ABS-CBN CORPORATION

Lopez Group of Companies

López Holdings Corporation (formerly Benpres Holdings Corporation) is a Filipino
conglomerate founded by the brothers Eugenio López, Sr. and Fernando López, Sr.. It has
substantial holdings in the public service and utilities sector in the Philippines and serves as the
López family's publicly listed holding company for investments in major development sectors
such as broadcasting and cable; telecommunications; power generation and distribution;
manufacturing; and property development. It added to its portfolio investments in other basic
service sectors but has also since sold its interest in banking, toll roads, information technology,
and health care delivery. López Holdings Corporation is majority-owned by López, Inc., a
private holding and investment entity of the López family.

OTHER BUSINESSES
Media and Telecommunications
 ABS-CBN Corporation (formerly ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation) - a publicly listed
company and the country's largest media conglomerate. It is currently involved in broadcast
radio and television as well as cable television (SkyCable, Creative Communications, Inc.),
television programming, films, publishing, licensing, and websites. Its flagship television
station, ABS-CBN is the leading television network in the country and is available
worldwide through The Filipino Channel. López Holdings owns 57.24% of ABS-CBN
Corporation as of 2014.
 Sky Vision Corporation - is a holding company incorporated on March 25, 1991 with the
primary purpose of owning controlling stocks on Sky Cable Corporation. It started
commercial operations on February 1, 1992. It is owned 55% by ABS-CBN Corporation, 5%
by López Holdings Corporation and 40% by Sampaquita Communications Pte. Ltd.[1] Sky
Cable acquired Destiny Cable in 2012.
POWER AND ENERGY
 First Philippine Holdings Corporation (First Holdings) - a holding company whose core
businesses are in power generation and distribution, with strategic initiatives[clarification needed] in
manufacturing, property and infrastructure. Lopez holdings owns 46.6% of FPHC as of
December 2011.
POWER GENERATION
 First Gen Corporation (First Gen) - is the holding company of First Holdings in power
generation and energy-related businesses. First Holdings owns 76% of First Gen.
 First Gas Holdings Corporation (FGHC) - established in 1994 as a joint-venture between
First Holdings and the BG Group to develop natural gas projects in the Philippines using
 natural gas from the Malampaya gas field. FGHC is now a wholly owned subsidiary of First
Gen acquiring the 40% interest of BG Group in 2012.
 First Gas Power Corporation (FGPC) - established in 1994 as a joint-venture between First
Holdings and the BG Group to operate a 1,000 MW power plant in Santa Rita, Batangas. In
May 2012, First Gen acquired the 40% interest of the BG Group, making FGPC an indirect
wholly owned subsidiary of First Gen.
 FGP Corporation (FGP) - established in 1997 as a joint-venture between First Holdings and
the BG Group to operate a 500 MW power plant in San Lorenzo, Batangas. In May 2012,
First Gen acquired the 40% interest of the BG Group, making FGPC an indirect wholly
owned subsidiary of First Gen.
 FG Hydro Power Corporation - First Gen Hydro Power Corporation (FG Hydro) was
incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of First Gen.
 FG Bukidnon Power Corporation
 First Gen Renewables, Inc. (FGRI), formerly known as First Philippine Energy Corporation,
was established in 1978 to develop prospects in the renewable energy market. First Gen
owns 100% of FGRI.
 Energy Development Corporation - established in 1976,accounts for more than 60% of the
country’s installed geothermal capacity. Its plants are located in the provinces of Leyte,
Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Bicol and North Cotobato. In November 2007, First
Gen Corporation bid for and won a 60-percent economic stake in EDC. As of 2011 First Gen
owns over 46% of EDC.

POWER DISTRIBUTION
 MERALCO (Manila Electric Company) - acquired by the López Group 1962 and developed
into a power-distributing company. First Holdings, now owns approximately 3.9% stake in
the company after selling an additional 2.66% stake to Beacon Electric Asset Holdings
(Beacon) early this year. First Holdings still has one (1) board seat. Beacon is now owned by
the First Pacific group through Metro Pacific Investments Corporation.
 PECO (Panay Electric Company) - First Holdings entered into a joint venture with the Panay
Electric Company, Inc. (PECO) in March 1996 for the construction of a US 72 million
diesel-fired power plant in Iloilo City. First Holdings acquired a 30 percent equity in PECO.
In turn, PECO subscribed to a 30 percent equity interest in Panay Power Corporation. First
Holdings currently owns 30% of PECO.
REAL ESTATE
 Rockwell Land Corporation (RLC) - a high-end real estate development corporation initially
tasked to develop the Rockwell Center in Makati City. Rockwell Land was established in
1995. FPHC now owns 85% of Rockwell Land after buying the shares
of MPIC and SMC groups in Rockwell Land.[2]
 First Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP) - a 315-hectare industrial estate. FPIP is a joint
venture with Sumitomo Corporation of Japan which owns 30% while First Holdings owns
70%, formed in 1996 to develop an industrial park located in Sto. Tomas, Batangas.
 First Philippine Realty Corp., formerly known as INAEC Development Corporation -
primarily engaged in the acquisition, disposal, or lease of real and personal property. FPRC
is a wholly owned subsidiary of First Holdings.
 TerraPrime Inc. - incorporated in May 2011 as a joint-venture between First Balfour and
Estuar Development Corporation. The company is engaged in real estate development.[3]
INFRASTRUCTURE
 First Balfour, Inc. - is one of the country’s largest engineering and construction companies
today, with 49 years in business. First Balfour, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of First
Philippine Holdings.
 First Philippine Industrial Corp.- owns and operates the sole, largest commercial oil pipeline
in the country, transporting crude and refined petroleum products from Batangas to Metro
Manila. FPIC is 60% owned by First Holdings, in partnership with Shell Petroleum Co., Ltd.
(UK) which owns 40%.
MANUFACTURING
 First Philippine Electric Corp. (First Philec)
 Philippine Electric Corporation (Philec)
 First Electro Dynamics Corporation (FEDCOR)
 First Philippine Power Systems, Inc. (FPPS)
 First Sumiden Circuits, Inc. (FSCI)
 First Sumiden Realty, Inc.
 First Philec Solar Corporation
OTHER BUSINESSES OF THE LOPEZ GROUP
 Asian Eye Institute
 Bayad Center
 Securities Transfer Services Inc. (STSI)
 ADTEL
 INAEC Aviation Corporation[4]
FORMER BUSINESSES
 Bayan Telecommunications Holdings Corporation (Bayan Holdings) - owns Bayan
Telecommunications, one of the telecommunications company in the Philippines providing a
full range of services which includes local exchange, domestic long distance, international
long distance, data and payphone services. As of May 2011, Lopez Holdings held 47.3%
Bayan Holdings. In 2013, Ayala-led Globe Telecom took over 98% of BayanTel via a debt
to equity deal.
 Maynilad Water Services - joint-venture between Benpres Holdings Corporation and Ondeo
Water Services, Inc. (formerly Suez Lyonnaise de Eaux). Benpres left the joint-venture in
2006 in order to settle a debt of US$150 million.
 The Medical City - in April 2008, Benpres sold its entire 18% stake in The Medical City to
Lombard for Php600 million.
 Tollways - in 2008, First Philippine Infrastructure Development Corporation and NLEX
Corporation were sold to Metro Pacific Investments Corporation.
 Philippine Commercial International Bank - a joint venture between Benpres and the JG
Summit Holdings. Both sold their shares in 1999 to the SSS and GSIS which gave way to the
Equitable Banking Corporation - Philippine Commercial International Bank merger which
formed Equitable PCI Bank and was eventually bought by Banco de Oro Universal Bank
becoming BDO-EPCI inc. and finally deciding the name to BDO Unibank.

