Palawan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), also known by its call sign
DYPR, was the first local radio station to serve the island of
PalawanPalawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...
, the
PhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. It was established in 1965, in the capital
Puerto Princesa CityThe City of Puerto Princesa is a city located on the western provincial island of Palawan, one of 80 provinces which make up the Philippines...
, by Ramon Oliveros (Ray Oliver) Decolongon.
The station faced many difficulties in its early years. Although Palawan could receive some broadcasts from
ManilaManila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
and neighbouring
VisayanThe Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
islands, radio ownership among the 20,000-strong population was not high. The Tinio Electric Plant provided electricity only from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and to less than half the population. Then, in 1966, Decolongon was killed in a plane crash: his father, Emilio Decolongon, took over as company president.
In September 1972
martial lawMartial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
was declared throughout the Philippines and all broadcasting stations were shut down, but DYPR was able to reopen fairly quickly after making its case as a provider of essential services. The station had become a part of the communications of the island, broadcasting urgent personal messages—known as
Panawagans—as a free service to the community. , radio broadcast languages include
TagalogTagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
and
IlocanoIlokano or Ilocano is the third most-spoken language of the Republic of the Philippines....
, and DYPR is affiliated to Radio Mindanao Network, Inc. (RMN).
In 1986, PBC began television broadcasts. It is now also affiliated to
ABS-CBNABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...
, which provides some television content.
DYPR timeline
- 1965 DYPR-AM 765 kHz launched, broadcasting from 1 kW transmitter
- 1978 DYPR-AM increased to 5 kW
- 1981 DYPR-FM 99.9 MHz launched
- 1986 DYPR-TV Channel 7 launched, broadcasting at 20 kW
- 1989 DYPR-AM increased to 10 kW
- 1991 increased to 100 kW
DYPR TV stations
Cable TV Stations in Palawan:
- Calamianes Cable Television, Inc.-Coron, Palawan
- Culion CATV Services, Inc.-Culion, Palawan
- Cuyo Cable TV Corporation-Cuyo, Palawan
- Global Destiny Cable-Puerto Princesa
- Palawan Cable Television Corporation-Puerto Princesa
- Puerto Princesa CATV, Inc.-Puerto Princesa
- Roxas Cable Television, Inc.-Roxas, Palawan
- Taytay CATV Service-Taytay, Palawan
- Treasure Cable Television, Inc.-Cuyo, Palawan
- Vinta Cable Services-Brooke's Point, Palawan
- Vinta Cable Services-Narra, Palawan
DYPR Radio Stations
- DYPR-AM 765 kHz
DYPR-AM is a commercial broadcast radio station owned and operated by Palawan Broadcasting Corporation, located in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan....
- DYPR-FM 99.9 mHz (99.9 The Rhythm)
Further reading
Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas Association of Broadcasters of the Philippines