‘Tis the season to be jolly for local TV
Slowly but surely, GMA 7 is keeping pace with ABS-CBN in terms of local television programs being produced. In the span of roughly two months, the Kapuso network launched two shows: the morning show “Buena Mano” and the Saturday game show “Eat Na Ta.” Both shows air simultaneously with their respective competitors—“Maayong Buntag Kapamilya” and also the recently-launched “Kapamilya Winner Ka.”
I’m not going to discuss here the merits of the mentioned shows, or which one do I think is rising above the fray, since I’m just too glad to be served with more alternatives in local programming. Finally, here are more programs to capture and cater to stories that are not just closest to home, but closest to our hearts. I’m taking this as a sign that mother networks are recognizing that local audiences are a force to be reckoned with.
Nevertheless, because of the ratings battle raging in the entertainment capital, I’ve been told that our local shows are hard-pressed to weave wonders by way of employing formats and formulas that have worked in
Anyhow, these recent developments in local television have given rise to another question: Will GMA 7 face ABS-CBN head-on as far as tele-dramas are concerned? ABS-CBN has already made headway with its relentless production of Cebuanovelas. I will not be the only one to hope that GMA 7 will in the (the soonest, the better) future.
All eyes on the game
The battle of TV game shows has trickled down to the local level. Just last week, the country’s longest-running noontime program “Eat Bulaga” introduced its first-ever local game show dubbed as “Eat Na Ta.”
“Eat Bulaga” big boss Malou Choa-Fagar was very honest to admit that launching the game show was part of a bigger plan to boost the performance, ratings-wise, of “Eat Bulaga” here in Cebu. She said that “Eat Bulaga” has been lagging so much behind its competition. And what better way to do it than to have a localized game show?
Going by the number of game shows on national TV, there’s no denying the power and success of this genre. According to Choa-Fagar, “Eat Bulaga,” which started out as a mainly variety show, has for one adopted the game show format for several years now. (Presently, the program has two main game segments, a “joke time” in between, which in essence is still like a game because viewers send in their jokes, wherein in the best ones are acted out and awarded with a cash prize, and a smattering of entertainment numbers.) Why game shows click is because they incorporate reality TV (notice how hosts now like to chisel out the personal dramas as well as the hidden talents of contestants) and of course, they appeal to our sense of competition.
As one industry insider said, “The game shows have a universal appeal. It’s like live televised sports there’s a winner and a loser, and you don’t know what the outcomes are going to be.”
Aside from assorted cash-giving portions and other gimmicks, such as using an outerspace-ish character or a pretty dancer to humor and entertain in between segments, both “Kapamilya Winner Ka” and “Eat Na Ta” also offer the chance to figure in national TV game shows. That is one, if not the ultimate, come-hither because local contestants will be able to play for a much bigger prize at no cost to them, since the networks will cover all expenses from airfare, to hotel accommodations to even allowance.
Ronnie Matudan won last Saturday in “Kapamilya Winner Ka,” and will soon be playing in “1 vs 100,” hosted by Edu Manzano, tentatively set for broadcast this December 8. According to Adrian Diongzon, executive producer of “Kapamilya Winner Ka,” he expects interest in the show to shoot up what with this concrete proof that a Cebuano contestant is able to participate in a national game show.
As for “Eat Na Ta,” contestants can also push their luck and get the chance to play for the big win, like a million pesos or a brand-new car, in Eat Bulaga’s “
- Latest
- Trending
