Atienza with adopted dog Lolo Raf —KIM ATIENZA/ INSTAGRAM
I’d like to be able to do television up to my last breath,” said Kim Atienza, who is hosting three shows on GMA 7 at the moment.
“I feel this is my calling. I consider it a sign when God put me on TV in shows that are useful in giving information. I’m like a pastor in my field. I’m so happy and fulfilled. I’d like to do television even though I’m already old,” Atienza told Inquirer Entertainment.
Currently, he is part of three Kapuso programs, “TiktoClock,” “Dapat Alam Mo” and a segment in “24 Oras” called “Kuya Kim, Ano Na?”
From ABS-CBN, Atienza transferred to GMA 7 in October 2021. He claims to maintain a good relationship with his former bosses. He also said the company has effectively transitioned from a broadcast network to a “very good content provider.”
“I’ve always admired the way ABS-CBN would execute its teleseryes. They have cinematic value. Even my station, GMA 7, acknowledges the skill of ABS-CBN. As a matter of fact, they started collaborating with ‘Unbreak My Heart,’” he observed. “I think that’s the way to go. For my old company to survive, it just has to adjust and be the best content provider it can be. There are so many platforms it can cater to, and also, the network war has finally ended.”
Getting fit
Asked to share his other personal goals, Atienza said: “Aside from improving my craft on television—because I know I still have a lot of improving to do—I also want to be even more fit physically. My health is good. I stopped doing the triathlons and long-distance races because I’m already 57. Based on studies, at this age, one needs to build strength and muscles, so I do crossfit training four to five times a week. It has been a while since my stroke in 2010 and my paralysis in 2013.”
He would also like to spend more quality time with his wife, Fely, and kids Jose III, Eliana and Emman. “Fely and I are experiencing an empty nest now. I would like to spend whatever spare time I have with my wife, probably do a lot of traveling,” he said. “We have also been adopting abandoned and unloved, and elderly aspins (dogs). You can see aspins running around our property. We used to have 54, now only 46.”
Atienza continued: “Our old dogs, who are pure bred, we just let them pass. Instead of buying new ones, we adopt from three agencies. We adopt those that are ‘unadoptable’—the blind and elderly. They prove to be such great pets. Some even sleep beside us.”