Beyond the profits
Thursday, June 23rd, 2005What is GMA-7 doing wrong?
By CARLOS BANAAG
Manila Bulletin
In the Service of Man, For the Glory of God.
That was then.
Today it’s “Kapuso Mo, Anumang Kulay ng Mundo,” which on the GMA-7 website is translated into “One in Heart, Regardless of the Colors of Life.” One imagines that what they mean is that GMA network knows and shares your desires, no matter who you are.
The fact is they do seem to have divined what most Filipino televiewers want. On its premiere night, the primetime reincarnation of “Darna” starring Angel Locsin, again with wings (on her headband), attracted 60.3% of people watching television. A month later GMA-7 followed it up with yet another fantasy series featuring stars in outlandish costumes. The pilot episode of “Encantadia” got a fantastic 61.8% share of the audience. On that same night, the Asia-novela “Full House” did even better, hitting 67.3%. More than two out of every three viewers were glued to GMA-7.
While these numbers are impressive, they do not fully reflect the strength of the Kapuso network. The ratings of entertainment programs are notoriously unstable—but a couple of GMA-7 shows have consistently rated well for much more than just one night or one season. “Bubble Gang” has been a Friday night staple for around a decade. And of course, “Eat Bulaga” which recently celebrated its 25th year on the air continues to be the top noontime show. Now, that’s strength.
GMA-7’s muscle in news programming is equally if not more remarkable because news viewers are generally thought to be more conservative, more loyal, more likely to stay with what they are used to. Although “TV Patrol” was the top newscast for over 15 years, “24 Oras” broke the stranglehold of ABS-CBN on the early evening news slot. It currently beats “Patrol” by something like five to 10 rating points each night. Who would have thought that Mike Enriquez could be a TV anchor, let alone the nation’s number one newscaster? Somebody at GMA-7 did.
The truth in the “Kapuso” slogan, therefore, is undeniable. GMA-7 does have a finger on the pulse of the people and is thus able to supply what the multitudes want, when they want it.
It is telling, however, that the network’s motto no longer mentions any higher purpose or social responsibility. Abandoning “Service to man and for the glory of God,” slogan, GMA-7 now appears to aspire for nothing beyond pandering to the desires of the mass audience in order to increase ratings and revenues. Sadly, the lack of altruism indicated in the “Kapuso” catchphrase seems to be borne out in the network’s programs and practices.
Examples can be found in the area of children’s programming. In place of award-winning educational shows like “Sesame Street” and “Blues Clues,” GMA-7 now airs cartoons. As a result, morning ratings have shot up. Obviously, kids want cartoons. But is that what they need? Whereas ABS-CBN put its money into productions like “Sineskwela” and “MathTinik,” GMA-7 has nothing comparable to these programs, despite having overtaken ABS-CBN in profits.
“Quality” programming has also fallen by the wayside. Gone are the telemovies and drama anthologies in which writers and directors at least attempted to be creative, artistic or thought-provoking as well as entertaining. Instead GMA-7 seeks to tickle viewers with comedies and gag shows that are practically unscripted and only barely directed. The fantasy soap operas are expensive; but as entertainment, they are more closely related to the circus than to great television like “Angels in America.”
Mel Tiangco’s “Magpakailanman,” which could have stood as the last bastion of quality, has been reduced to a publicity vehicle for minor personalities, extending their 15 minutes of fame to an excruciating hour and a half.
Ironically, some quarters think GMA-7’s “abandonment” of the public trust is most acute in the news programs that do carry high-minded slogans. Channel 7’s protestations of objectivity and public service—”Walang Kinikilingan, Serbisyong Totoo,” etc.—are not to be taken seriously when one considers, for instance, that its news anchors are commercial endorsers of pharmaceuticals, herbal remedies, laundry detergent bars, instant coffee and who knows what else. More significantly, GMA-7 was perceived to be anti-Erap and pro-Gloria back in the days of EDSA 2 and 3. Will it skew its news coverage to favor the Arroyo administration even in this season of wiretapping and jueteng scandals? Or will the viewers’ attention be simply diverted away from the government crisis?
Crisis or no crisis, the increasing number of minutes devoted to entertainment news has regrettably turned the newscasts into extensions of the “trashy” showbiz talk shows; and the program plugs masquerading as news stories are nothing but a disservice to the public.
In the simple matter of starting the newscasts on time and at decent times, GMA-7 has failed utterly. Thus, virtually every day, the public interest is sacrificed in order to let higher rating entertainment programs run long and carry more commercials.
It is worth nothing that GMA-7 can “legally” cram in more commercials per hour than any other TV network because it is no longer a member of the KBP. Forget GMA-7’s belated arguments that the KBP is a martial law creation and that there is no scientific basis for setting the maximum commercial load at 18 minutes per hour. The ultimate effect of GMA-7’s withdrawal from the KBP is that the Kapuso network can overload on ads with impunity. Serving the public or respecting the viewers? There are profits to be made.
Will this social irresponsibility cause a backlash against GMA-7? Yes, there are complaints; but no, there is no general outcry, much less a call to punish the network for its misdeeds … yet. Observers are so impressed by the surge in the network’s ratings and profits that they do not see or care what principles may have been forfeited in order to achieve these numbers. Besides, the Filipino public has bigger problems to deal with at the moment.
If GMA-7 hopes to maintain its success over the long term, however, top management would do well to heed one of the central lessons in the book “Built to Last.” “Profitability is a necessary condition for existence and a means to more important ends, but it is not the end in itself,” write authors Collins and Porras. The most successful and enduring companies are those which are committed to a purpose and set of core values which transcend purely economic considerations such as profit-maximization and maximizing shareholder wealth. [source]