MANILA, Philippines — It has long suffered from dismal audience viewership, cellar ratings, credibility issues, and mediocre programming but no one was ever brave enough to tell the emperor he had no clothes.

For decades since its inception, it behaved like the mouthpiece of government and the lead propaganda broadcast machine. Under Greg Cendana, the station was the pet of the Marcos couple, pampering it with undetermined funds especially when elections drew near. It even lorded over the Lopez premises on Bohol Avenue after ABS-CBN was seized, the compound literally morphing into a Cendana fiefdom, replete with his own private ball court and pet deer in the gardens.

When the government station’s executives boldly decided to change its name several years ago from People’s Television to National Broadcasting Network, colleagues in the industry raised eyebrows. The switch meant the station was bent on a head on collision with commercial television.

NBN executives defended the move by insisting that the station received no funds from government and was forced to fend for itself financially to keep afloat. It was to operate autonomously and proceeded to experiment with commercial programming.

Suddenly, there were promotional ads on air despite the patent prohibition against it by government.

Today, under a new, and prayerfully, smarter management, taxpayers are pining for something worth their onerous contributions to government.

We met with new station manager Nato Caluag, a true-blue Jesuit educated communications professional with years chalked in theater, advertising, events management and everyone around him hopes that such a  background, apparently devoid of political encumbrances, would finally make good what the station is mandated and expected to do: to be the true voice of the people, not of the palace.

For starters, we hope to see more engaging hosts and interesting programs staged in brighter, better looking sets.

Among the common reasons cited by TV audiences we interviewed in the past about why they do not patronize the channel are: politicians who double as TV show hosts, the ho-hum pace of many programs, sets that make programs look like they were recorded in the seventies and a programming grid that leaves a lot to be desired.

The idea of converting the channel to a bona fide public broadcasting system was broached time and again but was never seriously considered. We know why. No politician worth his or her mettle would dare eliminate the platforms where the ruling party can enjoy unlimited, unrivalled mileage. Hence, all talk about privatization, including that of sequestered channels RPN and IBC, always fall by the wayside when elections come around the corner. How else explain the lack of political will to privatize since the idea was first raised in 1987?

In the end, the losers are the TV viewers who have grown accustomed to the fact that their lives are governed by three TV giants, not by the station their taxes support. Teachers and parents realize to their collective disappointment that the station has no program interesting enough for them or their children to even dare click the remote and try out PTV4. We have reminded previous NBN executives how vast and underserved the children, youth and stay-at home parents are in local television and no one seems to care.

The new PTV4 could use the services of expert communicators from groups like PACE and generate trendy edutainment ideas from the fertile imagination of Com Arts students.

DepEd’s curriculum specialists can sit with the station’s creative minds to fashion new programs that would capitalize on the success of landmark programs like Batibot and Sineskwela. The CCP and NCCA, groaning in local and international funds, but still  unable to bring in the desired numbers to warm theater seats, can be given their share of airtime.

So doing, we begin weaning a population so smitten with show business and allergic to intelligent stage productions. DoST, Pag-Asa and DENR can pool heads and funds together to get the word out about climate change and environmental protection using qualified broadcast experts and TV producers. DSWD has a vast collection of sob stories from  which to get young writers to churn out more believable plots. And how about a really engaging interfaith show co-produced by the office of Muslim Affairs, CBCP, INK and the various evangelical churches but hosted by youth?

But then again, please, no government officials featured as program anchors.

From DPI TV, to Maharlika Broadcasting System, to PTV 4, to NBN and now again to PTV in just three decades, channel four is the station with the most evolved identity but with the least innovated programming hereabouts.

Under a fresh management, we hope to see the dawn of better public broadcasting.