Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation

Intercontinental Broadcasting Corp.

Type	Broadcast television network
Country	Philippines
Availability	National
Owner	Government of the Philippines through Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation
Key people	Roberto Benedicto, Founder
Launch date	February 1, 1975
Former names	Inter-Island Broadcasting Corporation (1961-1975) Islands TV-13 (1989-1992)

Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) is a Philippine VHF television network of the Government Communications Group headed by the Press Secretary. Its studios are located at Broadcast City, Capitol Hills, Diliman, Quezon City and its transmitter is located at the Coca Cola plant in San Francisco Del Monte, Quezon City.

History

Beginnings

February 1, 1975 saw the beginning of Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) when the Benedicto Group of Companies by the late Roberto S. Benedicto (1916-2000), purchased the network consisting of the Manila station and another relay station in Visayas and Mindanao owned by the late Andres Soriano. In 1976, IBC metamorphosed into one of the country's most viewed TV network with its full length local and foreign films aired on primetime. This catapulted IBC in the number one slot among all television networks.

Through the sweat of its employees and the income generated from its programs, the network built and finally moved into its present home, Broadcast City, in 1977. The complex was a 55,000 square metre tract located at Capitol Hills, Diliman, Quezon City.

Post-EDSA Revolution

After the EDSA revolution, IBC was sequestered by the government. A board of administrators was created to run the station. All of the stocks and assets of IBC, and its sister networks Radio Philippines Network and Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation were sequestered by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG). President Corazon Aquino IBC and RPN were turned over to the Government Communications Group and awarded BBC through an executive order to ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation. When BBC closed down, IBC absorbed majority of its displaced employees, thus doubled the operating expenses of the network. Cost of programs went up three-fold. Line-produced shows and co-production ventures with Viva, Regal, and Seiko were favored. The top rated shows of IBC were pirated by rival networks. Cost of programs, talent fees and TV rights increased tremendously. IBC could no longer afford to produce its own shows.

IBC took on a new image in 1988, Pusong Pinoy Pusong Trese, to recapture the glory days it once had. But because of the sequestration, periodic change of management and the internal problems, the network started to lose the support of advertisers.

Islands TV-13

Islands Broadcast Corporation took over the management and the marketing of IBC (which came to be known as Islands TV-13) in 1989. It was in the later part of its operations that ratings and income suffered due to mismanagement which caused labor unrest.

Pinoy Ang Dating

In 1992, IBC became a 100% government owned station by virtue of a compromise agreement between PCGG and Roberto Benedicto, management and marketing were returned to the IBC Board of Directors. Programming remained at a standstill in preparation for the launching of a new image.

It was 1994 when IBC launched Pinoy Ang Dating with a visually enticing music video, an innovation in terms of station identification. Despite limited resources, programming improved but the battle for audience share continued. Advertisers became more responsive to marketing efforts.

Vintage Television (VTV), later merged with VIVA Television in 2000, entered the scene in 1996 with PBA Games as its major program and continued until 2002. Rehabilitation of the transmitter and other technical facilities where initiated in the central and provincial stations.

Ang Bagong Pilipino

There were plans to auction the TV frequency rights currently in use by IBC and RPN in the future.

In late 2007, IBC Management inked a deal with the Makisig Network, led by Hermie Esguerra. Makisig was accepted as a block-timer of IBC primetime. However, Makisig Network's programs were not aired due to questions on the propriety of the terms and conditions of the agreement. Said agreement expired in October 2008.

IBC Programs

IBC Slogans

IBC 13/Islands TV-13

VTV on IBC/Viva TV on IBC

IBC Stations Nationwide

See also

• List of Philippine media companies
• Philippine television networks
• Television channels
• National Broadcasting Network
• Philippine Broadcasting Service
• Radio Philippines Network
• GMA Network

External links

• Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation at Philippine TV Guide