BIANCA King serenades men in uniform.
BACOLOD CITY—“Competition is always good for television…in the sense that it opens the playing field for more people,” according to GMA 7 vice president for regional TV Rikki Escudero.
The TV executive recently told Inquirer about the Kapuso network’s plans to strengthen its signal and beef up its programming in the provinces.
Escudero, also head of the network’s news and public affairs expansion production services, said he considered ABS-CBN a worthy competitor because “it doesn’t sleep … [and] doesn’t allow itself to be beaten by us for long.”
She added that the entry of a third broadcasting network, TV5, in the race for regional supremacy was likewise “a welcome challenge.”
MARK Bautista belts it out.
“At the end of the day, when you’ve already put up your facilities, you win through strategy,” she told media over breakfast at the Planta Hotel in this city.
P60-M upgrade
GMA 7 recently spent P60 million on the improvement of its signal in the Negros region alone. “I always tell my team members that the last battle will be fought in the trenches of regional television,” she said.
With Escudero were AVP for regional engineering operations Roel Reyes, AVP for sales and marketing for regional TV Oliver Amoroso, GMA TV Bacolod sales and marketing officer Tina Magbojos-Poblador, corporate communications senior manager Jojo Aquio and VP for TRED (transmission regional engineering department) Elvis Ancheta.
She said the future of TV lay in its local content, “in making sure you have the right program for the right audience … [because] news is local.”
She elaborated: “This means that although there is still a need to find out what’s happening nationally, what’s important for people in the provinces are the events happening there.”
JILLIAN Ward charms Bacolod.
Regional entertainment
Escudero cited the case of the coming 2013 elections, which the network is gearing up for. She said: “What’s important in Cebu is whether the newbie Annabelle Rama would win against former congressman Raul del Mar. We also want to know how the Pacquiaos would fare in General Santos City and Sarangani. That’s what regional TV will contribute to the national newscast.”
For Escudero, regional entertainment shows are equally important. “The only problem is encouraging local advertisers to support the programs,” she pointed out. “We recently learned that they get really excited with festivals and visiting show biz celebrities.”
As a result, GMA 7 now produces afternoon TV specials that feature highlights of festivals, like the recently concluded MassKara.
“This is also for viewers in Luzon and Mindanao who would want to see what happened in the Visayas. It prods interest and, eventually, tourism.”
“PARTY Pilipinas” troupe members get into the festival groove.
The festival specials were also dubbed in different dialects to cater to different groups, said the network exec.
Escudero added that the network likewise helps discover exceptional performers from the regions. To mark the conclusion of the MassKara Festival, GMA 7 organized the talent search “DanssKara,” which is now on its second year.
She said a group of 7-year-old boys in wolf costumes will be featured in the TV special. “They’re really good at synchronized dancing. This goes to show that talent doesn’t come only from Manila,” she stressed.
Other performers during the “MassKara Festival Kapuso Night” held at the Bacolod Public Plaza were Mark Bautista, Geoff Eigenmann, Rochelle Pangilinan, Mark Herras, and “Protege” grand winners Jeric Gonzales and Thea Tolentino. The TV special will air on Nov. 11.
The challenge
GMA 7 started its regional promotions in 2005. With TV5 also going regional, Escudero predicted this would pose a challenge for the two major networks (GMA 7 and ABS-CBN) since TV5 is “very well-funded.”
“However, there’s only so much money can buy. What you really need are good people working for you,” Escudero stressed.
She added: “GMA 7 believes its people are its best assets. It hires only the best for the job. That is where TV5 will have a problem. Who else will it hire when this industry is very small? There are only a few good people. ”
E-mail: mcruz@inquirer.com.ph