Jemah’s dilemma

Jemah Television is bent on covering the Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam, come hell or high water. As it turns out, they are dedicating this big gamble to more than just the desire to make a buck. They have demonstrated a soft heart and hard determination for the Filipino athlete.

"We’ve been doing billiards this year," Marc Roces, CEO of Jemah, told The Star yesterday. "Then we found out through (Philippine Olympic Committee president) Cito Dayrit, an old schoolmate of mine, that nobody was covering the SEA Games. We decided to commit to it. We believe that we should support Philippine sports."

The Roces family has been in film production and distribution for generations. Prominently displayed in their Makati office is a framed black and white poster of the facade of the old MGM Studios, with an inscripted congratulations for the opening of the old Ideal Theatre well over a century ago. But the ties to sports have also been strong. Leo Prieto, the PBA’s first commissioner, is Marc’s uncle.

"We are doing this because we believe in the Filipino athlete," says veteran television sports marketer Freddie Infante, whose main task is to make sure that Jemah at least breaks even in this venture. "With very short notice, we are trying to put together as comprehensive a package as possible, to promote not just the three B’s (basketball, boxing and billiards), but the other sports where Filipinos could do well."

After acquiring the rights to the broadcasts from the POC (for a reported P1 million), came the hard part. Jemah is working with NBN 4, the only Asian Broadcasting Union member in the country. (ABU membership is a prerequisite for covering the SEA Games and Asian Games.) They will be renting facilities and airtime for the duration of the Games. Heading the production team is NBN head of programming, Chit Gatan, whose superlative experience in events of this nature will be a great help. Handling the complex technical requirements is Milo Cacanindin, a former ABS-CBN vice-president whose expertise in assembling equipment for transmission from difficult locations is veritably unmatched.

The tough part will be bringing all the games to the Philippines. High military officials are coordinating on behalf of the organizers, and have been very exacting with regards to accreditation and security. Even shoots for special features will need a week’s clearance, including storyboards and shotlists submitted in advance, a practice unheard of in events of this nature. Aside from that, the Games will be in cities hundreds of kilometers apart: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Haoshung. It will be like trying to blanket an elephant with a handkerchief. The final roster of announcers will be hard-pressed to cover the simultaneous going-on from sun-up to midnight.

And getting their money back is another matter altogether.

"Some advertisers are adopting a wait-and-see attitude," Infante muses. "But I’m appealing to them to throw their support behind the athletes. We are doing this out of nationalism and faith in the Filipino. Sports really builds a nation, no doubt about that. We always complain about how inadequate our athletes are. Why don’t we support them, then? let’s put our money where our mouth is."

Another challenge will be keeping up with the progress of athletes, who will be spread out. The SEA Games Organizing Committee has adopted the unusual policy of booking athletes in hotels per sport, instead of within one main athletes’ village. This will make it infinitely harder to interview athletes, particularly the obscure ones who suddenly make it big.

"I don’t mind breaking even on this," Roces says, acknowledging the uphill struggle. "But this is a project worth doing. And we’re looking at supporting Philippine sports beyond the SEA Games."

One thing is for sure: given the modest medal projections by the Philippine Olympic Committee, now is the best time for Jemah to test the waters. And, at the end of the day, their experience will be worth its weight in gold.

(Catch Nic Belasco, PBL team primers and find out why the Miss Earth beauties are on this week’s episode of The Basketball Show on IBC-13 at 4 p.m.)