Shutdown of ABS-CBN

The sign-off message broadcast by DWWX-TV (ABS-CBN Manila) before stopping all broadcasts at 7:52 pm (PST) in compliance with the NTC order

On May 5, 2020, ABS-CBN went off-air. This was in compliance with NTC's cease-and-desist order issued against the network to cease its television broadcasts immediately, as the 25-year franchise, which was granted in 1995, expired a day earlier.

The shutdown came during the time that the Enhanced community quarantine was still implemented in parts of Luzon, which was extended for the second time to run until May 15, 2020, which had put restrictions in the country to mitigate the spread of the disease, as the disease was a novel disease at that time.

Background

As prescribed by the American Insular government-era Act No. 3846, or the Radio Control Act, which became effective in 1931 (later amended in 1963), broadcasting networks require a congressional franchise to operate television and radio stations, which usually lasts for up to 25 years. ABS-CBN, which had been operating since July 11, 1946, made its first television broadcast on October 23, 1953, had last been granted a 25-year franchise extension on March 30, 1995, under Republic Act No. 7966 (but later implemented on May 4, 1995). This expired on May 4, 2020, as upheld by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The ABS-CBN broadcast network is acknowledged to be one of the Philippines' oldest and most influential media networks, run by the Lopez family. The company generates about 50 to 60 percent of the group's total annual revenue mainly from selling airtime of its television and radio properties to advertisers. The remaining revenue is generated from consumer sales through distribution of cable and international channels, as well as operations of over-the-top platform services, and a family entertainment center in Taguig. According to the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC), ABS-CBN Corporation controlled "somewhere between 31% and 44%" of the Philippines' total television market as of 2020.

Before the 2020 stoppage, ABS-CBN had been closed down on September 23, 1972, when martial law under Ferdinand Marcos was announced and the station's television and radio stations were sequestered. During this time, it was replaced by Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), also known as City 2 Television. Marcos was eventually deposed by the People Power Revolution of February 1986. The newly created revolutionary government agency Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) sequestered and later dissolved BBC and returned the frequencies to ABS-CBN in September 7, 1986, eventually resuming broadcast on September 14, 1986.

Shutdown

On May 3, 2020, Calida warned the NTC against granting the provisional authority to ABS-CBN, citing a Supreme Court decision in 2014, stating that provisional authority can only be granted after the franchise is secured in Congress. In the same statement, Calida cautioned that the agency would put itself at risk of prosecution under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act should they issue the provisional authority without a legal franchise being held by ABS-CBN's operating companies and that a 1991 DOJ opinion stating the NTC may issue provisional authority without a legal franchise was overturned by the Supreme Court.

On May 5, NTC issued a cease and desist order to immediately close its free-to-air broadcasting operations, including its radio stations DZMM, S+A, and MOR Philippines, following the expiration of its broadcast franchise the day before. The cease and desist order covers 42 free television stations operated by ABS-CBN across the country, including the main ABS-CBN Network, ten digital broadcast channels on ABS-CBN TV Plus, 18 FM stations, and five AM stations. However, ANC, the pay TV operations of Knowledge Channel, TFC, TeleRadyo (later TeleRadyo Serbisyo), and its sister cable channels, as well as its online properties, and production companies Star Music and Star Cinema, were allowed to continue as their operations are not contingent on the legislative franchise.

After the cease-and-desist order was issued by the NTC, ABS-CBN issued the following statement.

• English
• Tagalog/Filipino

Millions of Filipinos will lose their source of news and entertainment when ABS-CBN is ordered to go off-air on TV and radio tonight (5 May 2020) when people need crucial and timely information as the nation deals with the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is in compliance with the cease and desist order issued by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) today that prohibits ABS-CBN from continuing its broadcast operations effective immediately.

Despite Senate Resolution No. 40, the House of Representatives’ committee on legislative franchises’ letter, the guidance of the Department of Justice, and the sworn statement of NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba, the NTC did not grant ABS-CBN a provisional authority to operate while its franchise renewal remains pending in Congress.

In an interview with DZMM last week, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano even gave an assurance that there is no move to shut down the network. ABS-CBN has been providing comprehensive news coverage on the public health crisis and working with local governments and the private sector in providing food and basic goods for those in need through its “Pantawid ng Pag-ibig” campaign. To date, it has delivered over P300 million worth of goods for the benefit of over 600,000 families affected by the enhanced community quarantine.

We trust that the government will decide on our franchise with the best interest of the Filipino people in mind, recognizing ABS-CBN’s role and efforts in providing the latest news and information during these challenging times.

ABS-CBN remains committed to being in the service of the Filipino and we will find ways to continue providing meaningful service to them.

