“BRIEF HISTORY OF BROADCATING IN THE

PHILPPINES”

Group 1: Fabillar, Jhoan R.

Adanza, Lieann
Ongdueco, Henry
Villaluz, Darwin
PHILIPPINE RADIO SIGNS ON-HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

 The oldest existing radio station in the country

today is DZRH. Signed on in 1939 as KZRH.
Radio Heacock, after H.E. Heacock the original
owner of the station and one of the largest chains
of department stores in the Pacific Rim.
 The Philippine broadcasting system was the
pioneer in this area through its school broadcast
features and documentaries on outstanding
government programs and news and public affairs.
 1960s to the 70s, the use of radio for argriculture
and rural development became more pronounced.
Institutions such as the department of agriculture,
UP at Los Banos, International Institute for Rural
Reconstruction(IIRR), Philippines Rural
Reconstruction Movement(PRRM), and the
international Rice Research Institute(IRRI), the
information campaign for Masagana 99 launched in
1973 as the country’s rice self-sufficiency program
is consideredc a pioneeribf “success story” in the
use of broadcast media for development.
EXPERIMENTAL RADIO
 The First Radio station in America-KDKA in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania aired its first radio signal
in 1920, unplanned and unannounced playing for
phonograph records and amateur radio announcing.
 American Henry Herman, for starting commercial
radio broadcasting in the Philippines reportedly
began the test broadcasts of three 50-watt station
which he replace two years later with a 100-watt
station KZKZ.
 KZIB was owned by Isaac Beck.
 KZRM
 Manila KZRC. “KZ” being used in the United
Stage. This is just one of many practices and
policies which Philippine broadcasting
adopted from its American model. “News
paper broadcasting conglomerates” “media
monopoly” “cross ownership”, DMHM
(debate-Mabuhay-Herald-Monday Mail).
Araneta-owned radio-newspaper chain was
manage by Carlos P. Romulo.
COMMERCIAL RADIO SIGN
 “Business of Radio”. Radio was the hottest media for promoting “Not
only [for] Local product but specialy [for] imported U.S. Consumer
goods”, the most avid advertisers were the department store owners who
had invested early in Radio.
 Trinidad (1986) and Enriquez (2003) list of those programs; Chevrolet
Jamboree, Klim Dancing Party, and Klim Musical Quiz, Lux Theater of
the Air, Parico Troubadors, Quaker Oats Spelling Bee, Palmolive,
Newsreel of the Air, and the Listerine Amature Hour. But the products are
very much around.
 The first advertising spot were simple voice-over announcement with the
catchiy, tunes and were performed and broadcast live within and between
programs (Enriquez, 2003)
AMERICANIZATION AND LOCALIZATION
 Programming in the first year of radio was heavily
entertainment-oriented and largely copied from that of
the U.S. There were a lot of “music, variety shows that
included comedy skits and short newscasts.” (Enriquez,
2003) most of the stations were owned and managed by
the Americans, and aired programs were performed by
American announcers, singers and musicans. Evan the
technical and production staff was dominated by
Americans. American Jazz, ballads, big band music, and
popular hits were the daily fare.
 Among them were announcers Bert Silen and Ted Wallace,
newscasters Tommy Worthen, George Vogel, Johnny Wightman, Don
Bell and Dave Harvey, pianist Lorine Nash and singers Betty
Cotterman and Maurice Naftaly. There were also many filipinos and
filipino-american mestizos, among them the Ukelele-playing emcee
Ira Davis, the so-called mystery singer Cecil Lloyd, pianist Johnny
Harris and announcer Johnny Arville. A Spaniard, Conchita Garriz,
read the news in Spanish. He and his wife Lina Flor were among the
first bacth of Filipino Radio performers who proved equal to the
American stars in talent and professionalism. Lily Raquiza and Alma
Corro, news narator Ignacio Javier who was really the famuos
journalist and later diplomat Leon Ma. Guerrero, and renowned
classical singers Enya Gonzales, Dalisay Aldaba and Conchita Gaston.
Others who sang and/or emceed were Ely Ramos, the Monila Boys,
Ning Navales, Lina Flor, who later became one of the most talented
radio drama script writters and prolific writters on radio film and print.
 The Philippines had its first taste of media personalities in
the person of radio stars of yerteryears, who like their
present counterparts, enjoyed much publicity and
admiration. “A glamour build-up”(Trinidad, 1996) Was how
Francisco Trinidad called it. Enriquez relates that speacial
contest were even held to choose the title “so-and-so of the
Philippines” To highlight the preference for local talents
who can “imitate the voice and timbre and style of american
singers.” There was Bing Croshy of the Philippines in the
title went to the singer who can best copy the style of the
popular american singer-actor who immortalized the songs
