TV5: Experience something new

Author: The Daily Tribune
Column: Life

Tired of the same old soap opera plot? There is a new television station that promises all-original viewing for the discriminating audience progressive Filipinos who are open to changes and are willing to try new experiences, events and discoveries.

That station is TV5, a television channel brand of MPB Primedia Inc., a Philippine domestic corporation which entered into a long-term block airtime agreement with Associated Broadcasting Co. (headed by Antonio Cojuangco). It offers fresh, innovative and relevant programming, providing Filipinos with new and dynamic TV viewing experiences. TV5 will go up into a whole new level of television broadcasting by giving the general audience a different program every night. The channel will give the viewers the true power of choice by providing them with programming they may only get to see on cable all day, everyday. The not-your-usual programming blocks include reality, drama, variety, teens and toons, and movies.

People have been watching the same things over and over again. The viewing public is clamoring for a change. This is where TV5 comes in. By giving the audience what they really need, TV5 will establish for itself a niche in the television broadcasting industry.

Aside from investing in programming and content, TV5 has also focused on a longstanding barricade against exchange of information in the country, especially in the "hard-to-reach" places transmitter signal strength. TV5 has invested US$2.6 million (about P117 million) on a state-of-the-art Electrosys transmitter. This transmission quality upgrade will enable it to broadcast to a strength of up to 120KW, which Christopher Sy, CEO of TV5, says is stronger than that of other major networks in the country. Now, the common folks won't have to wrestle with the wrath of a super typhoon when they need to find a reception for their rabbit outdoor antenna they just turn on their TV sets and they can catch a glimpse of their "idols." Clear, crisp, brilliant images. "Viewers will not need an outdoor antenna to tune in to TV5. The signal they will receive may even be comparable to a cable TV signal," adds Cristopher Sy.

All of these, and TV5 hasn't even brought out the big guns yet.

When the Philippines is ready for digital television viewing, TV5 can easily switch its transmitter to distribute digital signals. Digital TV is now greatly accessible in the US, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom and Italy. Here's good news for the TV buffs: the National Telecommunications Commission will allow the use of digital television in the Philippines by 2015! Only seven years to go!

The plethora of shows will awaken the numbed nerve endings of the yuppies from 30 years old onwards. Those that are brandishing TV5's banner are: Talentadong Pinoy, Shall We Dance, Midnight DJ and 5Max Movies.

The enterprising Ryan Agoncillio comes back home to TV5, doing what he loves most hosting a talent show called Talentadong Pinoy airing Saturdays at 6 p.m. People behind the show say the contest is a testament to how varied Pinoy talents can really be. Over a million pesos will be given during the entire show season. TV5 doesn't stop with that. It will not only give the viewers a thousand and one laughs, but to the zany weekly winner, a P50,000 bonus also awaits. Shall We Dance (Sundays, 9 p.m.) has just gotten bigger and better as the princes of pirouette Victor Basa and Jon Avila join Lucy Torres-Gomez on the dance floor. It has been improved from offering not only ballroom dancing grooves, but also adding elements of sophisticated rhythms that can only be seen in jazz, street hiphop and contemporary dance. The first season will have Gab Valenciano, Mickey See, Sexbomb Jopay, Sheree, Shirley Fuentes and Alfred Gatchalian, among others, battling it out to become the next dance superstar.

TV5's other original programs include My MVP (Sundays, 6 p.m.) and Philippines' Scariest Challenge (Fridays, 6 p.m.). Packed with unexpected twists, these will surely excite every viewer. My MVP features basketball junkies who go through a boot camp and undergo different challenges that will test their stamina, agility and sportsmanship. The show features Jason Webb, Bayani Agbayani and Coach Norman Black. Philippines' Scariest Challenge, hosted by Jomari Yllana, on the other hand, will titillate the darkest corner of the participants' and audience's imagination as they are brought to haunted sites and as it subjects them to eerie experiments. People demanding variety will not be left high and dry as TV5's formidable lineup of novelty programs is all set to brighten up the rainy nights. These programs include Mys Match (Mondays, 10 p.m.) a dating game show hosted by Iya Villania and Archie Alemania, which will either make or break the love life of the searchee; and the comedy dynamic duo of Ogags (Wednesdays, 10 p.m.), hosted by Brazillian hotties Ariana Barouk and Daiana Menezes, where anybody and everybody can have their five minutes of fame if they are able to give unpredictable performances or if they are able to summit absurd challenges and outrageous gags; and Lokomoko (Fridays, 10 p.m.), which delivers fresh laughs coupled with fresh faces in the spirit of fun as people do the unbelievable things they do when they do not know that the camera is spying on them.

