1933: Origins
The first state broadcast in the Philippines was made on May 8, 1933, when the Insular Government established and operated the radio station KZSO (later renamed KZFM after journalist Frederick Marquardt, and is now DZRB-AM), with a frequency of 710 kilohertz and power of 10,000 watts through the United States Information Service. KZFM was later transferred to the new Philippine government after independence in September 1946. The Philippine Broadcasting Service (PBS) was founded a year later to formally manage the radio assets. During this time in the late 1940s, academic experiments on television broadcasting were already being explored by Filipino engineers and students.
Television broadcasting in the country formally began in October 23, 1953 through the commercial company Alto Broadcasting System (ABS-CBN). The broadcast marked the first commercial broadcast in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia, and only the second in Asia after Japan just months earlier. Through PBS, the government began television broadcasting in 1961 with DZRP-TV on VHF channel 10[4] which it time-shared with two other organizations. The channel was short-lived due to problems of its frequency allocation.[5]
1972–1986: Martial law period
Television broadcasters, including government-owned PBS, were shut immediately after Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s declaration of martial law on September 28, 1972. On the same day, Marcos ordered the takeover of ABS-CBN Corporation and turned over its facilities to Kanlaon Broadcasting System (KBS), a network controlled by Marcos crony Roberto Benedicto. Under the Marcos regime, crony-owned media companies broadcast or published news and entertainment meant to project a positive image for the regime and to conceal some of its wrongdoings.[6] The facilities were later completely turned over to the government.[6]
While some television broadcasters were eventually permitted to reopen as state-affiliated media, particularly companies owned by Marcos cronies, the government did not operate its own television network until February 2, 1974, when the government agency National Media Production Center started the Government Television (GVT-4).[7]
1986–1992: Post martial law restructuring
In the immediate aftermath of the People Power Revolution, the network, which was simply referred to as Channel 4, continued to broadcast. However, programming was mostly impromptu outside of special events and scheduled newscasts in the morning, afternoon, evening and late night. Production aspects were mainly performed by volunteers who continued to work under the new administration while erstwhile anchors who worked under the Marcos left. The network was formally rebranded as People's Television (PTV) in April 1986, with broadcasters Tina Monzon-Palma and Jose Mari Velez as heads before they returned to GMA Network.[9]
On February 14, 1991, PTV went on full nationwide satellite broadcast using a transponder from PALAPA C2. Based in Quezon City, the network's flagship station, PTV-4, features a high-capacity 40-kilowatt transmitter. The facility is situated atop a 500 ft tower, a central component of its broadcast infrastructure. With its 32 provincial stations across the country, the network has extended its reach and coverage to approximately 85 percent of the television viewing public nationwide.
1992–2005: Charter establishment, operational challenges
The People's Television Network formally became a government-owned and controlled corporation with board of directors in March 1992 with the passing of the Republic Act 7306. The charter prohibited the government from providing regular annual appropriations for PTV's operations, only giving it a one-time equity funding for capital outlay and required the corporation to generate revenues on its own, while allowing commercial advertisements for only the first nine years, imposing a total ban starting in July 2001.
Around this time, PTV pioneered educational and cultural programming. Some of its award-winning programs were Tele-aralan ng Kakayahan (which predated ABS-CBN's Knowledge Channel by decades), Ating Alamin, Small World and its successor Kidsongs, For Art's Sake, Coast to Coast and Paco Park Presents. In the 1990s, at the core of its educational programming is the Continuing Studies via Television or CONSTEL, a program aimed at upgrading teaching skills of elementary and secondary teachers of Science and English. Institutionalized by Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), CONSTEL Science and English programs are being used in teacher training by DECS and in Teacher Education Institutions of the Commission on Higher Education.
Another rebrand came on July 16, 2001, renaming the network as National Broadcasting Network (NBN). NBN expanded its broadcast reach with the launching of NBN World on February 19, 2003, in cooperation with the Australian satellite television company TARBS. This global expansion signals new directions for NBN as it becomes accessible to the rest of the world, particularly the millions of Filipinos overseas (in Australia, North America, and the Asia-Pacific).[10]
2005–2013: Digital terrestrial transition
The government has been testing digital terrestrial television since 2005 through PTV. By 2007, the network has been testing the Japanese ISDB-T standard which was further solidified with the assistance from the Japanese government. The network, being state-operated, was designated for the broadcasting of emergency alerts similar to the Emergency Alert System in the United States, in the style of the Japanese J-Alert system which used the same technology as the one officially adapted by the Philippine government as standard. It was not until January 2017 that the network publicly launched its digital channel.
In 2005, Radyo ng Bayan programs were also aired on the television network. This was particularly revived in 2012 and 2014, with the simulcast of News @ 1 and News @ 6, and the morning news program RadyoBisyon, also simulcasted on IBC-13.
In August 2011, the PTV brand name was re-introduced. On October 6, 2011, the network was officially renamed back to PTV, with new logo and new slogan "Telebisyon ng Bayan" launched on July 2, 2012.[11]
2013–2016: Revitalization act
The network's corporate charter was updated in March 2013, through the Republic Act 10390, in an attempt to aid the bleeding PTV. The charter update brought reorganization, and a new infusion of ₱5 billion from the government to revitalize the network and make it "digital competitive." This move raised concern from commercial station GMA Network, fearing that the new law will make PTV a competition. In the first and second quarter of 2014, PTV has generated ₱59 million in revenue.[12][13]
PTV started their modernization program since 2012, which included the acquisition of studio technical equipment, cameras, vehicles, and high-powered transmitter for its headquarter in Visayas Avenue, Quezon City. This also applied to its regional stations in the cities of Naga and Baguio in Luzon, the cities of Iloilo, Cebu, Calbayog, Tacloban, and Dumaguete in the Visayas, and in the cities of Zamboanga, Cotabato, Pagadian, and Davao in Mindanao.[14]
2016–present: Continuation of digital terrestrial rollout
In 2016, following a change in national administration, several board members of PTV, including General Manager Albert Bocobo, tendered their courtesy resignations, leading to another reorganization of the network’s leadership.[17] Subsequent appointments were made to key positions as part of broader management changes.[18][19] During this period, the network was considered as a primary platform for official government communications, although regular press engagements later resumed.[20] Minor branding adjustments were also introduced, including the discontinuation of the “Telebisyon ng Bayan” slogan. In December 2016, PTV stated its goal of improving its spot by 2017 in television ratings by one notch, the third spot which was held at the time by TV5.[21]
In January 2017, the network improved its signal reception by increasing its power transmitter's output from 25 kW to 60 kW.
Proposed transition to public broadcasting model
Over the years, there have been plans on making PTV transition towards a public broadcasting model which meant an editorial independence[30] for the network, with BBC in the United Kingdom, PBS in the United States, CBC in Canada, and ABC Australia specifically cited as prime examples.[31] In 2016, teams from the BBC and ABC visited the Philippines for to help in with the plans, though no results from it were made publicly available.
In line with this, there were proposed legislation to consolidate the People’s Television Network and the Philippine Broadcasting Service into a unified public broadcasting entity. The plan included the development of specialized channels for underserved audiences and the expansion of regional broadcasting infrastructure. As part of these efforts, Salaam TV began test broadcasting in 2017.
