Chronicling political, business and life events

The new millennium ushered in an era of spectacular technological innovation, completely changing the way audiences all over the world acquire and share information. A huge number of news consumers now rely on social media sites that have been more conveniently available and ubiquitous in giving instant access to news as it happens.

Fifteen years ago, that was the job of the ABS-CBN News Channel, or ANC. Since its establishment in 1996, it played the role that Facebook and Twitter do now — breaking story after story and providing live and nonstop reporting, examination and forecasts of news events. When other TV networks were more actively conceptualizing and producing entertainment programs, ABS-CBN did what none of them had done and probably thought of doing at that time — mount a 24/7 cable news channel dedicated to news and analysis of the nation’s most pressing issues.

Fast forward to the present. The Sarimanok News Network, as ANC was called then, is now the leading source of business updates and current events for the country’s newsmakers, government officials and politicians. Its pool of hardworking, dedicated and proactive news people brought it to what it is now: a chronicler of Philippine history and a distinct business and life news brand of its own.

The station celebrated its 15th anniversary in a thanksgiving assembly held last week, which gathered ANC’s talents, production people, and news anchors, including broadcasting giants Tina Monzon-Palma, Angelo Castro Jr., Teddyboy Locsin, Pinky Webb, Ron Cruz, Tony Velasquez, Lynda Jumilla, Susan Calo-Medina, Adel Tamano, Ginger Conejero and Karen Davila, among others. At the event, Gabby Lopez, ABS-CBN chairman and CEO and Charo Santos-Concio, ABS-CBN president and COO, shared their aspirations for ANC as they reminisced about its birth pains.

In his speech, Lopez pointed out ANC’s undeniable legacy and urged its men and women to continue creating premium and intelligent content its viewers need and can relate to. He underscored the fact that it needs to leverage on its strengths as it consistently remembers what it is good at. ANC is in the best position to introduce new and possibly game-changing innovations, considering the wisdom it has amassed from 15 years of experience dealing with a sophisticated and mature market. It enjoys the support of the largest Philippine news organization, and has a 24/7 airtime and global reach via The Filipino Channel (TFC).

Meanwhile, Santos-Concio said that ANC’s nonstop reportage of breaking events doesn’t necessarily cater to the viewers’ need to be informed, but satisfies their emotional demand to be secure. She observed that people who watch ANC want to be assured that there are news people watching over them, that if all else fails, news people will be the last men standing — caring for their publics, saving lives and fulfilling dreams 24 hours a day.

Charo Santos and Gabby Lopez celebrating “ANC@15”

ANC showcased its achievements via ANC Chronicles, a one-hour special documentary anchored by powerhouse broadcast journalists Castro Jr. and Monzon-Palma, aired last Friday, Dec 16. The two seasoned anchors presented the news channel’s most memorable coverage in the past 15 years — the biggest and most significant stories that distinctively broke on ANC, were covered extensively and that helped shape the course of the country’s history. The special brought the viewers back to 15 news stories that solidified ANC’s position as the premier “news channel.”

• The Estrada saga. For the first time, a TV network dedicated its resources and airtime to wall-to-wall coverage of former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada’s impeachment trial back in 2000. Edsa Dos, a public uprising sparked by the ouster of President Estrada, ushered in new leadership, that of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whose nine-year administration was rocked by more uprisings, impeachment bids and scandal after scandal.

• The Gloria years and the rebellions against her. ANC followed the tumultuous reign of the former President Arroyo. It covered live all impeachment proceedings against her, all Senate hearings on the epic ZTE scandal in 2008, and the mutinies staged against her administration: the 2002 Oakwood revolt, the 2006 Fort Bonifacio standoff, and the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege.

• The life and death of President Cory. ANC was the first to disclose to the public the death of democracy icon and former President Corazon Aquino. It devoted full-day coverage to her death until her 11-hour funeral march.

• The hostage dramas in Mindanao. The 2000 Sipadan hostage taking and 2001 Dos Palmas kidnapping were extensively covered on ANC. It reported the fate of the hostages taken by bandits down south.

