Ninyo The Explorer: ABS-CBN Studio Tour

Ola! Soy Ninyo!

Last July 27, 2012, our class went for a trip to ABS-CBN as part of the requirements for our Broadcast Engineering and Acoustics course. The trip was very exciting for me as this was my first time to visit the station in Metro Manila since I visited their regional station in Cebu during our ECESEMS trip. Through this blog, I will be telling you about what we did there and what I learned during the trip. But first of all, let me give you a glimpse of what ABS-CBN does and how it all began.

Me at the front desk counter of ABS-CBN Studio Tours.

ABS-CBN, which stands for Alto Broadcasting System - Chronicle Broadcasting Network, is a Filipino commercial television network which first aired programs in July 1953. Its history dates back to the 1950's, way back when James Lindenberg, owner of Bolinao Electronics Corporation, became the first person in the history of Philippine broadcasting, to apply for a license to the Philippine Congress to establish a television station in 1949. Due to the lack of availability of television equipment during the 1950's, Lindenberg branched out to radio broadcasting instead. Judge Antonio Quirino, brother of then President Elpidio Quirino, then bought stocks from BEC and later gained the controlling stock and renamed the company from BEC to Alto Broadcasting System (ABS). DZAQ-TV 3 first aired its first program in October 23, 1953 featuring a garden party held at the Quirino residence in Sitio Alto, San Juan. After this telecast, the station followed a four-hour a day schedule of programs from 6pm to 10pm. In 1955, owner of Manila Chronicle Eugenio Lopez Sr., and then Vice President Fernando Lopez, acquired a radio-TV franchise from congress and established Chronicle Broadcasting Network (DZXL-TV 9) in 1956. The Lopez brothers then invited Judge Quirino over for dinner and bought ABS under a contract written on a table napkin. Since then, the Lopez brothers controlled the monopoly in television until DZBB-TV 7 (now GMA 7) was established. In 1967, the Lopez brothers merged DZAQ-TV 3 and DZXL-TV 9 and named the station ABS-CBN.

ABS-CBN's company logo.

Since the merger, ABS-CBN has been continuously providing the country with world-class television programs which cater to the entertainment needs of Filipinos from all-over the world. From soap operas, to variety shows, game shows, and news programs, ABS-CBN offers a wide array of television programs which Filipinos truly enjoy. Aside from the regional networks which ABS-CBN have established through the years, the network is also currently operating an international network known as The Filipino Channel (TFC). Through TFC, the network is able to reach out to Filipino Overseas Workers and their families, with over 8 million viewership worldwide.

Showtime, the network's daily noon-time show.

Through the years, ABS-CBN has expanded their company, not only focusing on creating quality television programs, but also investing in different types of businesses. ABS-CBN, aside from its main television channel, has invested in a radio station, sports channel, entertainment channels, movie production, music album productions, print media, cable service provider, and multiple printed media products. As a company, ABS-CBN aims to exist in the service of Filipinos worldwide. They also aim to exist in order to inform and to entertain through creative content for any distribution platform. As it continues to expand, ABS-CBN is aiming, not only to become the country's leading television network, but the country's most flexible and broad multi-field business.

Me fooling around with my ABS-CBN sticker.

Before the tour started, we were asked to place stickers on our chest which will serve as our passes as we go around the different studios and facilities of ABS-CBN. For our first stop, we proceeded to one of the network's smaller studios, which serves as the set for Kris Aquino's daily morning show Kris TV. At first, it was hard to believe that it was the actual set where the show is shot. I have watched Kris TV and the place seems to be a lot bigger on television. This, explained by the tour facilitator, is due to the fact that the network uses wide angle camera lenses which means that everything that is shot by the camera, is shown to be a lot bigger on television. However, this type of camera lens also makes the artists on TV look like they gained a few pounds. As mentioned by the tour facilitator, Kim Chiu, for example, looks very thin on television, but she is actually a whole lot thinner in person. In addition, this set, according to the tour facilitator, was the same set where the past show of ABS-CBN Game KNB? was shot.

The tour facilitator.

The set of Kris TV.

After visiting the set of Kris TV, we proceeded to the station's biggest studio wherein the set for their newest set I-Shine Talent Camp. The same studio is used in shooting ASAP, which is the musical show of ABS-CBN aired live every Sunday afternoon. As I looked around the set, I noticed that there was a very complex set of lighting surrounding the studio. This was said to be extremely important since lighting around the set sets the mood and overall look of the television programs created by the network.

Me at the set of I-Shine Talent Camp.

After visiting the set of I-Shine Talent Camp, we went on to visit the set of the network's news programs. The studio was composed of different sets for different news programs and space was quite limited. This was because there was no audience necessary for news programs. We noticed that the news room's lighting is different as compared to the lighting in the other studios. According to the tour facilitator, the news room makes use of soft-lighting technology which makes the complexion of their news anchors look so much better on television.

Me at one of the sets for the several news programs of ANC.

After visiting the different studios at ABS-CBN, the group then proceeded with the technical part of the tour. The tour facilitator took the group into the Technical Operations Center of the station where the network's engineers could be found. We were given a technical tour of the station by one of ABS-CBN's operations engineers. No photos were taken inside the TOC since it is prohibited by the company. Inside the Technical Operations Center, the group was first shown the station's video storage room. This room is where the station keeps all tapes which contains all video files of commercials and television programs. Also found at the TOC, is the so-called scheduler whose primary responsibility is to arrange the sequence on when certain programs and commercials will be shown. There are also engineers assigned to monitor each channel handled by ABS-CBN such as ANC, Studio 23, etc. These engineers ensure smooth video and audio transmission with no interruption. It is also in the TOC where the digitalization of all video files are being done. From casette tapes, video files are now being converted to digital format and is transferred to hard drives. According to the Operations Engineer, ABS-CBN is currently not in full blast in preparing for the digital broadcast proposed by NTC since the department has still not decided on which standard will be used. However, the station is little by little adapting a digital transmitting system which will be configured once a standard has been chosen.

ABS-CBN's Operations Engineer.

Me at the main control room located at ABS-CBN's TOC.

According to the operations engineer, the callsign for ABS-CBN is DWWX-TV and can be viewed at channel number TV-2 in Metro Manila. The transmitter located at Mother Ignacia St., Quezon City is operating at 60kW (346.2KW ERP) at VHF. Other TV and radio channels operated and monitored by ABS-CBN at their TOC includes ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC), Balls, CgeTV, Cinema One, DZMM TeleRadyo, Hero, Knowledge Channel, Lifestyle Network, Myx, and Velvet. Also, the operations engineer mentioned that majority of ABS-CBN's revenue comes from the advertisements which they air during their television programs. Charges vary depending on the time slots on which the commercials will be aired and how long the commercial is.

Above: The speaker showing the master control room.

Below: The monitoring system used at the master control room.

Overall, I was impressed with the facilities that ABS-CBN in Metro Manila has as compared to the facilities of ABS-CBN Cebu. The station is complete with spacious studios and high-end video recording cameras, automated teleprompters, etc. As for my recommendations regarding the company's facilities, the only bad thing that I noticed was that most of their studios have entrances which are blocked by props which are not being used. This should be cleared since it is both hazardous to people in case of emergency and is unpleasant to look at. As for the tour, everything went smoothly and the speakers were very much accomodating to the students. This educational tour is highly recommended for future Electronics and Communications students because this tour has provided the students with a new venue for learning that is not limited to the walls of the classrooms.