It couldn’t have been better timing. With ABS-CBN blinking out from the airwaves and Filipinos on COVID-19 lockdown, a new and very promising normal for Filipinos is on hand. Cooped up within their homes, Filipinos will soon learn how to entertain themselves without the perverted “entertainment” shoved down their throats supposedly “in the service of the Filipino” by this big BAD media conglomerate.
Without the Kapamilya Network’s brain candy and the isolation that could only build character in people who learn to suck it up and deal with it — specifically learn to read, be self-sufficient and not be dependent on externalities (such us idiotic TV programming) for their well-being, and work on self-improvement — Filipinos might actually emerge from this crisis a stronger people.
ABS-CBN execs and their employees may also perhaps acquire an important virtue — humility. For three decades and a half, they have been led to believe that they are God’s Gift to the Filipino people even as they pretended to live by their dishonest mission statement “In the service of the Filipino”. Unlike former Senator Ninoy Aquino Jr who died (“martyred”, we are told) and then had an airport named after him, one cannot draw parallels to Ninoy from what happened to ABS-CBN. The narrative fashioned about it by Yellowtardom perhaps succeeded in turning ABS-CBN into a living hero. Now that it is dead, the Yellowtards (partisans rabidly loyal to the Aquino-Cojuangco feudal clan) will work hard to turn it into a legend — perhaps even name an airport after it.
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The fact is, rather than serve Filipinos, ABS-CBN turned them into opiate addicts. After all, teleseryes, noontime variety shows, underage “love teams”, talentless celebrities, screeching transvestites, and, yes, tabloid news “reporting” are the opiates of the Filipino masses. To the argument that ABS-CBN provided “essential public service” through its broadcast news, one first needs to question whether the sort of broadcast “news” ABS-CBN served up to Filipinos is actually such. In truth, news and journalism under the watch of ABS-CBN was, itself, turned into low-brow entertainment and is now a pale shadow of the sober practice that it used to be when stalwarts like Tina Monzon Palma, Harry Gasser, and, perhaps later, Jessica Soho did the industry justice. Today, a typical ABS-CBN “news and public affairs” program looks more like a pinball machine and nothing like the dignified forum for delivering information it is supposed to be.
Indeed, the report “Whatever Happened to the News?” published on the Center For Media Literacy describes almost to a tee the path to degeneracy ABS-CBN took the once-noble profession down…
In the early 1960s the networks, hugely profitable but worried about their images and about regulatory pressures, expanded their news operations and largely freed them from the pressures of commercial television. The “church” of news was to be separated from the “state” of entertainment.
In the 1970s and ’80s, however, the barrier between news and entertainment has been increasingly eroded. Not all the changes of these years have been for the worse. But taken together, they raise serious questions about the future of journalism in an entertainment-dominated medium. A recent edition of the news tabloid A Current Affair, for example, ended with the tease “Coming up – sex, murder and videotape, that’s next!” It may be that this is indeed the future of television news.
It was the local stations that first discovered, late in the 1960s, that news could make money– lots of money. By the end of the ’70s, news was frequently producing 60 percent of a station’s profits. With numbers like that, news was much “too important” to leave to journalists, and a heavily entertainment-oriented form of programming began to evolve. Often it was contrasted directly with the network news. ‘Feel like you’re getting a bad deal from poker-faced TV news reporters?” asked San Francisco’s KGO in one ad, “Then let the Channel 7 Gang deal you in. They’re not afraid to be friendly.”
ABS-CBN made an obscene amount of money. It earned all of it from entertaining Filipinos, not from “serving” them. Filipinos should wisen up and stop believing the lies the Yellowtards tell them about ABS-CBN.
There is nothing wrong with making an honest buck from entertainment. But dishonestly claiming its business was about “serving Filipinos” is ABS-CBN’s biggest crime to its audience. Perhaps ABS-CBN will one day be back on air. Very likely it will be broadcasting the same rubbbish that keeps its shareholders laughing all the way to the bank. Hopefully what does change is its mission statement. It should ditch its dishonest claim that it operates “in the service of the Filipino”, and stop insulting the intelligence of its viewers.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
ABS CBN is nothing but a “political prostitute network”, that is used by crooked and corrupt politicians for political disinformation and misinformation. The network thrived well, during the Cory Aquino regime. Because, it was always broadcasting about the “heroism” of Ninoy Aquino, and the “sainthood” of Cory Aquino. It also was the promoter of EDSA, as a “national liberation day”.
Marcos was branded as a villain. Marcos Martial Law years was branded as the “worse years” of the Philippines. History books, were written in favor of the Aquinos, as “heroes and saviors” of the Filipino people. ABS CBN promoted all of these in its broadcasting networks.
On the other hand, the network produced third rate and stupid shows, telenovelas, game shows, etc…that Dumb us all down, Filipinos. Ordinary Filipinos, like the rest of us, enjoyed the stupid shows, that made us all stupid and dumb.
So, we elected Cory Aquino son, Pnoy Aquino, who is suffering from depression, mental illness, and is very incompetent. The YellowTards had their “good days”, with the help of the ABS CBN network.