HISTORY OF ABS-CBN CORPORATION

ABS-CBN Corporation is the biggest media conglomerate in the Philippines, dominating three
main platforms: television, radio, and online media.
ABS-CBN traces its beginnings to the merger of two broadcast networks after World War II:
Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network.
ABS was owned by then president Elpidio Quirino’s younger brother Antonio, who bought into
Bolinao Electronics Corporation, a company owned by Jewish-American businessman James
Lindberg that assembled radio-transmitting equipment. Lindenberg applied for and got the very
first television franchise in the Philippines, and, on October 23, 1953, ABS aired the first full-
blown TV broadcast in the country as DZAQ-TV.
CBN, on the other hand, stands for Chronicle Broadcasting Network and was owned by Eugenio
Lopez Sr. of the Lopez family that also owned the broadsheet Manila Chronicle.
Lopez bought ABS from the Quirinos on February 24, 1957. ABS-CBN came into existence, and
was the first Philippine network to broadcast in color.
Lopez was the elder brother of Fernando Lopez who served as Elpidio Quirino’s vice president
from 1949 to 1953 and Ferdinand Marcos’ vice-president until 1972, when Marcos declared
martial law and took control of all media, including ABS-CBN and the Manila Chronicle which
then ceased operations.
ABS-CBN resumed commercial operations after the People Power Revolution in 1986 when
then President Corazon Aquino, through an executive order, gave the Lopezes back the
businesses that Marcos seized from them 14 years earlier, including ABS-CBN and other
companies. On March 1, 1987, Channel 2 was relaunched as “The Star Network” and has since
then produced content that appeals to the Filipino viewing public.
Today, ABS-CBN Corporation has P38.278 billion ($817 million) declared revenue as of
December 31, 2015 with the bulk of its income coming from its broadcast operations followed
by its cable and satellite operations. It has presence on TV via ABS-CBN 2, sports station
Sports+Action, and regional channels. On radio, there is DZMM on the AM band and 101.9 on
the FM band, while online platform is abs.cbn.com. The company continues to produce printed
material with ABS-CBN Publishing Incorporated, a magazine and book publisher.ABS-CBN
forms a duopoly in the Philippine media landscape together with its closest competitor, GMA
Network Incorporated, with the two giants capturing 80.72 percent of the television audience in
the Philippines.ABS-CBN Corporation is part of the Lopez group of companies known as Lopez,
Incorporated. Its non-media businesses include power and energy, property development,
financial services, and manufacturing.
They were into water services, telecommunications, and tollways.
ABS-CBN 2, or the Kapamilya Network, is the flagship TV station of media giant ABS-CBN
Corporation, the biggest media conglomerate in the Philippines.
ABS-CBN 2 is a commercial TV station that airs on very high frequency (VHF) and is the
leading TV station in the country based on reach, audience share, and advertising revenue. ABS-
CBN 2 reaches an estimated 97 percent of all households with television sets in the Philippines,
based on the latest data released by the station. Its programming may also be viewed outside the
country “to over 3.1 million viewers in North America, the Middle East, Europe, Japan,
Australia, Canada, and other countries in Asia.”
Nielsen’s National Urban TV Audience Measurement, which measures TV viewership of key
cities in the country, pegs the station’s audience share at 37.58 percent from January to August
2016, the highest among all TV stations in the country.
The channel shows diverse programs from drama series, sitcoms, musical variety shows,
infotainment, entertainment, and news and current affairs.
The Lopez family’s ABS-CBN Corporation and its mother company Lopez, Incorporated own
the channel. The family’s patriarch, Eugenio Lopez Sr., started ABS-CBN Corporation as a radio
broadcasting company in the 1950s. His grandson, Harvard-educated Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez
III, is ABS-CBN Corporation’s current chair of the board.
ABS-CBN 2 ceased operations on September 1972 when former President Ferdinand Marcos
declared Martial law and took control of media in the country. It resumed commercial operations
after the People Power Revolution in 1986 when then President Corazon Aquino returned,
through an executive order, the network and other companies that were seized by Marcos from
the Lopezes in 1972.
On March 1, 1987, Channel 2 was relaunched as “The Star Network” and has since then
produced content that appeals to the Filipino viewing public.

PROFIT OF ABS-CBN

ABS-CBN Corp. reported its net income slumped 39.7% to P1.91 billion last year, as revenues
from advertisers slipped and production costs increased.In a regulatory filing, the Lopez-led
media giant said total consolidated revenues dipped 1.4% to P40.13 billion in 2018, mainly due
to the 3.4% decline in advertising revenues to P20.38 billion.“Advertising revenues decreased by
P716 million or 3.4% lower, attributable to fewer advertising placements from the year.
Consumer sales increased by P149 million, mainly resulting from a 26% increase in ABS-CBN
TVPlus boxes sold year-on-year,” the company said.ABS-CBN said it sold a total of 2.5 million
TVPlus boxes in 2018, an increase of 26.3% from the sales made in 2017. The total number of
ABS-CBN TVPlus boxes sold since 2015 stood at 6.8 million as of end-2018. The company’s
costs and expenses also went up 3.7% to P37.934 billion, as it spent P206 million more for
license fees for sports programs and P140 million more for film rights amortization.However,
revenues from its film and music segments went down 0.3% in 2018 due to a weak movie results
in the first half of the year. Revenues from its international business also fell 4.6% after it
shuttered its money remittance and cargo businesses, reducing revenues by P159 million. The
company’s satellite and broadband business SkyCable also slumped to a loss in 2018, ending
with a net loss of P340 million from a net income of P123 million in 2017.
“SkyCable’s revenue decreased by P195 million or 2.1% year-on-year. The decline in
SkyCable’s performance was triggered by the decrease in cable subscriber count by 69,000. In
total, subscriber count of Sky increased by 489,000, significantly attributable to direct-to-home
subscribers,” it said.ABS-CBN’s Digital and Interactive Media segment, which covers its online
and mobile platforms, recorded a slimmer net loss of P181 million during the full year from
P441 million in 2017.

But its Consumer Products and Experience segment, or the ABS-CBN business involved with
live events, theme parks and stores, posted a bigger net loss of P102 million from last year’s P82
million.

GMA Network

GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a major national commercial broadcast
television and radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is the flagship property of
publicly traded GMA Network Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961,
GMA Network (formerly known as RBS TV Channel 7, GMA Radio-Television Arts then GMA
Rainbow Satellite Network) is commonly signified to as the "Kapuso Network" in reference to
the outline of the company’s logo. It has also been called the “Christian Network” which refers
to the apparent programming during the tenure of the new management, which took over in
1974. It is headquartered in the GMA Network Center in Quezon City and its transmitter, Tower
of Power is located at Tandang Sora Avenue, Barangay Culiat also in Quezon City.[2]

The original meaning of the GMA acronym was Greater Manila Area, referring to the initial
coverage area of the station. As the network expanded it changed into Global Media Arts.
GMA's flagship television station is DZBB-TV which carries VHF Channel 7 (Analog
broadcast) and UHF Channel 15 (Digital broadcast). The network has 4 originating stations and
48 relay stations nationwide. Its programming is also available outside the Philippines through
GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV and GMA News TV International.
OTHER BUSINESSES OF GMA

