DZMM
DZMM 'Radyo Patrol' was a commercial news/talk radio station broadcasting from Quezon City, Philippines, serving the Mega Manila market. It was the flagship station of the Radyo Patrol Network owned by ABS-CBN Corporation. The station's studio was located at the ABS-CBN Broadcast Center, Sgt. Esguerra Avenue, corner of Mother Ignacia St., Brgy. South Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City; its 50,000-watt transmitter was located at F. Navarette St., Brgy. Panghulo, Obando, Bulacan.
Select programming from the station were also simulcast via satellite over various regional stations in the country, including Puerto Princesa, Cebu, and in Davao City. DZMM later launched a namesake TV channel in 2007 which simulcast the station with a video feed of the studio.
DZMM went off-air on May 5, 2020, following the expiration of ABS-CBN's legislative franchise to operate terrestrial television and radio stations. Most of the station's programming resumed three days later as an online feed and through the TeleRadyo channel. The Philippine Collective Media Corporation later acquired the frequency in 2023 and relaunched the station under the callsign DWPM though a joint venture with ABS-CBN, initially under the Radyo 630 branding. On May 29, 2025, Radyo 630, along with its television counterpart TeleRadyo Serbisyo, rebranded back to DZMM Radyo Patrol 630 and DZMM TeleRadyo, bringing back the iconic callsign after 5 years. However, the station currently uses the DWPM callsign as prescribed from the NTC.
History
1953-72: Radyo Patrol's first iteration
On October 19, 1953, DZAQ, the forerunner of DZMM was established as the first radio station of the former ABS of the Quirinos under President Elpidio Quirino's brother, Antonio.DZAQ further traced its roots from the pre-1953 experimental station DZBC, a radio station using the Filipino language in its broadcasts instead of the dominant English lingua franca by other stations at that time. DZAQ 620 kHz featured news, variety and music programs on the then-standard AM format and served as the progenitor for DZAQ-TV 3. Eddie Ilarde, Ike Lozada, German Moreno and Joey de Leon were some of the best-known personalities of the station with its first radio studios in Aduana, Intramuros, Manila, sharing the same building with the television studios. In 1957, with the opening of the then new ABS radio and television studios in Pasay, the DZAQ radio studios moved there.
Upon ABS and the Lopez-owned Chronicle Broadcasting Network formally merging into a single network in 1967, DZAQ 620 kHz switched frequencies with CBN-owned DZXL 960 kHz and was rebranded as DZAQ Radyo Patrol 960 kHz, one of the pre-martial law flagship AM stations of ABS-CBN. Orly Mercado,, together with Ben Aniceto, came up with a vision to establish a 24-hour all-news and all-talk radio station and ABS-CBN conceptualized it under the Radyo Patrol brand – the de facto successor of the ephemeral 24 hour news station DZQL Radyo Reloj, which CBN launched in 1956, and the first-ever 24-hour news radio station in the country and in Southeast Asia.
The first and original Radyo Patrol team was unceremoniously organized following the aftermath of Super Typhoon Welming in 1967, at the old ABS-CBN Radio Broadcast Center in Aduana Street, Intramuros, Manila, which housed the station since it was moved in 1958. The then program manager Ben Aniceto and Chief Engineer Emilio Solidum created a solution to broadcast typhoon damage news from Manila and the surrounding areas. Using two Volkswagen Combis attached with a UHF transmitter, two teams of reporters were dispatched. Combi One had Al Mendez and Zoilo Paragas Jr as reporters, and Combi 2 with Bar Samson. DZQL and DZXL became the carrying stations with then-current DJs Naldy Castro, Buddy Medina, Boots Baker, Mary Jane Madamba and even the late Ike Lozada alternating as anchors. Cesar Mortega was assigned to coordinate the broadcasts. It proved to be a huge success for the corporation, and for its news service.
Then came the magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Casiguran. This strong earthquake led to the collapse of the Ruby Tower in the capital's downtown district. This was the second major news event that became a progenitor to the current Radyo Patrol; DZAQ took on the gargantuan task of informing the nation live as it happened. The Radyo Patrol Ruby Tower project was then handled by former DZAQ station manager Orly Mercado, and veteran broadcaster Joe Taruc; the first reporters assigned as Radyo Patrol reporters were Mercado himself, Jun Ricafrente, Mario Garcia, Cris Daluz, and Ismael Reyes. The marathon radio-TV simulcast of a major coverage — the first of its kind by a Philippine media firm, was a success, and the Radyo Patrol format later became an integral part of DZAQ's broadcasts, with the station's field reporters being assigned to cover breaking news stories and then calling the station to convey these stories as they happened. Encouraged by the success of the field reports of breaking news stories in the Greater Manila Area and beyond, DZAQ was later converted into a 24-hour uninterrupted news and commentary station by orders of the corporation management that year, covering many national events of great importance to listeners, as DZXL took over its entertainment and music programming. Based on a survey conducted by Seamark, Inc., DZXL was the most popular radio station in the country by mid-1970. At the same time, the original team of 5 field reporters was later expanded to include both young announcers like Rey Langit, Ernie Baron, and Manolo Favis, alongside industry news veterans. By 1971, the success of the Radyo Patrol format in the Greater Manila Area had led to select ABS-CBN provincial radio stations establishing Radyo Patrol news services within their areas.
