ABS-CBN is a Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Formerly the Philippines' largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since evolved into a multi-platform content producer and distributor following the expiration and non-renewal of its broadcast franchise in 2020. The company currently syndicates its programming across various platforms, including partner networks, cable channels, streaming services, and digital platforms.
1946–1972: Beginnings The company was founded on June 13, 1946, as Bolinao Electronics Corporation (BEC) and later registered on July 11 of the same year. BEC was established by James Lindenberg, one of the founding fathers of Philippine television, an American electronics engineer who went into radio equipment assembly and radio broadcasting.
In November 1949, James Lindenberg shifted Bolinao to radio broadcasting with DZBC and masterminded the introduction of television to the country in 1953. Bolinao Electronics Corporation established its broadcast unit, Bolinao Broadcasting System (BBS); its first studios were located at a rented barn in San Juan, Rizal (which is now part of the National Capital Region).
In 1951, Lindenberg partnered with Antonio Quirino, brother of then-Philippine President Elpidio Quirino, in order to try their hand at television broadcasting. In 1952, BEC was renamed as Alto Broadcasting System or ABS (with Alto Sales Corporation as its corporate name). "Alto" was a contraction of Quirino's and his wife's first names, Tony and Aleli. Though they had little money and resources, ABS was able to put up its TV tower by July 1953 and import some 300 television sets. The initial test broadcasts began in September of the same year. The very first full-blown broadcast was on October 23, 1953, of a party in Tony Quirino's humble abode. The television station was known as DZAQ-TV. The first program to air was a garden party at the Quirino residence in Sitio Alto, San Juan. After the premiere telecast, the station followed a four-hour-a-day schedule, from six to ten in the evening.
On June 16, 1955, Republic Act No. 1343 signed by President Ramon Magsaysay granted the Manila Chronicle its broadcasting franchise, leading to the formation of the Chronicle Broadcasting Network.
The Chronicle Broadcasting Network (CBN) was founded on September 24, 1956, by Eugenio López Sr. and the former Philippine Vice President Fernando Lopez. The network initially focused only on radio broadcasting. It launched its very own TV station, DZXL-TV 9, on April 19 (or July), 1958. On February 24, 1957, Don Eugenio acquired ABS from Quirino and Lindenberg. A month later, Don Eugenio also acquired Monserrat Broadcasting System.
In 1958, the network's new headquarters at Dewey Boulevard were inaugurated, and all radio and television operations were consolidated into its two buildings – the radio stations at the Chronicle Building at Aduana Street, Intramuros, Manila and the TV operations at the brand new Dewey Boulevard building in Pasay, Rizal.
The ABS-CBN brand was first used in 1961. However, it was only two years later on 1963, that the company name was changed to ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation (or shortened to ABS-CBN Broadcasting). Before it was named ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, the company name was Bolinao Electronics Corporation (BEC).
In the late 1950s, Don Eugenio's son Geny saw the potential of TV and radio to reach and link Filipinos across the archipelago. By the mid-1960s, the ABS-CBN network was leading the radio industry, with stations like DZXL and DZAQ Radyo Patrol in the Manila area, which featured journalists like Ernie Baron, Bong Lapira, Orly Mercado, Joe Taruc, Mario Garcia, Jun Ricafrente, Bobby Guanzon, and Rey Langit, and various other stations nationwide. ABS-CBN also made breakthroughs in the TV industry by achieving the country's first color TV broadcast, first satellite feed broadcasts (during remarkable events including the Apollo 11 Moon landing, the collapse of Ruby Tower in Manila during the 1968 Casiguran earthquake, assassination and funeral of Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 United States presidential election), and first use of videotape, among others. It featured top shows then, such as Your Evening with Pilita and Tawag ng Tanghalan, the country's first comedy show Buhay Artista, first Philippine game show, What's My Living and the first noontime show Student Canteen, among others. It was also pioneering in marathon election coverage in 1967 when the TV & radio stations of the network aired election updates for 36 hours sharp – making it a national first.
On June 15, 1961, Geny officially opened the first provincial TV station in Cebu (based in Mandaue) airing 4 hours with the tallest transmitter tower (in that time) measuring . Within weeks, another TV station in Dagupan opened its doors followed by the first broadcasts in Negros Island (through Bacolod) in 1963. Panay had its first station in Iloilo City which opened in 1964, the Soccsksargen region then followed up with the opening of its own regional station in 1965 and Baguio and Davao both followed suit in 1967.
Two years later, the network's first color test broadcasts began with the help of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA). Color broadcasts started in June 1966, the first in the Philippines and Southeast Asia as the network was tagged as the "First in Color Television", with full-color broadcasting beginning in 1971 in all national television stations.