Milyon-milyong Pilipino ang mawawalan ng kanilang pagkukuhanan ng balita at libangan matapos ipatigil ang operasyon ng ABS-CBN sa telebisyon at radyo simula ngayong gabi (Mayo 5), sa panahong may matinding pangangailangan ang publiko sa impormasyon habang humaharap ang bansa sa krisis na dulot ng COVID-19.

Ito ay kasunod ng cease and desist order na inilabas ng National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) ngayong araw na nagbabawal sa ABS-CBN na umere sa lalong madaling panahon.

Sa kabila ng Senate Resolution No. 40, liham mula sa House of Representatives’ committee on legislative franchises, abiso ng Department of Justice, at sinumpaang pahayag ni NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba, hindi binigyan ng NTC ang ABS-CBN ng provisional authority para magpatuloy ang operasyon nito habang nakabinbin ang prangkisa nito sa Kongreso.

Sa isang panayam sa DZMM noong nakaraang linggo, tiniyak din ni House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano na walang plano upang ipasara ang network. Patuloy na naghahatid ang ABS-CBN ng komprehensibong pagbabalita at nakikipagtulungan sa mga lokal na pamahalaan at pribadong sektor para makapagbigay ng pagkain at pang-araw-araw na pangangailangan sa ating mga kababayan sa pamamagitan ng “Pantawid ng Pag-ibig.”

Sa kasalukuyan, nakapaghatid na ito ng higit sa P300 milyong halaga ng pagkain at mga batayang pangangailangan sa higit sa 600,000 na pamilyang apektado ng enhanced community quarantine.

Umaasa kaming maglalabas ang gobyerno ng desisyon sa aming prangkisa base sa kung ano ang makabubuti sa mga Pilipino at nang may pagkilala sa papel at pagsisikap ng ABS-CBN na makapagbigay ng pinakabagong balita at impormasyon sa panahong ito.

Mananatiling naglilingkod ang ABS-CBN sa publiko at maghahanap ng paraan para patuloy na makapaglingkod sa mga Pilipino.

Timeline

Before 6:30 PM:

At 4:47 PM Philippine time, on May 5, 2020, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued a cease-and-desist order on ABS-CBN, as a result of it's franchise expiring the day before. ANC and DZMM ended up going into Special Coverage mode after the news broke. The Cease and Desist order covered ABS-CBN's Channel 2, DZMM 630, ABS-CBN Sports+Action 23 and MOR 101.9 Manila, as well as their respective provincial counterparts.

Joyce Balancio initially reported on DZMM about the cease-and-desist order, it's special coverage was initially hosted by Pasada 630 hosts Pat-P Daza and Peter Musñgi via Zoom, later followed by Alvin Elchico, who hosted live from the DZMM radio booth along with Dos por Dos hosts Anthony Taberna and Gerry Baja, who were live via Zoom.

At 6:10 PM, Philippine time, midway through the re-run of the 2018 version of Meteor Garden on ABS-CBN, the aforementioned airing was cut short to give way to a simulcast of DZMM Special Coverage on the Cease and Desist Order, which was already covering it as soon as the order was issued. ANC continued to air their own special coverage on the shutdown of the network.

6:30 PM: TV Patrol's final broadcast on ABS-CBN

After cutting their regular programming to give way to a special coverage of ABS-CBN's shutdown, the network aired a special broadcast of TV Patrol, specializing on the cease-and-desist order issued to the network by the NTC. This special broadcast lasted until around 7:42 PM, with no commercial breaks aired in between. The special coverage was also simulcast on MOR 101.9 and S+A.

After statements were made by Carlo Katigbak and Mark Lopez, the TV Patrol anchors say:

Ted Failon

Kapamilya, 'yan po ang mga balitang nakalap sa aming mas malawak na pagpapatrol. Hihinto po ng ABS-CBN, DZMM, MOR, at lahat po ng TV at radio stations nito sa buong Pilipinas ang pag-broadcast pagkatapos ng aming programa. Ito po ay alinsunod sa kautusan nga ng pagpapatigil po ng operasyon mula sa NTC o National Telecommunications Commission. Kinakailangan lamang po naming istasyon ng sapat na panahon upang maisaayos ang pag-shutdown sa aming mga kagamitan at maabisuhan din po ang aming mga taga-panuod at mga Kapamilya.

Bernadette Sembrano

Mga Kapamilya, patuloy kaming maglilingkod. Kahit wala po tayo sa ere sa Channel 2, mapapanood niyo pa rin ang aming mga balita sa TeleRadyo, ANC, news.abs-cbn.com, at mga social media account ng ABS-CBN.

Noli de Castro

Bayan, mga Kapamilya. Ilang dekada rin tayong nagkasama. Utang na loob namin sa inyo na tinanggap ninyo kami sa inyong mga tahanan gabi-gabi.

