National Broadcasting Network, Inc. (NBN) is television network owned by the Government of the Philippines through People's Television Network, Inc. (PTNI). Its head office, studios and transmitter are located in Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City.
The GTV Network in 1978.
The country's only government television network began operations in 1974 as Government Television (GTV-4). It was renamed Maharlika Broadcasting System in 1980 and following the People Power Revolution in 1986, became People's Television (PTV 4).
On March 26, 1992, President Cory Aquino signed Republic Act 7306 turning PTV Network into a government corporation known formally as People's Television Network, Inc.
Shortly after he took over the mantle of government in June 1992, President Fidel V. Ramos appointed PTV Network's first board of directors. The Network was given a one-time equity funding for capital outlay. Since 1992, PTV has been operating on revenues it generates on its own. Republic Act 7306 stipulates that the government shall not appropriate funds for the operations of the Network.
PTNI is on full satellite transmission nationwide since 1992 using PALAPA C2. Its flagship station PTV-4, which is based in Quezon City, boasts of a 40-kilowatt brand-new transmitter sitting on a 500-ft tower. With its 32 provincial stations across the country, the network has extended its reach and coverage to approximately 85 percent of the television viewing public nationwide.
So far, PTNI has come up with the kind of programs that have earned for itself the Hall of Fame Award for Best Station and for Most Balanced Programming in 1987 and two succeeding years thereafter, from the Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA). It has, to its name, several pioneering and award-winning educational, cultural and public service programs for their relevance and production excellence. In 1996, PTV won the award for Best TV Station ID in the PMPC Star Awards for Television.
PTNI has pioneered educational and cultural programming. Some of its award-winning programs were Tele-aralan ng Kakayahan (which predated ABS-CBN's The Knowledge Channel by decades), Ating Alamin, Small World (and its successor) Kidsongs, For Art's Sake, Coast to Coast and Paco Park Presents. Today, at the core of its educational programming is the Continuing Education Via Television or CONSTEL, a program aimed at upgrading teaching skills of elementary and secondary teachers of Science and English. Institutionalized by Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), CONSTEL Science and English are being used in teacher training by the Regional and Divisional Leader Schools of the Department of Education, culture and Sports and in Teacher Education Institutions of the Commission on Higher Education.
PTNI has also been the official broadcaster of major international sports competitions. It covered the Olympic Games in 1988 with the Barcelona Olympics in Spain missing in 1992 and Beijing Olympics in China was also missing in 2008. PTNI was the carrying station of the South East Asian Games in 1991, 1995, 2005, and 2007, missing in 2009, Asian Games from 1986 to 2006 and the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in 2007 and 2009. During these coverages, PTNI has received commendations from various sports organizations. In 1996, it received a presidential citation from then President Fidel V. Ramos for the successful coverage of the Atlanta Olympic Games.
On July 16, 2001, under the new management appointed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, PTNI adopted the name National Broadcasting Network (NBN) carrying a new slogan "One People. One Nation. One Vision." for a new image in line with its new programming thrusts.
NBN expanded its broadcast reach with the launching of NBN World on February 19, 2003 in cooperation with the Television and Radio Broadcasting Service (TARBS). This global expansion signals new directions for NBN as it becomes accessible to the rest of the world, particularly the millions of Filipinos overseas. NBN can be seen in Australia, North America and the Asia-Pacific. Presently NBN is transmitting via satellite nationwide using Agila 2.