Television
GMA Network
GMA Network, commonly known as GMA, is a major Philippine commercial television
network. Launched on October 29, 1961, GMA Network is also referred to as the “Kapuso
Network” in reference to the company’s logo. Its headquarters can be found at the GMA
Network Center in Quezon City.
GMA News TV
GMA News TV is a Philippine news and lifestyle-oriented channel on local UHF channel 27.
GMA News TV is generally watched as a free-to-air news and lifestyle oriented channel in the
Philippines. The channel is available in most satellite and cable TV systems.[7]
Fox Filipino
Fox Filipino is an archive entertainment cable television channel in the Philippines. It features
Filipino-produced programming from GMA Network and Filipino movies from GMA Pictures,
entries from the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, selected Asian and
Hollywood movies, and selected foreign programming dubbed in Filipino language.
International broadcasts
GMA Pinoy TV
In March 2005, GMA Network launched its first international channel, GMA Pinoy TV. The
channel is targeted toward Filipino communities worldwide. Flagship programs from GMA
Network are shown aside from in-house programming. It also syndicates shows. GMA Pinoy TV
is available in key cities in the United States, Canada, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and
some parts of Asia and Europe.[11]
GMA Life TV
In February 2008, GMA International launched its second international channel via GMA Life
TV. It carries programming from GMA Network and from its former lifestyle channel in the
Philippines, Q. It also carries new programs broadcast by the news channel, GMA News TV.
GMA Life TV is available through satellite and cable TV system worldwide.[11]
GMA News TV International
GMA International announced the launch of GMA News TV International in July 2011.[12] It
will be available through satellite and cable TV systems worldwide. It will be the third
international channel of GMA Network Inc., together with GMA Pinoy TV and GMA Life
TV.[13] GMA News TV International is current available on a preview channel basis in Australia
via UBI World TV and FetchTV, IPS/AccessTV in Japan and GUdTV in Guam.
RADIO
DZBB
DZBB, also known as Super Radyo DZBB 594 is the AM radio station of RGMA in
Metropolitan Manila, one of GMA Network's subsidiaries. Radio studios are located at GMA
Network Center in Quezon City while its radio transmitter is at Obando, Bulacan. The station
operates 24 hours a day except every Monday midnight. Some of the programs of GMA and
GMA News TV are simultaneously simulcast on the station.
DWLS
DWLS-FM, also known as Barangay LS 97.1, is the FM radio station of RGMA in Metropolitan
Manila, a subsidiary of GMA Network. Its main radio studios are located at the GMA Network
Center in Quezon City and its transmitter is at Tandang Sora Avenue, Quezon City. DWLS is the
assigned call letters for the radio station and it was derived from the name of Loreto Stewart, the
wife of its founder, Robert La Rue "Uncle Bob" Stewart.
BROADCAST FACILITIES
Tower of Power
In order to strengthen its broadcast signal in Metropolitan Manila and its suburbs, GMA Network
Inc. constructed the Tower of Power in the third quarter of 1987.
GMA Network Inc. spent more than PhP168 million to the upgrade its broadcast transmitters and
facilities in various key cities in the Philippines.[17] It plans to augment its existing studio
facilities in Cebu, Iloilo and Davao. It also plans to upgrade construction of its existing broadcast
facilities in Dagupan City to further improve its coverage in the northern part of the
Philippines.[18] These upgrades include new transmitting equipment, from transmitters to antenna
systems and buildings/tower rehabilitation/construction. GMA Network Inc. expects completion
of these projects by end 2009.
Presented to the Philippine Stock Exchange on January 15, 2009, GMA Network Inc. discloses
that it already disbursed almost PhP1.3 billion from the proceeds of its initial public offering to
support various expansion programs in key cities in the Philippines. Expansion includes
construction of broadcast facility, tower and transmitter upgrade for its Naga station; broadcast
facility and transmitter tower for its Legazpi station; construction of transmitter tower and
upgrading its General Santos station; and upgrading broadcast facilities, equipment and
transmitter tower in Davao, Cebu, Guimaras, Bacolod, Iloilo, Batangas, Dagupan, Cagayan de
Oro and Benguet.
GMA Network Center
GMA Network Inc. inaugurated its state-of-the-art GMA Network Center on June 14, 2000 as
part of the year-round celebration to commemorate its 50th anniversary. GMA Network Center
supports GMA Network Inc.'s thrusts towards digitization and media convergence. While the
first phase of the project has already been completed with the construction of the 17-storey
corporate complex, the center has an option to upgrade the older, existing facilities in the GMA
compound, as originally planned. The network center is equipped with MARC (Multiple
Automated Recorder Cassette) and a Broadcast Automation System that allows the network to
manage live and international feeds that will be carried out to GMA Pinoy TV subscribers
around the world.
GMA Network Studios
The GMA Network Studios consist of seven studios. Studio 1 and Studio 2 houses the programs
of GMA News TV such as the cooking show Idol sa Kusina and the primetime talk
show Tonight with Arnold Clavio. Studio 1 and Studio 2 (formerly known as Studio A and
Studio B, respectively) was the first two old studios of GMA Network which is located in the old
compound (formerly known as the RBS compound). Studio 3, 4, and 5 are located in GMA
Network Center building. Studio 3 houses the GMA News TV newscasts such
as Balitanghali, Good News Kasama si Vicky Morales, and News TV Live. Studio 4 houses the
morning news and talk show Unang Hirit, while GMA Network flagship news programs 24
Oras, Saksi, GMA News Update, the investigative docudrama show Imbestigador and the GMA
News TV flagship news program State of the Nation with Jessica Soho airs live from Studio 5.
The German Moreno Studio (formerly Studio 6) and Studio 7, the largest studios of GMA
Network, are located in the GMA Network Studio Annex. The German Moreno Studio has an
area of 640 square meters and can accommodate 300 to 400 audiences. It houses the comedy
sketch gag show Bubble Gang, the afternoon game-variety show Wowowin, the cooking and talk
show Sarap, 'Di Ba? and the infotainment show IBilib. Studio 7 has an area of 1,020 square
meters and can accommodate 600 to 800 audiences. Studio 7 houses the noontime comedy-
variety show Sunday PinaSaya, the comedy anthology Dear Uge and the musical and variety
show Studio 7 and with several shows aired by the network.
GMA Network, Inc. takes a significant step in the continuous strengthening and improvement of
the Network’s News Department with a P154 million (2.9m USD) investment on a Newsroom
Automation System (NAS). A signing of agreement between GMA Network and Vizrt was held
on March 14, 2018 at the GMA Network Center in Quezon City.
Digital television
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) ordered[19][20] all broadcasting companies
in the Philippines to shut off their analog signal by 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2015 and switch
to digital broadcast.[21] The Philippines will be using the Japanese ISDB-T to facilitate the
country’s transition to digital television, rather than the ATSC system implemented by North
American broadcasters devised as a replacement for the NTSC system utilized by North America
and the Philippines.[22]
GMA Network is presently[when?] applying[23] for a digital television license from the NTC to
install and maintain transmitting stations that will be attuned with and utilize to offer digital
terrestrial television and digital mobile TV broadcast services,[24] using channel 27
(551.143 MHz) frequency. Areas planned for a temporary digital broadcast will cover the cities
of Quezon City,[20] Makati, Pasig, Tagaytay, and Angeles in Pampanga; and areas
like Ortigas, Cavite, and Calumpit in Bulacan.
GMA Network Inc. asked the NTC to reconsider its decision to use the Japanese standard and
examine the European digital broadcast system instead.[25] In earlier decisions, the National
Telecommunications Commission reaffirmed its resolutions to use ISDB-T and conduct public
consultations for its implementing rules and regulations which will be ready by April
2011.[26] On March 27, 2011, the local regulator ordered an evaluation of the standard to be used
by the Philippines for digital television and reconsidering the second-generation Digital Video
Broadcasting (DVB2) from Europe and replacing the Japanese Integrated Services Digital
Broadcasting (ISDB) standard.[27]
On February 2013, GMA Network Inc. was able to conduct digital test broadcast with the ISDB-
T standard via its UHF channel 27's frequency. GMA Network was the first television network
in the Philippines to broadcast GMA 7 and GMA News TV 11 in standard definition (SD) format
with a 4:3 aspect ratio, similar to TV channels in European countries, although the content had
been stretched horizontally from its original 4:3 ratio. GMA 7 was also transmitting 1seg on
mobile and had no errors. However, in a statement, the network has not conceded its stand to
prefer the European DVB-T2 over the Japanese ISDB-T.[28]
Online
GMA News Online
Established in January 2007, GMA News Online (formerly GMANews.TV) is the official site of
GMA News. It features the latest news coverage, including video reports, as well as business,
sports, technology, entertainment and special reports, mobile alerts, newsletters, RSS feeds and
real time search.[29] A diverse number of presenters and correspondents maintain blogs on its site
and has an archiving database for its news content. A live stream of DZBB, an AM radio station
of GMA Network is also available on its website. It also features YouScoop, an interactive
section, wherein viewers can upload first-hand footage of news events happening in their area
and visitors can also view such footage. Aside from GMA News and Public Affairs content and
materials produced, GMA News Online publishes articles and features from several news
organizations, including The Associated Press and Reuters wire service. In December 2010,
GMANews.TV received one million page views per day.[30]
On February 7, 2011, GMANews.TV was renamed to GMA News Online and launched a new
logo and slogan, “The Go-to Site For Filipinos Everywhere”; and retain its uniform resource
locator, www.gmanews.tv to correspond with the launching of its all-news channel, GMA News
TV.[31]
myGMA Internet TV
On September 12, 2008, GMA Network Inc. launched its first video-on-demand service through
myGMA Internet TV. Focusing on Filipino communities, it offers high-quality programs from
GMA Network. It is an alternative to Filipino communities who does not have the access of
cable TV and direct-to-home subscriptions. myGMA Internet TV competed with ABS-
CBN’s TFC Now.[32] Currently, myGMA Internet TV is inactive.
Joint ventures
INQ7.net
GMA Network Inc. partnered with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, one of Philippines' daily
broadsheets to venture in an online multimedia news and information delivery company, INQ7
Interactive Inc. Its main business offers text, images, audio, video and online interactive
information tools such as discussion boards, polls and searchable news archives. The partnership
also paved the way the creation of a joint web site, the www.inq7.net and in recent reports, its
ranks no. 11 in the most read online newspaper worldwide. In January 2007, GMA Network Inc.
and Philippine Daily Inquirer ended their partnership and GMA Network Inc. focused on to its
owned consent site, the GMA News Online (formerly known as GMANews.TV).
Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP)
Philippine Entertainment Portal, Inc., a joint venture between GMA New Media, Inc.
and Summit Media, operates Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP) and Sports Interactive
Network (SPIN).
Kapuso JobMarket
Partnerships of GMA Network Inc., the Philippine Daily Inquirer, INQ7 Interactive Inc. and
New Media Inc. The Kapuso JobMarket aims to provide convenience for job seekers by creating
another online service that will help them search for employment opportunities using their
mobile phones.
Q
Q was a partnership between GMA Network Inc. and Zoe Broadcasting Network Inc. The
television channel previously aired foreign dramas, lifestyle shows and public affairs
programming. The channel ceased commercial operation on February 20, 2011 to give way to its
sister channel, GMA News TV.
Defunct channels
Q (Quality Television)
In November 2005, GMA Network Inc. entered an airtime agreement with ZOE Broadcasting
Network to use DZOE-TV channel 11 for its local lifestyle channel Q (formerly QTV, Quality
Television). Most of Q’s programming consists of foreign dramas, reality and lifestyle shows.
On February 20, 2011, Q ceased commercial operation to give way to its sister channel, GMA
News TV.
Channel [V] Philippines
On December 15, 1999, STAR TV Network leased the airtime of Citynet Television to
launch Channel [V] Philippines through EMC (Entertainment Music Channel). Part of the
strategy is to localize Channel [V] with programs produced locally by STAR TV Network and
GMA Network Inc.
EMC (Entertainment Music Channel)
In 1999, Entertainment Music Channel or EMC is the first music channel of GMA Network Inc.
after its UHF station, Citynet Television was rebranded due to high programming cost. The
music channel only lasted months after GMA Network Inc. signed a leased broadcast agreement
with STAR TV Network to transmit a localize music television station, Channel [V] Philippines.
Citynet Television
On August 27, 1995, GMA Network Inc. inaugurate its first ultra-high-frequency channel
through DWDB-TV channel 27 in Metropolitan Manila. It was the first UHF television channel
operated by a major broadcast network in the Philippines. GMA Network Inc. launches its new
channel under the Citynet Television brand and decided to expand its local programming
business. Studios are located at the GMA Network Center in Quezon City. In April 1999, Citynet
Television ceased its commercial operation and later on reformatted into a local music channel.
CGMA
In the 1990s, GMA Network Inc. ventures into cable television via CGMA, a cable channel
available on Home Cable. It broadcast defunct and previously aired shows on GMA Network.
Eventually, CGMA ceased its commercial operation when Home Cable entered into a
memorandum of agreement to consolidate the operation of its company with Lopez-owned Sky
Cable, an ABS-CBN Corporation subsidiary, GMA Network Inc.'s main competitor

