Fear of losing ABS-CBN

The radio news and commentary program has been a staple of my morning since I was a teenager. It was my father who listened to the AM morning programs, and I was a passive listener. Eventually I became a keen listener too, as I took interest in the sharp and credible commentaries of the leading voices of AM radio at that time – among them Cerge Remonde, Maria Jane Paredes, and Malou Guanzon-Apalisok.

Today, Leo Lastimosa’s Arangkada radio program in ABS-CBN’s dyAB is the staple of my morning routine. Pre-Covid days when work appointments made me miss some parts of the program, I had always tried to catch its late-night replay in my DYAB phone app.

Now I can only listen to Arangkada either live or on replay through Facebook Live or YouTube. The sad part is what has caused this migration to the online platform. On May 4, ABS-CBN stations including DYAB were shut down from the airwaves. And on July 10, a committee of Congress hammered the final nail in the coffin of ABS-CBN’s bid to renew its franchise.

Those committee hearings in Congress were reduced to a carousel of grievances by politicians on ABS-CBN’s coverage of public affairs issues and its supposed bias against government. The Cebu Citizens-Press Council (CCPC) released a statement the other day and I could not have said it any better myself.

The CCPC said: “The ABS-CBN controversy would not have evolved into a press freedom issue if there was no repeated public threat to close down the network from the highest official of the land, which firmed up suspicion about the long legislative inaction and, later, intensive scrutiny of the network’s alleged violations.”

“The House has closed down a media and business establishment for alleged violations of journalism standards. And it imposed the death penalty, so to speak, instead of the usual warning and fine. A dangerous and scary precedent for the news media.”

“How can this not be a press freedom issue?”

This is not yet the end for the country’s leading broadcast network, though. According to a recent SWS survey, 75% of Filipinos want ABS-CBN to get another franchise. That indicates a large following among the public for ABS-CBN. This despite all the unfounded accusations thrown against the network.

The network’s current predicament, thus, presents an opportunity for it to develop a large market in the various digital platforms. It can tap Facebook which has over 70 million users in the Philippines. There is also YouTube where Kapamilya shows can be streamed live all day. ABS-CBN likewise already has its stand-alone streaming website and app called iWant.ph and iWant. Some network shows can also be viewed on The Filipino Channel through Internet Protocol Television (IPTV).

The shutdown from the airwaves will, of course, severely affect ABS-CBN’s balance sheet; it’s shutdown from the airwaves still leaves out millions of viewers who solely rely on free-to-air TV and radio. It might also compel the company to streamline its workforce and operations. Those of us in the provinces may be the ones most affected. Regional programs could be shuttered, and if that happens here in Cebu, there goes my morning staple. God forbid.

I may not agree with everything my favorite morning news and public affairs commentator says. But in the confusion and deception of today’s electronic media-saturated world, what I value most in journalism is its old ways – to inform and persuade with integrity, trustworthiness, and excellence – in that order. I support these values that ABS-CBN stands for and which many of its commentators and reporters exemplify.