How 3 Families Transformed GMA Into the Media Behemoth it is Today

A "new era" begins at GMA Network next year. It's long-time CEO Atty. Felipe L. Gozon will be retiring. Taking over his role is Gilberto R. Duavit Jr., the current president and COO, who also happens to be the eldest son of GMA Network co-founder, Gilberto R. Duavit Sr. Meanwhile, Joel Marcelo G. Jimenez, son of the third co-founder Menardo Jimenez, was elected as the new chairman of the Network's Executive Committee. Gozon, on the other hand, will be continuing as chairman of the board and adviser to the corporation.

The Duavit, Gozon, and Jimenez families have been linked together for about 50 years as founders of the modern GMA Network Inc. Gozon, Duavit Sr., and the older Jimenez (who is Gozon's brother-in-law, as well) saved a struggling Republic Broadcasting System (RBS) in the 1970s and helped transform it into the biggest and most respected media companies in the Philippines. 

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The Origins of GMA Network

Photo by WARREN ESPEJO.

GMA has gone by many names over its almost 75-year run. Originally, GMA Network once stood as Loreto F. de Hemedes Inc. through Radio Broadcasting Station’s DZBB. It aired its first radio broadcast on March 1, 1950. By the following June, it would officially launch as a local radio station in Metropolitan Manila that was owned by American war correspondent Robert La Rue “Uncle Bob” Stewart.

When Stewart entered television in the '60s, he did so through DZBB TV Channel 7, which was mostly comprised of programs from the United States. It did have a few local programs, like Uncle Bob’s Lucky Seven Club and Dance Time with Chito, among others. By 1963, GMA Network Inc. launched its first local TV station in Cebu, the DYSS TV, which would later become GMA TV 7 Cebu. In the same year, Loreto F. de Hemedes Inc. was renamed to RBS, as well.

It wasn't exactly smooth sailing for the network, especially in the beginning. When then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. declared martial law in 1972, he would curtail press freedom and various civil liberties. Congress was shut down and so did media establishments including ABS-CBN and, yes, GMA Network.

Military personnel took over GMA, and any form of criticism against the president was silenced. Foreign citizens were also barred from owning and operating media companies in the country. This led to Stewart and the American Broadcasting Company ceding its majority control to a certain Gilberto Duavit Sr., who worked in the Cabinet of President Marcos as assistant executive secretary for social, political, and economic affairs, together with accountant Menardo Jimenez and the Stewarts' attorney Felipe Gozon. The three would restructure the company's debt, focus on local shows and stories, and upgrade its equipment.

The acquisition led to the network broadcasting in color with a P7-million credit line. It also successfully changed its name to GMA Radio-Television Arts. These initials stood for "Greater Manila Area." The RBS tag would nevertheless remain its corporate name until 1996.

Changing of the Guard

Photo by GMA NETWORK.

There were some big changes in the Philippines during the '80s that affected the network, too.

Opposition Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. was assassinated on August 21, 1983, and his death was largely unreported because of the Marcos administration's hold on programming. GMA was the only station to broadcast the funeral. The network was also the first to air a TV interview with candidate Corazon "Cory" Aquino in the following year. In 1984, Imee Marcos attempted to seize control of the network, as well, but to no avail, as executives held their ground.

GMA was vital to the EDSA uprising that toppled the Marcoses. It would be the first network to report that Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce Enrile bailed on the administration, as well. Post-EDSA would see a less shaky time for the media industry. In GMA's case, it opened its high-end live studio, the Broadway Centrum in 1987, and strengthened its local programming, especially with the addition of its 777-foot Tower of Power in the succeeding year.

International reach became GMA's target in the 1990s, which began when its Rainbow Satellite launched on April 30, 1992, which led to GMA programs being viewed all over the Philippines and Southeast Asia. Other programs found  homes in American cities and Latin America through the International Channel Network. In 1995, GMA was named the official broadcaster of the International World Youth Day, which was held in the Philippines.

Also in 1995, popular TV programs like Eat Bulaga and Okey Ka Fairy Ko! began broadcasting in GMA through TAPE Inc. The network also introduced new shows like Bubble Gang and Startalk, as well as news program Saksi with Mike Enriquez, Mel Tiangco, and Karen Davila. GMA officially changed its name to GMA Network Incorporated. Its initials would now represent "Global Media Arts."

Menardo Jimenez announced his retirement as president and CEO on December 31, 2000, with Gozon taking his place. It was Gozon who would take GMA to new heights, becoming one of the two leading networks in the Philippines during this period. Duavit's son Gilberto Duavit Jr., meanwhile, became COO. The elder Duavit would pass away in 2018.

Where GMA Stands

Photo by GMA.

Gozon si stepping down as CEO at a time when the local broadcast television industry is in a decline in terms of influence and overall reach.

GMA's main competition, ABS-CBN faced numerous challenges during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, which culminated in its failure to renew its congressional broadcast franchise in 2020. That left GMA as the undisputed number one local broadcast network. Today, however, GMA has inked several partnerships with its erstwhile rival, the former being a content platform for ABS-CBN  programs. 

As it stands, GMA Network has 95 television stations and 21 radio stations nationwide, reaching about 78 million Filipinos in both digital and analog channels. It has a “people audience share” of nearly 60 percent of the population, according to Nielsen TV Audience Measurement ratings. Its flagship primetime news program 24 Oras remains one of the top shows in the country. Its other programs, like Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho also continue to enjoy high ratings despite the evolution of the business.

Today, the next generation of Duavits, Gozons, and Jimenezes are expected to transform the network yet again.