HISTORY

GMA Network was founded by Robert La Rue Stewart in 1950 as Republic Broadcasting
System (RBS) with flagship AM radio station DZBB. RBS ventured into television in 1961 and
began broadcasting on Channel 7 in the Greater Manila Area.
In 1974, the triumvirate of Felipe L. Gozon, Menardo R. Jimenez and Gilberto M. Duavit took
over the management of RBS. In 1996, RBS was renamed GMA Network, Inc.
Today, GMA Network, Inc. is the leading broadcasting company in the Philippines which
produces the most innovative, most trusted, and top rating TV programs. It operates a network of
47 VHF and 41 UHF TV stations, as well as 24 radio stations throughout the country.
Apart from its television and radio businesses, GMA also owns a wide array of media-related
entities engaged in program syndication, film production, music publishing and distribution, set
design and implementation, audio-visual production, and new media.
GMA Network, Inc. was officially listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2007.

GMA OWNERSHIP

GMA 7 or the Kapuso Network is the flagship TV station of media giant GMA Network,
Incorporated, one of the biggest media conglomerates in the Philippines. It’s a commercial TV
station that airs on free TV channel 7 on very high frequency (VHF). It competes in a tight
contest with ABS-CBN 2 regarding reach, audience share, and advertising revenue.The channel
shows diverse programs from drama series, sitcoms, musical variety shows, infotainment,
entertainment, and news and current affairs. GMA 7’s programming may also be viewed outside
the country through its international channels GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV, and GMA News
TV International which are available via cable, direct-to-home, and Internet Protocol Television
(IPTV). Nielsen’s National Urban TV Audience Measurement pegs the station’s audience share
at 35.95 percent from January to August 2016. An American Robert La Rue Stewart founded the
station in 1950 as Republic Broadcasting System. Three years after then President Ferdinand
Marcos declared Martial Law, Stewart’s lawyer Felipe Gozon, Gozon’s brother-in-law Menardo
Jimenez, and Gilberto Duavit, Sr., Gozon’s friend and one of Marcos’ presidential assistants,
took over the station. Its corporate shareholding is owned by Group Management Development,
Incorporated (23.47 percent), GMA Holdings, Incorporated (21.72 percent), FLG Management
& Development Corp. (19.73 percent), M.A. Jimenez Enterprises Incorporated (13.49 percent),
and Television International Corp. (9.94 percent) and other stockholders. Shareholder GMA
Holdings, Incorporated has the following shareholders: PCD Nominee Corporation, Filipino
(38.80 percent), PCD Nominee Corporation, Non-Filipino (37.02 percent), FLG Management
And Development Corporation (11.93 percent), Group Management & Development,
Incorporated (08.13 percent), FLG Management And Development Corporation (01.86 percent)
and other stockholders.Today, Felipe Gozon sits as chair and chief executive officer of of GMA
Network, Incorporated while Gilberto Duavit, Jr., son of Gilberto Duavit, Sr., sits as its president
and chief operating officer. Joel Marcelo Jimenez, second son of Menardo Jimenez has been
GMA Network, Incorporated’s flagship radio stations are DZBB 594.

PROFIT

GMA Network Inc. said net income in 2018 fell 9 percent mainly because of weak advertising
revenues.
The broadcasting company registered a net profit of P2.32 billion last year from P2.55 billion in
2017.
The company’s consolidated revenues dropped 2 percent to P15.2 billion last year from P15.6
billion in 2017.
Airtime revenues amounted to P13.44 billion, down 3 percent from P13.86 billion in 2017.
“The reduction from [lower airtime revenue] was partly cushioned by the climb in other revenue
sources, particularly from subsidiaries’ operators and other businesses, which reflected a mined
increase of P61 million equivalent to 4 percent,” GMA said.
On a per platform basis, GMA-7 accounted for the lion’s share in its revenue pie, putting in more
than three quarters of the consolidated top line. Compared with prior year’s sales, the channel
posted a reduction of 4 percent in airtime sales, arising from the contraction in advertising
spending by major business partners.
GMA News TV 11 also wrapped up the year 2018 with sales lower by 6 percent. These were
partly mitigated by the boost in revenues generated by the radio business, which bagged the
second largest share in airtime revenues. Radio operations nationwide booked an 11-percent
increase revenue compared to 2017. Regional TV operations also recorded a 5-percent rise in
sales from a year ago.
The company’s total consolidated operating expenses amounted to P11.99 billion last year, down
1 percent from a year ago.
Ratings-wise, GMA continued to win against ABS-CBN in the nationwide urban TV ratings in
2018 with a 40.8 percent average people audience share compared with the main competitor’s
37.5 percent.
GMA’s 47.6-parent people audience share average in Mega Manila was way ahead of its rival’s
28.6 parent. The network likewise posted a double-digit margin in TV audience share over ABS-
CBN in urban Luzon.

