Kanlaon Broadcasting System (KBS) will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a special thanksgiving dinner party on Friday, Nov. 13, in the brand new state-of-the-art KB Studios located along Marcos Highway, right across Town & Country Village in Cainta, Rizal.

Kitchie Benedicto Paulino, executive chair of the organizing committee, enjoins all employees, stars and talents, production and engineering personnel, and newspersons who served RPN 9, BBC 2, IBC 13, City2 Television, CNDE 4, SMI CaTV, AM and FM Radios, and Provincial Stations between 1969 and 1986 to attend.

KBS was the dominant media network in the 1970s and half of the 1980s before its TV and radio stations were taken over by the post-1986 EDSA administration.

KBS was the original “star network” and had in its stable the biggest stars of the era, like the King of Comedy Dolphy, the Superstar, Nora Aunor, the Star for all Seasons Vilma Santos, the Megastar, Sharon Cuneta, the Diamond Star Maricel Soriano, the original Queen of TV Soap Janice de Belen, the original TV Child Superstars, Snooky and Niño Muhlach; the original Queen of Talk TV, Inday Badiday; and the original Kings of Talk Radio, Johnny de Leon and Rod Navarro.

Many high officials in government today came from KBS, notably, Vice President Noli de Castro, Senators Loren Legarda and Tito Sotto, Reps. Edgar San Luis, Bobby Guanzon and Gerry Geronimo, Governor Vilma Santos, Mayor Manny Ortega, Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista, Councilors Kit Ortega and Aiko Melendez, among many others.

Many successful top TV network executives, entertainers, and media professionals in the post-1986 broadcast and media industries, particularly in the GMA, ABS-CBN, and ABC networks, trained and honed their creative, technical, journalistic, and managerial talents in the KBS companies. They include June Rufino, Salvii Casino, Mel Tiangco, Wilma Galvante, Marivin Arayata, Redgie Acuna, Vic Vianzon, Bobby Barreiro, Linggit Tan, Cory Valenzuela, Charo Santos, Kiko Evangelista, Johnny Manahan, Peque Gallaga, Butch Perez, Bert De Leon, Argel Joseph, Maria Montelibano, Nonoy Marcelo, Joe Taruc, among many others.

KBS was the first Philippine network to go on full satellite broadcast daily, the first to go on full color broadcast, and the first to employ an Outside Broadcast Van (OB Van) in its news operations.

RPN’s epoch-making coverages of the 1972 Munich Olympics, the early Muhammad Ali fights, the era-defining Aloha From Hawaii concert of Elvis Presley, the 1974 Miss Universe event in Manila, among many other international specials ushered in the concept of live global satellite programming in local television.

RPN is the original home of “Eat Bulaga,” the longest-running and consistent top-rating live variety TV show on Philippine television.

“KBS Newswatch” was the first ever live TV newscast aired nationwide via satellite, and remains as the longest-running network newscast in the Philippines today.

BBC’s City 2 “Balita” was the first ever successful Pilipino-language newscast, and predated “TV Patrol,” “Bandila,” “24 Oras,” and “Saksi” in the vernacular news format category.

City2 News’ “Tawag-Pansin” program, which was incredibly tough for its time during the Marcos regime, is the precursor of the “Magandang Gabi Bayan,” “Hoy Gising!” “Imbestigador,” and similar hard-hitting public affairs programs.

The broadcast news format of giving field reporters high on-air visibility with the anchor was first adapted by KBS News in Eyewitness Reports, the forerunner of “Newswatch,” and was ahead of “Saksi” by some 20 years.

The KBS Radio Network had the largest chain of radio stations in the country during its time. Its flagship station, DZRR, predated by more than a decade CNN’s format of 24/7 all-news programming.

City 2 Television’s original network ID helped pioneer the use of state-of-the-art digital computer animation on Philippine TV, which spawned today’s dominant visual language of broadcast image design and of television promos, shows, and programs.

Also, City 2 Television’s pioneering state-of-the-art live interactive TV Pow! game and raffles project was the first ever multi-million peso promo campaign in Philippine television, a sum of prize money unheard of in the industry before the project was launched, and helped set the trend for even bigger and larger multi-million peso TV promo projects among today’s competing networks.

SMI CaTV revolutionized the cable industry in the country when it upgraded the then prevailing community antennae business format into true cable TV narrowcasting with original shows of local origination and niche programming.