• The gripping bus hostage drama. For one whole day in August 2010, ANC was the window of the nation and the world to the riveting hostage drama unfolding at the Quirino Grandstand, through every freed captive, hostage-taker’s demand, and the ensuing bungled operation. ANC never cut its coverage and gave uninterrupted news on the crisis.

• The gruesome massacre. It was on ANC that the appalling news of the 2009 Maguindanao massacre broke. Now governor of Maguindanao Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu was interviewed on ANC and revealed that the convoy carrying his wife, relatives, several lawyers and journalists was attacked. No one survived.

• From conviction to acquittal. In January 2001, ANC aired the promulgation of the Vizconde Case live from the Parañaque Regional Trial Court. The verdict: guilty for Hubert Webb and his co-accused. Nine years later, on December 2010, the Supreme Court acquitted Webb and his co-accused. ANC was one of the first to break the story, and was the first to show live video of Hubert inside the National Bilibid Prison after the acquittal.

• The reign of terror. Remember the Rizal Day, Super Ferry, Valentine’s Day and Glorietta bombings? For years, Metro Manila and other parts of Mindanao were rocked by terror attacks — bombings that claimed lives, caused destruction, and left an indelible mark on victims and those whose lives will never be the same again. ANC was there to break the story and document the ensuing events.

ANC managing director Ging Reyes

• Tragedies and disasters. ANC lends its airwaves to public service whenever disaster strikes to give updates and direct those in need to where they can get help. Key events include the Cherry Hills Subdivision landslide, the MV Princess of the Stars sinking, the Guinsaugon, Leyte landslides and typhoons Milenyo, Queenie, Reming, Ondoy, Pepeng and Pedring.

• The Leo Echegaray execution. Echegaray was accused of rape, and was later sentenced to death by lethal injection. ANC covered this event live.

• The Flight 387 crash. In February 1998, Flight 387 of Cebu Pacific crashed in Misamis Oriental, killing 104 people. ANC was there to bring extensive news and information.

• The investigation of corruption in the armed forces. This year, ANC aired blow-by-blow coverage of the AFP corruption exposé. But all the revelations were too much for decorated general, former AFP chief and Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, who took his own life on Feb. 8, 2011.

• The fate of overseas Filipinos. At the height of the Iraq war in July 2004, Iraqi groups released Angelo dela Cruz from captivity. In Afghanistan, a UN worker, Angelito Nayan, was also abducted and released in November 2004. Both their stories were closely watched by ANC. In March this year, three Filipinos — two of them women — were executed in China for drug trafficking. Vice president Jejomar Binay broke the news first on ANC Dateline Philippines.

• 48-hour election coverage. For the first time during the 2004 elections, ANC mounted its own coverage of the elections, pulling away from the coverage of mother network, ABS-CBN. Since then, ANC has given viewers its trademark 48 hours of nonstop election coverage. In 2007 and 2010, ANC mounted senatorial and presidential forums and debates where candidates gave their views on the most pressing issues the country was facing to help the viewers choose wisely. During the 2010 election coverage, ANC was the first to break presidential candidate Manny Villar’s “I concede” speech.

• International events coverage. ANC was the nation’s casement to historical international events such as the bombing of the World Trade Center in 2001, US President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2008, and the deaths of Princess Diana (1997), Pope John Paul II (2005), and Michael Jackson (2009).

ANC is no stranger to hardship. “Sanay sa hirap,” as the group says. And yet it accomplished so much in the past 15 years. This gives the news channel the confidence that it can weather any obstacle that will be thrown its way in the years to come. Today it faces a new challenge of staying on top with the entry of other news channels in the quickly morphing media landscape.

Rallying the ANC team, Lopez averred, “Always engage your audience as you continue to provide context to complicated and messy political affairs, cover business, life and economic news. You enjoy an influential position in the social media sphere. You’re the top choice of embassies, international organizations and business groups for equity building partnerships. You have all you need to be a step ahead of the competition at all times.”

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E-mail bongosorio@yahoo.com or bong_osorio@abs-cbn.com for comments, questions and suggestions. Thank you for communicating.