Radio Philippines Network
Radio Philippines Network, Inc. is a Philippine television and radio company based in Quezon City. It is currently owned through majority share by Nine Media Corporation of the ALC Group of Companies; along with the Presidential Communications Office, Far East Managers and Investors Inc., and other private sectors. The network's main offices and flagship transmitter are located at Panay Avenue, Brgy. South Triangle, Quezon City. Founded by James Lindenberg, and prior to its privatization, it was the sister network of the current government-owned and controlled Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation; both networks were sequestered after the 1986 People Power Revolution, and formerly an attached agency of the now-PCO, which retained 20% of RPN's non-controlling shares following privatization.
Radio Philippines Network operates television stations with airtime being leased by its parent Nine Media and content provider TV5 Network, serving as primary broadcasters of free-to-air television channel RPTV. RPN also operates regional AM radio stations under the brand Radyo Ronda, serving as a partial affiliate of its sister station DWIZ in Metro Manila.
History
As Kanlaon Broadcasting System (1960–1975)
Early years (1960–1972)
Radio Philippines Network was founded on February 25, 1960, by James Lindenberg, who was also credited as the founder of ABS-CBN. RPN was officially established when the Congress of the Philippines approved its franchise on June 19, 1960.RPN initially operated as a radio network, with its first station, DZBI, based in Manila. By 1967, it had expanded to seven radio stations nationwide, including DZRR and DZAX in Manila, DZBS in Baguio, DZTG in Tuguegarao, DZRL in Laoag, DXXX in Zamboanga, and DXDX in Barangay Dadiangas. Ben Aniceto served as operations director during this time.
In the late 1960s, Lindenberg sold the network to Roberto Benedicto. The network rebranded as the Kanlaon Broadcasting System, named after Mount Kanlaon on the island of Negros, Benedicto's hometown. On October 15, 1969, the network launched its flagship television station, KBS-9 Manila. KBS-12 Baguio followed later that year.
KBS's initial properties and equipment came from ABS-CBN, including its old headquarters and studios on Roxas Boulevard, along with Toshiba equipment that enabled color broadcasting. As a result, it was branded as Accucolor 9, becoming the first Philippine television network to broadcast in full color.
In 1970, KBS acquired a color-capable OB van for remote broadcasts of major events, including news and sports coverage. The network also launched NewsWatch, replacing the short-lived KBS Eyewitness Reports. During this period, broadcast hours were limited to late afternoons until around midnight, Monday through Saturday, with transmissions starting after midday on Sundays.
By 1971, KBS had established itself as an all-color network, operating ten provincial stations located in Baguio, Laoag, Bicol, Iloilo, Cebu, Davao, General Santos, and Butuan, in addition to its flagship station, KBS-9 Manila.
Martial law KBS years and takeover of ABS-CBN (1972–1975)
On September 23, 1972, the KBS television and radio stations and the newspaper publication Philippines Daily Express, all belonging to the Roberto Benedicto group, were allowed to operate during the martial law period with the former airing Wacky Races and Francisco Tatad's reading of Proclamation No. 1081, where most of the media outfits were closed down after the declaration of martial law with Proclamation No. 1081 by Ferdinand Marcos.On September 28, 1972, Marcos ordered the takeover of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation and turned over its facilities to KBS, controlled by Benedicto. ABS-CBN's facilities were later transferred from KBS to the government-owned Maharlika Broadcasting System. Crony-owned media companies broadcast or published news and entertainment meant to project a positive image for the dictatorship and conceal its abuses.
In 1973, RPN brought the first slow-motion production machine to support the live coverage of the MICAA basketball games. Color production with color-ready equipment would enable the government to invest in RPN for color coverages of national events, as then state network GTV, which began two years later after the beginning of martial law, was mostly monochrome before its first color broadcasts in 1976. In 1974, the KBS network grew with the opening of more stations in Tuguegarao, Bayombong, Legazpi, Palawan, Roxas, Dumaguete, Tacloban, Zamboanga, Dipolog, Pagadian, Ozamiz, Cagayan de Oro, Surigao and Cotabato.
The first Radio Philippines Network (1975–1989)
Benedicto ownership (1975–1986)
In 1975, KBS formally relaunched as RPN, the acronym for its franchise name, Radio Philippines Network.The network covered special events such as the Olympic Games, Thrilla in Manila in 1975; and also became the official broadcaster for the Miss Universe pageant held in Manila in 1974, and the first Metropop Song Festival and its succeeding editions from 1978. The network also headlined some top-rated programs such as John en Marsha, Flordeluna and Superstar. RPN became the birthplace and the first home of the now longest-running daytime variety show Eat Bulaga! ; as well as the longest running game show on Philippine television Family Kuarta o Kahon hosted by Pepe Pimentel ; the latter program had enjoyed its successful 38-year run until it finally pulled the plug during the year 2000.