“true,Love” and “white Christmas”. Trinidad, with his deep
cool voice, Crooned his way to become the Dick Powell of
the Philippines.
 Localization of radio programming came in differenr
forms: translation of english lyrics of american songs into
Filipino, increase participation of local talents in the
production and on-air performance of radio programs,
and eventually the playing of kundimans and folk songs
and airing of programs in the Filipino language. Top
comedies like dely atay-Atayan and andoy Balun-
Balunan, Pugo and Togo, Chichay and Tolidoy all came
from radio. Movie stars Carmen Rosales and Ely Ramos
got their first breaks in radio. There were no schools oe
special courses for radio performance or production. The
pioneers “learned the job while on the job” Trinidad
recounts that some radio stations including KZRM had to
conduct their own training school for announcers.
RADIO ON THE EVE OF WAR
 There was no public affairs programming yet to speak of at the time. President
Manuel L. Quezon’s 1935 inaugural address as president of the commonwealth
was one of the feew nonentertainment broadcasts. At that time there were six
commercial radio stations: five in manila, namely KZRM, KZRF, KZIB, KZEG,
and KZRH and one in cebucity, KZRC (maslog, 1988). The government,
Trinidad and Maslog report, put up KZND to help people prepare for the war
and to give them the latest news about the war.
 The bombing of Pearl Harnor in 1941 signaled the beginning of the war and
caused a significant change in radio programming in the Philippines. During the
japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945 all radio stations were ordered closed,
leaving only KZRH on the air. It got a new name, PIAM for Philippine Islands
Amplitude Modulation, and a new type of programming that featured mostly
japanese control did not have any credibility among Filipinos and was often
referred to in vulgar language( PIAM) that insulted mothers.
 Why KZRH? According to some historical accounts, it may have
been because this radio station had the most advanced facilities. It
may have also been because it was the only one left intact after the
USAFFE(United States Armed Forces in the Far East) “destroyed
the facilities of all radio stations that lay in their way” (Ampil,
1986) to prevent the advancing japanese forces from using them.
 Additional accounts gathered by Enriquez show that before the
Japanese landing “the American High Commissioner in the
Philippines appointed station KZRH manager Bertrand Harold
Silen, Chief Coordinator of Information in relation to the war
effort. KZRH was apparently spared because Silen had orders to
“pull out and bring to corregidor a short wave transmitter and other
radio parts and equipment” . These facilities were used to operate
literally an underground radio station inside the Malinta Tunnel.
General Douglas MacArthur called it the Voice of Freedom.
RADIO IN THE MIDST OF WAR
 Enriquez described radio’s role during the war as
an “ideological battleground” because the medium
was used by both the Japanes forces and thye
Filipino-American resistence group.
 The japanese military administration was quite
aggresive in trying to win the hearts and minds of
filipinos using radio broadcasting. PIAM offered a
programming mix heavy with Japanese language
and culture. Ampil(1986) recalls such programs.
 The 1-minute physical fitness program was
Radio Taiso the calisthenics program made
compulsory listening for city employees and
schoolchildren. The hour of classical music was
concert symphony on the air. The American jazz
hour was simply known as jass music. The Ating
Alamin-type program was food producyion hour,
however, unlike Gerry Geronimo’s Sunday fare,
this was more exhortative than educational. The
half-hour literary talk was Readers Nook of the
Air which featured, of course, japanese novels.
 To be fair, PIAM;s programming was not bad. It was an
interesting and rich source of information about the
Japanese culture, language, music, literature, ang
lifestyle. One wonders what the country would have
become if Filipinos then had taken seriously what those
Japanese programs tried to teach. Unfortunately, people
were immeditely turned off by the fact that they were
being forced to be “Japanized” (Ampil, 1986)
 To force everyone to listen, the Japanes went to the
extent of reconditioning radio sets to prevent the
reception of short wave broadcasts with left-over radio
equipment, they managed to operate underground and
continue the reistance movement. ( Maslog, 1988)
 Filipinos had a starkly different reaction towards the
American counter-propaganda which was broadcast
over several guerrilla radio stations, including Voice
of freedom.
 The heroes of underground radio included individuals
who later gained prominence in goverment service,
literature, and education: Philippine Army Reserve
Major Carlos P. Romulo delivered news updates.
