Last Friday, we attended the 40th Anniversary of KBS, the Kanlaon Broadcasting System, where my mom and dad once worked.
I was still a baby when my dad worked there. I barely remember the people there.
One of the first people to greet me was Lando, my dad's old driver. Him, I remember. As the story goes, when I was a baby, I could not pronounce his name and just started calling him "Agoong". Hence, he got that nickname and that's what everyone called him.
I remember how we used to play chess while waiting for dad to finish work and how I always forced him to make me win. (Makes me wish I forced him to teach me how to play chess better and learn how to not win things so easily.)
As expected, as my mom re-introduced me to her old office mates, they all looked surprised and delighted to see me. They would then immediately extend their hand, palm down, and show me how small I was when I first met them. Some would pretend to carry me and tell them they were the ones who carried me around the TV station.
I wore my dad's old jacket and they all could not believe that I already fit into it.
We were re-introduced to people who are now high-ranking executives and they all told us how much they learned from our father.
During the program, the host told us an interesting trivia about KBS; how it's not really 40 years old, but it's actually 42 years old; how KBS actually started all because my dad and his brother pitched and pestered Roberto Benedicto to open a radio station in Bacolod. When Mr. Benedicto finally agreed to their crazy idea, they named it KBS. Even though I'm familiar with that story, I never knew that the station they launched was KBS itself. And two years after that, KBS the TV station went on air and that's what we were celebrating that night.
At the end of the program and all the picture-taking, me and Brandie and back, near the bar, drinking some of the left-over wine and I said, "There should be Fundador brandy here." (which was my dad's favorite drink, which they always drank during meetings and parties, which is why Brandie was named Brandie.) And I looked towards the stage that had now become a dance floor, where all the people were dancing (or at least attempting to do so) while disco music blasted them back to their glory days.
(below is an article announcing the KBS reunion, including a brief history of the network, along with pictures I took that night)
KBS marks 40th anniversary with a grand reunion
(originally appeared in Manila Bulletin, November 12, 2009)
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/mb/20091112/tel-kbs-marks-40th-anniversary-with-a-gr-2bf66ac.html
Kanlaon Broadcasting System (KBS) will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a special thanksgiving dinner party on Friday, Nov. 13, in the brand new state-of-the-art KB Studios located along Marcos Highway, right across Town & Country Village in Cainta, Rizal.
Kitchie Benedicto Paulino, executive chair of the organizing committee, enjoins all employees, stars and talents, production and engineering personnel, and newspersons who served RPN 9, BBC 2, IBC 13, City2 Television, CNDE 4, SMI CaTV, AM and FM Radios, and Provincial Stations between 1969 and 1986 to attend.
KBS was the dominant media network in the 1970s and half of the 1980s before its TV and radio stations were taken over by the post-1986 EDSA administration.
KBS was the original ''star network'' and had in its stable the biggest stars of the era, like the King of Comedy Dolphy, the Superstar, Nora Aunor, the Star for all Seasons Vilma Santos, the Megastar, Sharon Cuneta, the Diamond Star Maricel Soriano, the original Queen of TV Soap Janice de Belen, the original TV Child Superstars, Snooky and Niño Muhlach; the original Queen of Talk TV, Inday Badiday; and the original Kings of Talk Radio, Johnny de Leon and Rod Navarro.
Many high officials in government today came from KBS, notably, Vice President Noli de Castro, Senators Loren Legarda and Tito Sotto, Reps. Edgar San Luis, Bobby Guanzon and Gerry Geronimo, Governor Vilma Santos, Mayor Manny Ortega, Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista, Councilors Kit Ortega and Aiko Melendez, among many others.
Many successful top TV network executives, entertainers, and media professionals in the post-1986 broadcast and media industries, particularly in the GMA, ABS-CBN, and ABC networks, trained and honed their creative, technical, journalistic, and managerial talents in the KBS companies. They include June Rufino, Salvii Casino, Mel Tiangco, Wilma Galvante, Marivin Arayata, Redgie Acuna, Vic Vianzon, Bobby Barreiro, Linggit Tan, Cory Valenzuela, Charo Santos, Kiko Evangelista, Johnny Manahan, Peque Gallaga, Butch Perez, Bert De Leon, Argel Joseph, Maria Montelibano, Nonoy Marcelo, Joe Taruc, among many others.
