What makes Eat, Bulaga! unbeatable?

When the overly-hyped, much-ballyhooed premiere telecast of Masayang Tanghali Bayan last week still failed to knock down Eat Bulaga in the ratings game, the 23-going-on-24-year- old noontime show proved one thing: It is immensely durable.

Next to Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko and Damayan, it is already the longest-running daily program on local television. And it is no mean feat to run a show like that given all the competition it has faced during its more than two decades on the air. Imagine putting up a show six times a week (with a big day every Saturday at that) and making sure you are always on top of the ratings chart every single day. Whew! Incredible as it may sound, Eat Bulaga managed to stay afloat even when pitted against the most formidable of competitions: Student Canteen, Lunch Date, Salu-salo Together, Sanglinggo nAPO Sila, Magandang Tanghali Bayan and, now, Masayang Tanghali Bayan.

But what makes Eat Bulaga durable? Actually, it’s not only Eat Bulaga that has the key to durability because there are other local shows that are also durable – except that Eat Bulaga is the toughest to put together because it is a daily show. (Hands down, it’s undeniably the King of Durability.) However, there are also other shows I also consider durable (TV Patrol, Partners: Mel & Jay, Maalaala Mo Kaya, The Probe Team, etc.). Going over the list of the long-running shows on Philippine television, I tried to analyze what makes these programs durable. Below are some of my findings.

A show has to be original. Cliché as it may sound, nothing beats the original. Your format has to be original and if you are a variety show, your segments have to be original. Of course, given our exposure to Western culture, even some of the long-running programs have copied formats of American TV programs. I guess that’s okay for as long as you can Filipinize the format and make it suitable for the Filipino masses.

A show must have chemistry among the hosts/cast members. A show cannot go on if the stars are quarrelling because this will show on the screen and the viewers won’t like that. Now, granting that the stars are really good actors and are able to camouflage so the audience doesn’t suspect anything–surely this will still be hell for the staff members because it is they who will have to live with the tension on the set and this will reflect on their work.

Know how to change with the times. Go ask Eat Bulaga bigwigs Tony Tuviera and Malou Choa Fagar. This noontime show has lived through various fads in music, dance and fashion but is still there and still on top. The secret here is being able to keep up with the changes and staying in tune to the times. Although this is quite tiring (because you forever have to be changing), you have no choice but to go with the flow or you’ll be left behind.

Keep your show young. Ouch! The sad part is that television is controlled by the young. Well, your show may be as old as Moses, but still, you can keep your show looking young and bursting with energy. The key here is to be open to innovation – from the young who have fresh ideas and from the old guards who have the wisdom to control the wild ideas of the young.

Be current. Woe to nostalgia freaks like me. Unfortunately, most people tune in to TV to see what is current. Anything stale is thrown away like yesterday’s bread. Debate With Mare at Pare may not be that old yet (I think it has been on the air for only four years), but it seems like it will run for a long time. The secret of this show’s success lies in its being current. This is one program that usually changes topics midstream. If the subject of the particular week’s debate had been overtaken by a new issue, the show junks everything and plans out an entirely different episode. Of course, that’s torture to the talent coordinators who will have to cancel confirmed guests and invite new ones at the last minute. But then, that’s how it is to stay current.

Do everything like it’s your last show. This can be pretty exhausting, but that’s life on TV. Never say, "We’ll just do better tomorrow or next week." The competition is tough and the audience is fickle. Go on endless brainstorming sessions until your heads pop out. If you have a last-minute scoop but don’t have the airtime for it, try to squeeze it in at all cost because another show will beat you to it.

Make sure you have the support of the station. Some of our long-running shows did poorly in the beginning and showed promise only after a couple of years. If these shows didn’t have the support of the network early on, some of these programs could have been killed off after its first episode and would never have made it to TV’s most durable list.

Try not to step on people’s toes. Television is a vicious game. But if you can afford to be nice and be helpful to other people, go ahead. This will come back to you manifold. And just like any other profession or any other aspect of life, never deliberately hurt anyone because it will come back to you and you’ll never make it in the game of durability and survival.