Naging malaking bahagi na kami ng inyong buhay. Karamay sa mga panahon ng kalamidad at paghihirap. Kasabay namin kayo sa pagluha sa mga teleserye. Magkasama natin ipinagbunyi ang tagumpay ng ating mga bayani, mga ordinaryong tao na nakagawa ng imposible. Sabay din nating pinanood na nabuo o mabuo ang kasaysayan sa pamamagitan ng TV Patrol at iba pang news and current affairs programs.

Hindi man na-renew ang aming prangkisa at pinatitigil ang ating broadcast, nangangako kami sa inyo, hindi kami mananahimik sa pag-atakeng ito sa ating demokrasya at sa malayang pamamahayag. Sa harap po na pinakamalaking dako at hamon sa aming kumpanya at sa aming mga hanap-buhay, hinding hindi namin kayo tatalikuran, kabayan. Mga Kapamilya kami. Tayo ang ABS-CBN - In the Service of the Filipino, saan man sila naroroon, sa buong mundo.

7:52 PM: ABS-CBN goes off-air

After the special broadcast of TV Patrol, ABS-CBN aired its audio-visual presentation on how the lives of Filipinos have been affected by the network, which was originally aired in February 2020.

Next was a short message of thanks to its loyal viewers,

“	Maraming salamat po sa maraming taon na kami ay inyong pinatuloy sa inyong tahanan. Maraming salamat po sa maraming taon na ating pinagsamahan. Hanggang sa muli, Kapamilya.	”
—Message after the 2020 presentation

Afterwards, the network-produced version of the Philippine National Anthem Lupang Hinirang, initially shot in 2013 and aired during that year's Independence Day was shown.

At exactly 7:52 PM, the following message was shown before the screen went black:

“	This is ABS-CBN Corporation Channel 2, In The Service of the Filipino. Now signing off.	”
—ABS-CBN's final sign-off message

Portions of the shutdown were aired live by now-defunct TV network CNN Philippines. The full coverage on TV Patrol is available on ABS-CBN's YouTube channel. However, DZMM continued broadcasting, and signed off at 8:20 PM after S.R.O.: Suhestyon, Reaksyon at Opinyon. Alvin Elchico and Doris Bigornia delivered their final messages:

Doris Bigornia

Maraming salamat, Kapamilya.

Alvin Elchico

Hanggang sa muli nating pagkikita. Bye.

Doris Bigornia

Ba-bye.

Afterwards the DZMM's sign-off message plays, followed by the Philippine National Anthem, then the screen on DZMM TeleRadyo went black.

Aftermath

Main article: Aftermath of the shutdown of ABS-CBN

On July 10, 2020, the committee voted 70-11-2-1 in favor to deny ABS-CBN's congressional franchise.

As a result, a series of retrenchments were implemented, which took place at the end of August 2020. Due to the effects of the franchise denial, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic's restrictions that prevented operations of certain entities to contain the virus:

• all MOR Philippines terrestrial radio stations including its flagship, MOR 101.9 in Manila (DWRR-FM). After the said date, MOR eventually consolidated its programming to different new media (online) skeletal stations including Manila, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu and Davao.
• the ABS-CBN Film Archives and its film restoration program. This led to the ABS-CBN Film Restoration Project rushing to complete the restoration of the 1984 film Soltero before the retrenchment date.
• ABS-CBN Regional, with the 12 regional editions of TV Patrol and their 10 respective provincial morning programs ending their broadcasts on August 28. After the said date, its regional news bureaus remained open in different areas including Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu City and Davao City. Some ABS-CBN Regional employees, news anchors and reporters started a news agency, Regional News Group that operates independently from ABS-CBN.
• the current affairs and documentary divisions of the ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs, tasked for programs such as My Puhunan (now My Puhunan, Kaya Mo! on Kapamilya Channel and A2Z), Matanglawin, Kuha Mo! (now Kuha All! on All TV), Failon Ngayon and Rated K (now Rated Korina) resulted to being unceremoniously cancelled. It was eventually revived around 2022 with the premiere of KBYN: Kaagapay ng Bayan.
• the comedy division of the ABS-CBN Entertainment, tasked for programs such as Home Sweetie Home and Banana Sundae, resulted to being unceremoniously cancelled. It eventually revived around 2022 and 2024 with My Papa Pi and the return of Goin' Bulilit after five of hiatus from 2019, respectively.

Due to the huge effects of the two unfortunate events, TV5 would later sign a blocktime deal with Brightlight Productions to air several shows as blocktimers on the network. Among the loaned Kapamilya personalities include:

• Piolo Pascual, Donny Pangilinan, Maja Salvador, Catriona Gray, Zephanie - Sunday Noontime Live.

Reactions

Main article: Reactions to the shutdown of ABS-CBN