VGC (TV network)

VGC (initialism for its parent's former legal name Villena Group of Companies) is a Philippine commercial broadcast television and radio network owned by VGC. The network is headquartered at the VGC Plaza in Parañaque City, which also serves as VGC's corporate offices. VGC is commonly referred to by its former name Radio Post, in reference to its parent company's founding newspaper The Manila Post.

One of the oldest broadcast networks in the country, Radio Post operated as the sole rebel network during World War II. Transmission lanes were set up prior to Japanese invasion of the Philippines and it gave the then-small radio station remote access, effectively protecting itself from Japanese seizure after the Post was already forced to stop selling publications in the country. Radio Post was renamed to VGC to coincide with the launching of the TV network as the company diversified its now-multinational assets.

Pioneer rebel: KZRP
Since the late 1930s, the Manila Post newspaper had already set up facilities for their upcoming radio station KZRP. However, when the Second World War began with the Japanese bombing of an American naval base in Pearl Harbor, what was then called the Manila Post Company, owned by newspaper magnate Eduardo "Ka-Eddy" Villena set up shop in Perth, Australia, and began connecting transmission lines in order to continue broadcasting without any physical reprisal from the eventual Japanese invasion of the Philippines, and Radio Post went on the air in normal-like condition on October 31, 1943. Mislabeling the KZRP transmitter in Parañaque as a transmission tower for propaganda station Philippine Islands AM, KZRP managed to stop and dismantling of transmissions by the Japanese-sponsored Second Republic.

By that point, Radio Post began airing radio serials, as well as news bulletins from around the world, free from Japanese interference, giving the currently-exiled company the nickname "rebel radio" by American forces. Radio Post was affiliated with CBS prior to Philippine independence.

Radio Post Network
After the war ended in 1945 and the Philippines' independence from the United States in 1946, KZRP officially broke ground in its domestic soil in Parañaque and in 1948 (as part of the shakeup of Philippine call letters) briefly became DZRP before being renamed as DZVC, coinciding with the "reorganization" of the Manila Post Company as VGC.

However, before the company renamed itself, Radio Post already began a chain of "networking" broadcasting stations, giving Radio Post its own slate of affiliates including San Francisco Chronicle-owned KZKR in Cebu, Westinghouse-owned KZKM in Davao, and Outlet Company-owned KZCL in Clark Air Base (later relocated to Angeles, Pampanga). All three stations were later acquired by VGC and became DYVC, DXVC and DWVP, respectively.

In the 1950s, VGC Radio expanded its reach through new markets, however as time progressed, VGC dropped entertainment shows from the radio. Currently, the Radio Post Network is an all-news network VGC News Radio. VGC Radio later purchased more radio stations, and currently owns Filipino-language talk radio network Usap Radyo. Most VGC-owned FM radio stations are not affiliated with a specific radio network, but are one of the most-listened music stations.

Television
In 1946, the Manila Post Company was granted a franchise by Congress to operate television stations. Soon after, the company set up shop and created an experimental station, simply named TV Post with no callsign. When the Radio Control Division officially granted the company a commercial license in 1948, VGC began broadcasting as DZVC-TV. "Network" television also began to rise when VGC was granted television licenses in several cities. It was believed that the first "network" program on VGC was a Manila Post newsreel in January 1949, which was relayed through Cebu affiliate DYCP-TV and Davao affiliate DXKM-TV. VGC, for all intents and purposes, became the Philippines' first television network. VGC's broadcast operation was closely associated with Eduardo Villena, being used as a vehicle to increase readership in the Post newspaper.

VGC has a long-standing relationship with The Walt Disney Company, starting with the network purchasing productions from the company (then known as Walt Disney Productions), including Disneyland and the Mickey Mouse Club.

Color television
Eduardo Villena invested heavily in color television, striking a deal with the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) to purchase imported color equipment. VGC already had programs like the Disney anthology filmed in color, so it was easy to transition to color broadcasting in the 1950's and 1960's.

Martial law
VGC was among the networks that were forced to close under the dictatorship of then-President Ferdinand Marcos. Villena, once a personal friend of Marcos, reportedly threatened the Marcos family personally unless VGC was brought back on the air. One former government staffer described such occasion as "pulling a gun and threatening to shoot" the President. Described as a "desperate apology," the government ordered VGC to return to the airwaves and resume day-to-day operations with full autonomy, along with giving VGC as much exemption as possible from regulation. Regardless, VGC retained the same editorial independence that it had before the Marcos regime rose to power. VGC remained the top television network in the Philippines for most of the 1970's and early 1980's.

Programming
As of 2019, VGC provides 83 hours of regularly scheduled network programming each week. The network provides 15 hours of prime time programming to affiliated stations Mondays through Saturdays from 8:00–10:00 p.m. and Sundays from 7:00–10:00 p.m.

Daytime programming is provided to affiliates weekdays at 10:00 a.m. through game show Whack-N-Win, at 12:30 p.m. through variety show Everest Lunchtime (also airs at Satudays), and at 3:00 p.m. through talk show The View (Philippine TV show), and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. through game show Figure It Out Philippines. VGC News programming includes Good Morning Philippines from 7:00–10:00 a.m. weekdays, 7:00–9:00 on Saturdays, and 7:00–8:00 on Sundays; nightly newscasts VGC Balita and VGC Nightly News (both subject to preemption due to sporting events), the Sunday talk show This Week (Philippine TV show), Sunday business news program World Business Weekly, early morning news program Philippines This Morning and newsmagazine W5 (Philippine TV show). Late nights feature weeknight talk show Jen, Saturday night sketch comedy Crazy Funny Nights, as well as imported US comedy shows Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (Mondays 12:35–1:35 a.m.), The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Tuesdays–Fridays 12:35–1:35) and Real Time with Bill Maher (Sundays 11:35 p.m.–12:35 p.m.).

The network's weekend morning children's programming timeslot (9:00–11:00 a.m. Saturdays) is under the umbrella branding VGC Kids. From 1997 to 2003, the block was known as Disney's One Saturday Morning, of which the then-five-hour timeslot (7:00–12:00 p.m.) was handled by The Walt Disney Company. Before One Saturday Morning, the block did not have an umbrella name, but it had the internal name VGC Saturday Mornings, and was largely comprised of Disney productions.

News and sports programming
News coverage is the most important part of VGC's operations and their public image, dating back to the company's roots in newspapers. VGC officially described themselves as a "news company above all else."

Sports programming on VGC includes the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, and the National Hockey League. VGC is also one of two networks (the other being TV5) to hold rights for the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Video on-demand services
VGC provides VOD access for delayed viewing of network programming through various means, including via its website at VGC.com, its YouTube channels, a traditional VOD service VGC on Demand on VGC Cable and Dish Network, and through streaming service CVplay (a joint venture between VGC and major affiliate Central Communications, with the BBC owning a minority stake and licensing some technologies).

VGC HD
VGC's master feed is transmitted in 1080i high definition. However, some affiliates broadcast programming in 720p HD, and all affiliates that continue carrying analog signals carry analog programming at 480i standard definition.

VGC Plus
VGC Plus is VGC's international subscription television network based at KVGC-TV studios in Bay Point, California—owned by the Villena family-owned holding company Legazpi Holdings—which distributes VGC original programming and certain imported programming (through separate syndication contracts) for a worldwide audience.