NARRATIVE

REPRORT
Name: Jerome Reyes

Section: BSCpE 5-2

What do you think ABS-CBN should do in relation to opposition on its renewal?

ABS-CBN’s contract renewal has been controversial in the past months, especially
now that the deadline for it is just a couple of months away. President Rodrigo Duterte’s
stand on it quite hard. Nobody knows if what the president would do: would the president
let the network renew its license, either with consequential demand or without, or would
he stand still until the end. One thing is for sure, the network and its human resource is in
an imminent danger.

Based on my research there are measures the ABS-CBN could do. The very first
thing that they can do is just do everything they can to change the mind of their president,
this thing is possible due to historical basis. Back in 2017 the president stated that he is
willing to settle the beef with the network if it will support the federal system campaign
set by the government, which I think the ABS failed to do. This means that the president
and the network could settle the dispute through mutual treaties between the two parties.
Another thing that they should do is find a supporter within the president circle of allies,
in that way bringing devil’s advocate on their campaign is possible.

If the president stands still up to the deadline the network has another choice—
changing the medium or the channel to which they operate until the end of the president’s
term. They can still produce substantial income through internet and social media
medium, which according to the Communication Secretary, Martin Andanar is possible
and is a right of the network. According to him the network only loses its right to operate
the television channel, and the network can still work as content producer, which mean
ABS-CBN can still release its content in other mediums such as: movies, social media
and other web media.

Perhaps selling the network is not a part of ABS-CBN plan. Not only because the
president’s term is soon to be over, but because they can still produce content which
mean they can still make income. It may also lead to network redesign and
reconceptualization, they might fill a missing hole to the needs of the Filipino when it
comes to entertainment and public affairs, might be a blessing in disguise for them.

The networks future is still very bright, they still have many of the industry’s
famous stars. They still have many options to consider and they have some very loyal
viewers. The key is choosing the right options.