GMA News and Public Affairs

GMA News and Public Affairs logo with the "Serbisyong Totoo" tagline, an older logo as well.

The GMA News division traces its origin from the Republic Broadcasting System (RBS), established by Robert Stewart in 1950. The programming of its flagship AM radio station, DZBB, depended mostly on news reports. The station covered the eruption of Mt. Hibok-Hibok in 1951 and the election and death of the former Philippine president Ramon Magsaysay.

While RBS Channel 7 was established in 1961, it was in the 1970s that GMA became one of the most-watched television news source in the country. In 1983, Channel 7 was the first to break the news of Ninoy Aquino's death and later would be the only television station to broadcast his funeral. The channel also became the first station to broadcast the Ramos-Enrile break-away that led to the People Power Revolution, also known as EDSA Revolution. In 1998, GMA teamed up with The Philippine Daily Inquirer to produce the coverage of that year's election.

GMA News became a pioneer in local television news in many ways. GMA became the first TV network to be fully reporting the news in Filipino language with their late-night newscast GMA Network News in 1998 which was anchored by Mike Enriquez and Vicky Morales. GMA was one of the pioneers of women in broadcast journalism. Tina Monzon-Palma (who moved to TV5, later ABS-CBN) was one of the first female co-anchors when she first presented News at Seven, one of the most-watched news programs in the 1970s, Helen Vela was the first woman to anchor news in Filipino for GMA Balita in 1986 and Mel Tiangco was the first late-night sole anchor for Frontpage in 1999. During the time of Martial Law by then-President Ferdinand Marcos, GMA was the first to broadcast an hourly news bulletin program. GMA News Roundup aired from 1974 to 1976. The program was later replaced by GMA News Digest in 1976, GMA News Live in 1987, GMA Flash Report in 2002, GMA News Update in 2016 and in 2020 it was now rebranded as 24 Oras News Alert. In the 1980s, GMA also took the lead becoming the first ever television network to broadcast on weekday latenights and weekend primetime.

The station was also the first to use a ticker for breaking news and traffic information. In 1995, GMA News was the first to use Electronic News Gathering Vans in the country. In 2004, it regularly began to use Satellite News Gathering facilities to reach more remote areas. GMA News also covered major events in the country such as the World Youth Day 1995, 2000 Today and 2003 World Meeting of Families.

In 2006, GMA News was praised by the former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for its news coverage, and said that it was the reason for the network's high ratings. In the 2006 SWS Media Trust survey, GMA News garnered 60% of public trust, second only to rival ABS-CBN with 68%. But a similar Pulse Asia survey shows that GMA News is the more credible in the country and to key demographics.

GMA’s Public Affairs division was established in 1987[1] when Tina Monzon-Palma, then head of GMA News, recognized that a 30-minute newscast was not adequate and sufficient to inform the general Filipino public on what is happening to the recently established Aquino government after the historic People Power Revolution[2] in February 1986.[3] The public affairs division started with five news personnel including Marissa La Torre Flores (now handles GMA News and Public Affairs as senior vice president) and held office inside the cameramen’s locker room before moving into the state-of-the-art GMA Network Center with no experience, equipment, camera and an improvised set broadcasting at the old GMA building in EDSA with only a passion-to-work attitude.[1] Today this division, with more than 500 news personnel—both locally based and with international assignments—and producing 16 of the most awarded programs on Philippine television today, is one of the more active.

Weekend with Velez was the first network-produced public affairs program on GMA, afterwards renamed Velez This Week and was hosted by Jose Mari Velez.[1] Later that year it was joined by other public affairs shows such as Firing Line with Teddy Benigno (later on co-hosted by Oscar Orbos); View Point with Dong Puno; Straight from the Shoulder hosted by Louie Beltran and The Probe Team by Che-Che Lazaro and Issues and Answers hosted by Art Borjal.

From a makeshift and improvised set, the once GMA News garnered several honors and recognitions from local and international award-giving bodies, including two gold medals in the New York Festivals and their first Peabody Award in 1999,[4] one of the most distinguished merits in the broadcast industry, the only one awarded to an Asian country. The first Peabody was given for Kidney for Sale, an investigative work on the selling of kidneys in a depressed area along the coast of Manila Bay. The award also recognizes Marissa Flores as the executive producer and a team of producers, writers, directors and reporters, as well as Jessica Soho, Michelle Seva-Recto, Jay Taruc, Leogarda Sanchez and Rowel Cornejo, Melchor Quintos and Gregg Gonzales.

