The Kabarkada Presence ("Studio 23 PRIMETIME!")

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If you guys already noticed, TV today is so different to what it used to be back then. English language-programming have mostly retreated to cable, evening newscast are now very tabloid-ish (matching irritating "broadcaster" voices), movie blocks are fast becoming a presence, children's programming and talk shows are now endangered genres on TV and I could go on and on with this.

Now this leads me to the purpose of writing this entry: TV has become a different person to many of us. Many TV programs today cater to a mass-majority of viewers or more popularly known as the "masa". Not that it's a bad thing but what is so negative about is the way TV is behaving nowadays in order to maintain its hold to viewers and to an extent, the advertisers whose money is the primary source of revenue to these industry bigwigs.

Sa madaling-salita, marami nagsasabi na "binobobo" ngayon ng mga TV networks ang mga manonood dahil sa kanilang mga pinapalabas. Instead of fulfilling the responsibility of developing an informed and educated society, they are doing the exact opposite. This is most especially true to the two major networks who, because of this ridiculous network war, have changed people's viewing patterns for the past 2 decades. A domino effect occurred with the smaller players becoming the victims of this "effect".

Among those affected by all of this is what I regarded as my "best TV friend", Studio 23.

I remember watching 23 as early as my grade 3 days when me and my family used to watch "Murphy Brown", "The Nanny", "Charmed", "Angel", and "Spin City" among others. Many foreign shows that used to air on ABS were carried over to that channel like "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Melrose Place". I was fascinated with network promos and ID's they used to air then, like the "Couch Potato Guy" which gave me the impression that it's a cable channel that was imported stateside. Eventually, I've come to learn that it is somehow related to my family's choice of station, ABS-CBN.

Growing up, our choices of viewing TV have become varied especially when started having cable in the house. But despite my childhood leanings to watch only cartoons, I found myself getting fascinated with the programs aired on 23. It's the station that introduced me to News Central, which used to air at 10pm which comes after a preceding US program. Napapanood ko siya lagi because of their slick theme music and graphics but it’s the on-air presence of Mari Kaimo that helped me become a viewer of the program throughout its years in existence (kahit di ko siya lagi napapanood consistently).

The local programs that were introduced midway gave the network a sense of identity as a Filipino station. They were able to fill up a void left vacant by GMA and ABS where the need to watching something other than the usual stuff they air become apparent. Shows like "F", "D-Tour", "Team Explorer", "Breakfast", "Sports TV", "Wazzup-Wazzup", and "Strangebrew" were just among the many that made their mark on many of us loyal 23 viewers.

I always hope that 23 would find a way to make that certain"oomph" to become more competitive as a network and not just be seen as a sister station to ABS because I don't think the bigger net is interested on giving support to its little sister.

Me and a lot of people have always been there for Studio 23 despite the changes it has faced throughout the years from the "Watch-U-Want" to the "Kabarkada Mo" eras, from  the time when many local shows were canceled back in 2007 to the time they introduced FUSE that same year to the introduction of Catch-Up TV last year.

Now came the biggest shocker ever in the history of the station: 23 started pushing away a lot of their signature US programs to graveyard timeslots while they extended the once-enjoyable and formerly weekly Barkada Nights as a 5-day local movie block. LBO returned to airing local movies but what's frustrating is they're airing just the same content of movies as to what BN have now been airing every night. Even the on-air announcer was starting to speak in Filipino instead of just English which makes him sound very awkward (although he used to adlib in Tagalog before when promoting several local shows in the past).

At first I thought it was a good idea, but then I started to worry a lot about the FUSE shows when they started to be placed on those late timeslots (9:30 to 12:30). I realized it's causing an inconvenience to existing viewers like me to catch them. People may not even be able to watch them on such late a time because of the need to wake up early the next day and whatnot.

23 issued a press statement on their FB fanpage citing their reason for the sudden changes in programming. Basically they need to grow as a network thus the justification of what they have done.

It painfully disappoints me that they have to resort to nearly dismantling the very core of what 23 has long been known for in order to "grow as a network". 23 unlike the other remaining English-speaking networks on free TV have the capability to help promote the use of English to their core audience (the youth demo), even to audiences they don't normally target. I've seen a lot of comments back then on their FB and Multiply accounts from people who claimed they learned the country's second language from the station but now, all I'm reading are people fond of typing "jejemonic" text who all like KO One. Viewer maturity is also something that 23 was able to achieve with their core audience so I'm hoping that they do same to the new viewers who just discovered the channel.

Last Saturday October 9 2010, Studio 23's program manager Vince Rodriguez, arranged a meeting with me on ABS to talk about the network when I made him known about my issues about the changes I made vocal on Twitter. I was lcuky that my childhood friend, Cheenee, was an intern for the station thus she knows who Sir Vince is.

The meeting was meaningful on my part because I was able to see the perspective of people like Sir Vince who relies on their blood, sweat and tears to run a television network every day. I do understand that with the penetration of cable among other things, it's becoming difficult for nets like 23 to capture the niche market. With the emergence of TV5 as a major network, the TV landscape continues to shake up, for better and for worse. Then there's the question of advertisers as well. He explained to me that 23 has long been on the bubble so it was really a tough call on how they could keep the station up and running on the long-term.

In return, I also shared with him my perspective and frustration as a viewer and as a member of 23's long-time core audience. I do favor the development of local programming in the channel but I'm still not sold of their moves of many of their shows to late night because of Barkada Nights. I also told him the need to promote English to their viewers especially to their younger viewers who are watching animated shows aired in the morning (pati na iyung mga Nick shows na isinawika na sa wikang pambansa). It's not something that they should be doing but it is something that they must (because TV is a powerful medium especially to the younger folk). Even on their sole newscast, it needs not to be tabloid-ish but they should deliver news that DO matter to us.

Sir Vince told me of their long-term plans for 23, many of which are strictly confidential so I could not really share them with you. But what I can say that they are coming up with ways to have the newer viewers be exposed to English among others (and here's to hoping they DO air the Nick shows in their original English audio for the sake of their younger viewers). I also hope that they do what they can to bring back the shows that defined them for 15 years and bring them back on the timeslots that they deserve to be placed at, especially now that they are due to air the final seasons of Smallville and Lost. Both deserve to be given a proper send-off.

 The good thing about 23 is that they do listen to our feedback as viewers, thanks to the likes of one Leo Katigbak who made it possible for him to communicate with us viewers and exchange our views and opinions that would contribute for the over-all improvement of the network in general.

Even though we've been talking over iced tea and apple fritter in Starbucks for nearly 2 hours, I still have a lot to ask about 23 with Sir Vince although by then he had to leave to attend some urgent matters. It was really nice knowing him, a part of an industry that I've been dreaming to be a part of.

I'll continue to be a supporter and a loyal viewer of Studio 23 even if because of those horrific scheduling changes they did to my favorite shows I may not be able to catch them. I'm crossing my fingers that they will prove to those who stayed with them that they never forgot who they are to us, our kabarkadas