What next for Philippines’ ABS-CBN, the network that fell afoul of Duterte?
- Congress has refused to renew the once mighty broadcaster’s franchise, leaving a question mark over 11,000 jobs
- Bias and lewdness were among the reasons cited, but sceptics highlight its run-ins with the president, and draw a parallel to its treatment under Marcos
Now it’s just a closed building, a big question mark hanging over its fate.
“No one is certain at this point as to who will retain or lose their jobs. We are all living in uncertainty,” said Ging Reyes, head of the network’s integrated news and current affairs.
She said the company still owned the building and all its equipment. “It’s still ours. We can still produce content, ideally. We still have cable. We can do content on cable. We still have online.”
But the broadcast giant has lost the heart of its dominance – its free-to-air television and radio programming, in particular its hugely popular newscasts.
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Protesters slam president Duterte’s move to close ABS-CBN, top media group in the Philippines
The network stopped broadcasting on May 5 when its 25-year franchise expired. On Friday July 10, Congress voted 70-11 to deny ABS-CBN a new franchise, effectively shutting down the company.
