DZBB-TV, Channel 7 (analog) and Channel 15 (digital), is the flagship TV station of

Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

television network A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid- ...

GMA. The station is owned and operated by GMA Network Inc. with its studios are located at the

GMA Network Center The GMA Network Center is the headquarters and broadcast complex of the GMA Network, a major radio and television network in the Philippines. It is located at EDSA corner Timog Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City. It is the network's main television an ...

, EDSA corner Timog Avenue, Diliman,

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was fou ...

, while its analog and digital transmitter station are located at the GMA Tower of Power,

Tandang Sora Melchora Aquino de Ramos (January 6, 1812 – February 19, 1919) was a Filipino revolutionary. She became known as "Tandang Sora" because of her age during the Philippine Revolution. She was known as the "Grand Woman of the Revolution" an ...

Avenue, Barangay Culiat, Quezon City. GMA operates on weekdays from 5:30 A.M. to 12:30 A.M., Saturdays from 5:00 A.M. to 12:15 A.M. and Sundays 5:30 A.M. to 12:40 A.M. and on truncated hours during the

Paschal Triduum The Paschal Triduum or Easter Triduum (Latin: ''Triduum Paschale''), Holy Triduum (Latin: ''Triduum Sacrum''), or the Three Days, is the period of three days that begins with the liturgy on the evening of Maundy Thursday, reaches its high poin ...

Holy Week Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...

. The station serves as the originating channel, and also acts as a master control to the network's national television programming, which broadcast to all its regional stations through the GMA Regional TV network.

History

DZBB-TV traces its history to

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the seat of government and one of three defined metropolitan areas in ...

radio station DZBB, owned by ''Loreto F. de Hemedes, Inc.'',GMA Network Corporate Information
, GMANetwork.com later renamed ''Republic Broadcasting System, Inc.'' of Robert "Uncle Bob" Stewart. After the success of its radio station, the company ventured into television. On October 29, 1961, RBS Channel 7, the fifth television station in the Philippines (after ABS Channel 3 and CBN Channel 9, which were owned by

ABS-CBN Corporation ABS-CBN Corporation is a Filipino media company based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the largest entertainment and media conglomerate in the Philippines. It is a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation which is owned b ...

which now owns Channel 2 in Manila, IBC Channel 13 by the ( Inter-Island Broadcasting Corporation), and ABC Channel 5 by the (

Associated Broadcasting Corporation TV5 Network Inc., commonly known as TV5, is a Philippine media company based in Mandaluyong, with its alternate studios located in Novaliches, Quezon City. It is primarily involved in radio and television broadcasting, with subsidiaries and ...

). The television network started its operations with just 25 employees (other stations had 200), a surplus

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the ...

, two old cameras and no lighting equipment and props. The station was always in the red and Stewart was about to give up, when the program "Dancetime with Chito" suddenly became an instant hit and advertising revenues started to pour in. Canned programs from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

further sustained its success. In 1972,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Ferdinand Marcos declared

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

in the Philippines and the station was forced to shut down, though it only lasted for more than 3 months, and returned on the air in late-December of that year; the station was blocktimed by the

National Media Production Center The National Media Production Center (NMPC) was a government-owned media agency in the Philippines that existed during the regime of then-President Ferdinand Marcos. Like any government departments, it was then headed by a Secretary, and late ...

(NMPC) with limited three-month permits. In 1974, RBS, including its TV and radio stations, were sold to a

triumvirate A triumvirate ( la, triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs ( la, triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are ...

composed of Felipe Gozon, Gilberto Duavit Sr., and Menardo Jimenez who introduced a programming concept catering to the new audience. The new management acquired new equipment and introduced new programs and a new name, GMA (Greater Manila Area) Radio-Television Arts with its new identity, "''Where You Belong''" in 1978. In 1983, DZBB-TV broadcast the funeral of Senator Ninoy Aquino. At that time, it was a small item due to immediate censorship. But, the station bravely broadcast the coverage with a limit of 10 seconds on free TV. In response, President Ferdinand Marcos issued a warning to the station or else they will share the same fate of other networks, especially

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...

When democracy in the Philippines was restored in the People Power Revolution in 1986, other television stations began to air, some with their original owners. The political instability of the country also added to the station's burden, when soldiers stormed into its studios for two days in a part of coup attempt to topple then

Corazon Aquino. In July 1987, GMA introduced its new dimension in television broadcasting as the network was transmitted in full stereo, dubbed as GMA StereoVision, and became the first Philippine TV station to broadcast programs in full stereo until 1998 when it switched to the current 120 kilowatt capacity. On November 7, 1988, DZBB officially inaugurated a new 100,000 watt transmitter in Quezon City. Known as the "

Tower of Power Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. There have been a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted th ...

", which initially operated on a 50 kilowatt transmitting output from 1988 to 1998, the transmitter helped improve the channel's reception in Luzon, and was also the tallest man-made structure in the country at the time.

Digital television

Digital channels

DZBB-TV's digital signal operates on UHF channel 15 (479.143 MHz) and broadcasts on the following subchannels: In February 2013, GMA Network conduct a digital test broadcast with the ISDB-T standard via its UHF channel 27 (551.143 MHz) frequency. According to a December 2017 press release, the station's upgraded signal transmission covered the areas of

, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan and parts of Pampanga, Bataan, Nueva Ecija and Batangas. In 2018,

National Telecommunications Commission The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC; fil, Pambansang Komisyon sa Telekomunikasyon) is an attached agency of the Department of Information and Communications Technology responsible for the supervision, adjudication and control over a ...

released implementing rules and regulations on the re-allocation of the UHF Channels 14-20 (470–512 Megahertz (MHz) band) for digital terrestrial television broadcasting (DTTB) service. All operating and duly authorized Mega Manila VHF (very high frequency) television networks are entitled to a channel assignment from Channels 14 to 20. In 2019, the NTC, through a memorandum circular, authorized GMA to operate UHF channel 15 (479.143 MHz) as its secondary channel to expand the usage of channels 14-20 for digital TV broadcasts. Following ZOE Broadcasting Network's decision not to renew its joint venture ( GMA News TV) with GMA after June 2019, and a subsequent planned reactivation of

DWDB-TV DWDB-TV, channel 27 is the flagship UHF station of the Philippine television network GTV, wholly owned by Citynet Network Marketing and Productions, a subsidiary of GMA Network Inc. Its studios are located at the GMA Network Center, EDSA co ...

's analog signal for the rest of the GNTV's analog broadcast run, third-party sources reported that the station's digital signal will move to the assigned channel 15 frequency after channel 11's blocktime deal with GMA expires. On May 15, 2019, GMA Network began to transmit its digital test broadcast on UHF Channel 15 (479.143 MHz) as its permanent frequency assigned by National Telecommunications Commission.

Areas of coverage

Primary areas

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...

* Bulacan * Laguna * Rizal

Secondary areas

* Pampanga * Portion of

Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( tgl, Lalawigan ng Nueva Ecija , also ; ilo, Probinsia ti Nueva Ecija; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Ecija; Kapampangan: ''Lalawigan/Probinsia ning Nueva Ecija''), is a landlocked province ...

* Portion of Tarlac * Portion of

Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales ( fil, Lalawigan ng Zambales; ilo, Probinsia ti Zambales; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Zambales''; xsb, Probinsya nin Zambales), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon re ...

* Portion of

Bataan Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the enti ...