With a franchise, ABS-CBN News could do more

ABS-CBN was the darling of netizens at the height of Typhoon Rolly last Nov. 1. The network was praised for its round-the-clock reporting on the storm despite the lack of a franchise to broadcast, and was among the trending topics on social media.

While many people were happy, if not amazed, on how ABS-CBN pulled off its special coverage online and on its remaining news platforms TeleRadyo and ANC, it makes one wonder how their journalists could have done even more for the Filipinos if they were not hampered by the lack of a franchise.

Yes, ABS-CBN News reporters were still able to do live reports on various parts of the country using Wifi and mobile data. A photo posted by one its reporters, Jeck Batallones, of him and colleagues Jorge Carino, Dennis Datu, and Raphael Bosano reporting from Quezon, Batangas, Mindoro, and Aurora even received valuable social media traction as people showed appreciation for their commitment to their duty.

It would have been a lot easier though, and much better for viewers and listeners, if ABS-CBN was able to broadcast its live reports via satellite, especially as internet connection and telephone signal can get unstable and choppy during bad weather. But because its bid for a new franchise was denied last July, all of ABS-CBN’s ready broadcast equipment and infrastructure were rendered useless.

More importantly, if the shutdown didn’t happen, then ABS-CBN’s regional stations would have been there to transmit reports from far-flung areas, and organize relief efforts for families affected, as they had done for years and decades.

In one of the hearings earlier this year, ABS-CBN News chief Ging Reyes said that aside from truth-telling, it is public service that motivates every Kapamilya journalist as they brave every disaster, tell the stories behinds the statistics, and give voice to Filipinos in need.

“Every reporter, writer, producer, anchor, every editor in the newsroom knows that what we do is not just a job. It is a response to a call to tell the truth and work for a cause greater than ourselves,” she said.

Former COMELEC commissioner Goyo Larrazabal was among the first to point out how the presence of what was once the largest broadcaster in the country was sorely missed during times of emergency.

He said in a Twitter post: “You know what could have helped disseminate information about the incoming storm and how to get ready for it? @ABSCBNNews. But they were denied a franchise…so now many people are in the dark.”

In a statement released Nov. 2, erstwhile vice president Jejomar Binay also chimed in on the issue, stressing how information from media “can spell the difference between life and death.”

He added, “Sadly the closure of ABS-CBN, including its radio and regional network, has left a noticeable void that has yet to be filled by the other networks.”

This is why while ABS-CBN has found ways to reach its audiences through bringing more of its content online and partnering with other networks such as A2Z Channel 11, many people are still hoping that it will be able to use the frequencies it once held again in the service of the Filipino.

It may manage to give its best – and still be the best at what it does – without a franchise, but surely having it back on-air will be the best and most beneficial for Filipinos.