Martial law period and until 1986
However, during the night of September 23, 1972, the operations of DZAQ, DZXL, DZYK-FM, DZAQ-TV and DZXL-TV along with 4 other ABS-CBN AM radio stations were halted as Metrocom forces seized ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center two days after President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law; DZAQ/DZXL personalities were even arrested because of strict censorship as the stations went off the air.Two years after the forced shut down of all radio and television stations, DWWX-AM 620 of Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation took over in 1973. It went off the air in 1975, focusing on DWWA 1160 due to the NTC law that only one station per market. Meanwhile, DWWW, an AM station of Kanlaon Broadcasting System signed on the air in 1973 with news, public service programs, drama and music. Veteran anchors and new recruits like Johnny de Leon, Rod Navarro, Joe Taruc and Vic Morales came into DWWW at that time. Dely Magpayo, Henry Jones Ragas, Gel Santos-Relos, Julie Fe Navarro, Bert "Tawa" Marcelo, and Noli de Castro were among those who worked as station announcers.
Under the KBS/RPN control, the station was dubbed Pinakamatatag sa Buong Pilipinas. Back then, it's frequency is at 1280 kHz. Later in 1975, it migrated to 620 kHz after the shutdown of DWWX-AM. Following the switch of the Philippine AM radio bandplan from the NARBA-implemented 10 kHz spacing to the GE75-implemented 9 kHz spacing on November 23, 1978, DWWW's frequency was reassigned from 620 to 630 AM, and gained a new home in Broadcast City in Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila.
On the third day of the 1986 EDSA Revolution, reformist soldiers stormed into the RPN broadcast complex and knocked DWWW off the air following the capture of MBS 4 on the morning of February 24, 1986, and RPN 9 the day after. Following Cory Aquino's accession to the presidency, both DWWW of RPN and DWWK-FM of BBC were sequestered by the government with ABS-CBN getting both stations as a result.
1986-2020: The second era of Radyo Patrol
Preparations and launch: ''Himpilan ng Malayang Mamamayan''
In April 1986, the then-newly formed Presidential Commission on Good Government handed over two radio stations, DWWW of RPN and DWWK-FM of BBC, back to ABS-CBN. DWWW changed its callsign to DZMM and began preparations for the resumption of broadcasts. Lito Balquiedra Jr., vice-president for radio, together with attorney Jake Lopez, a part of the ABS-CBN news teams of the 60s and early 70s, and Mr. Ben Aniceto spearheaded the station's preparations and launch through recruiting experienced and new employees including a new generation of Radyo Patrol reporters.DZMM's studios were initially located at the Chronicle Building in Pasig. After days of careful planning and a period of test broadcast which took place from July 16–21, 1986, DZMM officially signed on the air with the new tagline "Ang Himpilan ng Malayang Mamamayan" on the afternoon of July 22, 1986, at 3 pm.
Rene Jose delivered the first sign-on spiels, while Magpayo was the first-ever anchor to grace the airwaves of the new station with her program Dear Tiya Dely, followed by other broadcast icons such as Jun Ricafrente, Cesar Mortega, Ric Tierro and de Castro, newly recruited female hosts Mel Tiangco and Angelique Lazo, as well as Ernie Baron and Kuya Cesar. Knowledge Power, the first-ever full-length program of the station was launched. It was also the country's first-ever scholastic program on AM radio. Mario Garcia, who was part of the original Radyo Patrol core and recruited from DWAN 1206, was the first station manager, months after its reopening.
In 1987, the station was transferred to the ABS-CBN Broadcast Center in Quezon City from the former Chronicle Building in Ortigas Center, Pasig. During its first years of operations, DZMM maintained a 19-hours-a-day to 20-hours-a-day schedule throughout the week.
In 1987, the first-ever tandem on local AM radio was introduced, Mel & Jay, hosted by Mel Tiangco and Jay Sonza. It was also in the same year when DZMM slowly built a remarkable roster of radio talents, including Ted Failon, Korina Sanchez, Frankie Evangelista, Gel Santos-Relos, Ernie Angeles, Neil Ocampo and Jake Maderazo.
As it was in the past, DZMM maintained the tradition of the stalwart ABS-CBN Radyo Patrol of the 1960s and early 1970s to further develop the station's capabilities in serving the public. Jun Ricafrente, Radyo Patrol #3, one of the original members of the team, started training new recruits. The first of the 2nd generation reporters to be selected were Radyo Patrol #2 Claude Vitug, Radyo Patrol #4 Emil Recometa, Radyo Patrol #1 Lito Villarosa and Radyo Patrol #5 Neil Ocampo.
It was also in this year when military insurgents tried to take over the station during the 1987 coup attempts. However, the plan was thwarted when the booth was moved to an undisclosed location and immediately resumed broadcasting.
In 1989, DZMM eventually evolved into a 24-hour round-the-clock broadcast service, in keeping up with the demands of delivering the news to the listeners.
Failon — known for his out-of-the-box broadcasting style — changed the landscape of Philippine radio broadcasting as he joined DZMM's roster of broadcasters the following year through Gising Pilipinas, formerly aired on weekdays from 2 to 4 am.
Among the station's roster of notable coverage during the late 1980s and the early 1990s, included the Mendiola riot, the August 1987 coup, Supertyphoon Sisang, the sinking of the MV Doña Paz tragedy, the death of Ferdinand Marcos, the December 1989 Christmas coup, the Luzon earthquake, the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo and the Gulf War. All of these were witnessed and listened on AM radio by listeners, together with ABS-CBN News team of reporters. These reports would be a source of pride for the station, receiving great acclaim from the public for its ability to deliver live, accurate reporting of news stories.