DWWX-TV

DWWX-TV traces its history to the first Philippine television station DZAQ-TV, owned by Bolinao Electronics Corporation. In 1949, James Lindenberg, owner of BEC, became the first applicant for a congressional license to establish a television station in the Philippines. His application was granted on June 14, 1950. Because of the strict import controls and the lack of raw materials needed to open a TV station during those days, Lindenberg branched to radio broadcasting instead.

Judge Antonio Quirino, brother of then President Elpidio Quirino, also tried to apply for a license but was denied. He later acquired shares of stock from BEC, gained controlling interest and renamed the company from BEC to Alto Broadcasting System (ABS).

DZAQ-TV began commercial television operations on October 23, 1953, the first fully licensed commercial television station in the Philippines. The first program that aired was a garden party at the Quirino residence in Sitio Alto, San Juan. After the premiere telecast, the station followed a four-hour-a-day schedule, from six to ten in the evening.

The first program broadcast at 6:00 PST during the sign-on/opening ceremony with the playing of the national anthem of the Philippines "Lupang Hinirang", followed by an announcement of that day's programs and the commencement of ABS television programming.

On June 16, 1955, Republic Act No. 1343 signed by President Ramon Magsaysay granted Manila Chronicle owner Eugenio Lopez, Sr. and former Vice President Fernando Lopez, a radio-TV franchise from the Congress and immediately established Chronicle Broadcasting Network (CBN) on September 24, 1956, which initially focused only on radio broadcasting.[1][2] On February 24, 1957, Lopez called Judge Quirino to his house for breakfast and ABS was bought under a contract written on a table napkin. The corporate name was reverted to Bolinao Electronics Corporation immediately after the purchase of ABS.

With the establishment of DZXL-TV 9 of CBN on April 19 (or July[3]), 1958,[4] the Lopez brothers controlled both television channels in the archipelago, and plans were underway to build a new headquarters for the network in Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City, which was officially opened at the same year, and later became the official studios for Channels 3 and 9. The monopoly in television was broken in 1960 when DZTV-TV 13 was established by the Inter-Island Broadcasting Corporation (now Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation) (IBC), then owned by Dick Baldwin. By 1961, with the official launch of its first ever regional station in Cebu, the ABS-CBN brand was officially used for the first time on the station in newspaper ads promoting the first ever locally produced television dramas, Hiwaga sa Bahay na Bato and Mga Bayani sa Kalawakan.

Channel 3 started test color broadcasts in 1963.

In 1966, ABS-CBN became the first TV station to broadcast selected shows in color and on February 1, 1967, the company was renamed ABS–CBN Broadcasting Corporation. This company became the formal merger of the two stations DZAQ-TV 3 (ABS) and DZXL-TV 9 (CBN).

On December 18, 1968, ABS-CBN opened its present-day Broadcast Center complex in Bohol Avenue, Quezon City; it was then the second most advanced broadcasting facility of its kind during its time in Asia after NHK in Japan.

On November 14, 1969, DZAQ-TV transferred to channel 2, the current and permanent positioning frequency of the station,[5] while its sister station DZXL-TV transferred to channel 4. This was in response to frequency adjustments; the television station of the Kanlaon Broadcasting System (now Radio Philippines Network) was launched and occupied the Channel 9 frequency with DZKB-TV as its call sign, a month earlier on October 15.

When then President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law with Proclamation No. 1081 on September 23, 1972, the station was forced to shut down. The company was seized from the Lopezes, acquired by a Marcos crony named Roberto Benedicto and its newly built Broadcast Center became the home of state-run TV stations, Kanlaon Broadcasting System (KBS Channel 9), Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Channel 2, with call sign DZAQ-TV changed to DWWX-TV), and Government Television (GTV Channel 4, with call sign DZXL-TV changed to DWGT-TV and later renamed MBS-4) from late 1973 onward, the latter two stations were originally owned by ABS-CBN. BBC 2 and KBS 9 later relocated to the Broadcast City complex in 1978, which is also where the Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) (originally from San Juan) is today currently headquartered.

As the People Power Revolution broke out and the dictator's grip on power crumbled, the reformists in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (who were also supporters of Corazon Aquino) saw that TV would be a vital asset for victory. Thus, at 10 a.m. on February 24, 1986, they attacked and took the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center that was then the home of MBS-4. The station later became People's Television Network (PTV) that afternoon, with the broadcasts spearheaded by former ABS-CBN talents and newsreaders.

After Marcos was deposed during the People Power Revolution, the Benedicto networks BBC, RPN and IBC were sequestered by the government. DWWX-TV Channel 2 was returned to the Lopezes but DWGT-TV Channel 4 remained with the government.

On September 14, 1986, ABS-CBN went back on the air, broadcasting (after almost less than 2 months of test broadcasts) from what used to be their main garage at Broadcast Center in the pre-Martial Law days. President Corazon Aquino together with the staff managed to re-open its facilities after the revolution. Back then they had to share space in the building that was rightfully their own, which was then occupied for the most part by the government TV station Channel 4. Cash was low and resources stretched to the limit, with offices being made to double as dressing rooms and basics such as chairs, tables and phones in short supply during the months ABS-CBN stayed at the old Chronicle Building in Pasig. By late 1986, the network declined, ranking last among the five stations and suffering heavy losses. Eugenio "Geny" Lopez Jr. by early 1987 brought in Freddie Garcia, then working for GMA Network, and tasked him to revive the then-ailing network.