KBS was the first Philippine network to go on full satellite broadcast daily, the first to go on full color broadcast, and the first to employ an Outside Broadcast Van (OB Van) in its news operations.
RPN's epoch-making coverages of the 1972 Munich Olympics, the early Muhammad Ali fights, the era-defining Aloha From Hawaii concert of Elvis Presley, the 1974 Miss Universe event in Manila, among many other international specials ushered in the concept of live global satellite programming in local television.
RPN is the original home of ''Eat Bulaga,'' the longest-running and consistent top-rating live variety TV show on Philippine television.
''KBS Newswatch'' was the first ever live TV newscast aired nationwide via satellite, and remains as the longest-running network newscast in the Philippines today.
BBC's City 2 ''Balita'' was the first ever successful Pilipino-language newscast, and predated ''TV Patrol,'' ''Bandila,'' ''24 Oras,'' and ''Saksi'' in the vernacular news format category.
City2 News' ''Tawag-Pansin'' program, which was incredibly tough for its time during the Marcos regime, is the precursor of the ''Magandang Gabi Bayan,'' ''Hoy Gising!'' ''Imbestigador,'' and similar hard-hitting public affairs programs.
The broadcast news format of giving field reporters high on-air visibility with the anchor was first adapted by KBS News in Eyewitness Reports, the forerunner of ''Newswatch,'' and was ahead of ''Saksi'' by some 20 years.
The KBS Radio Network had the largest chain of radio stations in the country during its time. Its flagship station, DZRR, predated by more than a decade CNN's format of 24/7 all-news programming.
City 2 Television's original network ID helped pioneer the use of state-of-the-art digital computer animation on Philippine TV, which spawned today's dominant visual language of broadcast image design and of television promos, shows, and programs.
Also, City 2 Television's pioneering state-of-the-art live interactive TV Pow! game and raffles project was the first ever multi-million peso promo campaign in Philippine television, a sum of prize money unheard of in the industry before the project was launched, and helped set the trend for even bigger and larger multi-million peso TV promo projects among today's competing networks.
SMI CaTV revolutionized the cable industry in the country when it upgraded the then prevailing community antennae business format into true cable TV narrowcasting with original shows of local origination and niche programming.
With its corporate Share-A-Home and Share-The-Joy projects, KBS helped open the floodgates for bigger and larger corporate social responsibility projects long before the term CSR became en vogue among major corporations in the Philippines today.
A capsulized history of the Philippine broadcasting industry would list the pre-martial law ABS-CBN as the network that led the first Golden Years of Philippine television (1952-1972) under the leadership of Geny Lopez and Jake Almeda Lopez with the help of industry pioneers; KBS for the second Golden Years (1972-1986) under Kitchie Benedicto and Buddy Tan with the help of former pre-martial law ABS-CBN persons; post-Martial Law ABS-CBN for the third Golden Years (1986-2000) under Geny Lopez, Gabby Lopez, and Rollie Cruz with massive support from many industry professionals who came from KBS; and, GMA the fourth Golden Years (2000 to the present) under Atty. Felipe Gozon and Jimmy Duavit with many industry professionals who came from both ABS-CBN and KBS.
While Kanlaon Broadcasting System, Inc. is actually more than 40 years old, this year's KBS 40 reunion celebrates the inaugural broadcast of RPN Channel 9 in November 1969, which formally launched the full, large-scale media operations of the network that, in turn, opened its pioneering doors to many important innovations in Philippine commercial broadcasting and mass communications.
Benedicto Paulino said in a statement that ''while the event calls for a grand happening, the KBS 40 celebration has been toned down in keeping with the times.'' She also said that ''the most important thing is for KBS persons to renew their friendship after decades of absence and to reminisce together the beautiful memories of an historic era gone by.''
Dennis Cabalfin, ways and means committee chair, said that the KBS 40 dinner tickets will be available at the door during the event itself, but confirmation of attendance and reservations must be made now.
Other members of the KBS 40 organizing committee are Yoly Ortega, Bibeth Orteza, Tintin Rosales, Babee Barreiro, Connie Lao, and Techie Lozarito, while Jun Eusebio, (jmeusebio @usa.com), is the KBS 40 coordinator for the US East Coast, and Primo Sumagaysay, (primsuma @yahoo.com), is the reunion coordinator for the US West Coast.
