Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation facts for kids
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| Private (1959-1986) State agency (1986-present) |
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| Industry | Entertainment (1960-1986) State media (1986-present) |
| Founded | October 1, 1959 |
| Headquarters | IBC Compound, Lot 3-B, Capitol Hills Drive cor. Zuzuarregui Street, Barangay Matandang Balara, Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines |
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Area served
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Nationwide |
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Key people
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| Products | Television program |
| Services | Broadcasting Radio Television Streaming |
| Owner | Dick Baldwin (1959-1962) Soriano Group (1962-1975) |
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Number of employees
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178 |
| Divisions | IBC News and Public Affairs |
| Type | Broadcast commercial radio and television network |
|---|---|
| Country | Philippines |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Filipino (main) English (secondary) |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to 480i for the SD feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Government of the Philippines (Presidential Communications Office) (100%) (1986-present) |
| Parent | Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation |
| History | |
| Founded | October 1, 1959 (test broadcast) March 1, 1960 (actual launch) |
| Launched | March 1, 1960 (as Inter-Island Broadcasting Corporation) February 1, 1975 (as Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation) |
| Founder | Dick Baldwin |
| Former names | Inter-Island Broadcasting Corporation (1960-1975) Islands TV-13 (1990-1992) |
Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) is a TV and radio network in the Philippines. It broadcasts programs for free, meaning you don't need to pay to watch or listen. IBC is owned by the Philippine government and is part of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).
IBC is sometimes called "The Kaibigan Network." Kaibigan is a Filipino word that means "friend." IBC works with other government-owned media like People's Television Network (PTV) and Presidential Broadcast Service. Its main goal is to show programs about education, culture, arts, and sports. You can find IBC's studios and offices in Quezon City.
Contents
History of IBC
How IBC Started
IBC began as Inter-Island Broadcasting Corporation on October 1, 1959. Its first TV station, DZTV Channel 13 in Manila, started test broadcasts then. On March 1, 1960, at 6:30 PM, it officially launched. It was the third TV station in the Philippines.
The first owner was an American businessman named Dick Baldwin. Most of the shows were from the American TV network CBS, along with some local programs. The station was first located in San Juan, Metro Manila.
In 1962, Andrés Soriano, Sr. bought the network. He also owned a radio network (RMN) and a newspaper. This made his company the first to own TV, radio, and newspaper businesses in the Philippines. IBC also started broadcasting in color between 1970 and 1972.
In September 1972, Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. This meant the government temporarily closed many TV and radio stations. IBC was allowed to reopen a few months later.
The Benedicto Years
On February 1, 1975, Roberto Benedicto bought the network. He also owned other TV stations. The company's name changed to Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation. IBC also launched an FM radio station, DWKB-FM, that same year.
By 1976, IBC became one of the most-watched TV networks. It showed popular local and foreign films and hit comedy shows like Iskul Bukol and Chicks to Chicks. These shows helped make IBC very popular.
In July 1978, IBC moved to its current home at Broadcast City in Quezon City. This big complex was shared with its sister networks, RPN and BBC.
After the EDSA Revolution
In 1986, the People Power Revolution (also called the EDSA Revolution) changed the government. After this, IBC, along with RPN and BBC, were taken over by the government. This happened because they were believed to have strong connections with the previous government.
The new government then made IBC a state-owned channel. A new logo and slogan, "Basta Pinoy sa Trese" (Simply Filipino on Thirteen), were introduced. The government also gave BBC's Channel 2 to ABS-CBN. Many employees from BBC moved to IBC and RPN.
In 1987, IBC changed its slogan to "Life Begins at 13." However, the network faced tough competition from other channels like ABS-CBN. Even though some popular shows moved to IBC, the costs of making programs became very high.
In 1989, IBC tried a new slogan, "Pusong Pinoy, Pusong Trese" (Heart of Filipino, Heart of Thirteen). Famous singer and actress Nora Aunor even joined IBC with her show Superstar. But the network still struggled with money and management changes.
