DWDB-TV facts for kids

DWDB-TV, also known as Channel 27, is a TV station in the Philippines. It is the main UHF station for GMA News TV. This channel is fully owned by Citynet Network Marketing and Productions. This company is a part of GMA Network Inc..

The studios for DWDB-TV are in Quezon City. They are located at the GMA Network Center. The station's transmitter is also in Quezon City. It is at the GMA Tower of Power. DWDB-TV was the first UHF station run by a major network in the Philippines. It broadcasts 24 hours a day.

History

Citynet Television (1995–1999)

DWDB-TV first started broadcasting on August 27, 1995. It was known as Citynet Television 27. The station was set up to be an independent channel. GMA Network wanted Citynet 27 to show imported TV shows. This would free up space on GMA Network's main channel. More local shows could then be aired there.

Citynet 27 mostly showed programs from other countries. One local show was Citynet Television News. This was a news program made by GMA News and Public Affairs.

EMC 27 / Channel [V] Philippines (1999–2001)

By 1999, running Citynet 27 became very expensive for GMA. So, DWDB changed into a music channel. It was called EMC, the Entertainment Music Channel. This was the first local music channel in the country.

A few months later, GMA made a deal with STAR TV. This allowed DWDB to broadcast Channel V Philippines. This started on December 19, 1999. GMA had already shown some Channel V programs before. This made some of their hosts, like Trey Farley and Joey Mead, familiar.

This arrangement did not last long. A company called Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company bought a part of GMA. PLDT already owned MTV Philippines. This created a conflict of interest. Also, there was more competition from MTV. Because of these reasons, Channel V Philippines stopped broadcasting on July 25, 2001.

What Happened Next?

After PLDT bought a share of GMA, the channel became inactive. There were plans to make it a news channel. However, these plans did not happen. GMA had other ideas for the station.

In 2004, DWDB started broadcasting again. It relayed programs from GMA-7 Manila. The GMA logo was covered by the Citynet logo. In November 2005, the station became a repeater for DZOE 11. This channel was the main station for GMA's new network, QTV. QTV was also known as Quality Television.

GMA made a deal with ZOE Broadcasting Network, who owned DZOE 11. GMA would handle QTV's programs. In return, GMA would improve ZOE's facilities. They would also show ZOE's programs on QTV. DWDB's UHF signal was helpful. It was easier to receive in southern Metro Manila cities like Makati and Pasay. This practice stopped in 2007. DWDB's signal was then used for testing digital television.

Moving to Digital TV

In February 2013, GMA began testing digital broadcasts. They showed programs from both GMA-7 and GMA News TV-11. They used the Japanese ISDB-T digital TV system. This used Channel 27's frequency.

On May 15, 2019, GMA Network started its digital test broadcast. They used UHF Channel 15. This channel would become the main digital channel for GMA Network. Channel 27 then went back to analog broadcasting.

Back to Analog and GMA News TV

On April 24, 2019, ZOE Broadcasting Network and GMA announced something important. Their agreement to share channels would end in May 2019. This meant their partnership on VHF Channel 11 would stop after 14 years.

Channel 27 was planned to switch off its digital broadcast on May 27, 2019. It would then be used to broadcast GMA News TV in analog. This would happen on June 3, 2019. This was after 18 years of the channel being inactive.

However, GMA Network needed more time. They wanted digital TV viewers to re-scan their digital boxes. This would let them keep watching GMA channels on a new frequency. So, GMA Network moved the official relaunch date. It changed from June 3 to June 4.

The station successfully started broadcasting again on June 4, 2019, at 6:00 am. It had been doing test broadcasts during off-air hours. Now, it is the main station for GMA News TV in Manila. It also acts as the main channel for GMA News TV across the country. Meanwhile, the former channel stopped broadcasting on June 5, 2019.

How Digital TV Works

DWDB-TV's signal is broadcast on DZBB-TV's digital subchannel. This operates on UHF channel 15. It uses different subchannels for various programs:

In December 2017, the station announced its improved signal. It covered areas like Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan. It also reached parts of Pampanga, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, and Batangas.

On May 15, 2019, GMA Network started its digital test broadcast. This was on UHF Channel 15. This is now its permanent frequency. This frequency was given by the National Telecommunications Commission.

Other website

• GMA News TV Official Website: http://www.gmanetwork.com

Images for kids

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  Citynet Television logo from 1995 until 1999.