DAMMAM, 12 July 2003 — The Balitang Middle East (BME) news segment of The Filipino Channel (TFC) had hit the No. 2 spot in the top shows in ANC.
In the survey released recently by the ABS-CBN News Center (ANC), BME rated second in April. In the No. 1 spot was the Usapang Business program.
BME dislodged the institutional news segments like The World Tonight, Straight Talk, On-Line, Strictly Politics and other top-rating news and current affairs shown in ANC, according to Danny Buenafe, ABS-CBN’s Middle East news bureau chief.
Because of this new feat of BME, Ricardo “Dong” Puno, the senior vice president of the network’s news and current affairs, had offered BME to be aired in Channel 2, Buenafe said.
At the moment, only households with paid access to the cable network ANC are viewing the BME in the Philippines.
“We want the viewing public throughout the Philippines to watch Balitang Middle East for free when we get a slot in Channel 2. This is because we are catering news for and about the OFWs and we want to let their families back home watch the activities of their relatives who are working here in the Middle East,” Buenafe said.
