rodrigo.
But the network really hit it big when it began airing American shows in the mid-’60s: 77 Sunset Strip, Ben Casey and Combat, which had everyone glued to the set every Friday night.
When Martial Law was declared on Sept. 21, 1972, RBS-7 was shut down along with the other networks: ABS-CBN Channels 2 and 4, ABC-5 and IBC-13. Only Channel 9 was allowed to operate by the Marcoses.
Two months later, Channel 7 reopened and gave refuge to some shows from ABS-CBN: Dolphy and Panchito’s Buhay Artista, Nida Blanca and Luis Gonzales’ Wala Kang Paki, which became Sa Di Mo Pa Mi on Channel 7, Pugo and Patsy’s Wanted Boarders, which was resumed under the title Boarding House, etc.
Around this time, Channel 7 became known as GMA 7, short for Greater Manila Area. It also began producing quality local programs that began reaping awards from the PATAS, then the only award-giving body for television. Along with local shows, GMA 7 also aired some of the most popular series in the United States: Charlie’s Angels, ChiPs, Starsky and Hutch, Eight is Enough, Three’s Company, The Man from Atlantis and Little House on the Prairie.
Channel 7 around this time started earning its reputation as the "sosyal" TV network.
When Benigno Aquino, Jr. was assassinated on Aug. 21, 1983, however, and people began taking to the streets to seek justice for the slain senator, GMA 7 became known as the fearless network especially after it put up Viewpoint (with lawyer Dong Puno), a hard-hitting public affairs show that aired the side of the then Opposition — a very dangerous thing to do back then since Marcos was still in power.
After EDSA I, GMA-7 went full blast with its local programming and strengthened even further its news and public affairs department.
Today, it continues to be a leader in the broadcast industry; it is much respected and multi-awarded.
Below are some of the memorable local television programs that were aired by GMA 7 in the past:
Noontime Matinee — This lunchtime program may have started out in the old ABS-CBN as 12 O’Clock High (a victim of Martial Law), but it was on Channel 7 where it stayed longer. Hosted by Ariel Ureta and Tina Revilla, Noontime Matinee catered to a wide variety of audiences from the AB to CD crowds. For a while, the show also featured Camay Girl Maritess Revilla on a semi-regular basis (she was there M-W-F) — until she became Mrs. Iking Araneta in December 1973.
Noontime Matinee had a loose format. It had song and dance numbers and also presented skits. But it was mostly the repartee between Ariel and Tina (with Ariel doing most of the talking) that was the selling factor of the program. This show became so popular it turned Ariel Ureta into a box-office sensation with two blockbuster movies: Zoom, Zoom Superman and Si Popeye Atbp.
Noontime Matinee stayed on the air until December 1974. Months later, Ariel and Tina reappeared in another noontime show on BBC-2 in Ariel con Tina.
Taking the slot of Noontime Matinee on Channel 7 was Student Canteen.
Student Canteen — This show began as a radio show in the late ’50s and was later turned into a TV program by ABS-CBN. Its stint on ABS-CBN TV, however, was very brief.
The popularity of Student Canteen really peaked when it was revived by GMA 7 in January 1975.
Hosted by Eddie Ilarde, Bobby Ledesma and Pepe Pimentel, the show turned Coney Reyes into a top TV personality when she was asked to fill in the slot originally occupied by Leila Benitez, then already based in the US. (Prior to Student Canteen, Coney was already making the rounds of comedy and drama shows as a guest performer using her real surname Nubla.)
Aside from singing contests (which became the stepping stone for Marco Sison and Janet Basco), this noontime program also featured quiz shows like IQ VII.
Student Canteen became so big as a noontime show, its producers were able to produce other programs for Channel 7: Kahapon Lamang, Discorama, Coney Reyes on the Set and Suerte sa Siete, hosted by Eddie Ilarde and Helen Vela, who later also became a Student Canteen regular.
In 1982, Student Canteen saw changes in its roster of hosts. Pepe Pimentel by then had already left the show to put up his own noontime program, Broadcast Campus, on Channel 9. Coney and Helen were also replaced by Chiqui Hollmann, Jackie Lou Blanco and Chat Silayan. Two years later, another reformatting took place — until the show eventually went off the air in 1986 after many fruitful years when it was known as the King of noontime programs. (Eat, Bulaga! now also on Channel 7 is presently the undisputed King of noontime shows — having had a non-stop run for 24 years now.)
MsEllaneous – Inspired by the popularity of Charlie’s Angels, Ms.Ellaneous — the first local magazine program — also featured three women: Tina Revilla, former Lollipop Party host Maan Hontiveros and Binibining Pilipinas winner and Miss International second runner-up Yogi Dominguez.
Ms.Ellaneous began its telecast in July 1977 a time when most married women would rather be addressed as Ms. And not Mrs. (If men are referred to as Mr., whether or not they’re married, why can’t they women be called Ms. — regardless of their civil status?)
Aired every Wednesday night, MsEllaneous was the quality program. (It was first directed by Maria Montelibano and, later, by the late Mitos Villarreal.) Its flow was smooth (with hardly any rough edges during the live telecast) and its hosts were knowledgeable of the topics being discussed during the program.
With its polished look, Ms.Ellaneous paid attention to both style and content and was undeniably one of the most outstanding programs of its time, not only on Channel 7, but in the entire broadcasting industry as well.
(To be concluded)