GMA 7 unveils plans for local news and public affairs shows

CEBU, Philippines - GMA TV-7 Cebu bested all the other regional TV stations of the Kapuso network as it was awarded "Best in Sales" for 2009 in the GMA 7 Trade Show at the Cafe Laguna of The Terraces, Ayala last Thursday night.

Senior manager for Regional TV Oli Amoroso presented GMA TV-7 Cebu station manager Ann Marie O. Tan with a plaque of appreciation for leading her team in achieving a "record high in local sales" when they "surpassed the target by an impressive 21%."

To show their gratitude for the support, GMA 7 raffled off cash prizes of P2,000, P5,000 and P10,000 to the invited press and advertisers.

The Balitang Bisdak team was in full force, led by its anchors tri-media personality Bobby "Super Bob" Nalzaro and Atty. Rose Versoza, together with the Cebuano newscast's complete line-up of senior reporters and correspondents. They gave an overview of what the Cebuano audience can look forward to in their May 2010 elections coverage as they "continue to evolve, incorporate new technology and engage its audiences in a more dynamic interface through new media."

Now on its 10th year, Balitang Bisdak covers both local and national issues relevant to Cebuano and Central Visayas viewers.

They also shared some of the upcoming episodes of the weekend documentary show "Visayan Agenda" such as in this Saturday's in-depth feature of Siquijor, wherein four of GMA 7 Cebu's reporters zeroed in on the province's tourism, health, water and electricity concerns.

But the important announcement of the evening was Balitang Bisdak's return to its previous slot as it again airs back-to-back with "24 Oras" beginning April 5th. In fact, not only Bisdak, but all regional newscasts (Dagupan's "Balitang Amianan", Iloilo's "Ratsada", and Davao's "Testigo") will now precede the national primetime newscast that is anchored by Mike Enriquez and Mel Tiangco. This now provides viewers a solid news prime block with a continuous dose of local and national news.

GMA 7 experimented on sandwiching a drama series between the regional newscasts and "24 Oras". They first aired "Ikaw Na Sana", a reunion of the Jennylyn Mercado and Mark Herras tandem and followed it with a teen series starring Joshua Dionisio and Barbie Forteza in "First Time", but as Nalzaro explained, credible surveys and research done by the network determined that the previous formula of placing the newscasts back-to-back was much more effective.

On the other hand, GMA 7 Cebu's morning show "Buena Mano" will be relaunched this Monday, March 22nd. It will now run for an hour, 7-8 am, and will welcome a new segment host in the face of radio jock and tabloid advice columnist Papa Joe. As expected, his role will be to dish out advice to Cebuano viewers who will be seeking for it.

Kapuso fans will have a lot to expect in the next months as GMA 7 promised to hold at least two mall shows each month and will once again bring the pillars of its News and Public Affairs Team in Cebu in relation to the country's nearing elections.