#ABSCBNFranchise: The Impact on Press Freedom and Pop Culture

#ABSCBNFranchise: The Impact on Press Freedom and Pop Culture by Patrick Dale Angelo C. Rivera

These days, as the years continue to roll forward, the media industry still suffers in peril; attacked and harassed by their grievances for rising tall to uphold the truth.

We often hear the term “press freedom” whenever we talk about the news and other current events, so to say. We would usually associate press freedom to journalism and with the media industry as well. Those in power will do their best to manipulate and abuse the media by spreading their propaganda for secret intentions and interests. Following the recent happenings concerning the conviction of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa for cyber libel, the state of Philippine journalism continues to be the target with ABS-CBN as the new casualty.

With the disappointing 70-11 vote in Congress to affirm the motion on the denial of franchise renewal of the Alto Broadcasting System–Chronicle Broadcasting Network, or which is widely known and abbreviated by many as ABS-CBN, it left the network with no other choice than retrenchment. The biggest media conglomerate in the country was forced to send home 9 900 individuals or ninety percent of the entire workforce without any means of income by the end of August. This now poses us essential inquiries boggling the minds of die-hard Kapamilya supporters: What is at stake for the Filipinos right now? What is ABS-CBN’s next move? Will we ever see the Kapamilya network once more rising from the ashes?

The disappearance of ABS-CBN on Philippine free TV primarily resulted in a setback on the network's fundamental objective of propagating information to the masses in far-flung areas that could skim limited signal coverage. Well-loved primetime news programs like TV Patrol will not be rocking the free television airwaves anymore. The Kapamilya network was also forced to terminate its news coverage in the regional areas. Twelve local TV Patrol stations across the country, including their own morning shows, were forced to air their final broadcast on August 28, as a result of the network's ongoing retrenchment. Radio platforms like DZMM and MOR were also not spared from the closure. The silencing of ABS-CBN through the denial of a renewed franchise has a “chilling effect” to many news outlets nationwide and could serve as a warning to other large media networks – once they get to criticize and backfire the incumbent administration for its incompetence and dysphoric propaganda, they might have the same fate with that of ABS-CBN.

The ABS-CBN has not only served as a constant source in delivering news and being “in the service of the Filipino,” as they also have been a dominant force in various sectors. Public service has proven to be at the core of its mission. Through their platforms, millions of Filipinos have benefited from their generous services. Education, which is at the forefront of Filipino children nationwide, was made possible through ABS-CBN's initiative of creating educational content and shows that complement the needs of learners from elementary to high school through the Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. The Kapamilya network has also united sports enthusiasts for one common goal—to ignite one's passion for sports and to dream big despite the odds that may follow. Not only did ABS-CBN helped shaped the entertainment, public service, education, and sports scenes, but also, they were the first to revolutionize the dawn of digital television by launching black-box servers like ABS-CBN TV Plus.

Looking ahead, in the post-free TV era of ABS-CBN, the media conglomerate stretches its boundaries virtually. The network's flagship newscast TV Patrol can now be viewed through their digital and social media platforms. Also, Kapamilya Channel was launched on cable TV last June and the coverage has just expanded online. Online streaming sites like iWant TFC will now be made available to Filipinos worldwide beginning in September. Lastly, with the hopes of many certified Kapamilyas-at-heart still pushing to win the fight, a so-called People's Initiative measure called PIRMA Kapamilya was initiated by a group of lawyers. According to them, they need roughly 7 million signatures from Filipinos across the country to sign the petition which will grant the network a bill to return them back on air, that even the Presidential powers could not veto the bill.

You see, as far as the ordinary consumers of information are concerned, this whole ABS-CBN franchise controversy may concern in defending press freedom, but it does not entirely revolve around it.