Ang naantalang launch ng BuKo comedy channel ay natuloy na sa August 2, 2021.
Noong 2019 pa nagkaroon ng contract signing sa pagitan ng APT Entertainment at Cignal TV, pero ayon kay Direk Mike Tuviera, mahigit limang taon na nung unang napag-usapan ito.
"Actually, lumaki na nang lumaki ang idea because of Cignal’s growth, the largest subscriber base. So we’re talking, 'Why not, why not have a 24/7 comedy channel?' And in APT, that’s one of our forte that we really do well.
“I was born around comedy, siyempre, with my father in Eat Bulaga!. Sabi ko, let’s marry our forces together and let’s provide naman something new to the audience."
Si Mike ay anak ni Tony Tuviera, ang big boss ng T.A.P.E., na siyang producer ng longest-running noontime show.
Sa pagpapatuloy ng direktor, “Then nangyari yung pandemya and everyone got locked in.
"Sabi ko, mas lalo yata ngayon na kailangan na ganito. Something like a home for feel-good content, things that will make people laugh and inspire and encourage people. Lalo na when times are tough and times are challenging, mas lalo nating kailangan ng inspiration. Sometimes we just need a laugh to get through the day.”
Sabi rin niya, “Even if with the delays that happened because of the pandemic and all of that, I think, BuKo is finally coming to fruition. It’s being born at exactly the right time, when people really needs something like this in their every-day life.
“We’re very, very proud and very, very thankful that we’ve partnered for BuKo. This we really honestly feel is something that the audience not only want but need during this time.”
ARTISTS TO BE FEATURED ON BUKO COMEDY CHANNEL
Kahit na may mga artists ang APT Entertainment, Inc., sinigurado na ni Direk Mike na walang limitasyon sa kanila sa mga artistang puwedeng magkaroon ng show sa BuKo, short for Buhay Komedya.
“Wala naman kaming limit in terms of who can appear in BuKo. Iba-iba naman yung mga pinaplano naming contents.
“Actually right now, we’re planning content for the middle of next year. Kasi siyempre, we have to prepare in advance.
“Very, very exciting, pero siyempre, we can’t reveal kung sino ang darating na gagawa ng show for the next year.
"Pero yung iba, people will expect and people are hoping for, 'Siyempre kung comedy channel iyan, dapat nandiyan si ganyan. Gusto naming makita si ganyan.' We’re preparing that.”
Pero meron ring mga bagong mapapanood at makakasama.
Ayon dito, “There will be medyo surprising names and fresh names also that you wouldn’t know they’re doing a comedy content.
“Pero dahil doon sa konsepto o sa idea ng show, bagay naman pala or kaya naman pala, may comedic talent naman pala ang artistang ito.
“So marami po kaming niluluto in terms of that. Marami po tayong mga mukha na makikita sa BuKo. Some familiar, some medyo fresh. So variety po talaga.”
Kinumpirma na rin ni Direk Mike na ang isa sa kilalang artist ng Triple A Management na si Maine Mendoza ay mapapanood sa #MaineGoals sa BuKo Channel.
Matatandaang unang nakilala si Maine bilang isang Dubsmash Queen.
“Marami po kaming naka-line up for Maine at pina-prioritize namin yung mga medyo passion projects niya. Yung medyo gusto niya, pero hindi siya nabigyan ng chance to fulfill.
“Maraming ideas si Maine, e, very creative. So yun ang gusto naming bigyan ng priority. In terms of sitcom, she has a current sitcom now, so parang hindi naman namin yun ipa-priority kay Maine.
“But there are so many other concepts, genres na puwede niyang gawin at gusto niyang gawin. At sobra siyang excited.”
Si Maine ang isa sa mga artist na una nilang kinausap para sa BuKo.
Sabi pa ni Direk Mike, “Sa dami ng opportunities and other genres that she can do, excited siya to have a new home in BuKo for those kind of shows.”
BUKO COMEDY CHANNEL: COMEDY THEN AND NOW
Ang BuKo ay mahahati raw sa tatlong programming blocks.
Kabilang sa BuKo Originals ang magiging lifestyle-oriented show ni Maine, ang Kusina ni Mamang na iho-host ni Pokwang, at ang kuwelang News Patol na magrereport ng mga patolang balita.
Ikalawa ang Tawang Pinoy Klasiks, tulad ng Iskul Bukol, Wow Mali, Bubble Gang, OGAG, Loko Moko, Tropang Trumpo, at iba pang comedy TV hits.
Mayroon ding Throwback Tawanan katulad ng Pidol’s Wonderland, Celebrity Samurai, Mac and Chiz, Sugo mga Kapatid, at marami pang-iba.
Magkaiba man daw ang humor ng komedya noon at ngayon, sabi ni Direk Mike, “Good comedy naman is everything.
“You know, parang when you make me laugh and it’s a good joke, parang forever yun. May forever rin naman pala,” natatawang sabi pa niya.
Sa tingin ba niya ay handa na sa mga throwback comedy ang mga manonood ngayon, katulad ng mga millennials at Gen Z?
Aniya, “That was one of our first priority, to have a throwback content. Why? Because even the younger audiences, hindi na sila linear manood.
“You cannot always have a specific time of the day. You want to have access on later time or something that they can go back to. So we wanted to make BuKo like a home for really good comedy contents.
“’Yung iba, medyo recent but maybe they missed, at yung iba, classic talaga. So, based on yung mga viewing habits ng audiences nowadays na multi-platform mag-consume ang mga tao ngayon, we’re sure that people are more than ever looking for on ways to make material. Either they enjoyed at gusto nilang ulitin or hindi nila napanood during first run at gusto nilang makahanap ng opportunity to enjoy it.
“And we’re very proud naman sa BuKo for being another platform for them to enjoy comedy.”
Ayon naman kay Joe Oconer, ang chief operating officer at chief finance officer ng APT Entertainment, “We’re also trying to be careful not to be known na BuKo is just a repository of old contents.
“That’s why we want a mix of old and new, and we're also gonna do a lot of original contents para balansado from old titles to something new, something fresh. We’re also very conscious of mixing original and old titles.