TV5

Manuel V. Pangilinan or MVP is one of the most successful businessmen in the Philippines with
interests in telecommunications, mass media, infrastructure development, hospitals, and public
utilities like water, electricity, mass transit and tollways management.Pangilinan is a self-made
billionaire, born to a bank messenger father who eventually retired as bank president. Pangilinan
went to school at the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University where he majored in Economics
and the Wharton School of Finance & Commerce where he got his masters degree in Business
Administration, both on scholarships.Pangilinan made his name in Hong Kong where he worked
in an investment bank. While there, he met Anthoni Salim, an Indonesian businessman who
helped him build First Pacific, a “Hong Kong-based investment management and holding
company with operations located in Asia-Pacific,” according to its website, with business
interests in telecommunications, consumer food products, infrastructure and natural resources.
Today Pangilinan is managing director and chief executive officer of the $7.5 billion company.
He is also the chairman of publicly-listed companies Metro Pacific Investments Corporation,
Meralco and Philex Mining. He also holds management positions in these companies’
subsidiaries and affiliates.He is the incumbent president and chief executive officer of
telecommunication giants PLDT and Smart.Pangilinan built his media empire in the Philippines
by way of PLDT, specifically by using its employees’ trust fund to invest P14.5 billion in a
company called MediaQuest Holdings Incorporated.MediaQuest has cross-media ownership in
the country from television and radio through TV5 Network Incorporated and Nation
Broadcasting Corporation, and other media companies like broadsheet giants Philippine Star,
Philippine Daily Inquirer, and BusinessWorld.
In his book Colossal Deception, How Foreigners Control our Telecom Sector, journalist
Rigoberto D. Tiglao tracked the ultimate ownership of these companies to Indonesian mogul
Anthoni Salim through his HongKong-based company First Pacific.

TV5 History
TV5 Network Inc. (TV5) is a biggest free-to-air broadcasting company based in Mandaluyong
City since December 2013. It is owned by MediaQuest Holdings Inc. Named after its flagship
station in Metro Manila is a broadcasting television to 7 over owned-and-operated stations, and
36 affiliated stations and 7 radio stations in the Philippines. 1960’s and 1970’s
TV5 was establishments as ABC together with Joaquin “Chino” Roces, owner of the Manila
Times was granted a radio-TV franchise from Congress under Republic Act 2945 on June 19,
1960. He then founded the Associated Broadcasting Corporation and the channel “ABC 5” with
the call sign DZTM-TV and its first studios along Roxas Boulevard, In March 19, 1962,
becoming the fourth television network established in the country. ABC operated radio and
television services from 1960.
1990’s
New stockholders led by broadcast veteran Edward Tan and Chino Roces’s son Edgardo then
began the arduous task of resuming broadcasts. The Securities and Exchange Commission
granted their application for an increase in capitalization and amendments to ABC’s articles of
incorporation and by-laws. They were subsequently granted a permit to operate by the National
Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
ABC inaugurated its studio complex and transmitter tower in San Bartolome, Novaliches,
Quezon City in 1990 and began test broadcasts by the end of 1991, officially returning on air as
the Associated Broadcasting Company on February 21, 1992, with ABC Development
Corporation as the new corporate name. Its radio counterpart, Kool 106 was launched at the
same time. Later, it acquired a new franchise to operate on December 9, 1994, under Republic
Act 7831 signed by President Fidel V. Ramos.
2000’s
In October 2003, ABC was acquired by a group led by businessman Antonio “Tonyboy” O.
Cojuangco, Jr. served as Chairman of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT)
from 1998-2004 and owner of Dream Satellite Broadcasting and Bank of Commerce, among
other assets.
ABC airs its programs through an international channel, The Mabuhay Channel and its
counterpart in Canada. The Mabuhay Channel features a wide array of programming from
movies, music, sports, entertainment, current affairs to children’s and lifestyle programming
from ABC-5. was closed on August 18, 2008, 9 days after ABC-5’s rebrand to TV5 and due to
the channel’s pullout from Dish Network.
Its biggest achievement was when its flagship channel, ABC, won as the “Outstanding TV
Station” award at the 2005 KBP Golden Dove Awards, with several other programs on the
network also earning awards in their respective categories.
On 2008, ABC-5 was rebranded as TV5 as it enters a partnership with MPB Primedia Inc., a
local company backed by Media Prima Berhad of Malaysia as part of a long-term strategy to
make the station more competitive. This caused the revitalization of its ratings from 1.9% in July
2008 (prior to the re-branding) to 11.1% in September 2009.
2010’s
On October 20, 2009, Media Prima announced that it would be divesting its 70% share in TV5
and selling it to the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company’s broadcasting division,
MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. to recover its assets from the global financial crisis. It was formally
acquired on March 2, 2010 as announced by PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan. TV5 was
reformatted on April 4, 2010 with a new lineup of programming and branding as the “Kapatid”
network. Dream FM was retained under Cojuangco management with TV5 as licensee until
June 2011.
On October 1, 2010, TV5 took over the management of MediaQuest’s Nation Broadcasting
Corporation stations; DWFM was re-launched as a TV5-branded news radio station on
November 8, 2010, Radyo5 92.3 NewsFM and among all broadcast nationwide through its
provincial relay stations on AM and FM. and local UHF station was re-launched as AksyonTV
on February 21, 2011, a news channel based on TV5’s newscast Aksyon.
TV5 launched on April 11, 2011 at the British Virgin Islands, it has two subsidiaries of its own,
PGN (Canada) Ltd., based in British Columbia, and the PGN (US) LLC., incorporated through
the Delaware General Corporation Law and currently based on California. Through these
subsidiaries, PGN acts as the sole and exclusive distributor and licensee of the programs, shows,
films and channels of TV5 through international syndication and its owned-and-operated
channels, the Kapatid TV5 and AksyonTV International.
TV5 has also entered the social media space as it launched its online lifestyle site Kristn.com, an
Pinoy online music portal Balut Radio and news video content site News5 Everywhere. Kristn
and Balut Radio are inactive since December 2014.
Rey Espinosa steps down as ABC Development Corporation President and CEO on June 1, 2013
to assume his new post as Associate Director of the First Pacific Company Ltd., PLDT’s
majority owner. He was replaced by Noel C. Lorenzana, the Head of the Individual Business for
the PLDT Group.
By December 23, 2013, the network relocated and began broadcasting from its new
headquarters, the 6,000 square meter TV5 Media Center located in Reliance, Mandaluyong;
vacating its Novaliches complex, which is in use from 1992, as well as its studios in Delta
Theater (Quezon City), Broadway Centrum (New Manila), Marajo Tower (Bonifacio Global
City) and the PLDT Locsin Building (Makati). The transmitter and corporate offices of TV5
remained in Novaliches, Quezon City. Phase 1 (News5 Center) was completed on the same day
while Phase 2 of the building (Entertainment Building) is currently under construction. Once the
Media Center is completed in 2016, it will house TV5, and their sister companies Cignal Digital
TV, Voyager Innovations and Philex Mining.
In response to the process of shifting to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTTV), TV5 invested
P500-700 million in the next 4 years as preparation for its shift to digital TV. Currently, TV5 and
AksyonTV conduct digital test broadcasts on channel 51 (695.143 MHz) operated by TV5
affiliates Nation Broadcasting Corporation and GV Broadcasting Systems, Inc., respectively. It
also plans to convert its UHF stations that operates TV5 and AksyonTV, to DTV transmitters.
On February 23, 2015, ABC Development Corporation changed its name to TV5 Network Inc.
after its flagship TV station, based on SEC regulatory filing.
TV5 Network Inc. also launched its digital library of original online content called Digital5,
using the company’s online portals to produce exclusive programs that compasses different
audiences on different platforms.
On October 1, 2016, Media5 president and former Gilas Pilipinas and PBA head coach Chot
Reyes will become the network’s officer-in-charge, replacing the network’s president for four
years, Noel Lorenzana who will retire from his position on September 30.

TV5 Media Center at Reliance Street corner Sheridan Street, Mandaluyong City, the
headquarters of TV5 Network since 2013.
Revenue PHP1.795 billion (FY 2014)
Operating income −PHP3.862 billion (FY 2014)
Total assets PHP8.84 billion (FY 2011)
 MANILA BULLETIN

Emilio T. Yap, Sr., GCLH (September 24, 1925 – April 7, 2014) was a Chinese
Filipino business tycoon. He was the chairman of the board of the Manila Bulletin. Presently,
Emilio C. Yap occupies the position of Chairman for Manila Hotel Corp., Chairman for Manila
Prime Land Holdings, Inc., Director & Vice President at US Automotive Co., Inc., Director &
Vice President at Philtrust Realty Corp. and Vice Chairman & Executive Vice President at
Manila Bulletin Publishing Corp. Emilio C. Yap is also Director & Assistant Secretary at
USAUTOCO, Inc. and on the board of 6 other companies.In his past career Dr. Yap occupied the
position of Chairman at Centro Escolar University Hospital, Inc. Dr. Yap received an
undergraduate degree from De La Salle University. Emilio T. Yap is a Chinese-Filipino business
magnate who was ranked 9th richest Filipino by Forbes Asia in 2006. Yap is the proprietor of the
prestigious Manila Hotel and is the chairman of the daily broadsheet Manila Bulletin. The
businessman also owns PhilTrust Bank and major shares of the Philippine Bank of
Communications (PBCom).

