If I were AMBS

So yes, the AMBS or Advanced Media Broadcasting System train is now starting to leave its station and is ready to roll around the airwaves of Metro Manila, with its analogue and digital TV signals being tested to see how far its signal will reach. And with it, the numerous decisions that would not only entail its broadcast and technical operations, but also its programming.

Sure, we know that the famed (and sometimes controversial) TV host Wilfredo “Willie” Revillame would be the one calling the shots in terms of entertainment programming, and it would only his sole decision on what programs that he will conceive and those what will merit on AMBS airwaves, but it does not preclude us from making suggestions or even create assumptions, and I hope Willie listens to these suggestions. The aim of this post is not to pre-empt Willie’s official announcements on the station, rather this is just a way for me to make programming suggestions and assume what would AMBS offer to the public once full-blown broadcasts begin in September this year.

I also like to make a disclaimer too to Willie, if ever he reads this: I am not an expert TV programmer in the caliber of Freddie Garcia or even Brandon Tartikoff. I just love TV and I happen to be an anime fan WHO loves TV, so I don’t in any way misrepresent myself. I am just a guy who wants to watch linear TV in the age of streaming, and I hope my suggestions and assumptions would basically help AMBS find its ground from a lens of a long-time television viewer.

So, with all the formalities on the way, let’s begin our wishlist.

I would air Anime shows. 

Yes, I think this is on top of my wishlist, and everybody’s wishlist as well. I hope that AMBS must consider airing anime shows and not just any anime show, but those anime shows that has the capability to capture the Filipino psyche. 

There are many anime titles that could best fit AMBS’ aims to be the brash new kid on the block. They could probably chase the rights for Demon Slayer, as the title is as famous as is polarizing as well. They could also air Tokyo Revengers, the new version of Fruits Basket, or yes, even Spy X Family,  or any other latest anime show that are in vogue right now.  They can also negotiate titles with Telesuccess Productions. The possibilities are endless. 

Aside from newer shows, they can also get those anime titles that were aired as early as 2014 or 2015, and there are a lot of titles to choose from. Barakamon is one anime show that can be given the FTA treatment by AMBS, or even Mahouka. I could give an exhaustive list on what should AMBS air on their screens, but that is if they listen to my suggestion. 

As to the timeslot, well, AMBS should not try to program it at the morning hour. Even if your excuse is that “many college students will watch it in the morning,”, it is not a convenient excuse to put these shows in the morning timeslot. Put a better morning show or a talker or a news program there. Anime is the bastion of late afternoons or early evenings, and it would be a good look if AMBS’s anime shows are pre-programmed before the news or before the flagship show “Wowowin: Tutok Para Manalo”. 

In any case, a strong Anime lineup will allow AMBS to be a major player and also capture that youth market that has been neglected by both GMA, TV5 and, by extension, whatever is left of ABS-CBN and its air partners (A2Z and TV5). 

I would air a Sunday Morning Talk show.  

A huge differentiator for AMBS if they air a Sunday morning political talk show, and not just any other Sunday talk show, a talk show that would make news and would entice the powers that be to speak their mind. 

Let’s face it, Sunday morning is a dead timeslot. Its already been ceded to whatever whims any network would have to air on a period where normally, people go to church. I do admit that I would also love to have anime air on Sunday mornings, but I guess the time is probably right for Philippine television to mature and finally come of age. 

And that it through a Sunday morning talker that is in the mold of the US Sunday morning shows, Meet the Press, Face the Nation or This Week. 

Picture this, a strong Sunday morning talker that would make politicos accountable for their actions, plus a rotating panel of journalists from different stations and newspapers talking about the stories of the week. Everything is free-wheeling, No pro or anti, just an exercise of our democratic right to free speech. 

Boy, I would bet my money on that. 

But of course, to make it work, AMBS needs a host with a strong gravitas.  A host that would make the overall feel and the tone of the show and that would make all the disparate elements work in a cohesive whole. 

And of course, before AMBS needs to make any moves on Sunday morning, it should build a credible news organization first. 

I would air lifestyle shows 

And of course, AMBS should also cater not just to being the home of Willie Revillame’s show. Maybe AMBS can use its connections with the empire of Manny Villar to create a lifestyle show that would be tailor made to its top audience. 

Of course, if we want it to be connected with other Vista brands under the MBV group, it should not be hard sell, meaning, while it can use the properties of the Villars across the country, it should not overtly tell people that these are the best properties in the country today. 

Be that as it may, AMBS may use these homes and villages as backdrops on shows about home renovation, cooking, DIY, or whatever. Filipino lifestyle has evolved over the years, and I think AMBS may fill the need to create shows where people would be able to just sit around and watch more lighter fare but with sense and with sensibility. 

I want to be different 

In general, I would like to see AMBS to charter a different course in Philippine television, a course far different from what ABS-CBN or GMA went

We hoped for a different course with TV5, before it was bought by Manny Pangilinan, but alas, they went in the same direction as the two networks because they thought having the same program concepts will give them that promised ratings nirvana. (spoiler alert: it did not work, to the tune of nearly P10 billion) 

Now, Is there a way for me to be hopeful for AMBS? With Willie Revillame in charge of running the show, I don’t think I would be very much hopeful especially if he plans to beat GMA, which is the current ratings leader, and a possibly revitalized TV5 under a JV with ABS-CBN (but that is if they can push the deal across, but that is another story). Willie and AMBS president Beth Tolentino must understand that the TV business that they are entering now is very much different than the TV business nearly 20 to 30 years ago, back when free to air was the undisputed leader and streaming was still just a concept. 

Today, AMBS enters a different television era, an era where every screen is a TV screen and the audience has more choice than ever before through the power of the internet. It is imperative for AMBS to be radically different to cut through the clutter of tried and tested programs, concepts, and ideas, and be bold, radical, and, yes, at the risk of being redundant, different. 

AMBS now has the money, the frequency, and the equipment (soon). The only thing it needs are creative minds and ideas who can tell Willie Revillame that Philippine TV needs the big change it deserves, and that is through the Villar-owned network. 

In short, If I were AMBS, I would try to be different. 

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