On December 18, 1968, ABS-CBN opened its new Broadcast Center on Bohol Avenue (renamed Sgt. Esguerra Avenue in 1989), Quezon City, where it still stands today. At the time, it was the most advanced broadcast facility in Asia. The station again made breakthroughs by using the first live satellite transmissions from abroad, foremost of which was the 168-hour coverage of the first Moon landing in 1969 and the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico the year before. The network enjoyed a big portion of the ratings and won various awards and recognitions from different organizations. The network pioneered the first all-national news simulcasts also in the same year as well.
By 1972, the ABS-CBN network owned and operated two television stations and seven radio stations in Manila and 14 radio stations and three originating television stations in the provinces. In the mid 60s, ABS-CBN launched its iconic "The Philippines' Largest Network" signature jingle — which is known for its now-familiar six-note leitmotif — composed by Dominic Salustiano.
1972–1981: Martial law era
The network suffered its first setback with the declaration of martial law by president then dictator Ferdinand Marcos On September 23, 1972, two days after the signing of Proclamation No. 1081, ABS-CBN and its affiliate stations were seized. Almost 10,000 employees lost their jobs as a result of the takeover and shutdown of ABS-CBN.
ABS-CBN president Geny López was arrested in November 1972, imprisoned and held without trial for five years until he and his cellmate Sergio Osmeña III launched a daring jailbreak on October 1, 1977. They fled into exile in the United States together with their families.
ABS-CBN general manager Jake Almeda Lopez was also jailed for a year for his protest activities. After his daring and successful escape from Fort Bonifacio, he joined López in exile in the United States and kept himself busy protesting the Marcos Sr. dictatorship from abroad. He was a key figure in the protest over the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.
The network was taken over by Roberto Benedicto, a crony of Ferdinand Marcos, then-Philippines ambassador to Japan, and sugar plantation owner, who used the Broadcasting Center at Bohol Avenue, then renamed "Broadcast Plaza", as the home of Government Television/Maharlika Broadcasting System (GTV/MBS, originally from Intramuros) and Kanlaon Broadcasting System/Radio Philippines Network (KBS/RPN, after the studio in Pasay was destroyed by fire on June 6, 1973). DZAQ-TV Channel 2 was relaunched under Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on November 4, 1973, with a new call sign (DWWX-TV), logo, slogan and a theme song (composed by Jose Mari Chan entitled "Big Beautiful Country"). In July 1978, BBC moved to new headquarters (together with RPN and the Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC)) in Broadcast City (also in Diliman, Quezon City). DZXL-TV Channel 4 was taken over by the government agency National Media Production Center (NMPC) for the launch of Government Television (GTV) as DWGT-TV on February 2, 1974. The network's radio stations were also affected with BBC and KBS/RPN operating several of the stations. BBC and RPNs would pioneer the country's first true computer-generated imagery animations for station identifications in the early 1980s.
1986: Capture of Broadcast Plaza At the height of the People Power Revolution in 1986, the operations of the Benedicto networks were halted after reformist soldiers disabled the transmitter that was broadcasting Marcos' inauguration from Malacañang Palace. Upon Corazón C. Aquino's subsequent accession to the presidency, BBC, RPN, IBC and the Broadcast City complex were sequestered by the new government and placed under the management of a Board of Administrators tasked to operate and manage its business and affairs subject to the control and supervision of Presidential Commission on Good Government.
1986–2007: Rebirth and growth
On March 1, 1986, after the People Power Revolution, Geny Lopez returned to the country after self-exile in the United States and started rebuilding the station from the rubbles after the revolution. Recovery was difficult and resources were low; former ABS-CBN employees Freddie García, Ben Aniceto and Rolly Cruz were brought in to rework the station's programming.
BBC shut down its operations on March 20, 1986, due to the sequestration of the facilities. BBC returned its operation in April 1986. The Presidential Commission on Good Government approved the return of the network's flagship station Channel 2 and a portion of the ABS-CBN Broadcast Center to the Lopezes in June 1986. The Lopez family continued to own ABS-CBN during the Marcos regime and all lease arrangements it entered into with the Philippine government and the Benedicto group for the use of its frequencies and facilities were never entirely recovered. Despite the handover of ownership, DWWX-TV continued to be used as the callsign of the network's flagship station in Metro Manila. BBC shut down its radio operations on July 15, 1986. Later, BBC shut down its television operations on September 7, 1986. After 7 days, ABS-CBN was reopened on September 14, 1986.
In January 1987, the network was forced to share space in the building that was rightfully their own with the government TV station Channel 4 (until January 22, 1992). At the time, money had been scarce while resources were limited; offices were used as dressing rooms and other equipment such as chairs, tables, and phones were in short supply. Aniceto, who worked as the program director for radio and television of the network and station manager of Channel 2 in the 1970s, was served as the first vice president and general manager of ABS-CBN upon the network's reopening from 1986 to 1987 and its radio stations re-opened in July 1986.