GMA Network (a backronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network Inc. The network is headquartered in the GMA Network Center with its transmitter facilities, the Tower of Power, located at Tandang Sora Avenue, Barangay Culiat, in Quezon City, along with regional offices in the cities of Dagupan, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, and General Santos. Commonly referred to as the Kapuso Network ("heart" in Filipino) in reference to the outline of the company's logo since its introduction on October 27, 2002.
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 Network is one of the largest television and media networks in the Philippines. GMA first broadcast on television on October 29, 1961, as Republic Broadcasting System (RBS) on DZBB-TV Channel 7, 11 years after the success of its radio station DZBB.
Today, the flagship television station of GMA, which carries channel 7 on analog (VHF), and Channel 15 on digital (ISDB-T International) across Mega Manila. As such, the network is informally referred to as "Channel 7" or "siete" (Spanish for "seven"), even though the network is seen in other channel numbers elsewhere in the country. In addition, the network operates several stations across the Philippines through GMA Regional TV. Its programming is also seen via streaming app GMA Play and through global pay-television channels GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV, and GMA News TV.
History
1950s and 1960s The origin of GMA Network can be traced back to Loreto F. de Hemedes Inc. through DZBB,GMA Network Corporate Information , GMANetwork.com which started airing its radio broadcast on March 1, 1950, and officially launched as a local radio station in Manila on June 14, 1950, owned by Robert La Rue "Uncle Bob" Stewart, an American war correspondent.GMA Gold: Fifty Years of Broadcast History, Chelo Banal Formoso (ed.), GMA Network. Venturing into television in the 1960s, Stewart started RBS TV Channel 7 (under the call letters DZBB-TV) on October 29, 1961, becoming the Philippines' third terrestrial television station. Originally, RBS's programming was composed of foreign programs from the United States and it later produced local programs to cater to Filipino audiences. It produced shows like Uncle Bob's Lucky Seven Club, a child-oriented show aired every Saturday; Dance Time with Chito; and various news programs like News at Seven. In February 1962 RBS first launched its first local television station in Cebu, DYSS (GMA Channel 7).
1970s On September 21, 1972, then President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law by the virtue of Proclamation 1081. Marcos, ruling by decree, curtailed press freedom and other civil liberties; closed down the Congress and media establishments including RBS. In December 1972, RBS was given the green light by the government to return on the air, however with limited three-month permits. Programming during that time was supplied mostly via a blocktime agreement with Philippine Production Center Inc. (PPCI), a company led by former ABS-CBN executive Romeo Jalosjos. But due to limited licenses, difficulty in financial obligations, and disallowing foreign citizens and entities from owning and operating media companies in the Philippines, Stewart and the American Broadcasting Company, which owned 25% of the company, were forced to cede majority control to a triumvirate composed of Gilberto Duavit Sr., a Malacañang official; Menardo Jimenez, an accountant; and Felipe Gozon, an attorney of the Stewarts in 1974. The station changed its name to GMA Radio-Television Arts (GMA stood for Greater Manila Area, the station's initial coverage area) and also renamed its corporate name as Republic Broadcasting System, Inc. on May 28, 1974, until 1996. Stewart's wife Loreto was the president when the takeover ensued.What's the Story, Pinoy TV?, Ellen Joy Anastacio and Janine Natalie Badiola, GMA Network. The relaunched GMA, aside from sporting a light blue square logo with the network name in white, also (until 1980) had a circle 7 logo in use, in its final years the blue circle 7 logo used was similar to those used by the ABC in some United States cities.
After that, Rod Reyes, then-general manager of RBS, recruited old-timers from ABS-CBN, including those from its news and entertainment divisions. After the Duavit-Jimenez-Gozon takeover, the station began to broadcast in color with an ₱8 million credit line thru buying telecine machines and acquired foreign programs. Ratings were up from #5 to #3 that time.
1980s During martial law under the Marcos regime, GMA managed to broadcast the funeral of senator Ninoy Aquino, a public opposition leader who was assassinated in August 1983, the only local network to do so. In 1984, Imee Marcos, daughter of Ferdinand Marcos, attempted to take over GMA. However, the takeover was prevented by the network executives. Stewart left the country for good as a result. The network played an instrumental role during the years preceding the People Power Revolution. They were the first to air an interview with Corazon Aquino in 1984, as well as when she announced her intention to run for presidency once she receives one million signatures. During the People Power Revolution, the network was also the first to report that Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce Enrile broke away from the Marcos administration. GMA's rival ABS-CBN reopened in September 1986 and convinced several of the network's talents and executives, including Freddie M. Garcia to transfer along with key people from the network's Marketing and Engineering departments.