I was still a baby when my dad worked there. I barely remember the people there.
One of the first people to greet me was Lando, my dad's old driver. Him, I remember. As the story goes, when I was a baby, I could not pronounce his name and just started calling him "Agoong". Hence, he got that nickname and that's what everyone called him.
I remember how we used to play chess while waiting for dad to finish work and how I always forced him to make me win. (Makes me wish I forced him to teach me how to play chess better and learn how to not win things so easily.)
As expected, as my mom re-introduced me to her old office mates, they all looked surprised and delighted to see me. They would then immediately extend their hand, palm down, and show me how small I was when I first met them. Some would pretend to carry me and tell them they were the ones who carried me around the TV station.
I wore my dad's old jacket and they all could not believe that I already fit into it.
We were re-introduced to people who are now high-ranking executives and they all told us how much they learned from our father.
During the program, the host told us an interesting trivia about KBS; how it's not really 40 years old, but it's actually 42 years old; how KBS actually started all because my dad and his brother pitched and pestered Roberto Benedicto to open a radio station in Bacolod. When Mr. Benedicto finally agreed to their crazy idea, they named it KBS. Even though I'm familiar with that story, I never knew that the station they launched was KBS itself. And two years after that, KBS the TV station went on air and that's what we were celebrating that night.
At the end of the program and all the picture-taking, me and Brandie and back, near the bar, drinking some of the left-over wine and I said, "There should be Fundador brandy here." (which was my dad's favorite drink, which they always drank during meetings and parties, which is why Brandie was named Brandie.) And I looked towards the stage that had now become a dance floor, where all the people were dancing (or at least attempting to do so) while disco music blasted them back to their glory days.
(below is an article announcing the KBS reunion, including a brief history of the network, along with pictures I took that night)
KBS marks 40th anniversary with a grand reunion
(originally appeared in Manila Bulletin, November 12, 2009)
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/mb/20091112/tel-kbs-marks-40th-anniversary-with-a-gr-2bf66ac.html
Kanlaon Broadcasting System (KBS) will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a special thanksgiving dinner party on Friday, Nov. 13, in the brand new state-of-the-art KB Studios located along Marcos Highway, right across Town & Country Village in Cainta, Rizal.
Kitchie Benedicto Paulino, executive chair of the organizing committee, enjoins all employees, stars and talents, production and engineering personnel, and newspersons who served RPN 9, BBC 2, IBC 13, City2 Television, CNDE 4, SMI CaTV, AM and FM Radios, and Provincial Stations between 1969 and 1986 to attend.KBS was the dominant media network in the 1970s and half of the 1980s before its TV and radio stations were taken over by the post-1986 EDSA administration.
KBS was the original ''star network'' and had in its stable the biggest stars of the era, like the King of Comedy Dolphy, the Superstar, Nora Aunor, the Star for all Seasons Vilma Santos, the Megastar, Sharon Cuneta, the Diamond Star Maricel Soriano, the original Queen of TV Soap Janice de Belen, the original TV Child Superstars, Snooky and Niño Muhlach; the original Queen of Talk TV, Inday Badiday; and the original Kings of Talk Radio, Johnny de Leon and Rod Navarro.
Many high officials in government today came from KBS, notably, Vice President Noli de Castro, Senators Loren Legarda and Tito Sotto, Reps. Edgar San Luis, Bobby Guanzon and Gerry Geronimo, Governor Vilma Santos, Mayor Manny Ortega, Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista, Councilors Kit Ortega and Aiko Melendez, among many others.
Many successful top TV network executives, entertainers, and media professionals in the post-1986 broadcast and media industries, particularly in the GMA, ABS-CBN, and ABC networks, trained and honed their creative, technical, journalistic, and managerial talents in the KBS companies. They include June Rufino, Salvii Casino, Mel Tiangco, Wilma Galvante, Marivin Arayata, Redgie Acuna, Vic Vianzon, Bobby Barreiro, Linggit Tan, Cory Valenzuela, Charo Santos, Kiko Evangelista, Johnny Manahan, Peque Gallaga, Butch Perez, Bert De Leon, Argel Joseph, Maria Montelibano, Nonoy Marcelo, Joe Taruc, among many others.
