There's no doubt about it---from the last Nielsen surveys, TV5 has outgunned, outstripped and outplayed ABS-CBN 2. That 20 plus rating over some 18 or 19 plus rating over ABS-CBN 2 was something out of the extraordinary. ABS-CBN has lorded it over the airwaves since the 90's, and even the trumpeted comeback of the Kabayan did not arrest the slide of the Lopez-owned network.
And sincerely, please give the hard-working creative team of producers and editors the applause. Willie Revillame may claim wholly or in part, the credits, but I think it was really the entire team that made this possible.
Every single individual in the industry knows that this will happen sooner or later. People are really tired of seeing bloodied individuals on their tele. People are tired of the mayhem, the inexplicable corruption and the unresolved maladies of this country that they hope that at least when they went back to their homes, they would, at least see something beautiful in their television screens.
I am not saying that we will all paint a Matrix-like reality in our teles---we will be doing the Filipino People a great disservice.
What the Filipino masses expect us from the news industry is some simple gesture of how best we can serve them by at least being part of the solution, instead of being always the harbinger of bad news.
Gone are the days when we see journalists being asked to mediate in a crisis situation, or Kabayan blasting erring government officials away.
When TV Patrol pitted itself against Willing Willie, the odds are really astounding. You can't defeat someone who always make people smile by giving them entertainment or at least money.
TV Patrol, honestly, is not the same thing that it was several years ago. The reason why people always tune in is because they expect fireworks between the Kabayan and several erring officials.
Kabayan was, at that time, the representative of the common man, who longs for answers and expect at least some assault against those who err in government.
Clearly, people have suppressed feelings of what's happening around them. They want somebody who'll express it for them. And Kabayan is not dishing out the same aplomb and the same fire which people expect of him.
And who will do it for them?
How can ABS-CBN 2 for example, protect or champion worker's rights, when the Lopez-owned network continues to be one of the biggest anti-labor business organization in the country?
How will ABS-CBN 2 for example, champion human rights when its big executives trample the rights of their employees especially those members of the network's union every single act of violation of labor rights?
And how will ABS-CBN 2, for example, criticize this administration or at least picture itself as "neutral", when it clearly shows its partiality every single network ad, from ABS to ANC?
For his part, Kabayan seems unwilling to don the crusader's cap simply because of his previous association with political personalities. Kabayan has lost the trust and confidence of the people because most of them now think that he is a politico.
Likewise, despite the glitz and glamour and new technology, ABS-CBN, to some, is age-ing. People are tired of seeing those old faces with age-old antics in their screens. What they expect are new stars that would really represent the masses.
TV5 has positioned itself most excellently, probably identifying the right target audience and probably recognizing early on, the trends in television viewing. TV5 is leading in innovating the television experience, not through technology, but through content, which is more important.
TV5 will continue to dominate the airwaves despite an injunction against Revillame. Revillame has sparked his revolution in TV5, and clearly, this cannot be undone. This is like when RPN9 made headway in pioneering the Spanish telenovela trend or when GMA7 led the industry in news innovation.
What TV5 has demonstrated is that the most creative wins in an industry where innovation is not about technology, but about people.
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