With its corporate Share-A-Home and Share-The-Joy projects, KBS helped open the floodgates for bigger and larger corporate social responsibility projects long before the term CSR became en vogue among major corporations in the Philippines today.

A capsulized history of the Philippine broadcasting industry would list the pre-martial law ABS-CBN as the network that led the first Golden Years of Philippine television (1952-1972) under the leadership of Geny Lopez and Jake Almeda Lopez with the help of industry pioneers; KBS for the second Golden Years (1972-1986) under Kitchie Benedicto and Buddy Tan with the help of former pre-martial law ABS-CBN persons; post-Martial Law ABS-CBN for the third Golden Years (1986-2000) under Geny Lopez, Gabby Lopez, and Rollie Cruz with massive support from many industry professionals who came from KBS; and, GMA the fourth Golden Years (2000 to the present) under Atty. Felipe Gozon and Jimmy Duavit with many industry professionals who came from both ABS-CBN and KBS.

While Kanlaon Broadcasting System, Inc. is actually more than 40 years old, this year’s KBS 40 reunion celebrates the inaugural broadcast of RPN Channel 9 in November 1969, which formally launched the full, large-scale media operations of the network that, in turn, opened its pioneering doors to many important innovations in Philippine commercial broadcasting and mass communications.

Benedicto Paulino said in a statement that “while the event calls for a grand happening, the KBS 40 celebration has been toned down in keeping with the times.” She also said that “the most important thing is for KBS persons to renew their friendship after decades of absence and to reminisce together the beautiful memories of an historic era gone by.”

Dennis Cabalfin, ways and means committee chair, said that the KBS 40 dinner tickets will be available at the door during the event itself, but confirmation of attendance and reservations must be made now.

Other members of the KBS 40 organizing committee are Yoly Ortega, Bibeth Orteza, Tintin Rosales, Babee Barreiro, Connie Lao, and Techie Lozarito, while Jun Eusebio,  (jmeusebio@usa.com), is the KBS 40 coordinator for the US East Coast, and Primo Sumagaysay, (primsuma@yahoo.com), is the reunion coordinator for the US West Coast.

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A different Vina Morales

It was a different and more matured Vina Morales who met with some members of the entertainment press recently in connection with the “Star Magic World Concert Tour Live in Manila” which will be staged on Friday night at the Araneta Coliseum. Vina is one of the more than 70 Star Magic talents who will perform in the fundraising concert to benefit victims of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.

Vina impressed the writers with her enviable physique, considering that she just gave birth to her daughter Ceanna. There was glow and so much pride in Vina as she talked about motherhood. “I didn’t give birth to Ceanna, it was she who gave birth to me, because I became a better person with her coming,” she said. “I feel so blessed with my life now, and I’m so thankful that I’m still here, na may anak na ako.”

About the concert, Vina said “I’m so excited about our concert [on Friday night]. Imagine kumpleto kami lahat. I’m sure the audience will enjoy seeing all their idols in one show, while being able to help typhoon victims.”

She also became a more passionate singer and she wowed us all with her soulful rendition of a few songs including “Kailangan Kita” during the press conference held at Burgoo Morato.

Three months after giving birth, Vina starting a rigid work-out while going on a diet. From 145 lbs., she’s down to 120 lbs. “If you’re really determined, you can really lose weight. Vina also feels lucky that her boyfriend of four years now, Cedric Lee, is very supportive of her desire to go back to work. “Saka, this is for my own self-fulfillment na rin,” she said.

Ms. Pelita Uy of Beginnings at Twenty Plus, Inc., one of the line producers of the show, said they intend to donate no less than P10 million to ABS-CBN’s Sagip Kapamilya. Other producers of the concert, to be directed by Johnny Manahan, are Stanley Uy, and Christian Andoy of Blue Dream Entertainment.

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings on Nov. 13 go to National Artist Cecile Guidote Alvarez, Techie Ysmael Bilbao, Winnie Castillo, Babes Suva-Alfonso, Buddy Zabala, Doris de Guia, Eli Maniquis, Gloria Garchitorena Goloy, Margaret Co Que, Gilda Custodio, Melanie A. Arguelles, Howard Dy of Dyna Music, Chula Ramos Sembrano, and Dimples Romana of Star Magic.