KBS was the first Philippine network to go on full satellite broadcast daily, the first to go on full color broadcast, and the first to employ an Outside Broadcast Van (OB Van) in its news operations.RPN's epoch-making coverages of the 1972 Munich Olympics, the early Muhammad Ali fights, the era-defining Aloha From Hawaii concert of Elvis Presley, the 1974 Miss Universe event in Manila, among many other international specials ushered in the concept of live global satellite programming in local television.
RPN is the original home of ''Eat Bulaga,'' the longest-running and consistent top-rating live variety TV show on Philippine television.
''KBS Newswatch'' was the first ever live TV newscast aired nationwide via satellite, and remains as the longest-running network newscast in the Philippines today.
BBC's City 2 ''Balita'' was the first ever successful Pilipino-language newscast, and predated ''TV Patrol,'' ''Bandila,'' ''24 Oras,'' and ''Saksi'' in the vernacular news format category.
City2 News' ''Tawag-Pansin'' program, which was incredibly tough for its time during the Marcos regime, is the precursor of the ''Magandang Gabi Bayan,'' ''Hoy Gising!'' ''Imbestigador,'' and similar hard-hitting public affairs programs.
The broadcast news format of giving field reporters high on-air visibility with the anchor was first adapted by KBS News in Eyewitness Reports, the forerunner of ''Newswatch,'' and was ahead of ''Saksi'' by some 20 years.
The KBS Radio Network had the largest chain of radio stations in the country during its time. Its flagship station, DZRR, predated by more than a decade CNN's format of 24/7 all-news programming.
City 2 Television's original network ID helped pioneer the use of state-of-the-art digital computer animation on Philippine TV, which spawned today's dominant visual language of broadcast image design and of television promos, shows, and programs.
Also, City 2 Television's pioneering state-of-the-art live interactive TV Pow! game and raffles project was the first ever multi-million peso promo campaign in Philippine television, a sum of prize money unheard of in the industry before the project was launched, and helped set the trend for even bigger and larger multi-million peso TV promo projects among today's competing networks.
SMI CaTV revolutionized the cable industry in the country when it upgraded the then prevailing community antennae business format into true cable TV narrowcasting with original shows of local origination and niche programming.
With its corporate Share-A-Home and Share-The-Joy projects, KBS helped open the floodgates for bigger and larger corporate social responsibility projects long before the term CSR became en vogue among major corporations in the Philippines today.
A capsulized history of the Philippine broadcasting industry would list the pre-martial law ABS-CBN as the network that led the first Golden Years of Philippine television (1952-1972) under the leadership of Geny Lopez and Jake Almeda Lopez with the help of industry pioneers; KBS for the second Golden Years (1972-1986) under Kitchie Benedicto and Buddy Tan with the help of former pre-martial law ABS-CBN persons; post-Martial Law ABS-CBN for the third Golden Years (1986-2000) under Geny Lopez, Gabby Lopez, and Rollie Cruz with massive support from many industry professionals who came from KBS; and, GMA the fourth Golden Years (2000 to the present) under Atty. Felipe Gozon and Jimmy Duavit with many industry professionals who came from both ABS-CBN and KBS.While Kanlaon Broadcasting System, Inc. is actually more than 40 years old, this year's KBS 40 reunion celebrates the inaugural broadcast of RPN Channel 9 in November 1969, which formally launched the full, large-scale media operations of the network that, in turn, opened its pioneering doors to many important innovations in Philippine commercial broadcasting and mass communications.
Benedicto Paulino said in a statement that ''while the event calls for a grand happening, the KBS 40 celebration has been toned down in keeping with the times.'' She also said that ''the most important thing is for KBS persons to renew their friendship after decades of absence and to reminisce together the beautiful memories of an historic era gone by.''Dennis Cabalfin, ways and means committee chair, said that the KBS 40 dinner tickets will be available at the door during the event itself, but confirmation of attendance and reservations must be made now.
Other members of the KBS 40 organizing committee are Yoly Ortega, Bibeth Orteza, Tintin Rosales, Babee Barreiro, Connie Lao, and Techie Lozarito, while Jun Eusebio, (jmeusebio @usa.com), is the KBS 40 coordinator for the US East Coast, and Primo Sumagaysay, (primsuma @yahoo.com), is the reunion coordinator for the US West Coast.
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