Nazi Germany’s Fuhrer Adolph Hitler had his propaganda machine to promote Nazism. Cory Aquino and her YellowTards had the ABS CBN, as her propaganda media network to promote , YellowTardism !
is it clear that the oligarchs’ abs cbn was used to plunder people’s money???
Best if we should also get rid of GMA, other channels, and eventually, Duterte himself hehehe. You see, it seems that most Filipinos nowadays are into foreign media such as K-Drama, Anime, American, etc. When I met an acquaintant before, she told me that she does not even watch Pinoy stuff. Even my maid is not into Teleserye but instead still listening to some Tagalog stuff and much more English and bit of Korean music. I’m surprised but no. I used to watch some Korean dramas and even Anime. Look, they are alot shorter and convenient. Not sure but as with Anime, I only download them. But look at most Pinoy dramas, so long and they are being aired in the afternoon and evening when in fact people are either still working or having sleep at night preparing for the next day. These are my insights about the errors of Philippine drama. However, I still get to watch some of them because some just like Cardo’s(Coco Martin) are reflected about the current situation in the Philippines such as crime, corruption, and drugs. Realistic. But that’s it, I’m done with anything Pinoy except food only. Maybe I have better but also educational things to do right now. Maybe watch some foreign movies for learning but I will also read books for my intellect. Also, strategy games too. Not sure why many Filipinos don’t watch Pinoy Teleserye but maybe it has something to do with our colonial mentality. Surely alot will be happy or wont care anyway if ABS shuts down. Most Filipinos after all prefer everything foreign. From K-Dramas, K-Pop, Anime, anything American, and within the elite Spanish. Many of us would love to leave our country too for America and Canada. Once there, we pretend to be Americanised just like being American bitches. We are really so colonised. Even Duterte, although having hate towards ABSCBN and the Oligarchs, in turn bows to China and is happy as a slave to Xi Jinping. Maybe we should get colonised again just as before. With our govt. replaced by China, our shows by Korean and American, and eventually ABS-CBN, GMA, and other news media be replaced by Fox News America. After all, everything foreign is better while ABS CBN sucks for Duterte and many Pinoys.
Oh yeah Mike, so who do YOU think is a worthy replacement for Duterte???? Leni “Instagram Queen” Robriedo – so that her chi-chi coterie of convent-school graduates will take over our hallowed halls of Congress in coordination with the A-C oligarchic cliques and their child-molesting collaborators in the CBCP?????
Think before you speak..and have a concrete plan good for five years on how we can gain some semblance of development!!!
If not better hold your peace….
Dude. The only flavor profiles of Filipino food is salty, sweet, too salty, and too sweet. It pales in comparison to the rest of SEA. It’s a shame.
” Real change in Pinoy society will never be achieved through the ‘sacrifice’ of altruistic ‘heroes’. True change will be driven by people who find no shame in expecting a buck for their trouble”
Remember this? what happened to you?
Not sure what you mean. Nothing about me has changed as far as I am aware.
How about visiting the Philippines for once, Benign0???
Remember, over in Australia you are the prime target for a lot of racist Aussie “rednecks” bent on beating your Asian arse for being a suspect COVID-19 “carrier”
well you used to believe in unapologetic profiteering but now your all goody goody socialist social justice warrior morality police.
also you recently attacked multinationals basing factories in china even though you know the market decided it was the most efficient and profitable way.
what gives? did richard wolff youtube videos convert you hehehe
I still do actually. Which means you didn’t really get the point of this article. I don’t have a problem with ABS-CBN making zillions off the stupidity of Filipinos. Everyone does anyway so there’s no big deal there. It’s just business. What I call out are the suckers who eat all that crap about them being all about anything beyond a genius money printing machine. Not because I care, more because it is all such a hoot.
Are you referring to yourself? Because SJWs belong to the left side of the political spectrum.
Everything you’ve said is pure left-wing. So that makes you an SJW. Let’s not kid ourselves.
i didnt say anything i was asking benigno a question dum dum.
now i will say something: if you dislike profiteering you are free to make an “in the service of the filipino station” tv station with no ads. lest see how long you last hehe
theres a reason why britney spears sold a lot more records than tracy chapman. you can change that by social pressure or tyranny but if you allow the people to buy what they want the dum dums will rule. its just nature.
Perhaps you should answer your own question because he’s not here to please people like you. Try again.
“Serving Filipinos” contradicts trying to maximize profit. ABS-CBN uses these shill statements to build up its image when it’s actually doing the opposite, and that’s dishonesty. That goes especially with Enrile’s claim that ABS-CBN is working around the law to have foreign money pumped into it.
dont you understand how stupid it is to argue about company slogans? Fox news’s is “fair and balanced” hehehe
Same goes to Philippine Daily Inquirer’s “Balanced News, Fearless Views.”
You’re grasping on straws.
right. so why is grp harping on abs for their slogan? theyre just words, all companies are money making machines with no morals. if you dont like that make a tv/broadcast station with no ads see how long you survive
There’s a thing called non-commercial educational station and they mostly public broadcasting, community radio, and college radio, as well as many religious broadcasting stations.
Your point?
It makes no sense for fantards to claim “ABS-CBN is a good company” then. It’s the fantards that likely embrace the slogan so much.