Islands TV-13 Era
By 1990, IBC 13 was not doing well in TV ratings. In October 1990, a company called Islands Broadcast Corporation took over managing IBC 13. The network was renamed Islands TV-13. Its new slogan was "The Newest Network."
In November 1990, IBC officially became a 100% government-owned station. However, the new management faced problems, and in 1993, a court ended their agreement with IBC.
During this time, popular Japanese shows like Choudenshi Bioman and Hikari Sentai Maskman aired on IBC.
Return to IBC and New Programs
In October 1992, Islands TV-13 went back to being called IBC. The original management took over again. On May 27, 1994, IBC launched a new slogan, "Pinoy ang Dating" (Filipino Styled). Despite limited money, the programs improved. By the next year, IBC started broadcasting its shows across the country using satellites.
In 1996, a company called Vintage Enterprises started airing its sports programs on IBC. This block of shows was called Vintage Television (VTV). It included popular basketball games from the PBA and boxing shows. These sports programs helped IBC-13 become more popular, especially during primetime.
In 2000, another company, Viva Entertainment, took over VTV and renamed it Viva TV. This block continued to show sports and entertainment until 2002. Also in 2000, IBC was allowed to continue broadcasting for another 25 years. A major success for IBC that year was the popular game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
On January 1, 2002, IBC launched a new logo and slogan, "New Face, New Attitude." However, Viva TV stopped airing on IBC in 2003 because of high costs and low ratings.
On December 12, 2003, IBC launched another new logo and slogan, "Ang Bagong Pilipino" (The New Filipino).
Challenges and Privatization Efforts
After many years, IBC-13's studios and equipment became old and damaged. The network faced financial problems and couldn't afford to make many new shows. Many employees were owed money for their work.
There were several plans to sell IBC to private companies. In 2011, IBC made an agreement with a private company to develop its Broadcast City property. The government wanted to sell IBC and RPN and keep PTV as the only government TV network.
AKTV and Recent Changes
In 2011, IBC signed an agreement with TV5's sports division, Sports5. This led to the launch of AKTV, a block of live sports programs on IBC. IBC also launched a new logo and slogan, "Where the Action Is." However, AKTV stopped airing on IBC in 2013 due to high costs.
In 2014, another company, Asian Television Content Corporation, started airing programs on IBC. But these programs also stopped airing after a few months.
The government continued to plan for IBC's privatization. In 2016, President Aquino approved the plan to sell IBC for about 10 billion pesos. The money from the sale would help upgrade PTV-4. Several business groups showed interest in buying IBC.
In March 2017, IBC started broadcasting with a lower signal. In October 2017, it began testing digital TV broadcasts.
Relaunch and Future Plans
In late 2018, IBC started to improve its facilities and programs. It moved its studios and offices to a new building in Quezon City. On February 11, 2019, IBC announced new programs, including reruns of old shows, documentaries, and sports content. It also introduced new slogans like "Iconic.Bold.Chill" and "Kaibigan Mo!"
In March 2020, IBC temporarily stopped some regular programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It started airing government briefings about the pandemic. In May 2020, the Department of Education used IBC to broadcast educational TV programs for students, called DepEd TV. These broadcasts helped students learn from home during the pandemic.
In December 2021, IBC made a deal to air basketball games from the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).
In March 2022, IBC began digital test broadcasts on UHF Channel 17. However, in September 2022, IBC announced it might stop operations in 2023 due to financial problems. Employees asked the government for funds to continue broadcasting and pay retired staff. The government has set aside money in the 2023 budget to help IBC continue its operations and pay salaries.
On January 31, 2023, the House of Representatives renewed IBC's broadcasting license for another 25 years, allowing it to operate until 2050.
Programming
IBC Stations Nationwide
See also
- List of Philippine media companies
- Philippine television networks
- Television channels
- People's Television Network
- Presidential Broadcast Service
- Radio Philippines Network