“Romulo, Leon Ma. Guerrero and Salvador P. Lopez
wrote the news and commentary in English, while
Philippine Army Lieutenant Francisco Isidoro
Translated their scripts to Tagalog”(Enriquez 2003)
 There were other underground radio broadcasts who braved the
threat of arrest, torture, and death. Voice of Juan De La Cruz,
operated by a group of young men and women, moved from
place to place with its radio equipment to avoid arrest.
Acoording to accounts, these were killed(Enriquez, 2003)
Many radio personalities and performers opted to stay away
from radio work during thewar years. Some, like Francisco
Trinidad, performedon stage in the meantime. Among those
who stayed to work at PIAM were Dely Magpayo, Vero
Prerfecto, Lina Flor, Ginny Ildefonso-Alba, and Yay Panlilio.
Ampil(1986) reports that no one was “coerced” to join the
station. He says their salaries were given in kind because the
peso had greatly devalued. “in those terrible times, staffers and
signers were given sacks of rice and other scare commodities.
 The radio sation station would later be turned
over to the newly restored Philippine
Commonwelth government and would resume
broadcast as KZFM.
POSTWAR RADIO: THE ‘GOLDEN YEARS’
 Historical accounts acknowledge the 30-years period after
the wa as a time of “phenomenal growth” (Enriquez, 2003)
 Broadcasting from the 1940s to 1960s witnessed the
introduction of the transistor radio, music recording, and
program formats such as drama, news and public affairs, and
the spread of the use Tagalog and regional languages in
programming. Battery-powered transistor radios were
smalier, lighter, more portable, and more affortable. In just a
decade after transistor radios hit the market, 62% of Filipino
homes had them( Enriquez, 2003)
 From just a handful of prewar pioneers, the number of radio
stations in the country grew ten-fold by 1968 to 213. This
growth was largely driven by rich families “such as the
Sorianos, the Roceses and the Lopezes” (Enriquez, 2003)
families” such as the Sorianos, the Roceses and the
Lopezes” with vast interests in businedd and in media. The
war convined many that there is untapped political and
economic power in radio.
 Enriquez(2003) reports that after the war the first to open
were KZRH and KZPI. KZRH was acquired by the Elizalde
brothers from the Heacock Company and eventually
renamed DZRH. The station is still a top-rating AM radio
station today under the Far Eastern Broadcasting Company.
 In 1947, Congress ruled that radio stations shoukd change
the first call letter of their station names from ‘K’ to
‘D’(Ampil, 1986)
 Radio experienced a boomm even in the provinces. Cebu
had the first radio station outside Manila before and after
the war. The first two stations to open in post war Cebu
were DYRC and DYBU. Two private companies led the
expansion in Minsanao. Radio Mindanao Network
established DXCC in Cagayan de Oro in 1952 and Nation
Broadcasting Corporation put up the first radio station in
Zamboanga City. Both RMN and NBC established radio
networks with nationwide reach and grew to be among the
leading broadcast companies in the country. 5
 This period in the Philippine radio history also gave rise
to nin-profit radio broadcasting ventures which were
initiated by schools and religiuous organizations.
 Philippines Broadcasting Service headed by Francisco
Trinidad. With a 14-station networks including DZFM,
PBS. “Pioneered the production and airing of
educational programs in coorperation with the Bureau of
Public Schools, agricultural programs, on-the-spot live
coverage of public events, and public service programs”.
 The golden years of Philippine radio are said to be those
years between 1946 and 1957. This was the era of vinyl
records that played music and of disc jokeys or “Dis”
who provided the voice in music programs.
 The most unforgetting dramas, called soap operas, began
in 1949 with drama writer Lina Flor’s Gulong ng Palad,
which was closely followed by Liwayway Arceo’s Ilaw ng
Tahanan, Gonoveva Edroza Matute’s Aklat ng Pag-ibig
ang Clodualdo del Mundo’s Prinsipe Amante. Other
enduring dramas that appeared during the period were
Fundador Soriano’s Kahapon Lamang, Narciso Pimentel
and Epidanio Matute’s Kwentong Kutsero, Severino
Reyes’ Mga Kwento ni Lola Basyang and the horror-
fantasy Gabi ng Lagim. Some of the more popularof these
programs crossed over to television in the 1950s and
1960s, like Tawag ngTanghalan, Student Canteen,
Darigold Jamboree, Hamon sa Kampiyon and Tita Betty’s
Children’s Hour.
 Another significant feature of this period was
the expansion of news programs from mere
newsbreaks to “live interview of newsmakers
and live on-the-spot coverage of important
events”. Enriquez adds that the coming of
“two-way radios” was a big boost to spot news
reporting. A radio reporter was able to
broadcast his live report straight from the field
and converse on the air with the anchor on
board.