From left, Tito, Vic and Joey
The new TV5 show that will feature brothers Tito and Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon, collectively known as TVJ, and former main hosts of the noontime variety show “Eat Bulaga,” will be coproduced by MediaQuest Group and TVJ.
“We are still working out the specifics, but the entire production team of TVJ will definitely be involved,” said Charles Lejano, Mediaquest Holdings Inc. corporate communications head.
On June 7, MediaQuest Group, owner of TV5, announced that it has entered into an agreement with TVJ “to produce content” for the Kapatid network and its other platforms. “The deal opens yet another chapter in the long-running and celebrated entertainment careers of TVJ,” the statement said.
However, Lejano said they are “still working out the details” on whether or not the new program would carry the same game-variety show format, and if it would also be on the noontime slot, just like ‘Eat Bulaga!” which has been airing for 44 years.
Charles Lejano
Valued partner
Currently airing on TV5’s noontime slot is the ABS-CBN-produced game show “It’s Showtime.” Lejano, who refused to say whether the loyal audience of the Kapatid channel should expect major changes in its program lineup soon, merely said: “ABS-CBN is our valued partner, and we intend to continue our relationship with them.”
When Inquirer Entertainment asked him to recall the time TVJ was still negotiating with MediaQuest, Lejano said: “Everyone was always friendly and cordial from the start. TVJ would always stop to crack jokes, so it was quite entertaining as well.”
Lejano added that Jenny Ferre, who served as “Eat Bulaga” creative director when the show was still being produced by TAPE Inc., was the one who reached out to MediaQuest president and CEO Jane Basas on May 31 after TVJ announced that they were leaving the said production company.
“The meetings were held at the office of TVJ’s lawyers, as well as at MediaQuest office on Reliance street (in Mandaluyong). TVJ were present,” Lejano recalled. “The basic agreement was done by June 6.”
According to the TV5 statement quoting Basas, she is “honored that these pillars of the Philippine entertainment industry have agreed to work with MediaQuest. Our partnership strengthens our ability to continue to deliver the best for Filipino viewers here at home and all over the world.”
She added: “I’m happy that TVJ will now call TV5 their home.”
“We are thankful to our friends at MediaQuest for this fresh start,” the statement said, quoting former Senate president Tito Sotto. “Dahil sa ating mga Dabarkads na naging Kapatid, tuloy pa rin ang tuwa’t saya na aming dala.”
‘Power struggle’
On May 31, TVJ announced that they have parted ways with Tape Inc., which produced the noontime show for 44 years. “We showed up ready to work today, but we weren’t allowed by the new management to air live,” Tito said.
Joey added that “Eat Bulaga!” first aired on July 30, 1979 on RPN 9, until 1989. It then transferred to ABS-CBN, where it aired for six years. It has been with GMA 7 for 28 years.
Show biz insiders referred to the “power struggle” within the show that caused the split between TVJ and TAPE Inc., which was mostly controlled by Romeo Jalosjos Sr. and his children. Issues related to unpaid talent fees and the show’s copyright ownership, among many others, added to the tension.
In an interview in the talk show “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda” in April, Dapitan City mayor and TAPE chief finance officer Bullet Jalosjos talked about the program’s financial standings and discussed their plan to rebrand the show. This apparently did not sit well with Tito, who expressed his displeasure in an interview with the GMA podcast, “Updated with Nelson Canlas.”