OTHER BUSINESSES

In 2016, the Yap family ranked 21st in Forbes magazines’ “Philippines’ 50 Richest,’ with an
estimated net worth amounting to $1.1 billion.
The family’s businesses span across different industries that Emilio T. Yap began acquiring early
on in his life.Born in Fujian province in mainland China, he went to the Philippines and started
working as a trader at a shop in Dumaguete City. During World War II, he moved from Cebu to
Manila and became a master cutter in a T-shirt factory, which he eventually managed. By selling
white T-shirts to Japanese soldiers, he earned enough capital to start his own business. He
became a trader of threads, ballpoint pens, and watches. www.philstar.com/business-
life/2014/04/14/1311830/emilio-yaps-rags-riches-sagaAfter World War II, Yap ventured into
buying and selling surplus vehicles like wartime US trucks and military jeeps. In 1947, he
established U.S. Automotive Company—now a real estate lessor—and became one of the
biggest buyers of surplus vehicles in the world.In 1960, Emilio went into shipping and
established the Philippine President Lines. In 1961, Swiss-Jewish tycoon Hans Menzi invited
him to invest in Bulletin Publishing Corporation. He became its chairman in 1984.In 1978, he
acquired majority interest in Philippine Trust Company (Philtrust Bank) from the Archdiocese of
Manila. In 1988, his family established Euro-Med Laboratories.In 1997, Yap took over Manila
Hotel, thanks to a controversial Supreme Court ruling that cited the constitutional provision on
national patrimony as basis for ordering the government to award the sale of the hotel of the
local taipan even after he had lost in the bidding against a Malaysian company. Yap later offered
to equal the higher bid of the Malaysian firm.

In 2002, the Yap family acquired shares from Centro Escolar University.

When Yap died in April 2014, his family took over his businesses.

His son, Basilio, replaced him as chairman of the Board of Manila Bulletin. Basilio is also the
chairman of U.S. Automotive Company, Manila Bulletin’s major stockholder, and its
subsidiaries—Cocusphil Development Corporation, Philtrust Realty Corporation, U.N.
Properties Development Corporation, and Centro Escolar University. Moreover, he is the
chairman of US Auto co, Inc. and its subsidiary, Manila Prince Hotel Corporation.

Other members of the Yap family, meanwhile, are listed in these companies’ board members and
major stockholders.

HISTORY

Founded in 1900 as a shipping journal, it is the second-oldest Philippine newspaper, second only
to The Manila Times.

The newspaper was originally owned by a Swiss expatriate named Hans Menzi. Its name was
changed from Bulletin Today on March 12, 1986.

On occasion the editorial policy of the Manila Bulletin has met objection from civil authorities.
During World War II the newspaper's editor, Roy Anthony Cutaran Bennett, was imprisoned and
tortured by the Japanese for his statements opposing the militarist expansion of the Japanese
Empire. The Manila Bulletin (as Bulletin Today from 1972-1986) survived the martial law era of
President Ferdinand Marcos as a propaganda tool.

The newspaper was owned by Filipino-Chinese business mogul Emilio Yap, who, aside from the
Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation (the paper's controlling company), also owned and
chaired the Manila Hotel, Centro Escolar University, Philtrust Bank and Euro-Med
Laboratories.[4] The company has been listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange since 1990, and
had revenues of approximately US$45 million in 2004. Besides its flagship it publishes two other
daily tabloids, Tempo and Balita, as well as nine magazines such as the Philippine Panorama,
Bannawag, Liwayway, Bisaya and a host of other journals in English, Tagalog, Cebuano and
other Philippine languages. It also publishes a number of lifestyle magazines such as Wedding
Essentials, Style Weekend, GARAGE Magazine, Agriculture Magazine, Digital Gen, Going
Places and Animal Scene.
The editorial is also featured in its sister papers Tempo (in English) and Balita (in Tagalog). To
further enhance its image as a newspaper which presents positive news articles, the Bulletin
recently introduced a new marketing tagline, "There's good news here". In 2015, they adopted
the marketing tagline "Be Fully Informed" which is still being used throughout 2016.

In addition, it maintains the oldest news website in the Philippines.[citation needed] To date, it is
the largest subscriber to the Philippine News Agency among newspapers.

On December 22, 2007, survey results by Nielsen Media Research's Nielsen Media Index Study
(Enhanced Wave 2), covering the whole year of 2007, showed that the Philippine Daily Inquirer
(the parent company of INQUIRER.net) was the choice of 53% "of those who said they had read
a broadsheet", with 1.3 million readers. The Manila Bulletin came second with 47% (1.17
million readers), while the Philippine Star was third with 42% (1.05 million readers). Nielsen
survey also showed that the Sunday Inquirer Magazine led in its category, with 39% readership,
Panorama came in second with 35%, and Starweek was third with 12%.[5]

Latest Q2 2016 Nielsen Consumer and Media View results put Manila Bulletin, with 48% share
of the total Broadsheet market, as the most read Broadsheet in the Philippines. Philippine Daily
Inquirer comes in second at 38%, followed by Philippine Star at 14%. Manila Bulletin also had
the most number of loyal readers with 42% of its readers not reading any other broadsheet title.

PROFIT

Revenue PHP2.956 billion (FY 2015)

THE PHILIPPINES STAR

PhilStar Daily, Inc.

MediaQuest Holdings (51%)
Belmonte Family (21%)
Private stock (28%)
The Philippine Star (self-styled The Philippine STAR) is an English language print and digital
newspaper in the Philippines and the flagship brand of the PhilStar Media Group. First published
on 28 July 1986 by veteran journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, Max Soliven and Art Borjal, it is
one of several Philippine newspapers founded after the 1986 People Power Revolution.
The newspaper is owned and published by Philstar Daily Inc., which also publishes the monthly
magazine People Asia and the Sunday magazines Starweek, Gist and Let's Eat. As part of the
PhilStar Media Group, its sister publications include business newspaper BusinessWorld; Cebu-
based, English-language broadsheet The Freeman; Filipino-language tabloids Pilipino Star
Ngayon and Pang-Masa; Cebuano-language tabloid Banat, and online news portal InterAksyon
(formerly with News5). In March 2014, the newspaper was acquired by MediaQuest Holdings,
Inc., a media conglomerate subsidized by the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund, after the company
purchased a majority stake in Philstar Daily, Inc.The Philippine Star is among the Philippines'
most widely circulated newspapers, with an average circulation of 266,000 copies daily,
according to the Philippine Yearbook 2013.

The Belmonte Family

The Belmonte Family
For the Belmonte family, the paper is a family business.

A legacy from the late matriarch Betty Go-Belmonte, the Star Group of Companies is now under
the management of her son Miguel Belmonte. Aside from the broadsheet The Philippine STAR,
he handles the other print titles: tabloids Pilipino Star Ngayon, Cebu-based Freeman and Banat,
and BusinessWorld, the latest addition to the group.

Isaac, the eldest, is the head of Philippine STAR’s editorial board.

His brother Kevin, meanwhile, takes care of the digital platform, philstar.com. Aside from this,
he is also a board member and a stockholder of real estate company Nuvoland Philippines.

But the three are not the only Belmontes involved in the paper. Former House Speaker Feliciano
Belmonte, Jr. and incumbent Quezon City vice mayor Joy Belmonte also have shares across the
different companies of STAR.

“(The STAR is) where all the wealth of the Belmonte family comes from,” Miguel said, adding
that it is the reason no one accused his father of being corrupt despite consistently being one of
the richest members of Congress.

Combined, the whole family owns only 20 percent of Philippine STAR. Since 2014, the biggest
shareholder in one of the country’s biggest daily broadsheets has been Hastings Holdings, a
company owned by businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan, also known as MVP.

For Pilipino Star Ngayon, Incorporated, which runs tabloid Pilipino Star Ngayon, and Philstar
Global, which handles philstar.com, Hastings Holdings owns 80 percent of both.
“(It was a) big payday for our family when the MVP group bought the majority shares from us,”
Miguel said.

MVP first offered to buy the company back in 2006, but the Belmontes did not agree on the
valuation. The MVP group returned in 2009 but it was only in 2011 that MVP finally came in,
first with 20 percent shares. In 2014, MVP through Hastings Holdings acquired majority shares
at 51 percent.

