Wednesday, October 17, 2012

The 1940's: This is the Moment


1946
  • June 13: American soldier James Lindenberg, pioneer of Philippine TV, establishes the Bolinao Electronics Corporation (BEC), naming after the town of Bolinao in the northern Philippine province of Pangasinan--the hometown of Lindenberg's wife. Establishing itself as a radio manufacturing company, BEC involves in selling radio sets and local assembly of radio transmission equipment and manufacture of RCA equipment (transmitters, radio spare parts) for export abroad.

1948
  • 1st Quarter: Government policies on import controls of foreign radio equipment cause BEC to divert its resources into radio broadcasting. 
  • March 1: BEC sets up the Bolinao Broadcasting System (BBS) in San Juan in Rizal (now in Metro Manila).
  • November 23: BEC opens its first radio station DZBC, with a wire tied to two mango trees atop a hill in San Juan as its first antenna. 
  • December: With the transmission of 1 million hertz, BEC-DZBC airs variety shows. BEC-DZBC becomes the first station to broadcast dramas of the Procter and Gamble company as it introduces its first drama production of Procter and Gamble as the first commercial serialized radio soap opera then, and becomes the closest competitor to MBC-DZRH. Lindenberg checks out the houses with radios blaring the BEC-DZBC broadcasts to determine the size of the station's audiences for advertisers' purposes--the crude measurement serving as precursor to the ratings.

1949
  • BEC-DZBC shows Tawag ng Tanghalan/Call of the Stage, Doctor Selga, Prinsipe Amante/Prince Amante, Gulong ng Palad/Wheel of Fate (with the TV adaptation by BEC itself, now ABS-CBN, in 2006), Aklat ng Pag-Ibig/Book of Love, Ilaw ng Tahanan/Light of the Home and Camay Theater of the Air--some of them the first dramas of Proctor and Gamble--become the first radio shows serving as vehicles for commercials.
  • Lindenberg becomes the first to apply a franchise to operate a TV station from Philippine Congress.

1950
  • University of Santo Tomas engineering student Jose Nicholas begins first attempt of a TV broadcast as an experiment.
  • June 14: The Philippine Congress gives Lindenberg the franchise for what will be BEC/ABS-CBN Manila, the first TV station in the Philippines.

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