Charo Santos: I choose my battles
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Inquirer
Last updated 01:45am (Mla time) 06/26/2006
CHARO SANTOS, ABS-CBN executive vice president and channel head, was discussing a favorite book, Bill Carter's “Desperate Networks,” when talks turned to "originality" in television.
Santos said: “The genres are [still] the same: drama, sitcom, talk show, variety, talent search. How you tweak it [makes the difference]. In the end, [success lies] in the way your show's characters connect with the viewers. It's in the writing, in the storytelling.”
Controversial
Inquirer Entertainment was reminded of a controversial statement from Wilma Galvante, GMA 7 senior vice president for entertainment, who insisted in a June 15 story that the Kapuso channel "doesn't need to buy [a foreign franchise and] to get other people's ideas."
The question begged to be asked: Can anyone still claim originality in the world of television.
Maloli K. Espinosa, vice president for Government, Corporate Affairs and PR, picked it up: "No one has a monopoly on originality."
Santos demurred: "Here come the intrigues … I read that story and all I can say is, more power! Kudos to those who can come up with original ideas. There is room for everyone. It's best to focus our energies on improving the quality of our [existing] programs. Kanya-kanya 'yan (We each have our own styles). Let's think of the best strategies for our respective networks."
Pressed to comment on Galvante's opinions, Santos said, shrugging: "She's my kumare (friend). The next time I see her, I'll tease her about that."
She said she was not easily provoked.
"I've been through a lot. It’s been a very painful journey these past two years," Santos said. "ABS-CBN went through a crisis, followed by the Ultra tragedy… At this point, I've realized that one has to choose one’s battles. You cannot just quarrel with everyone. I still believe that rivalry can be healthy; it doesn't have to be destructive."
But what is her stand on franchising?
"I'm all for it. If there's a good concept from abroad that could be a hit among our viewers, I don't see anything wrong … in tweaking it to suit our culture and the needs of our viewers."
She offered "Pinoy Big Brother" as example. "Abroad, 'Big Brother' is kinda soft-porn, but we've given it a different [personality]."
Since ABS-CBN couldn't possibly focus on sex, Santos said, "We centered on the housemates' personalities. You may nave noticed that the big winners of 'PBB' have all shown strength of character and courage. They stand for something."
And they're all women.
More resilient
"What can say? Women are more resilient, patient and nurturing," she said, laughing.
She volunteered that majority of Kapamilya loyalists is, in fact, composed of women. "We have a large segment of A-B-C females … those with purchasing power. Mothers decide what to buy for the home."
She insisted that "Pinoy Dream Academy," the latest incarnation of "PBB," was not cooked up as a direct competitor of another foreign franchise, "Philippine Idol" on ABC 5.
"'PDA' is based on Endemol's 'Star Academy' and TV Azteca's 'La Academia.’ We're getting the best ingredients from the two concepts, but we're improvising and whipping up our own version. We first looked into 'Academy' three to four years ago," she said.
The "Idol" franchise was initially offered to ABS-CBN, Santos confirmed.
"It was during the time of [former network president] Freddie Garcia, but we had some problems ... we couldn't make expensive calls then," she said, chuckling.
Kapamilya's game plan is to go global, she pointed out.
"When it comes to programming, we are addressing not only our viewers in the Philippines, but also Filipinos all over the world. And we're not limiting ourselves to TFC (The Filipino Channel) subscribers. Ten countries in Africa have bought our soaps. 'Pangako sa 'Yo' and 'Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas' are popular in Kenya. Jericho Rosales and Kristine Hermosa are big stars in Malaysia."
Balancing act
She also observed that Kapamilya viewers in "North America prefer drama to fantaseryes."
"I need to constantly strike a balance between local and foreign audiences. Our prime time programming is a balancing act," she said.
Speaking of which, she reiterated that the network's initiative to move "Bandila" (the late-night newscast) to 10:30 p.m. was an attempt to "respond to viewer feedback" and attain balance—that word again—in programming.
"I believe that one hour of news (when viewers are still awake) within 20 hours of programming is not enough. Now, we'll have Current Affairs shows three nights a week. Entertainment took only two nights: Monday (for "OK Fine … Oh Yes") and Friday (for "Aalog-Alog"). This shouldn't be seen as a rivalry between News and Entertainment."
As overall channel manager, she said she was expected to see the big picture. "I value the same things as the News people: information and analysis of issues."
