History

 Beginnings
The nucleus of what ABS-CBN would be began in 1946 with Bolinao Electronics Corporation (BEC). BEC was put up by James Lindenberg, an ex-GI and electronics engineer who went into radio equipment assembly and radio broadcasting. At that time, the giant Philippine network was Manila Broadcasting, with DZRH as the top station.

In the 1951, Lindenberg partnered with Antonio Quirino, brother of then President Quirino, in order to try their hand at television broadcasting. In 1952, BEC was renamed as Alto Broadcasting System or ABS. "Alto" was a contraction of Quirino’s and his wife’s first names, Tony and Aleli. Though they had little money and resources, ABS was able to put up its TV tower by July 1953 and import 300 television sets. The initial test broadcasts began on September of the same year. The very first full-blown broadcast, however, was on October 23, 1953, of a party in Tony Quirino's home. The broadcasting channel was known as DZAQ-TV Channel 3.


 Merger

The logo of ABS-CBN after its formal merger in 1967In turn, on September 24, 1956, the Chronicle Broadcasting Network (CBN) was organized. The network was owned by Don Eugenio Lopez Sr. The following year, Don Eugenio acquired ABS from Quirino and Lindenberg. However, it was only on February 1, 1967 that the corporate name was changed to ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation.

In the late 1950s, Don Eugenio's son, Geny Lopez Jr. saw the potential of TV to reach and link Filipinos across the archipelago. Therefore, by 1961, the station extended its reach to the provinces through the ABS tower in Cebu. By the mid-1960s, the ABS network was leading the radio industry, with stations like DZXL and DZAQ Radyo patrol, which featured journalists like Orly Mercado, Joe Taruc, Bobby Guanzon, and Rey Langit. ABS also made breakthroughs in the TV industry by achieving the country's first color TV broadcast, first satellite feed, first use of videotape, among others. It featured top shows then, such as Buhay Artista, Your Evening with Pilita, Tawag ng Tanghalan, and Student Canteen, among others.

On December 18, 1968, ABS-CBN opens its new Broadcast Center on Bohol Avenue, Quezon City, where it stands till today. At the time, it was the most advance facility of its kind in Asia. The station again made breakthroughs by using live satellite transmissions from abroad, foremost of which was the first moon landing in 1969. The network enjoyed a big chunk of the ratings, and until mid-1970, ABS was the only TV network broadcasting in color.


Martial Law era
The station suffered a setback, though, upon the declaration of Martial Law. Midnight of September 22, 1972, a day after the declaration of Martial Law, ABS-CBN and its affiliate stations were seized. Geny Lopez, the network president, was imprisoned and held without trial for five years until he and his cellmate Sergio Osmeña Jr. launched a daring jailbreak in 1977 and sought asylum in the US. The network itself was taken over by a presidential crony. The network, as ABS-CBN, ceased operations for 14 years. Instead, the Broadcasting Center at Bohol Avenue became the source of new channels, MBS-4 and BBC-2.


Continuing of ABS-CBN's Operations
The station, however, returned on the air by February 1986, as a result of the People Power Revolution. At the height of the EDSA revolution, military reformists, believing that television would be a powerful tool to aid the revolution, attacked and took over the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center. On February 24, former ABS-CBN talents put the station back on the air and televised the drama of the EDSA revolution, thereby contributing to the strength of the revolt.


Growth

The logo of ABS-CBN when it was revived in 1987On February 28, 1986, after the Marcos regime was brought to its end by the revolution, Geny Lopez returned to the country and started rebuilding what was left of the station. Recovery was difficult and resources were low. Hence, former ABS-CBN employee Freddie Garcia was brought in to rework the station's programming. By 1988, ABS-CBN had regained its foothold in Philippine TV ratings.

In 1987, ABS-CBN also beefed up their news programs with TV Patrol, anchored by current Vice-President Noli de Castro. Other reputable news programs followed, such as Magandang Gabi, Bayan and Hoy Gising! and top-rating talk shows like Mel & Jay and Teysi ng Tahanan. The entertainment programs of ABS-CBN were also beefed up with a mix of programs that aired previously on RPN-9 and IBC-13 (Eat Bulaga, Okay Ka Fairy Ko, The Sharon Cuneta Show, Coney Reyes on Camera) while producing homegrown shows through the years that made an impact on Filipino viewers (The Maricel Drama Special, Palibhasa Lalake, Home Along Da Riles, etc.)

In 1988, ABS-CBN shifted to satellite broadcast, enabling the entire country to watch the same programs simultaneously. Slowly, the station inched its way to financial recovery, which it achieved by 1990. It regularly garnered around 70% of the market.

Now, ABS-CBN has extended its foothold as a national network. According to their website, they reach 97% of all households in the country. Likewise, they provide content for Studio 23 on UHF and for the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC), Hero, MYX, Knowledge Channel, Lifestyle Network, and Cinema One on cable.


