‘Where will ‘Dabarkads’ go?’: Where can we (possibly) find their new home?

The conversation has morphed from being grounded to a question of ‘if’ to ‘where’ and ‘when?’

Days ago, as the whole nation knows by now, original hosts Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon, and the rest of the ‘Dabarkads’ tendered their resignation from TAPE, Inc. in a surprise announcement on the livestream of ‘Eat Bulaga.’ But the whole process that led to that decision had been well documented, from a brewing storm, until it became a catastrophic devastation in the history of ‘EB.’

But the story doesn’t end there yet. As it was reported months ago, should the departure of TVJ and the rest of the gang happens, they will create another variety show and if recent statements by the actors at play will be the basis, the show could also end up being in the noontime slot.

‘Isang libo’t isang tuwa sa ibang programa?’: Could a new ‘Dabarkads’ show be formed elsewhere?

FOR THE FIRST PART OF THIS ARTICLE

As for the working title though, it is still a murky affair as TAPE is determined to continue producing ‘Eat Bulaga,’ but without the troika that the whole nation has associated with that brand for over four decades. And so, like months ago, rumors began circulating anew that it might end up being titled as ‘Dabarkads’ should they plan to begin airing while the copyright duel between TAPE and TVJ over ‘Eat Bulaga’ is still ongoing.

For the purpose of this piece, let’s name the planned TVJ-led show as ‘Dabarkads’ to prevent confusion with the new ‘Eat Bulaga’ being planned by TAPE.

Just hours after their dissociation from TAPE, Tito Sotto says that they have formally received offers from various networks, inviting them to bring their brand and team to those turfs. He names TV5-Cignal, NET25, and RPN 9 (CNN Philippines) as the three stations that called him to send ‘feelers.’ Meanwhile, government stations PTV and IBC have also publicly expressed their intention to bring them over to their respective channels.

With definite stations now, let’s discuss the pros and cons of these possible host networks of the ‘Dabarkads’ in the second part of this ‘Futurecast’ feature from March.

The government TV stations

As it was previously discussed in the first part of this story, PTV and IBC are some of the remaining VHF TV stations left without their own noontime variety offerings. Bagging TVJ and the gang would be a big boost for either stations. The major pro is that either stations have a lot of free time, especially IBC.

But the issue lies in PTV’s commitment to cover government functions, most especially Presidential affairs — with most of these coverages cutting into programs airing on channel 4, unlike IBC. As for IBC, they are being hampered by their weak signal reach and quality, and they are still yet to improve that, while sister gov’t network PTV has a rather superior reach than them.

Should these government stations be eager to convince TVJ to consider them, they will have to join forces to create a bigger base than they currently do as individual networks. However, even with that, they are still far behind the now-former home, GMA.

NET25

The immediate edge of NET25 is that they already have TVJ in their stable as hosts of different programs on weekends. Joey has a prank comedy show ‘Oh No, It’s B.O. (Biro Only)’, followed by Tito’s current affairs show’Reality Check’. Meanwhile, Vic is joined by wife Pauleen and daughter Talitha for their anthology program ‘Love, Bosleng and Tali’ every Sunday.

But the major drawback is that the network’s reach is also lagging behind other networks on the table. Currently, they only have one analog station in Mega Manila, one digital TV station each in Manila, Baguio City, and Lucena, Quezon.

RPN 9 (CNN Philippines)

First confirmed by Tito Sotto on Julius and Tintin sa One PH, saying that an offspring of former RPN head Kitchie Benedicto has called him and is asking of they can reconsider the network. RPN was the home of ‘Eat Bulaga’ for almost 10 years, from 1979 to 1989. He later expanded the story by telling another publication that CNN Philippines anchor has also sent him a message, saying the network is willing to open its 12 noon to 3:00 pm slot for TVJ and the rest of ‘Dabarkads.’

