It was recently announced that President Duterte just signed a bill that would renew the franchise of the Republic Broadcasting System, Inc. (also known as GMA).
Philippine Entertainment Portal revealed that the President signed Republic Act (RA) No. 10925 which aims to extend GMA’s franchise for 25 more years.
Business World Online revealed that this law requires Channel 7 to “provide free public service time” (equivalent to 10% of all of GMA’s ad time) to the administration so that they could air public announcements and warnings, among others.
The source cited that GMA is also required to make closed captioning available for all of its programs. Closed captioning, according to Federal Communications Commission, displays audio as text onscreen. It enables those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing to understand the programs being broadcast on TV.
The US Congress also requires this in their TV programs.
Business World Online cited that GMA’s net income has increased to 72% or around 3.64 billion pesos last year.
The report said this was due to the network’s “outstanding performance in sales” and “managed growth in total spending,” particularly during the elections.
The Philippine Star also reported that Smart Communications is also set to renew its franchise.
The Philippine Star reports that ABS-CBN is also looking to renew their franchise as well. The Philippine Daily Inquirer revealed that the network’s franchise will expire on March 30, 2020.
Last year, ABS-CBN failed to have its legitimate franchise approved before the 16th Congress due to the lack of support from former President Aquino’s allies within the House. Cable operators also declined the franchise renewal.
What do you think about the President signing the bill renewing GMA’s franchise? Tell us below!
Source: PEP
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