People's Television Network

People's Television Network (Filipino: Telebisyon ng Bayan; abbreviated PTV) is the flagship state broadcaster owned by the Government of the Philippines. Founded in 1974, PTV is the main brand of People's Television Network, Inc. (PTNI), one of the attached agencies under the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

PTV, along with government-owned media companies Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation and the Presidential Broadcast Service-Bureau of Broadcast Services, formed the media arm of the PCO and acts as a primary state television broadcaster that focuses on news, information and public service programming. Its head office, studios and transmitter were located at Broadcast Complex, Visayas Avenue, Barangay Vasra, Diliman, Quezon City.

As a government-run station, PTV received funding from the General Appropriations Act (Annual National Budget) and sales from blocktimers and advertisers, among others. PTV also runs two digital television channels Radyo Pilipinas - Radyo Publiko and PTV Sports Network.

In 1961, the Philippine government, through the Philippine Broadcasting Service established DZRP-TV on VHF channel 10 which it time-shared with two other organizations. It was financed by government subsidy; however, the channel was short-lived due to problems of its frequency allocation.

On September 28, 1972, after declaring martial law in the Philippines, Marcos ordered the takeover of ABS-CBN Corporation and turned over its facilities to Kanlaon Broadcasting System (KBS), controlled by Marcos crony Roberto Benedicto. ABS-CBN's facilities were later transferred from KBS to the government-owned Maharlika Broadcasting System. Under the Marcos regime, crony-owned media companies broadcast or published news and entertainment meant to project a positive image for the regime and to conceal some of its wrongdoings.

The current government television network began operations on February 2, 1974, as Government Television (GTV-4), a division of the National Media Production Center. It was first headed by Lito Gorospe and later by Press Secretary Francisco Tatad. GTV first utilized the Solana Building in Intramuros, Manila before relocating to the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center in Bohol Avenue, Quezon City. In 1976, it began color broadcasts, the last national network to do so, when it became the long time home of the Philippine Basketball Association for almost two decades.

GTV was renamed Maharlika Broadcasting System (MBS) in 1980 under the leadership of Minister of Information Gregorio Cendaña. By then, it began expanding with the opening of provincial stations nationwide, including 3 stations in Cebu, Bacolod, and Davao that were once operated by pre-martial law ABS-CBN.

MBS-4 was captured by rebel soldiers during the 1986 People Power Revolution. On the afternoon of February 24, 1986, the facilities were utilized by Radyo Veritas personnel as well as former ABS-CBN technicians and news anchors. Ad-hoc committees were formed to run various aspects of the station with Tony Santos for behind the scenes production, Fr. Efren Datu for radio operations, Orly Punzalan for TV, and Jose Mari Velez for news.