The network is the unexpected entrant to the list. For more than 8 years, it had been airing as CNN Philippines, which has a heavy emphasis on news and public affairs programming. However, in recent years, they have also begun branching out to other genres. Notably, they have aired sports like the NBA in 2019, volleyball tournament Shakey’s Super League, beauty pageants, and even a movie block in conjunction with Reality Entertainment. With the TVJ offer, it can be seen as RPN/CNN Philippines’ progression toward a more general entertainment channel.

But that is where the problem is. Never mind the time slot, nor the network’s reach first. Should TVJ make the jump back to their old home, the station’s image as the network for “News You Can Trust” is at risk of being more diluted. If RPN/CNN Philippines is insistent in bringing back is glory days as a competitor to the now “big guys” GMA and TV5, they should seriously consider bringing back the RPN name on-air or any other brand that is not associated to CNN Philippines, which had long been cemented as a news product. The said brand can only used for entertainment shows, but the CNN Philippines name will remain as the brand for all the news shows airing on channel 9.

Now, on the time slot. The 12 noon to 3:00 pm slot is also a prime block for news, especially many press conferences and other scheduled events take place during this time of the afternoon. Should RPN/CNN Philippines want to place TVJ here, they will have to relegate these coverages to online-only.

But in terms of reach, RPN/CNN PH has 10 analog and 2 digital TV stations nationwide. They are still much smaller than the behemoths out there, but is considered to be more accessible than the other mentioned on this list.

TV5-Cignal

Last, but not the least, is also the most controversial and plausible possible partner on the list — the consortium of TV5 and Cignal.

Foremost, and the most important point as to why it sparks controversy first, the Kapatid network is already home to a rival noontime show, the ABS-CBN produced variety show ‘It’s Showtime.’ Taking in TVJ and the gang would mean that they would have to bring ‘It’s Showtime’ out of the 12 noon slot, which had only been reassigned to them just last month.

Rumors that are circulating suggest that ‘Showtime’ will move to a late afternoon/pre-primetime slot on the Kapatid network, if the new ‘Dabarkads’ show materializes. While there are some that also say that ‘Showtime’ will no longer be renewed by the Kapatid network on the slot, as their blocktime contract is rumored to end on June 30, 2023.

Reactions have been in consensus, with a lot netizens already suggesting that ‘Showtime’ should just consider dropping the TV5 simulcast and instead add that to the PIE channel. That, in itself, is already refelctive of what was already warned in a separate Schedule Suggestions article in April, where it was said that such a move could trigger backlash from ‘solid Showtimers,’ as they could regard that as letting ‘Showtime’ get the shorter end of the stick. Ergo, “should be dealt with extreme caution.”

Schedule Suggestions: How could TV5 accommodate a possible (more) overloaded noontime line-up

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Another point is the reason as to why it is possible. With TV5 having the second biggest reach in the current television landscape, with 25 stations nationwide, they have far superior reach than any other network discussed above. Apart from that, they could also leverage their sister firm Cignal TV, which has an existing partnership with ex-‘Eat Bulaga’ producer Antonio P. Tuviera’s APT Entertainment for the BuKo channel.

But still, with ‘Showtime’ in their way, TV5 has to sort things out first before they could bag the ‘Dabarkads.’

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The enthusiasm over the group led by TVJ is a testament to how much rapport and viewership base they have built over the past decades. While they have seemed to lost steam recently, the legacy of their team in the noontime slot is hard to replicate, and many would want to have their marks also imprinted on it.

With the plans for the show still kept under wraps, the loyal ‘Dabarkads’ can only hope that the new show will come sooner than later. After all, it is indeed unusual to not see and hear something new from people who have made noontime television for the better part of 44 years. Plus, competition makes television alive, so welcoming another to the game, is a development that will make everyone eager to create better content. And with that, the viewing public will always and certainly be the winner.

The group led by TVJ is still said to be deliberating on what their next move would be, such as their partner channel moving forward. So we all have to watch out on that, as that move will have implications on the local television landscape, wherever their upcoming show might be.