Expansion
Aside from its flagship terrestrial network ABS-CBN 2 Manila, ABS-CBN broadcasts to many predominantly Filipino enclaves in the Middle East, United States, Europe, Australia and several other countries via The Filipino Channel or TFC. The network has also diversified into film (Star Cinema - ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc.), music recording (Star Records), publishing (ABS-CBN Publishing), and interactive media (ABS-CBN Interactive). In August 2008 it inked a deal with Sorenson Pacific Broadcasting to broadcast news and other content from the network and its sister channels to its television and radio broadcasting properties in Guam and The CMNI.

The network has also introduced its second terrestrial channel, Studio 23 (UHF band) in 1996, as well as cable channels MYX (a music channel), ABS-CBN News Channel (a cable news channel), CinemaOne Global/Cinema One (a cable movie channel), the Lifestyle Network (home and lifestyle channel), Pinoy Central TV (regionally produced shows. This channel was replaced by Kapamilya Channel), Hero (the country's first Tagalog-dubbed anime channel), DZMM TeleRadyo (the country's first interactive TV on Radio) and Knowledge Channel (all educational channel). Recently in the first quarter of 2008 three additional cable channels namely Balls (Sports Channel), Velvet (women's Channel) and Maxxx (all men focus channel). The network's radio stations include DWRR 101.9 (FM-Manila) and DZMM 630 kHz (AM-Manila).

ABS-CBN has established regional stations and news bureaus to handle operations in different areas throughout the Philippines. It also broadcasts to locations all over the world via The Filipino Channel, managed by ABS-CBN International. Shows are also available for live viewing and subscription via the Internet through ABS-CBN Interactive's ABS-CBNNow! service.

ABS-CBN affirms its social responsibility in its slogan, "In the Service of the Filipino", and through the work of the ABS-CBN Foundation. Through multimedia, the foundation has delivered E-TV (Educational Television) VCDs to hundreds of public schools in the country that benefitted students. The foundation is also the umbrella organization of such foundations such as the Knowledge Channel (KCh) Foundation, Bantay Bata (Children's Watch), Bantay Kalikasan (Environment Watch), and ABS-CBN Bayan Foundation (formerly, ABS-CBN Bayan MicroFinance).


 The Kapamilya network
In 2003, during the television station's 50th anniversary, ABS-CBN launched its present slogan, "Kapamilya" (literally means "a member of the family"), which it believes reaffirms the network's commitment to quality programming that will foster the morals and values that are ostensibly upheld in many Filipino families.

Its international unit ABS-CBN Global Ltd. plans to undertake an initial public offering (IPO) the following year and might list on the Singapore Stock Exchange to help finance its expansion plans.

The network celebrated its golden anniversary in 2003. The network held its Kapamilya Homecoming, which gathered over 4,000 former employees and talents for a grand reunion at ABS-CBN’s compound in Bohol Avenue, Quezon City. The network also launched a promo called "Treasure Hunt", where the people were invited to bring their oldest television, radio sets, microphones, and posters. The network also celebrated its 16th year reign in the TV ratings, with 13 of their shows included in the Top 15 daily programs in TV. ABS-CBN also launched new shows such as the then phenomenal Meteor Garden etc. The company also did a nationwide caravan, showcasing the network's talents.

On October 2003, the network held a month-long celebration of ABS-CBN and Philippine TV's 50th year. The station produced two commemorative documentaries about the station's contribution in news and entertainment. Sa Mata ng Balita encapsulated some of the most unforgettable, most remarkable, and most celebrated landmarks of the last 50 years as captured by television news. 50 Taong Ligawan: The Pinoy TV History, on the other hand, was the first extensive television documentary done about the history of Philippine Television and the evolution of Philippine entertainment. For the celebration's finale, the broadcasting giant capped its 50th anniversary with a spectacular extravaganza dubbed as Kapamilya: ABS-CBN at 50, held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City. It was hailed as one of the biggest media events of the year. The Lopez-led network rolled out the red carpet to welcome its high-profile guests from the business, advertising and media sectors, politics, members of the diplomatic community, with many of the society’s luminaries and glitterati. Valued friends and supporters of the network throughout the five decades also attended the grand affair. The network's official 50 Years station id won an Award for Excellence in the 2004 Golden Quill Festival.

On November 7, 2006, ABS-CBN unveiled its flagship coffeetable book, "Kapitan: Geny Lopez and the Making of ABS-CBN." The 453-page book chronicles the hardships and odds that the network founder had to face, as well as the achievements and contributions of ABS-CBN in Philippine Television history. The book won various awards, including Best Biography/Autobiography in the 26th National Book Awards, and a merit award in the publications category of the 2007 Gold Quill Awards.

On September 29, 2007, ABS-CBN acquired the exclusive rights to the whole movie library of the late Fernando Poe, Jr., after Susan Roces signed the contract. ABS-CBN Chairman Eugenio Lopez III, Cory Vidanes, Senior Vice President of TVP Production, and Poe’s daughter Grace Poe-Llamanzares were present.

On May 23, ABS-CBN was one of the three stocks delisted at the PSE Composite Index.