Meet the pillars of the broadcast media

MANILA, Philippines - Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato C. Corona inducted the officers for 2011 of the country’s broadcast industry organization, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP). The induction ceremonies were held last February 16 at the Dusit Hotel in Makati. It was attended by owners and representatives of radio and television stations, officers of advertising industry organizations, and officers of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

Taking their oath of office before the chief justice were Herman Z. Basbaño as chairman of the board of trustees, Butch S. Canoy as vice-chairman, Ruperto S. Nicdao, Jr. as president, Francis Cardona as executive vice-president, Alfredo “Atom” as vice-president for TV, Albert Sikat as vice-president for radio, Joselito G. Yabut as secretary, Fr. Manuel Bongayan as treasurer, and Erwin Galang, Ephraim Guerrero, and Rosario “Cookie” Bartolome as members of the board of trustees.

Since it was organized about 37 years ago by owners of private broadcasting stations, the KBP has become a pillar in the broadcast media, playing a big role in the development of the broadcast industry, the protection of press freedom and the right of the public to information, and the promotion of responsible broadcasting.

The KBP set up the country’s first functioning self-regulatory body for the broadcast media, the KBP Standards Authority (KBP-SA), in 1987. This body, which subsists entirely from funds contributed by members, is responsible for hearing complaints for violation of the Broadcast Code, a set of ethical and professional standards adopted by KBP members. Among the cases handled by the KBP-SA is the case endorsed by Malacañang to the KBP of the possible breach of the KBP code of conduct by some broadcast media in the coverage of the hostage-taking incident at the Rizal Park in 2010.

Incoming KBP president Ruperto S. Nicdao, Jr., vice-chairman Butch S. Canoy, and vice-president for TV Atom Henares.

It was the KBP that initiated the move in 1975 to popularize original Filipino compositions by requiring its members to play at least one Filipino composition per hour, later increased to three, before the executive order requiring the playing of four OPM’s per hour was issued. The KBP was also instrumental in organizing the first Metro Manila Pop Music Festival in 1978, a songwriting competition that helped promote the Filipino musical talent and gave rise to such pop classics as Freddie Aguilar’s Anak. The KBP’s latest endeavor in this field is the 2010 KBP Pop Music Festival, a songwriting competition, where the semi-finalist songs get to be aired on KBP radio stations, and the organization of Click Music Portal Philippines, a project that involves the collaboration between radio stations and composers in the creation and propagation of contemporary Filipino music.

One of the achievements of KBP as a responsible and respected media institution is that it has been designated by Congress to be among those entitled to an official copy of the election returns transmitted directly from the voting precincts during the country’s first automated elections. As a result, the KBP was able to deliver advanced unofficial results of the elections to the public through its member stations throughout the country within an hour after the closing the polls.

The KBP co-founded the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ) with the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), Philippine Press Institute (PPI), Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), and the Center for Community Journalism and Development (CCJD). This organization monitors the investigation and prosecution of cases of murder and other violent acts against journalists and coordinates the giving of assistance to victims’ families as well as to vital witnesses. 

The KBP also plays a major role in making digital broadcasting a reality in the Philippines by developing a consensus among its members on what standards in digital broadcast should be adopted by the industry. Last year, it submitted its recommendations to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and was among those that urged the NTC to convene the Technical Working Group that started work last week on the drafting of the implementing rules for digital TV broadcasting.