Competition brings out the best in products.
One introduces a show, the other challenges it. One claims, "We're number one." The other says, "We have the bigger market share."
This has been customary on the television landscape for several years now. The two major players-ABS-CBN and GMA-7-have been trying to outwit, outdo, and outnumber each other.
And Pinoy viewers have been caught in the middle of the muddle, now popularly termed as "network war."
In a way it is good because they're usually in for something new or exciting, in terms of format and programming. In a way, it is bad because they get dragged into the bout of TV giants.
Those who deride this entire brouhaha about which is the better TV station have one frustrating question: Bakit ba may ganito?
PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) recollects some major events in the television history which stimulated the intense rivalry between Channels 2 and 7.
RIVALRY TREND IN SHOWBIZ. Back in the '50s, dubbed as the First Golden Age of Philippine Cinema, rivalry was among the "Big Four" studios-LVN Pictures, Sampaguita Pictures, Premiere Productions, and Lebran Inc.
In the following decade, Pinoys' attention shifted from the theme of the movies to the stars. That's when the fans began pitting a star against another star—remember the Amalia Fuentes versus Susan Roces tumult?
This trend had a spill-over in the '70s. Idolatry got so intense that loyalists of Nora Aunor and Vilma Santos would sometimes resort to a street rumble.
With the coming of the '80s, which was considered the Second Golden Age of Philippine Cinema, the naissance of an even stronger platform begins to gain ground, and that's the television.
EARLY SIGNS OF BOOB TUBE BATTLE. Television, which was initially perceived as a "risky venture" in the early '50s, generated massive popularity in the '80s. Portable black-and-white TV sets became more affordable and signals got clearer even outside Manila.
This had more producers launching Pinoy shows. It also activated a different kind of rivalry—from the studios to the stars, the battle was brought to the boob tube. Here's a recount some of the earliest forms of network war.
One of the remarkable Pinoy shows then was Student Canteen, which aired via RBS (Radio Broadcasting System, now GMA-7) in the '70s.
July 30, 1979 marked the entry of another show, Eat...Bulaga, which was launched by RPN 9, and plucked TVJ—Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon—out of Student Canteen.
Initially, it was the original noontime show which maintained the lead in the ratings game, until Eat...Bulaga launched a segment called "Macho Man," which became a smash hit. The challenger first trounced the defender in 1986.
In 1979, two soap operas divided the viewing public—Anna Liza, which was shown via GMA-7, and Flor de Luna, which aired over RPN 9. It was the former which had more viewers until the death of its lead star, Julie Vega, on May 5, 1985.
In the late-night slot, two shows also caused a bit of contention among Pinoys: Regal Shocker (GMA-7) and Pinoy Thriller (IBC 13). They were slated on different days—the first was every Friday, while the second, every Thursday—but both shows had tried to outshine each other in terms of plot, visual and sound effects.
Back then, the competition was within the level of the shows, and was genre-skewed.
Things changed when ABS-CBN, which was closed down during Martial Law period, returned to the scene in 1986. And the person who was tasked to handle the station's programming was Federico "Freddie" Garcia, who was then working for GMA-7.
RAINBOW VS SARIMANOK. In 1989, the Lopez-owned network prevailed in the Philippine TV ratings. Three years later, it had a 62% audience share in Metro Manila, which was 12 times its initial audience share at the end of 1988.
GMA-7 then was a far second-placer, and initially, it managed to co-exist harmoniously with ABS-CBN. Of course, the two had their share of minor strife every time a pamimirata or pang-aasar took place.
Channel 2 management was quite hardnosed when it comes to guarding its market leadership. Any potential hitmaker had to be either pirated or purged.
Here's the first wave of some controversial transfers:
In 1999, Boy Abunda was pulled out of Startalk for The Buzz. That same year, then fast-rising actor of GMA-7, Onemig Bondoc, left for the hard-to-resist five-year contract offer of ABS-CBN.
In 2002, Dennis Padilla bid goodbye to the defunct sitcom Kool Ka Lang, which went off-air a year later, partly because two of its stars-Long Mejia and Dagul-also joined Channel 7's rival.
In 2003, one of GMA-7's hot properties Assunta de Rossi inked a deal with ABS-CBN.
For Channel 7's part, it wasn't as aggressive as its rival, but it didn't take the domination of ABS-CBN sitting down.
In 1993 (also the Year of the Rooster), ABS-CBN resurrected the Sarimanok logo, which was first shown in the mid-'60s to introduce color television to the Pinoys, in a one-minute ad celebrating the network's 40 years in the industry.
A promo dubbed ABS-CBN Sarimanok Milyung-milyong Pasasalamat Raffle Papremyo was also launched, making the legendary bird of Maranao people immensely popular in the whole country.
And what was GMA-7's reaction to the Sarimanok mania?
They also used a very colorful "chicken" in their station ID twice-the first one had the line "I wanna be the best," then it morphed into Channel 7's logo; the other one was trampled by a big foot with the launch of Rainbow network's 100-kw TV transmitter.
A quite-similar incident happened a few days after Eugenio Lopez, Jr.'s death on June 29, 1999. ABS-CBN came up with a plug titled "Paalam, Kapitan," while GMA-7 also aired "Paalam, Eugene," referring to Ghostfighter's famous Anime character Eugene.
Aside from pamimirata or pang-aasar, even panggagaya, the exclusive coverage also wreaked havoc on the lives of some TV crews and reporters of both stations.
ABS-CBN was the media partner of Miss Universe beauty pageant worldwide in 1994, and GMA-7 barely touched the event. But the following year, GMA-7 fans' eyebrows were raised when ABS-CBN covered the World Youth Day, the visit of Pope John Paul II to the country, even if the former was the official network.
The rights to cover Richard Gomez's wedding to Lucy Torres on April 28, 1998 in Ormoc, Leyte was given exclusively to ABS-CBN. And while Channel 2 was showing the lavish celebration, GMA-7 aired a documentary revisiting the victims of the Ormoc tragedy.
Rico Yan's death on March 29, 2002 also caused a furor among news reporters and camera men. The two networks were serious about outscooping each other.
Arnold Claviowas the first to give a detailed account, via Unang Hirit, because he was also at Dos Palmas in Palawan. ABS-CBN broke the news, and had the first statement of Claudine Barretto, Rico's ex-girlfriend.
Saksi had Raymart, the rumored new boyfriend of Claudine then. Channel 2 got the burial's exclusive coverage, but Channel 7 made an attempt to score some video footage—which had the family of the late actor pleading for privacy.
But those were just flickers of the network war. It was set ablaze on January 21, 1995.
That was the day when Eat...Bulaga, after six years of filling the noontime slot of ABS-CBN, moved to GMA-7.
The big switch—which was impelled by Channel 2's edict to disallow block-timers like T.A.P.E., makers of Eat...Bulaga, along with Valiente and Okay Ka, Fairy Ko—favored Channel 7 greatly. Finally, the latter's noontime ratings began soaring.
And Joey de Leon's quotable tirades also began amusing—sometimes, irking—the Pinoy viewers.
Part 2 tackles the Kapuso versus Kapamilya era.