TV remains pop culture’s most powerful medium
POP ( from the word popular) culture permeates all aspects of the contemporary Filipino social life. Shaped by the interaction among people as they go about their daily activities, local pop culture develops and manifests itself in fashion, music, print media, cyberspace, sports, slang words, greeting rituals, food, drinks, This is all propagated by the mass media, the most powerful platform of which is television.
In today’s highly technological world, these aspects rapidly change. Even commercial brands like shoes and fastfood can attain pop iconic status, but the same may fall out of grace from the young generation’s attention. Think of the strength of Jollibee, Darna, Manny Pacquiao, Miss
in-the-pan popularity of Pokemon Go.
Author Tim Delaney, in his treatise a decade ago, said that popular culture appeals to people because it provides opportunities for both individual happiness and communal bonding.
Television Arts still with original hosts Eddie Ilarde, Pepe Pimentel and Bobby Ledesman with new co-hosts Helen Vela and Coney Reyes. It stayed in the network until 1986.
Pinch-hitters for Student Canteen brothers Tito and Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon — called TVJ who gained fame on GMA’s “Discorama” — were given a show on Radio Philippines Network (RPN) with Chiqui Hollman as lone female co-host.
Premiering on July 30, 1979, the title “Eat Bulaga” (EB) was coined by de Leon with “Eat” representing lunchtime and “Bulaga” meaning to surprise. In short, the show runs on the concept of surprises at lunchtime. De Leon also coined the slogan “Hanggang may bata, may Eat Bulaga.” It overtook Student Canteen in the ratings the following year.
In 1989, EB moved to ABS-CBN. At the end of EB’s contract in 1994, the Lopezowned station wanted to buy its airing rights of the popular noontime show but the producers did not accede, leading to the non-renewal of the contract and saw ‘Eat Bulaga’ — airing continuously for 39 years — has set records both in ratings and on Twitterverse with its ‘Kalyeserye’ segment starring Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, known as AlDub.
the show’s move to GMA Network in 1995. ABS-CBN meanwhile turned the Sunday show, “Sa Linggo nAPO Sila” of the Apo Hiking Society triumvirate of Danny Javier, Jim Paredes and Buboy Garovillo into a daily show, “Sang Linggo nAPO Sila,” to clash head on with EB.
Prior to its move to GMA Network, the station tried to topple it with several shows on the timeslot — “Lunch Date” (which replaced Student Canteen) and “SST: Salo- Salo Together.” Meanwhile, the Apo daily show ended, replaced by “Magandang Tanghali Bayan” (MTB) on ABS-CBN. MTB’s “Pera O Bayong” segment topped the ratings for two years, but EB regained upperhand with its “Meron O Wala” then “Laban O Bawi” in
late 2000 with the formation and regular
MTB ended and was replaced by “Wowowee,” hosted mainly by Willie Revillame, which continued until July 2010 despite the tragedy on February 4, 2006 that killed at least 73 people on the
Arena in Pasig City.
Wowowee was succeeded by “Pilipinas Win na Win” with Kris Aquino and Robin Padilla as main hosts (2010), followed by “Happy Yipee Yehey!” Due to low ratings HYY stopped, and the late morning programming “Showtime” was reformatted as “It’s Showtime” to take on the slot.
EB’s popularity, meanwhile, spawned
Filipino TV viewing habits drastically changed in 1996 when the governmentowned station RPN aired the Mexican telenovela, ‘Marimar.’
into an Indonesian franchise. On its 36th year in 2015, its ratings dramatically increased with the formation of AlDub, the accidental love team of co-host Alden Richards and Yaya Dub.
The phenomenal public reception to the love team developed into “Kalyeserye” built around them with Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola and Paolo Ballesteros as the lolas. #AlDub became the top daily trending topic on Twitter not only in the Philippines but around the world as well, with fans creating the AlDub Nation on social media.
The craze about the love team has helped the careers of Richards and Maine Mendoza (Yaya Dub’s real name), and bringing triple ratings to the show.
EB’s special show, “Sa Tamang Panahon” AlDub concert at the full 55,000-seating
of Typhoon Lando victims on October 24, 2015, shattered all records with its over 50 percent ratings in its live airing, setting a Twitter record for the hashtag #AlDubEBTamangPanahon hashtag 41 million tweets.
It’s Showtime held on single digit ratings for long until interest on AlDub waned. The ABS-CBN noontime show eventually caught up with its rival via “Tawag Ng Tanghalan Sa Showtime” and starting last year, “Miss Q&A.”
Noontime shows cemented the careers of many actors and actresses and also launched the TV and movie careers of singers, models, and sports personalities