The People Power Revolution enabled previously shut television stations to air again. However, the political instability during Aquino's term added burden to the network, mostly in 1987 when it was stormed by rebel soldiers for two days as a part of an attempted coup against the Aquino administration. In 1987, the network broadcast its programs for the first time in full stereo, the first VHF television network to do so in the country. Additionally, Broadway Centrum opened, and in 1988, they also inaugurated the , 120 kW Tower of Power in Quezon City, one of the tallest man-made structures in the country.Pres. Aquino switched GMA-7's 'Power Tower , Manila Standards, November 7, 1988
1990s In 1992, the Philippine Congress passed a law granting the network to operate for another 25 years. The network then targeted international reach in the 1990s. Through its relay stations, GMA programs were seen across the country as well as parts of Asia. GMA programming started airing in 60 American cities and parts of South America through the International Channel Network.
GMA was selected to be the official broadcaster for the 1995 World Youth Day, when Pope John Paul II visited the country again. During the same year, popular TV shows Eat Bulaga! and Okay Ka, Fairy Ko! began broadcasting on GMA after TAPE Inc., the programs' production company, refused an ABS-CBN proposal to buy the airing rights of the two shows. Around the same time, the network launched a UHF channel subsidiary, Citynet 27, several new shows (including weekly late-night show Bubble Gang), as well as the late night news program Saksi. The network also adapted The 700 Club series as The 700 Club Asia.
In 1994, GMA founded its own film production company, Cinemax Studios (renamed to GMA Films in 1998, then GMA Pictures in 2019) for the film Run Barbi Run, marking the second film production studio owned by another network after Star Cinema (founded in 1993 by ABS-CBN). In 1998, the company produced the biopic film José Rizal, then the most expensive Filipino film produced, and had a successful run, garnering many accolades and nominations from award-giving bodies.
GMA formally changed its corporate name in 1996 to GMA Network Inc., with the acronym 'GMA' now standing for Global Media Arts. In 1999, GMA aired the Filipino language television news program GMA Network News, originally an English language newscast, then a rarity in Philippine television.
GMA was the first Philippine broadcaster to receive a Peabody Award for Investigative Reporting in 1999.59th Annual Peabody Awards , May 2000. Later, Citynet 27 became EMC, the first local music video-oriented TV channel, which became part of the short-lived Channel V franchise called Channel V Philippines. GMA also served as the official Philippine partner to broadcast the international millennium television special 2000 Today, along with its millennium party hosted by the network, held at the Ayala Center in Makati City. The network then began airing 24-hour broadcasting until the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) released and implemented a new set of rules and regulations with its affiliated free-to-air TV networks in 2001.
2000s In October 2000, Menardo Jimenez officially announced his retirement as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the network beginning December 6 of the same year, with Felipe Gozon assumed his office in concurrent capacity as the board chairman of the network, while Duavit Sr.'s son Gilberto "Jimmy" Duavit Jr. was appointed by GMA Network's Board of Directors as Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the company.
On May 1, 2001, GMA news reporters Michael Fajatin, Jiggy Manicad and Arnold Clavio were injured during the EDSA III riots initiated by the Pro-Estrada groups, who were seen as hostile to news media.
GMA officially revealed its present logo and image during an episode of Sunday noontime show SOP on October 27, 2002. The following year, Saksi won a New York Television Festival Gold Medal for its newscast, the first Filipino news program to do so. This win, along with the Peabody Award in 1999, earned the network a commendation from the House of Representatives later that year. On September 1, 2003, GMA withdrew its membership from the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), after various issues and incidents involving its news talents and the cable firm Sky Cable's alleged distortion of GMA's signal on its system, among other factors. The network premiered several programs in 2004: 24 Oras (a newscast), Reporter's Notebook (a documentary), Pinoy Pop Superstar (a singing search), Mulawin (a fantasy series) and Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (a magazine show).
In 2005, subsidiary Citynet signed an agreement with ZOE Broadcasting Network. From 2005 to 2019, ZOE's flagship station DZOE-TV Channel 11, went on air as Quality TeleVision (QTV) (later reformatted as the GMA News TV, and now known as GTV on DWDB-TV Channel 27). The network planned to offer its initial public offering; however, the plan was delayed due to political instability during Arroyo's administration, among other factors. In 2007, the network announced its initial public offering after several setbacks.Miscellaneous Stock Market Newsbits , Philippine Stock Exchange Website. Accessed April 30, 2007.
In 2006, Debate with Mare at Pare, a late-night public affairs program, won the bronze medal at the New York Television Festival. The network was also praised for its coverage of the Wowowee stampede by local publications. An exclusive interview by Mike Enriquez with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo after the lifting of the state of national emergency was allowed by GMA to be aired by other networks without prior consent, and was also similarly praised, including by the president herself. In April of the same year, GMA founder Robert Stewart died while in the United States. The network supported and documented the successful attempt of mountain climber Romi Garduce to reach the summit of Mount Everest, only the third Filipino to do so.
2010s