At first, the Channel 2 logo is introduced into ABS-CBN, after the dissolution of BBC in March. The features of the logo was a wing-shaped blue crest with a white curve at the top and a white line as a tail, the Broadway 2 logo was used from 1986 to 1987. It had a slogan name Watch Us Do It Again! as the station ID aired since the network's revival together with Sharing A New Life With You! as another slogan name.

Six months later on March 1, 1987, Channel 2 was relaunched with the live musical special, The Star Network: Ang Pagbabalik Ng Bituin (The Return of the Star) which noted for the famous numerical white tri-ribbon channel 2 logo laced with a white rhomboidal star (from 1988 to 1992 the ribbons were tri-colored in red, green and blue) as a centerpiece of the network's revival to return its glory days when the station ID was first aired during the relaunch. By 1988, ABS-CBN was topping the number one ratings, a position it had never relinquished for 16 years. Channel 4 would later move out of the area for a new broadcasting complex (Government Information and Media Center Building) and the new 500 ft (150 m) transmitter tower situated in Visayas Avenue, Quezon City as Channel 2 regains full control of the facility on January 22, 1992. On December 11, 1988, it launched nationwide domestic satellite programming with its broadcast of Australian television miniseries titled A Dangerous Life and by 1994, it expanded its operations worldwide.

On June 29, 1999, Eugenio Lopez Jr. died of cancer in Hillsborough, California. Channel 2 launched its 120-kilowatt Millennium Transmitter, resulting in improved signal quality throughout Mega Manila.

In 2000, ABS-CBN launch the new station ID, "Out of the Box into the new Millennium", featuring the "ABS-CBN Millennium Overture', composed by Ryan Cayabyab. The station ID featured the past ABS-CBN logos, zooming into the last look of the old logo; then, the transformation of the new logo, with the wordmark in new current font, replacing black square box frame into grey square/crystal plane.

In 2005, ABS-CBN re-upgraded its transmission capacity into a very high capacity of 346.2 kilowatts (60 kW TPO), resulting in an even clearer signal in Metro Manila.

On February 11, 2015, ABS-CBN launched its digital broadcast on ISDB-T with the launching of ABS-CBN TV Plus.

From May 9, 2016 (the day of the 2016 Philippine general election), ABS-CBN is broadcasting for 24 hours with O Shopping as its overnight programming. The network still signs-off every Tuesday for its regular transmitter maintenance and the annual Paschal Triduum of Holy Week for its annual Holy Week maintenance. However, as O Shopping suspended its broadcast on ABS-CBN on April 21, 2020, due to the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the network temporarily ceased its round-the-clock operations and reduced back to regular broadcast hours.

The sign-off message broadcast by DWWX-TV (ABS-CBN Manila) before stopping all broadcasts at 7:52 pm (PST) in compliance with the NTC order

On May 5, 2020, following the expiration of the network's franchise and the issuance of cease and desist order by the National Telecommunications Commission, the station signed off after the airing of news program TV Patrol.[6]

NTC gave ABS-CBN ten days to explain why its frequencies should not be recalled. There has been some criticism of the decision as politically motivated. The station officially signed off on 7:52 pm, local time. On May 7, ABS-CBN, through its lawyers, filed a petition for a temporary restraining order (TRO) with the Supreme Court of the Philippines to stop the implementation of the NTC's cease-and-desist order and thus allow DWWX-TV as well as other ABS-CBN TV and radio stations across the country to return to the airwaves whilst legislative proceedings related to ABS-CBN's franchise renewal are still ongoing.[7] On May 19, 2020, the Supreme Court asked the NTC and the House of Representatives to comment on ABS-CBN's request for a TRO and is to be tackled on July 13, 2020.

On May 13, 2020, a bill to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise (which will allow DWWX-TV and other ABS-CBN TV and radio stations to return to the airwaves whilst legislative proceedings concerning its application for a longer-term franchise are still ongoing) until October 31, 2020 was approved at the House of Representatives on second reading.[8] The approval on second reading was withdrawn on May 18, 2020 after some members wanted to avoid questions over the constitutionality of holding the first and second readings on the same day but during interpellations, some members wanted to proceed directly to franchise hearings as well. On May 19, 2020, the House of Representatives decided to forego the hearings on a bill seeking to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise until October 30. Instead, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said they will go straight to hearings on granting the media giant a fresh 25-year franchise, which he said may take place even during the annual Congressional recess in preparation for the new session.[9]

On July 10, 2020, the House finally ended the hearings of the network's new fresh 25-year franchise application, and it denied it as 70-11 votes to deny the application, putting the network in danger of losing up to ₱50,000,000 per day of shutdown.

On September 10, 2020, the National Telecommunications Commission issued an order recalling all frequencies of the network as it no longer obtains a valid Congressional franchise to continue operating.[10]

The network returned on free television the following month when ABS-CBN partnered with ZOE Broadcasting Network through its blocktime agreement to air A2Z on ZOE's VHF channel 11.

UHF Channel 43 (647.143 MHz)¹

UHF Channel 16 (485.143 MHz)

Notes:

¹ ABS-CBN airs the additional channels using this frequency through a blocktime agreement between the network and AMCARA Broadcasting Network.
² These channels are exclusive to the TV Plus, a digital set-top box marketed by the network. Access to these channels require a free one-time activation through SMS.
³ Kapamilya Box Office or KBO Channel is accessible through paid activation through SMS on any mobile network. KBO consists of films and Myx block that is refreshed every week.[11]