ANC rolls out HD broadcast

MANILA, Philippines - The ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) started the test broadcast of its own High Definition (HD) channel on SkyCable channel 182 last March 15. This venture into “new territory” is one of the developments in line with the forthcoming 20th anniversary of the English-language, all-news channel in May. Late last year, ANC introduced a new broadcast design, program grid and studio at Rockwell Center in Makati City. 

ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs head Ging Reyes said, “We’ve always wanted to be ahead of the pack. Actually, we’re a little bit late in terms of that development (HD). It’s just a matter of giving our audience a choice.”

HD technology promises crispier pictures and clearer sounds, but what does it exactly mean for a newscast?

Reyes said, “I realized that when news channels are in HD, they are also nice to watch. I cannot say HD trumps content or the quality of the stories, of course. The more important thing that we focus on is always the substance of our stories, but it doesn’t hurt to be able to use new technology in the way we tell or present our stories.”

For the anchors of ANC shows, like the re-launched morning news and infotainment program Mornings@ANC, it doesn’t spell much difference in terms of making sure they’re at their best before TV audiences.

“There’s always pressure to look good every day, whether there’s HD or not. You have to go out there and be your best,” said former volleyball star Gretchen Ho, one of the new additions to the show along with former newspaper reporter Christian Esguerra. Gretchen and Christian join the morning crew of David Celdran, Paolo Abrera, Gigi Grande and Ginger Conejero.

But more than the aesthetic requirements of the TV medium, David said that what they put more work into is the chemistry among the hosts. With the show’s format — live and interactive — the presence of rapport (or the absence of it) would so easily translate onscreen, even without the magnifying powers of HD.

“We put a lot of effort into our chemistry, into our team work. Hopefully, it works,” said David. “We’re trying to do that every day, really trying to bring viewers into our set.”

Paolo added, “Just to add to that, (the show is) almost like a breakfast smorgasbord, a buffet. You got the years of experience of a David Celdran. And that’s a compliment, by the way. You got the political insight of Christian, you got these lovely ladies so we’ve got all points of views. We all bring something different to the show. It’s the chemistry, it’s the mix of everything on your breakfast plate, you know.”

Meanwhile, the new kid on the block was asked about his transition from print media work to TV.

According to Christian, “So far, so good, but of course, I’m still learning the rudiments. It’s a very new medium for me. I was a print reporter for 15 years and this is my 16th year in the industry. What’s good with ABS-CBN is that I get to do my job in different platforms. And it’s good that I became part of ANC, because there’s not much transition when it comes to the language as I’ve been used to writing in English for the longest time. All I have to do is to be ‘perked up’ every morning, to use that language for broadcast. But there are certain, subtle differences and nuances that I’m still getting used to.”

David said, “The great thing about this (show) is no one is forcing anyone to be something they’re not. ‘Perky’ is not so much the word to use as being natural. We’re not trying to be lively as an act,” in reaction to a question about living up to what’s perceived as the template ­— perky or full of energy — of a morning show anchor, who somehow has the responsibility of starting the TV viewer’s day right.

“Whatever we are as people, I think, comes across on screen,” added David.  

For Paolo, who usually covers new dining destinations, cars, gadgets, etc., “How can you not be excited and be up in the morning if that’s the kind of job that you do?”

Of course, every news-oriented program comes with not-so-good news. But rather than reacting negatively to it, viewers can look at it as a wake-up call, Gretchen said. “The problems that are there, the bad news that we see all over is a great challenge for us to act upon it and to do something about it,” she said.

Meanwhile, in reaching out to the younger set, David said that they are adapting to how young people consume their news.

“It is a multi-screen phenomenon. It’s not just exclusively the TV set or exclusively your cellphone, or your laptop, it’s all happening all at the same time. So, that’s basically how we operate, it’s very spontaneous, what’s trending online, we pick it up and talk about it on the show or the producer picks it up, looks for a story, or we get a phone patch based on that national conversation.”

According to Reyes, the news organization itself is conscious and mindful of the needs of its multiple audiences.

She said, “We re-launched Mornings@ANC because we wanted to address the needs of a certain market, those who have cable, those who want to wake up to an honest-to-goodness morning show that they would want to follow every day.

“But we have a 24/7 news operation and to emphasize that, we also have a morning show (Umagang Kay Ganda) on our mainstream television channel which also addresses a different kind of audience. Also, we have a strong presence on social media by way of our abscbnnews.com. ANC also has a digital counterpart with ANC TV, ANC Alerts, so kung nasaan man ang ating audience, the audience that is looking for news and stories to share and be familiar with, ABS-CBN is there. It might be called something else, but programs and news content are available on every platform.”