Inquirer
Last updated 01:45am (Mla time) 06/26/2006
CHARO SANTOS, ABS-CBN executive vice president and channel head, was discussing a favorite book, Bill Carter's “Desperate Networks,” when talks turned to "originality" in television.
Santos said: “The genres are [still] the same: drama, sitcom, talk show, variety, talent search. How you tweak it [makes the difference]. In the end, [success lies] in the way your show's characters connect with the viewers. It's in the writing, in the storytelling.”
Controversial
Inquirer Entertainment was reminded of a controversial statement from Wilma Galvante, GMA 7 senior vice president for entertainment, who insisted in a June 15 story that the Kapuso channel "doesn't need to buy [a foreign franchise and] to get other people's ideas."
The question begged to be asked: Can anyone still claim originality in the world of television.
Maloli K. Espinosa, vice president for Government, Corporate Affairs and PR, picked it up: "No one has a monopoly on originality."
Santos demurred: "Here come the intrigues … I read that story and all I can say is, more power! Kudos to those who can come up with original ideas. There is room for everyone. It's best to focus our energies on improving the quality of our [existing] programs. Kanya-kanya 'yan (We each have our own styles). Let's think of the best strategies for our respective networks."
Pressed to comment on Galvante's opinions, Santos said, shrugging: "She's my kumare (friend). The next time I see her, I'll tease her about that."
She said she was not easily provoked.
"I've been through a lot. It’s been a very painful journey these past two years," Santos said. "ABS-CBN went through a crisis, followed by the Ultra tragedy… At this point, I've realized that one has to choose one’s battles. You cannot just quarrel with everyone. I still believe that rivalry can be healthy; it doesn't have to be destructive."
But what is her stand on franchising?
"I'm all for it. If there's a good concept from abroad that could be a hit among our viewers, I don't see anything wrong … in tweaking it to suit our culture and the needs of our viewers."
She offered "Pinoy Big Brother" as example. "Abroad, 'Big Brother' is kinda soft-porn, but we've given it a different [personality]."
Since ABS-CBN couldn't possibly focus on sex, Santos said, "We centered on the housemates' personalities. You may nave noticed that the big winners of 'PBB' have all shown strength of character and courage. They stand for something."
And they're all women.
More resilient
"What can say? Women are more resilient, patient and nurturing," she said, laughing.
She volunteered that majority of Kapamilya loyalists is, in fact, composed of women. "We have a large segment of A-B-C females … those with purchasing power. Mothers decide what to buy for the home."
She insisted that "Pinoy Dream Academy," the latest incarnation of "PBB," was not cooked up as a direct competitor of another foreign franchise, "Philippine Idol" on ABC 5.
"'PDA' is based on Endemol's 'Star Academy' and TV Azteca's 'La Academia.’ We're getting the best ingredients from the two concepts, but we're improvising and whipping up our own version. We first looked into 'Academy' three to four years ago," she said.
The "Idol" franchise was initially offered to ABS-CBN, Santos confirmed.
"It was during the time of [former network president] Freddie Garcia, but we had some problems ... we couldn't make expensive calls then," she said, chuckling.
Kapamilya's game plan is to go global, she pointed out.
"When it comes to programming, we are addressing not only our viewers in the Philippines, but also Filipinos all over the world. And we're not limiting ourselves to TFC (The Filipino Channel) subscribers. Ten countries in Africa have bought our soaps. 'Pangako sa 'Yo' and 'Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas' are popular in Kenya. Jericho Rosales and Kristine Hermosa are big stars in Malaysia."
Balancing act
She also observed that Kapamilya viewers in "North America prefer drama to fantaseryes."
"I need to constantly strike a balance between local and foreign audiences. Our prime time programming is a balancing act," she said.
Speaking of which, she reiterated that the network's initiative to move "Bandila" (the late-night newscast) to 10:30 p.m. was an attempt to "respond to viewer feedback" and attain balance—that word again—in programming.
"I believe that one hour of news (when viewers are still awake) within 20 hours of programming is not enough. Now, we'll have Current Affairs shows three nights a week. Entertainment took only two nights: Monday (for "OK Fine … Oh Yes") and Friday (for "Aalog-Alog"). This shouldn't be seen as a rivalry between News and Entertainment."
As overall channel manager, she said she was expected to see the big picture. "I value the same things as the News people: information and analysis of issues."
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