Midnight DJ (Mondays, 7 p.m.) features Paolo Contis, Desiree del Valle and Jenny Miller. Tuesdays will be refreshing as stories of young love in the TV adaptation of various best-selling Summit chick lit premieres on TV5. The first offer stars TJ Trinidad and Valerie Concepcion in the series titled Have Baby, Will Date. By mid-week, the audience will be given a glimpse of behind-the-scene intricacies of life in the glamorous world of a talent agency in Hush Hush (Wednesdays, 7 p.m.), while the not so glamorous life of an up-and-coming band is depicted in Rakista (Thursdays, 7 p.m.). To welcome the weekend, TV5 has Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes revitalizing their 1990s hit Batang X (Fridays, 7 p.m.). Saturday afternoons at 5 p.m. will be filled with drama, intrigue and excitement as hot young Manila stars are seen in the teen series Lipgloss.

Pulis, Pulis (Saturdays, 10 p.m.) shows real police operative drama captured in real time. Join brave officers (and even moreso, the TV5 staff) in facing the perilous frontier of underworld crime. T.E.N. (The Evening News, weekdays at 10:30 p.m.) mirrors the heartbeat of society as it covers headliners, sports news, showbiz and trivia in a comprehensive countdown of the Top 10 news stories of the day that is delivered with a fresh perspective. To give detail to the appetizing steamy showbiz news of T.E.N., Juicy was squeezed out of the box. More than just intrigues and the latest buzz, it also has entertainment, trivia, interviews and fan features thrown in. A thrifty travel buff? TV5 has something in store for you too. Travel on a Shoestring (Thursday, 10 p.m.), with host JC Gotinga, shows the viewers to different spectacular locations in the country and shows them how they can have the time of their life within a budget that will have them smiling and reminiscing about their vacation, and not be stressed of the financial obligation. The show 3R (Tuesday, 10 p.m.) means Respect. Relax. Respond. Hosts Reema Chanco, Goldee Salcedo and Sheena Sy talk about relationships (especially with energy-sucking boyfriends), sexuality, pets, Quiapos hotspots and share their views on everything essential in life with wit that lets the viewers laugh at their honest-to-god-truth opinions. The promise for innovation in programming reaches climactic proportions with Take5 (during primetime breaks), where TV5 personnel will visit the televiewers personally, telling them of whats currently happening with TV5. This will be shown in between programs and breaks.

Under Teens and Toons will be Nickelodeon (also known for being adventurous in its programming themes) shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants, CatDog, Danny Phantom, Jimmy Neutron, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go, Wonder Pets and Blue's Clues, some of which are now dubbed in Filipino. TV5 will also show animes like I-Go Youngster, Wanderings of SanMao, Shakugan no Shana, Seto no Hanayome and Transformers Armada. Locally produced shows include the music show aptly named MP3 (Sundays, 5 p.m.), presenting a carousel of videos from classic hits to dance music. Toogs (weekends, 11:30 a.m.) is a secret password to open the doors to fun experiences, fun adventures and creative learning. Hosted by three of the most sought-after child wonders, BJ Forbes and Charice and Charlotte Hermoso, the show will bring kids to a variety of environments, where they are able to do a lot of productive activities.

To cap off the already breathtaking lineup, TV5 gives us a Philippine first 5Max Movies which air at 8 p.m. every weeknight. Appearing nightly with an impressive lineup of titles that are sure to be blockbuster hits starting with Unitel films critically acclaimed movies Inang Yaya starring Maricel Soriano, Crying Ladies with Sharon Cuneta and La Visa Loca with Robin Padilla. TV5 shall also show super blockbuster hits such as Spiderman, Terminator, Bad Boys, Maid In Manhatan, 13 Going On 30, and if go on I might convert this to a two-page column.

With the coming of TV5, we all will have something new to look forward to.

Source: The Daily Tribune