Inquirer Group of Companies

The Inquirer Group of Companies, formally identified as Inquirer Holdings Incorporated, is a Philippine mass-media conglomerate headquartered in Makati. Its principal and best-known property is the Philippine Daily Inquirer, one of the country's major newspaper brands. Around that flagship publication, the group has developed a portfolio covering regional and community newspapers, free and compact newspaper formats, consumer and specialist magazines, online news, radio and television broadcasting, and mobile, outdoor, and digital advertising services. The group's print portfolio has included the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inquirer Bandera, Cebu Daily News, Inquirer Libre, Tumbok, Junior Inquirer, and Inquirer Compact. Several of these properties have changed format or ceased publication. Cebu Daily News ended its print edition on December 30, 2018, but continued as an online news operation under the CDN Digital identity. Tumbok, Junior Inquirer, and Inquirer Compact are identified as defunct properties. The portfolio illustrates the group's effort to reach distinct audiences through national, regional, free-distribution, youth-oriented, and compact-news formats. The group also operates through Hinge Inquirer Publications, known earlier as Hinge Media Inc. and established in 2003. Its magazine portfolio has covered food, sports, lifestyle, travel, homes, culture, business, technology, youth, parenting, and regional interests. Titles associated with the publishing unit include F&B World, MultiSport, Cocoon, Look, Baking Press, Turista, Game!, Scout, PBA Life, Baby, Northern Living, Southern Living, Cebu Living, Makati Leads, Soul BGC, and Inquirer RED. Digital publishing is represented by Inquirer Interactive Inc., commonly known as Inquirer.net. The site serves as the online home of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and publishes local and international news across sections such as news, entertainment, lifestyle, technology, business, Global Nation, and sports. Its sports presence has included coverage connected with the Philippine Basketball Association. The group has also operated Megamobile, an online, mobile, and outdoor-solutions business founded in 2005. Megamobile's activities have included application development, digital advertising, mobile value-added services, and voice services, with projects produced for Inquirer brands and for outside partners. Broadcasting has been conducted through Trans-Radio Broadcasting Corporation, which was founded in 1971 by Emilio Tuason and serves as the group's broadcasting arm. Its best-known later properties were Radyo Inquirer, carried on DZIQ 990 kHz in Manila, and Inquirer 990 Television, a digital-terrestrial, teleradyo-style channel that simulcast much of the radio output. Radyo Inquirer began terrestrial test broadcasting on August 16, 2010. The radio service went off air in March 2020, while the television counterpart ceased operations on December 31, 2020. In December 2020, the group announced a transition toward a digital news-site model, citing pandemic-related losses, weak ratings, and the expiration of the station's legislative franchise. The Inquirer Group is therefore best understood not as a single newspaper company but as a diversified Philippine media house. Its businesses combine legacy print journalism with online publishing, magazine specialization, broadcast news, mobile products, and commercial digital services. The available reference material does not establish a current executive roster, a precise group founding year, a standalone public listing, or a single corporate website.

The Inquirer Group of Companies is the media conglomerate associated with Inquirer Holdings Incorporated and based in Makati, Philippines. Its corporate identity is anchored by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, but the group has historically operated a broad collection of publishing and communications properties rather than relying on a single newspaper. Ownership is described as majority-controlled by Pinnacle Printers Corporation, the Rufino-Prieto family's holding and investment vehicle. The group's publishing activities expanded beyond the flagship newspaper through a mixture of national, regional, free, compact, and youth-oriented titles. Inquirer Bandera and Inquirer Libre served additional newspaper segments, while Cebu Daily News extended the brand into the Cebu market. Tumbok, Junior Inquirer, and Inquirer Compact were among the other print properties associated with the group; the available reference identifies these titles as defunct. Cebu Daily News provides an example of the group's adaptation to changing media economics: its print edition ended on December 30, 2018, while its news operation continued online as CDN Digital. Magazine publishing became another important part of the portfolio through Hinge Inquirer Publications, formerly Hinge Media Inc. The unit was established in 2003 and produced or managed titles addressing food and beverage, sports, homes, fashion and lifestyle, travel, gaming, youth culture, parenting, business, local communities, and regional living. The range included F&B World, MultiSport, Cocoon, Look, Baking Press, Turista, Game!, Scout, PBA Life, Baby, Northern Living, Southern Living, Cebu Living, Makati Leads, Soul BGC, and Inquirer RED. These titles complemented the daily newspaper business by targeting specialist audiences and advertiser categories. The group also built a digital publishing presence through Inquirer Interactive Inc., better known as Inquirer.net. The website functions as the online counterpart of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and carries reporting in news, entertainment, lifestyle, technology, business, international and expatriate-oriented coverage under Global Nation, and sports. The digital operation represents the group's principal response to the migration of audiences and advertising from print to online platforms. Broadcasting was conducted through Trans-Radio Broadcasting Corporation, founded in 1971 by Emilio Tuason. The company became the broadcasting arm of the Inquirer Group. Its historical operations included Manila's DZIQ 990 kHz, branded Radyo Inquirer, and earlier FM operations such as 99.5 RT in Manila and Y101 in Cebu. Radyo Inquirer began terrestrial test broadcasts on August 16, 2010, with a schedule featuring radio professionals and personalities including Ramon Tulfo and Jay Sonza. Inquirer 990 Television later carried the radio service in a teleradyo format over digital terrestrial television, combining radio news programming with selected television programs. The broadcasting chapter ended during a difficult period for traditional media. DZIQ went off air in March 2020. In December of that year, the group announced that Radyo Inquirer would transition into a digital news-site operation. Inquirer 990 Television closed on December 31, 2020. The cited reasons were financial pressure from pandemic lockdowns, weak audience ratings, and the expiry of the station's legislative franchise. The change reflected both immediate operating conditions and the longer-term shift toward online distribution. A further diversification effort came through Megamobile, founded in 2005 as the group's online, mobile, and outdoor-solutions company. Its services included application development, digital advertising, mobile value-added services, and voice services. Applications associated with the unit included Inquirer Mobile, Bandera Mobile, Inquirer Libre Mobile, Cebu Daily News Mobile, Inquirer 2BU, and Radyo Inquirer Mobile. It also developed or participated in projects with organizations such as The Mind Museum, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines, the Philippine Dermatological Society, and Viu Philippines. Taken together, the group's history shows a transition from newspaper-centered publishing toward a multi-platform media structure. Print newspapers and magazines remain central to its identity, while Inquirer.net and mobile initiatives provide digital reach. Broadcasting supplied another distribution channel for news but was later discontinued in favor of digital activity. Publicly available reference material does not provide a complete corporate chronology, current management list, exact founding date for the group itself, or current operating status for every historical property.

