Willie by insistent demand

It was anti-climactic, I mean the move of Willie Revillame’s game show Wowowin from its Sunday afternoon 2:30-3:30 timeslot to Monday through Friday 5:30-6:30 p.m. as pre-programming for the GMA early-evening newscast 24 Oras.

Two Sundays ago, Willie ended Wowowin’s farewell show by singing a song that said something like “araw-araw kayo’y makakapiling ko.” What could be more obvious than that?

Wowowin’s return to television after an absence of more than a year was met with enthusiasm by its loyal followers composed mostly of senior citizens and those from the CD crowd, boosting its ratings and in the process beating the competition. It helped that Wowowin was aired immediately after Kapuso Network’s recharged noontime show, renamed Sunday Pinasaya and reinvented from a song-dance variety fare to a format lifted straight from a comedy bar. It clicked and the competition was forced to do some reformatting along the same line.

“Our rating hit as high as 8.8 percent,” said Willie who, it turned out, has been sending the GMA management “feelers” to reset Wowowin to the daily slot. The deal was clinched.

Last Friday, Jan. 29, Willie’s WBR Entertainment signed a co-production agreement with GMA Network, Inc. for Wowowin to start airing daily effective today. “Magandang birthday gift sa akin,” said Willie who celebrated his birthday on Jan. 27 with a dinner with close friends at his Ayala Heights (Quezon City) home finalizing the 2016 line-up.

“I have no doubt that Willie will maintain the show’s rating,” said GMA Network chairman and CEO lawyer  Felipe Gozon. “Napakasipag ni Willie. Pinapanood ko yung mga shows niya kaya alam ko.”

Wowowin’s occupying the early-evening timeslot is a throwback to yesteryear when feel-good shows (remember Oras Ng Ligaya hosted by Sylvia La Torre and Oscar Obligacion?) ushered in the newscast. Well and good because that should condition viewers to the usual dose of grim stories about crime, etc. 

Willie reiterated that the success of Wowowin should be credited not only to him but also to the viewers who never fail to support him and his program. He promised to continue giving the audience more smiles and more prizes (cash and others, including brand-new cars, and house and lot, etc.).

“The stars of Wowowin are the people, mostly from the masa, who perform and relate the stories of their lives on the show,” said Willie. “As always, the objective of the show is to give the people hope,” adding as an aside, “Sabi nga sa Eat, Bulaga!, hangga’t may bata, may Eat, Bulaga! Dito hangga’t may nalulungkot, may Wowowin.”

Said Jose Mari Abacan (GMA First Vice President for Program Management), “From the time Wowowin started airing on GMA, we noted how much the people loved Willie. That love translated to ratings. Naisip namin na kung ganito ang reception ng tao at mas maraming napapaligaya, itodo na natin from Monday to Friday.”

For a starter, Willie will host Wowowin solo.

“For now, we have new dancers,” said Willie, “and we will be introducing more segment s as we go along.”

Present at the contract-signing were GMA chairman/CEO lawyer Felipe L. Gozon, president/COO Gilberto R. Duavit Jr., executive vice president and chief financial officer Felipe S. Yalong, first vice president for program management Jose Mari R. Abacan, vice president for corporate communications Angela Javier Cruz, assistant vice president for program management Mitzi G. Garcia and Willie’s business partner lawyer Alfonso Reyno, Jr.

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