When the Philippine longest-running noontime show, Eat Bulaga!, celebrated its silver anniversary in 2004, Public Affairs co-produced Eat Bulaga!: Silver Special with the noontime program's production company, TAPE Inc. Arnold Clavio hosted the program with his fellow Unang Hirit host Rhea Santos. Clavio was a contestant in a former segment of the noontime show.

Coinciding with its 20th anniversary in broadcasting excellence, GMA News and Public Affairs aired a documentary entitled 20: Dalawampung Taon ng GMA Public Affairs (20: Twenty Years of GMA Public Affairs) on October 28, 2007.[5]

In the recent years, GMA Public Affairs has started producing scripted drama serials that usually tackles various issues that affect the Filipino populace.

On April 27, 2020, GMA News and Public Affairs Digital launched a podcast channel available in Spotify and Apple Podcast.[6]

• At Home with GMA Regional TV (GMA Davao and GMA Northern Mindanao and GMA General Santos)
• Balitang Amianan (GMA Dagupan and GMA Ilocos and GMA Cagayan Valley)
• Balitang Bicolandia (GMA Bicol and GMA Southern Tagalog)
• Balitang Bisdak (GMA Cebu and GMA 10 Tacloban)
• Biyaheng DO30 (GMA Davao and GMA Northern Mindanao and GMA General Santos)
• GMA Regional TV Early Edition (GMA Iloilo and GMA Puerto Princesa and GMA Bacolod)
• GMA Regional TV Live! (GMA Cebu and GMA 10 Tacloban)
• Mornings with GMA Regional TV (GMA Dagupan and GMA Ilocos and GMA Cagayan Valley)
• One Mindanao (GMA Davao and GMA Northern Mindanao and GMA General Santos)
• One Western Visayas (GMA Iloilo and GMA Puerto Princesa and GMA Bacolod)

(officially branded as GMA News and Public Affairs Digital and GMA Online Exclusives)

• Stand For Truth (YouTube, airs weeknights on GMA News TV)
• Adulting with Atom Araullo (YouTube)
• All Access with Joyce Pring (YouTube)
• ExB Rules (YouTube)
• Fact or Fake with Joseph Morong (YouTube)
• #FYI with Richard Heydarian (YouTube)
• @gmanews #tweetcap (Twitter)
• #GMAnewsfeed (Facebook)[15]
• #Goals with Gabbi Garcia (YouTube)
• TasteMNL with Arra San Agustin (YouTube)
• The Boobay and Tekla Show (YouTube)
• Thousanaire with Reese Tuazon (YouTube)

• 24 Oras Amianan (GMA Dagupan) - reverted to Balitang Amianan
• 24 Oras Bikol (GMA Bicol)
• 24 Oras Central Visayas (GMA 7 Cebu) - reverted to Balitang Bisdak
• 24 Oras Davao (GMA Davao)
• 24 Oras Ilokano (GMA Ilocos)
• 24 Oras North Central Luzon (GMA 10 Dagupan)
• 24 Oras Northern Mindanao (GMA 12 and 35 Cagayan de Oro)
• 24 Oras Southern Mindanao (GMA Davao)
• 24 Oras Western Visayas (GMA Iloilo)
• Balitang Ilokano (GMA 5 Laoag and 48 Ilocos Sur/Abra)
• Ratsada (GMA 6 Iloilo)
• Ratsada 24 Oras (GMA Iloilo)
• Testigo (GMA 5 Davao)
• Testigo Northern Mindanao (GMA 12 and 35 Cagayan de Oro)

• Arangkada (GMA Iloilo and GMA Bacolod)
• Buena Mano Balita (GMA Cebu)
• Isyu Ngayon
  • Isyu Karon Socsksargen (GMA 8 General Santos)
  • Isyu Karon Southern Mindanao (GMA 5 Davao)
  • Isyu Karon Northern Mindanao (GMA 12 and 35 Cagayan de Oro)
  • Isyu Karon Central Visayas (GMA 7 Cebu)
  • Isyu Mindanao (GMA Davao, GMA Northern Mindanao and GMA General Santos)
  • Isyu Ngayon North Central Luzon (GMA 10 Dagupan)
  • Isyu Ngonian Bicolandia (GMA 7 Naga and 12 Legazpi)
  • Isyu Subong Ilonggo (GMA 6 Iloilo)
  • Isyu Subong Negrense (GMA 13 and 30 Bacolod)
• Isyu ug Istorya (GMA Davao, GMA Northern Mindanao and GMA General Santos)
• Primera Balita (GMA Dagupan)
• Una Ka BAI (GMA Davao)