1. 2020Broadcast operations are discontinued

   DZIQ had gone off air in March, and Inquirer 990 Television closed on December 31 as the group shifted its broadcasting activity toward digital news.

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2. 2018Cebu Daily News ends its print edition

   Cebu Daily News stopped print publication on December 30, 2018, while continuing online as CDN Digital.

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3. 2010Radyo Inquirer begins terrestrial test broadcasting

   The Radyo Inquirer service conducted its first terrestrial test broadcast on August 16, 2010.

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4. 2005Megamobile is founded

   Megamobile was created as the group's online, mobile, and outdoor-solutions business.

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5. 2003Hinge Media begins magazine-publishing operations

   Hinge Media Inc., later known as Hinge Inquirer Publications, was established to support the group's magazine portfolio.

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6. 1971Trans-Radio Broadcasting Corporation is established

   Emilio Tuason founded Trans-Radio Broadcasting Corporation, which later became the broadcasting arm of the Inquirer Group.

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A Philippine multi-platform news and publishing group centered on trusted newspaper journalism while extending into regional media, magazines, digital news, broadcasting, mobile products, and advertising technology.

• Philippine Daily InquirerNational newspaper

  The flagship newspaper of the Inquirer Group and the central title around which the wider media portfolio is organized. It provides national reporting and serves as the principal editorial brand extended through the group's digital, broadcast, magazine, and mobile properties.

• Inquirer.netOnline news publishing

  Operated by Inquirer Interactive Inc., Inquirer.net is the official online publication associated with the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Its sections cover news, entertainment, lifestyle, technology, business, Global Nation, and sports, including coverage related to the Philippine Basketball Association.

• Cebu Daily News / CDN DigitalRegional newspaper and digital news

  Cebu Daily News was the group's Cebu newspaper property. Its print edition ended on December 30, 2018, but its reporting continued online under the CDN Digital name, preserving a regional digital-news presence.

• Hinge Inquirer PublicationsMagazine publishing2003

  The magazine-publishing unit formerly known as Hinge Media Inc. It has been associated with a wide range of specialist titles, including F&B World, MultiSport, Cocoon, Look, Baking Press, Turista, Game!, Scout, PBA Life, Baby, Northern Living, Southern Living, Cebu Living, Makati Leads, Soul BGC, and Inquirer RED.

• Radyo InquirerRadio news2010

  The group's Manila radio news service carried on DZIQ 990 kHz. It used a broadcasting team that was described as semi-independent from the newspaper's editorial staff and began terrestrial test transmissions in August 2010.

• Inquirer 990 TelevisionTeleradyo and digital television

  A digital-terrestrial television channel that simulcast much of the Radyo Inquirer feed and also carried selected television programs. The service closed on December 31, 2020.

• MegamobileMobile and digital-media services2005

  The group's online, mobile, and outdoor-solutions business. Its services included mobile application development, digital advertising, mobile value-added services, and voice services, with applications developed for Inquirer properties and external partners.

• 2020End Radyo Inquirer and Inquirer 990 Television operationsStrategy

  DZIQ went off air in March 2020, and the group later cited pandemic lockdown losses, poor ratings, and expiration of the station's legislative franchise as factors affecting the broadcasting business.

  What changed. The group announced a transition from Radyo Inquirer toward a digital news site, while Inquirer 990 Television ceased broadcasting on December 31, 2020.

  Aftermath. The decision ended the group's identified radio and teleradyo operations and reinforced its emphasis on digital distribution.

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• 2018Move Cebu Daily News from print to digitalStrategy

  The group discontinued the print edition of Cebu Daily News after December 30, 2018, while maintaining the news operation online.

  What changed. Cebu Daily News continued as CDN Digital, shifting the regional property to a digital publishing model.

  Aftermath. The transition preserved an online news presence for Cebu after the end of the newspaper's print run.

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• 2020Inquirer broadcasting operations close and shift toward digital news

  DZIQ, the group's Radyo Inquirer station, had already gone off air in March 2020. In December, the group announced a digital transition, and Inquirer 990 Television shut down on December 31. The stated factors included pandemic-related business losses, poor ratings, and expiration of the station's legislative franchise.

  BankruptcyOther
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• 2018Cebu Daily News ends print publication and continues digitally

  Cebu Daily News stopped publishing a print edition on December 30, 2018, while continuing its journalism online through CDN Digital.

  OtherProduct generation
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1. Inquirer Group of Companies