DZMM, ABS-CBN’s flagship AM radio station, continues to revolutionize its delivery of news with the launch of the noontime national newscast Headline Pilipinas yesterday, 12:30 p.m. on DZMM TeleRadyo on cable and ABS-CBNTVplus.
The announcement came as a welcome surprise during the station’s 30th anniversary celebration held at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City early this week that was attended by past and present anchors, reporters, and employees of DZMM 630, established in 1986 at the end of Martial Law.
Headline Pilipinas, a stand-alone program on TeleRadyo, DZMM’s news channel on television, is helmed by veteran broadcast journalist Tony Velasquez, who together with ABS-CBN Cebu’s Leo Lastimosa and ABS-CBN Davao’s Melanie Severino deliver the latest and most relevant news gathered from all over the country, giving voice to Filipinos from different regions across the country.
ABS-CBN Integrated News & Current Affairs head Ging Reyes said this is just a part of DZMM’s continuous evolution to keep Filipinos updated on things that matter to them, to help them make informed decisions in their day-to-day lives.
“We are building upon the gains of Teleradyo by transforming it into a nationwide platform. This way, DZMM continues to be relevant to our news audiences. Expect stronger programming, more current affairs content, and a fusion of style and substance that will continue to improve as technology evolves and as we become more and more present in the digital space,” she said.
Reyes led a “who’s who” list of guests at the station’s anniversary party, which featured production performances by Jona, Morissette, Kyla, Imelda Papin, Rico J. Puno, Darren Espanto, Arnel Pineda, Noel Cabangon, Jed Madela and actor Piolo Pascual, who sang DZMM’s latest station ID.
DZMM anchors Doris Bigornia, Gerry Baja, Anthony Taberna, DJ Richard, Carl Balita, Marc Logan, Gus Abelgas, and Kabayan Noli De Castro also showcased their singing talents while Radyo Patrol Reporters like Angel Movido, Robert Mano and Raya Capulong danced to the hits of the ‘80s to the present, with anchors Nina Corpuz, Atty. Claire Castro, Maresciel Yao, Toni Aquino, Jasmin Romero, Neil Badion, DJ Chacha, DJ Bea, Gretchen Fullido, and Ahwel Paz.
ABS-CBN president and chief executive officer Carlo Katigbak stressed the station’s strong commitment to public service, a core value of the news organization.
“We have two larger goals, the first is to stay relevant to our audience and continue to deliver useful information that matter to them by the people that matter to them. Our second goal is to fulfill our mission to be in the service of the Filipino people. It means we’re not just journalists and nation builders. We are also advocates that champion the causes that are closest to our values as an organization. It means that we need to help find solutions to the problems that we discuss on air,” Katigbak said, after highlighting DZMM’s many public service programs, including the Teaching Learning Caring (TLC) classroom and clinic-on-wheels that served victims of calamities in the past years.
Other ABS-CBN executives also paid tribute to the men and women who contributed in making DZMM the no.1 AM radio station in Mega Manila, and TeleRadyo as the no.1 Filipino news channel on cable.