“They just approached us. We never offered ourselves for sale. Never, not once,” he added.

Miguel said selling majority shares of the company was a family decision that in the end will
benefit the STAR. The ownership of Hastings Holdings can be traced back to the PLDT
Beneficial Trust Fund.

"If anybody can carry us to the next generation of news distribution, a technology company
would be the perfect partner to have," he said, referring to PLDT.

Despite this, Miguel believes there will be a resurgence of print.

"No new form of media will kill an old form. Maybe it will shrink, the old ones will shrink, like
what has happened. And maybe some entities will not survive. But in a world of matirang
matibay (survival of the fittest), the STAR will be one of the survivors, no doubt,” he said.

HISTORY

The first issue of The Philippine Star with the headline, "Wear yellow and die!"
Founding
The Philippine Star was first published seven months after the 1986 People Power Revolution
that toppled strongman Ferdinand Marcos and propelled Corazon Aquino to the Philippine
presidency.Before its establishment, founders Betty Go-Belmonte, Max Soliven and Art Borjal
were veteran journalists involved in the "Mosquito Press", a collective name for the different
newspapers critical of the Marcos administration that were published after the Martial Law era
from 1972 to 1981. At that time, Belmonte was the publisher of a small, monthly magazine
called The Star, a predecessor of The Philippine Star.

On 9 December 1985, a few months before the 1986 People Power Revolution, Belmonte,
Soliven, and Borjal, together with Eugenia Apostol, Louie Beltran, and Florangel Braid, founded
the English-language newspaper Philippine Daily Inquirer, which soon became the Marcos
administration's most vocal critic. However, after the revolution, questions about finances and a
divergence of priorities caused a rift among the Inquirer's founders, which led to Belmonte,
Soliven, and Borjal's founding of The Philippine Star. Belmonte served as the founding chairman
of the Board of Directors, while Soliven acted as the founding publisher and chairman of the
Editorial Board. Antonio Roces served as the first editor-in-chief until his resignation in 1989.

Early years
The first issue of the newspaper on 28 July 1986 had eight pages, no advertisements and carried
the headline, "Wear yellow and die" that featured the death of 23-year-old Stephen Salcedo, a
bystander killed by a mob of Marcos loyalists during a rally at Manila's Luneta Park. The
masthead of the newspaper carried the motto, "Truth Shall Prevail", reflecting its editorial policy
of presenting both sides of the story instead of the prevailing "scoop mentality" of that time.
Aside from the main news section, the first issue also includes the World, Nation, Money, Life
and Sports sections.

The first issue of The Philippine Star was printed at Philstar Daily, Inc.'s printing press in Port
Area, Manila and made use of a blue and yellow color scheme, which eventually became its
signature colors. For its initial price of ₱1.75, the newspaper had an initial print run of “a few
thousand copies”.[2]

At first, the newspaper was only published from Mondays to Saturdays because Belmonte
prohibited work on Sundays. To capitalize on Sunday readership, Philstar Daily, Inc. began
publishing Starweek in 1987, which served as the Sunday magazine of The Philippine Star.
Eventually, in 1988, the newspaper added a Sunday issue in response to the demand for news on
that day, while continuing its publication of Starweek. Aside from The Philippine Star, Philstar
Daily, Inc. also started publishing a Filipino-language tabloid Ang Pilipino Ngayon, which
eventually became Pilipino Star Ngayon.

Soliven era
With the sudden death of Belmonte due to cancer on 28 January 1994, Soliven assumed
chairmanship of the Board of Directors while retaining his position at publisher. He appointed
Belmonte's 30-year-old son, Miguel Belmonte, as executive vice president. In the same year, the
newspaper made use of the slogan "The only paper you read from cover to cover", in keeping
with the new editorial policy of improving every single section of the paper so each can stand on
its own even without the main news section. On 4 August 1995, The Philippine Star became the
first Philippine broadsheet newspaper to publish a colored front page.

Miguel Belmonte era

In 1998, the Board of Directors unanimously appointed Miguel Belmonte as president and CEO,
while Soliven remained as chairman of the Board of Directors and publisher. The following year,
the newspaper introduced “Hotline 2000”, which made use of SMS as a means for opinion
polling, thus becoming a pioneer in televoting in the Philippine print media industry. It was the
beginning of other digital endeavors that brought the newspaper to the Digital Age. In 2000, the
newspaper debuted its website, philstar.com, thus becoming one of the first newspapers in the
Philippines to have a presence in the Internet. In the same year, the company began using
computer-to-plate printing system. In that year too, Miguel's brother, Isaac Belmonte, was
appointed editor-in-chief of the newspaper.

To further expand its readership, The Philippine Star entered into a partnership with fast food
restaurant Jollibee in 2003 to become the first newspaper to be distributed free of charge in a fast
food restaurant. A complimentary copy of the newspaper was given to Jollibee patrons
nationwide for every purchase of a Jollibee breakfast meal.
The newspaper lost its founding publisher after Soliven died in Tokyo, Japan on 24 November
2006. Isaac Belmonte eventually replaced him as publisher and chairman of the Editorial Board
in 2012. Former executive editor Ana Marie Pamintuan serves as current editor-in-chief after
replacing Isaac Belmonte in 2012.

Acquisition by PLDT
As early 2009, businessman and PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan had expressed his
interest in acquiring a stake in The Philippine Star in a bid to dominate the multimedia industry.
The following year, Pangilinan's MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., the media conglomerate of PLDT,
acquired a 20-percent stake in the newspaper, as well as an 18-percent stake in its rival
Philippine Daily Inquirer. In 2014, MediaQuest finally took control of The Philippine Star after it
acquired a majority stake of 51 percent in the newspaper. The Belmonte family retained a 21-
percent stake, as well as management and editorial control. MediaQuest chairman Pangilinan has
since appointed lawyer Ray Espinosa as chairman of the newspaper’s Board of Directors.[5]

The Philippine Star acquired the 76.67-percent stake of Hastings Holdings, Inc. in its sister
broadsheet BusinessWorld in 2015. The transaction was done to enhance to its market leadership
and to strengthen BusinessWorld's position in the newspaper business

INQUIRER

Inquirer Holdings Incorporated (also known as the Inquirer Group of Companies) is a mass
media conglomerate based in Makati City, Philippines with the Philippine Daily Inquirer as its
flagship brand. The company is majority-owned by Pinnacle Printers Corporation, the holding
investment arm of the Rufino-Prieto matriarch.

Newspapers

 Philippine Daily Inquirer

 Inquirer Bandera
 Cebu Daily News (Cebu)
 Inquirer Libre
 Tumbok (now defunct since '07-'08)
 Junior Inquirer
Magazines
Hinge Inquirer Publications (HIP), formerly Hinge Media Inc. (HMI), was established in 2003.

 F&B World
 MultiSport
 Cocoon
 Look
 Baking Press
 Turista
 Game!
 Scout
 PBA Life
 Baby
 Northern Living
 Southern Living
 Cebu Living
 Makati Leads
 Soul BGC
 Inquirer RED

Inquirer.net
Inquirer Interactive Inc., better known as Inquirer.net, is the official website of the Philippine
Daily Inquirer. It provides comprehensive coverage of both local and international news
throughout the site's channels: News, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Technology, Business, Global
Nation, and its recently relaunched Sports channel, which includes the official homepage of
the Philippine Basketball Association.
Broadcasting
Trans-Radio Broadcasting Corporation is a radio company based in Makati. Founded in 1971
by Emilio Tuason, TRBC is the broadcasting arm of the Inquirer Group.
Radyo Inquirer (DZIQ 990 kHz Manila) is the radio station of the Philippine Daily Inquirer,
with its broadcast team semi-independent of the main paper editorial team as it is mostly
composed of career radio people. Its first terrestrial test broadcast on radio was on August 16,
2010 with Inquirer columnist Ramon Tulfo and broadcasting veteran Jay Sonza headlining the
list of broadcasters for the new station.
Inquirer 990 Television is a teleradyo-formatted news channel of the Philippine Daily
Inquirer currently broadcasting on digital terrestrial television. Programs from the main radio
feed are simultaneously aired on the television channel. Inquirer 990 TV is also airing TV
programs simulcast on the radio feed such as "Arlyn Dela Cruz Reports", "Radyo Inquirer 990
Special Report" and "Raw Talk".
Trans Radio used to have an FM Station DWRT-FM 99.5 in Manila as 99.5 RT From its launch
in 1976 until 1996.
Megamobile
Founded in 2005, Megamobile is the online, mobile and outdoor solutions company of the
Inquirer Group. Among its services are mobile application development, digital advertising,
mobile value-added service and voice service.
Megamobile is the developer of the following mobile applications:

 Inquirer Mobile
 Bandera Mobile
 Inquirer Libre Mobile
 Cebu Daily News Mobile
 Inquirer 2BU
 Radyo Inquirer Mobile
 The Mind Museum Mobile (with Bonifacio Arts Foundation Inc.)
 Friend Trip (with MMDA)
 #popeselfie
 Ad Summit PH (with Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines
(4As))
 APEC 2015
 PDS Skin (with the Philippine Dermatological Society)
 AgriBiz
 Viu Philippines (with PCCW Global)

HISTORY
The Philippine Daily Inquirer was a daily newspaper founded on 9 December 1985 by
publisher Eugenia Apóstol, columnist Max Solivén, together with Betty Go-Belmonte during the
last days of the regime of the Philippine dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, becoming one of the first
private newspapers to be established under the Marcos regime.[3]

First issue of Inquirer, December 9, 1985

The Inquirer succeeded the weekly Philippine Inquirer,[3] created in 1985 by Apostol to cover
the trial of 25 soldiers accused of complicity in the assassination of opposition leader Benigno
Aquino Jr. at the Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983. Apostol also published
the Mr & Ms Special Edition, a weekly tabloid opposed to the Marcos regime.[3]
Beltran years (1985–89)
As the successor to the previous Mr. and Mrs. Special Edition and the weekly Philippine
Inquirer, it was founded on a budget of P1 million and enjoyed a daily circulation of 30,000 in
its early days. The new daily was housed in the dilapidated one-story Star Building on 13th and
Railroad streets in Port Area, Manila. It was put out by 40 editors, reporters, correspondents,
photographers and other editorial employees working in a 100 square meter newsroom.
Columnist Louie Beltran was named its editor-in-chief.
The newspaper was instrumental then in documenting the campaign of Corazon Aquino during
the 1986 presidential elections and, in turn, the 1986 People Power Revolution. Its
slogan, Balanced News, Fearless Views, was incorporated to the newspaper in January 1986 after
a slogan-making contest held during the first month of the Inquirer's existence.
On July 1986, questions about finances and a divergence of priorities caused a rift among the
founders which led Belmonte, Soliven, and Art Borjal's split from the Inquirer to establish The
Philippine Star. As Belmonte owned the Star Building where the Inquirer was headquartered, the
newspaper amicably transferred to the Soliven-owned BF Condominium in Aduana
Street, Intramuros.
Pascual years (1989–91)
In February 1987, Federico D. Pascual, former assistant managing editor of the Daily Express,
was named executive editor of Inquirer and was appointed editor-in-chief two years later.[3] It
was during his term in 1990 that the Inquirer took the lead from the Manila Bulletin to become
the Philippines' largest newspaper in terms of circulation.
However, on July 1990, the Inquirer headquarters in Intramuros was damaged by the 1990 Luzon
earthquake. On January 5, 1991, the newspaper transferred to the YIC building along United
Nations Avenue and Romualdez Street in Malate.
Jimenez-Magsanoc years (1991–2015)
PDI logo prior to the 2016 relaunch

Letty Jimenez Magsanoc, Inquirer's editor-in-chief from 1991 until her

death in 2015.
Inquirer's longest-serving and first woman editor-in-chief, the late Letty
Jimenez-Magsanoc,[5] was appointed on June 14, 1991. She was a
former columnist and editor of the "Panorama" Sunday magazine
of Bulletin Today (now Manila Bulletin) who was sacked for writing
articles poking fun at Marcos. She edited Mr & Ms Special Edition until
the fall of the Marcos regime. She is also the first editor in chief of
Sunday Inquirer Magazine.[6]
Under her term, in 1995, the Inquirer moved to its current headquarters in Makati after
transferring headquarters four times.
During the administration of president Joseph Estrada, he criticized the Inquirer for "bias,
malice, and fabrication" against him—this charge to the newspaper was denied. In 1999, several
government organizations, pro-Estrada businesses, and movie producers simultaneously pulled
their advertisements from the Inquirer in a boycott that lasted for five months.[7] Malacañang
Palace was widely implicated in the advertising boycott, which was denounced by then
publisher Isagani Yambot as an attack on the freedom of the press.
In 2007, according to the survey conducted by AGB Nielsen, the Inquirer was the most widely-
read newspaper in the Philippines. The Manila Bulletin and The Philippine Star followed as the
second and the third most widely read papers, respectively. Magsanoc died on December 24,
2015 at St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig. A month after her death, Jimenez-Magsanoc was
recognized as the Filipino of the Year 2015 by the Inquirer.
Nolasco years (2016–present)
In February 2, 2016, the Inquirer appointed its managing editor Jose Ma. Nolasco as the
executive editor, the new top position of the newspaper, replacing the traditional editor-in-chief
position that used by Inquirer for more than three decades.[9]
Nolasco was the managing editor of the Inquirer for 24 years, and he is part of the first batch of
reporters of the Inquirer when the paper started its publication in 1985.
On October 6, 2016, the Inquirer launched a "rethink" of its print and digital presence by
overhauling its newspaper design and website, Inquirer.net and the launch of "My Inquirer"
which converged the platforms of Inquirer in print, desktop, smartphone, tablet, and smartwatch.
The redesign was done in collaboration with Dr. Mario Garcia of Garcia Media.
REFERENCES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lopez_Group_of_Companies

https://philippines.mom-rsf.org/en/owners/companies/detail/company//abs-cbn-corporation/

https://philippines.mom-rsf.org/en/media/detail/outlet/abs-cbn-2/

https://www.bworldonline.com/abs-cbn-net-income-falls-40/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMA_Network

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMA_Network_(company)

https://www.gmanetwork.com/corporate/about/overview

https://philippines.mom-rsf.org/en/media/detail/outlet/gma-7/

http://manilastandard.net/business/corporate/292015/gma-s-profit-declines-9-to-p2-3b-on-weak-
ad-revenues.html

https://www.google.com/search?q=gma+network+owner&safe=active&sxsrf=ACYBGNTQzZL
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HkAhWIbN4KHTTmC0QQ_AUIEygC&biw=1920&bih=920#imgrc=rOJttzi1RLi8WM:
http://philippines.mom-rsf.org/en/owners/companies/detail/company//tv5-network-incorporated/

https://ajsillo.wordpress.com/2017/08/19/tv5-history/

https://philippines.mom-rsf.org/en/owners/individual-owners/detail/owner//manuel-v-pangilinan/

https://philippines.mom-rsf.org/en/owners/individual-owners/detail/owner/owner/show/the-yap-
family/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_Bulletin#History

https://philippines.mom-rsf.org/en/owners/individual-owners/detail/owner/owner/show/the-
belmonte-family/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Philippine_Star

"Inquirer Holdings Corporation". Reporters Without Borders, VERA Files. Retrieved September
13, 2018.
Google (2012-09-09). "Banner Advertising with Inquirer.net". Paul Agabin. Retrieved 2014-05-
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"PBA, INQUIRER.net renew partnership | Inquirer Sports". Sports.inquirer.net. 2013-12-06.
Retrieved 2014-05-18.

"Actor-politicians and understanding the vote of the poor". The Manila Times. July 6, 2014.
Retrieved April 25, 2018.
Claudio, Leloy (May 7, 2014). "Reform the country's 'paper of record". GMA News. Retrieved
April 25, 2018.
"History". The Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
Yu, Doreen (28 July 2011). "The beginnings of The Philippine Star". The Philippine Star.
Retrieved 6 May 2014.
"Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc: Stars of Asia-Opinion Shapers". Sheridan Prasso. 3 July 2000.
Retrieved 18 May 2014.
Nery, John (25 November 2015). "Magsanoc, who led the Inquirer for 24 years, writes 30".
Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
Balana, Cynthia D. (2012-03-04). "Isagani Yambot: PDI grammar cop, pillar of free press,
friend". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
"Inquirer editor in chief Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc dies".
"Nolasco appointed PDI executive editor". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved February 3,
2016.
Philippine Daily Inquirer, 28 January 2007, p. 1
"History of the Filipino of the Year award". 19 January 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2015.