The network pioneered the use of computer graphics for its program plugs and station IDs. It also became the only network in the country known for its broadcasts of its easily recognizable digital clock embedded on the lower left part of the screen during the entire broadcast day except for newscasts, commercials, continuity plugs, station ID, and during sign-off. It eventually became the centerpiece of the network's broadcasts for 32 years, and viewers have been setting their watches and clocks to RPN through the years, until it was abandoned at the end of 2007. After the fire that razed its first studios on June 6, 1973, RPN moved to the Broadcast Plaza in the same year, and to its current Broadcast City home in July 1978, alongside sister networks Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation and Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation.
RPN also aired anime and syndicated programs from the United States. RPN was the first network to cover the Philippine Basketball Association games live in 1975, before the broadcasts moved on to BBC in 1976.
On January 15, 1980, RPN began to broadcast primetime programs through its new domestic satellite technology, in which the 1980s logo resembles a satellite antenna. On May 18, 1982, Eat Bulaga! was also included in the list of the network's DOMSAT-simulcast programs. This made RPN the first national network to achieve nationwide program simulcasting via satellite in 24 TV stations across the Philippines.
The network also became home to, from 1978 up to the early 1980s, the Super Sentai series and tokusatsu programs. In 1982, the network adopted The Leader as its official slogan, coupled with its Number 9 and the red corporate logos. In 1986, after the assumption of office of President Corazon Aquino, the government sequestered Radio Philippines Network for allegedly being part of the crony capitalism under the Marcos regime. During the live broadcast of Marcos' inauguration from the Malacañang Palace during the last day of the People Power Revolution, rebels shut down the RPN transmitter on Panay Avenue, and it resumed broadcasts again on March 3, 1986.
First downfall and sequestration (1986–1989)
After the People Power Revolution which ousted the dictator Ferdinand Marcos and installed Corazon Aquino as president in February 1986, the stock and assets of RPN, IBC and BBC were sequestered by the Presidential Commission on Good Government. President Corazon Aquino awarded BBC's Channel 2 frequency and its affiliates, through an executive order, to ABS-CBN, and RPN's and IBC's assets were turned over to the Government Communications Group and placed under the management of a Board of Administrators tasked to operate and manage its business and affairs subject to the control and supervision of Presidential Commission on Good Government.The period saw a major decline for RPN as its resources became outdated and endured major mismanagement, which led to the network either shutting down or selling its stations. From being number 1 in the ratings, RPN's ratings slumped, due to the growth of GMA Radio-Television Arts and PTV, and more importantly as a result of ABS-CBN's meteoric rise to the number 1 spot in 1988.
During the post-EDSA Revolution era, RPN launched the first Filipino-created animated series, Ang Panday. By 1989, some of RPN's programming such as John en Marsha and Superstar were cancelled, and TAPE Inc.'s daytime programs Eat Bulaga!, Agila and Coney Reyes on Camera moved under a co-production agreement to ABS-CBN, as they saw the resurgent network as a vital element in the sustaining of the three shows' success. By then, the once-dominant RPN had fallen to 4th place, trailing far behind ABS-CBN and GMA and locked in a losing battle with PTV for 3rd place.
New Vision 9 (1989–1994)
On October 8, 1989, RPN was renamed as New Vision 9 to recoup lost audience share in the ratings game of Philippine television networks. In the same year, New Vision 9 transmitter's effective radiated power was increased to 1 million watts, resulting in clearer and better signal reception in the Greater Luzon Area. The rebrand took place after RPN and Syndicated Media Access Corporation took over the network's management and marketing. The rebranding, although it proved futile in the turnaround of RPN's ratings, did make history for the network as it pioneered 24-hour television broadcasting in the Philippines. During the latter part of the New Vision 9 era, its ratings further suffered, ranking last in primetime. Worse yet, RPN's nationwide reach suffered as well as its TV network. In 1989, it consisted of 24 TV stations nationwide.By then, RPN not only had to deal with the continued dominance of ABS-CBN and GMA, but also the return of another station shut down during martial law, ABC, and the onset of cable and UHF channels, which started to eat up the audience shares of the least-watched networks.