TV5 and its new beginning

MANILA, Philippines - Having spent the best times of our life with the pre-martial law ABC-Channel 5 owned by the Roces media moguls in the ‘70s, we had always hoped that the padlocked studios in Pasong Tamo would one day re-open. EDSA 1 came and went, the Marcoses were driven into exile, all other television networks had reopened, but Channel 5 remained silent and inactive. When it finally reopened, it was no longer the Roceses running it; it was no longer in Pasong Tamo but in a Makati office and Novaliches studios.

It took sometime for the new station to reposition itself through various partnerships that failed until it landed on the general blueprint of Manny V. Pangilinan’s vision of a media and entertainment empire. Once the sale was consummated, it seemed like that was all that the industry was waiting for for the station to soar.

MVP is a known visionary, a self-made man starting out modestly with a salary of P1 thousand a month to becoming one of the country’s richest. He is the brains behind the phenomenal successes of First Pacific, PLDT, Smart; and the Meralco takeover with the Lopezes. Jojo Binay is said to have once revealed that MVP was the only one he thought could possibly threaten his hold on Makati during the 2007 elections. A friend tells us that should MVP choose to support a presidential candidate in the coming presidential race, that person would win hands down.

Our most significant introduction to Pangilinan, however, was early this year in the book Changing the Way we Manage Change of economic wizard Niceto Poblador where he writes in one of his chapters, “ The phenomenon of convergence is alive and well, and it is happening right in our own backyard!. . . . the convergence revolution in this country is being led not by upstart tech geeks in the mould of Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), or Steve Case (AOL), but by a stodgy, buttoned down type by the name of Manny V. Pangilinan, Chair of PLDT…” No wonder the takeover of TV5 by MVP sent jitters to the reigning networks and was overwhelmingly welcomed by the entertainment sector and general public for having widened the playing field.

The takeover of TV5 by a management genius couldn’t have come at a better time. There is widespread discontent among industry practitioners, perceptive audiences, and social scientists who see that the television industry, today’s most potent force of influence has redounded into a battle for No. 1. There is massive pirating of talents, copying of formats, less originality, less moral scruples.

Where is TV5 to position itself? Suddenly, we remember our days with the Roces Channel. Ours was a small station, yet we had the best — The Big News, Mari Velez, Bong Lapira, Balintataw, Seeing Stars with JQ, Ninoy’s Insight, Doroy Valencia’s Over a Cup of Coffee, Max Soliven’s Impact, Tisoy and Gorio & his Jeepney, the first successful election extrapolation in 1969. Station manager Ramy Diez was on a roll. And most importantly, we were happy. In today’s era of preeminence and the race for the peso, where is TV5 headed? Are we hoping against hope that the ghosts of the past Channel 5 will find their home in the new TV5?

So far, the takeover has been marked by extreme caution. Some new talents have been acquired but none of the largest names either on ABS or GMA, nothing that would create bad feelings, rock the boat. Paolo Bediones has joined news, so has Luchi Cruz Valdez as news head who had long left ABS. Joey de Leon had Wow Mali! on TV5 for the past decade; Ryan Agoncillo always had his foot in all three stations, as did Lucy Torres. The only significant piracy if it is to be called that is Ruffa Gutierrez’s signing up. However, all the talents (except those in the News) are taken in on a non-exclusive basis. And again, that is another factor that softens the blow. The method is exceeding non-threatening, the manner most humble and self-effacing. Which makes one wonder, what is MVP up to?

At a briefing for Talentadong Pinoy, TV5’s banner talent show, Perci Intalan, head of Creative, shared important changes when the show entered its seventh season starting March 13 after the high rating finals held at the Cuneta Astrodome. The show is going nationwide, will have performance shows Saturdays and Sundays, with more participating and a P50,000 pot each night. 

“What is important,” observes Perci, “is that the show should remain happy, nothing heavy, no eliminating of contestants, always a variety of contestants, the concept of defending champions as in Tanghalan ng Kampeon. There will still be a new set of faces every episode; no act too small for Talentado.”

It has worked for the past two years, and the team is not about to change it now. There must be something very right in what they are doing as its success has spawned the expected clones in the other stations. On finals night the figures gave them the happy news. Audience share of TV5 was 47.8 percent, with 37.6 percent for ABS, and 16.1 percent for GMA.

Ryan who has had the inordinate position of having shows on all stations explains why he considers TV5 today his mother station having signed a three-year non-exclusive deal that covers hosting, acting on TV and the movies. ABS and GMA had equally generous offers, it seems, but asked that he quit Talentado. TV5 didn’t ask him to quit Eat, Bulaga!, and would allow his partnering with Judy Ann Santos in an ABS project if such was requested. “ What this has proven is as long as mabait ka sa katrabaho mo, as long as you meet the standard of excellence in whatever job given you, there is always work and space for everyone beyond the network wars,” muses Ryan.

On the issue of non-exclusive contracts, Perci continues, “By starting a lot of non-exclusive deals, we hope that we can bring across that there should really be a very high premium for one to become exclusive.”

The demands on the team on Talentado have more than doubled that Audie Gemora, resident juror has had to take a leave from his theater commitments. Without any doubt, he says, it has been a fantastic experience, the best job in the world. Even if the competition are intentionally saturating the market until the audience tires of it, he says he doesn’t think Talentado will suffer. We can afford to be experimental, innovative.

Rich Ilustre, director of Philippine Idol, Shall We Dance, and Talentado has likewise gone on a sabbatical from his events company. The pressure is immense, confesses Rich. “ We are only as good as the talents we discover, so we have to make sure about our weekly selection.”

What does TV5 have that will spell the difference, someone asks the team? We answer that one, “ Manny Pangilinan.”

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