MovieGoer
Pinoys in US hooked on TFC
Nestor Cuartero
JUST GOT BACK from a long vacation in the States, where many Filipino households, we discovered, are hooked on TFC, or The Filipino Channel. In North America alone, TFC, the international arm of ABS-CBN, claims viewership of 995,000. Worldwide, it has approximately 1.6 million viewers.
In the past, says our old friend, Dolly Atienza of Bellflower in LA County, admitting that one was a regular and loyal follower of Philippine-made soap operas or ‘Wowowee’ was a source of embarrassment. Not anymore.
‘Filipinos now discuss openly how entertaining Wowowee has become, like it was a source of national pride,’ according to Dolly.
In offices, Pinoy workers exchange stories about how ‘Maging Sino Ka Man’ or Walang Kapalit turned out the night before. Each one has a theory or a sub-plot to offer as friends and family members dissect every twist and turn in these popular nightly dramas.
Their last point of conjecture revolved on the following issues. Is Tomas Arroyo (Bembol Roco) the missing father of Eli (John Lloyd Cruz)? Is Amang (Phillip Salvador) the real father of JB (Sam Milby)?
* * *
THE WAY FILIPINOS in many households discuss the many conflicts posed by these soap operas, one would think they’re talking about their own family members back home. Noel and his best friend, Cesar, who are both devoted family men, go as far as updating one another on what transpired the night before in case one missed catching it on TFC because of either work or errand. In which case, the two men alternate in recording episodes they stand to miss. in many households discuss the many conflicts posed by these soap operas, one would think they’re talking about their own family members back home. Noel and his best friend, Cesar, who are both devoted family men, go as far as updating one another on what transpired the night before in case one missed catching it on TFC because of either work or errand. In which case, the two men alternate in recording episodes they stand to miss.
One time, Cesar asked Noel as they spoke about Jackie (Bea Alonzo) and Eli, Celine (Anne Curtis) and JB, Melanie (Claudine Barretto) and Noel (Piolo Pascual), on the office phone: ‘You think someone might be listening to our conversation?’
Everywhere we went, from Orange County in Southern California to Redding in the North, Filipinos had a thing or two to say about Eli and Jackie, Celine and JB, and the great Willie R of ‘Wowowee.’ I think the beauty of it all lies in the new-found pride Filipinos abroad have found in Filipino-produced programs.
Dolly says these shows are being patronized by not just Filipinos from the lower classes but also those from the upper classes.
‘The drama shows are generally good, they’re comparable to films,’ says Marie, a long-time nurse from Garden Grove. Marie laments that since she got hooked on TFC’s dramas, ‘TV Patrol’ and ‘Bandila,’ she has lost track of her American soap operas. They air on the same evening timeslots.
Watching Filipino programs regularly has also served another purpose. It has galvanized conversations in households, making it interactive, in a manner of speaking.
http://www.tempo.com.ph/news.php?aid=30330
Pinoys in US hooked on TFC
Nestor Cuartero
JUST GOT BACK from a long vacation in the States, where many Filipino households, we discovered, are hooked on TFC, or The Filipino Channel. In North America alone, TFC, the international arm of ABS-CBN, claims viewership of 995,000. Worldwide, it has approximately 1.6 million viewers.
In the past, says our old friend, Dolly Atienza of Bellflower in LA County, admitting that one was a regular and loyal follower of Philippine-made soap operas or ‘Wowowee’ was a source of embarrassment. Not anymore.
‘Filipinos now discuss openly how entertaining Wowowee has become, like it was a source of national pride,’ according to Dolly.
In offices, Pinoy workers exchange stories about how ‘Maging Sino Ka Man’ or Walang Kapalit turned out the night before. Each one has a theory or a sub-plot to offer as friends and family members dissect every twist and turn in these popular nightly dramas.
Their last point of conjecture revolved on the following issues. Is Tomas Arroyo (Bembol Roco) the missing father of Eli (John Lloyd Cruz)? Is Amang (Phillip Salvador) the real father of JB (Sam Milby)?
* * *
THE WAY FILIPINOS in many households discuss the many conflicts posed by these soap operas, one would think they’re talking about their own family members back home. Noel and his best friend, Cesar, who are both devoted family men, go as far as updating one another on what transpired the night before in case one missed catching it on TFC because of either work or errand. In which case, the two men alternate in recording episodes they stand to miss. in many households discuss the many conflicts posed by these soap operas, one would think they’re talking about their own family members back home. Noel and his best friend, Cesar, who are both devoted family men, go as far as updating one another on what transpired the night before in case one missed catching it on TFC because of either work or errand. In which case, the two men alternate in recording episodes they stand to miss.
One time, Cesar asked Noel as they spoke about Jackie (Bea Alonzo) and Eli, Celine (Anne Curtis) and JB, Melanie (Claudine Barretto) and Noel (Piolo Pascual), on the office phone: ‘You think someone might be listening to our conversation?’
Everywhere we went, from Orange County in Southern California to Redding in the North, Filipinos had a thing or two to say about Eli and Jackie, Celine and JB, and the great Willie R of ‘Wowowee.’ I think the beauty of it all lies in the new-found pride Filipinos abroad have found in Filipino-produced programs.
Dolly says these shows are being patronized by not just Filipinos from the lower classes but also those from the upper classes.
‘The drama shows are generally good, they’re comparable to films,’ says Marie, a long-time nurse from Garden Grove. Marie laments that since she got hooked on TFC’s dramas, ‘TV Patrol’ and ‘Bandila,’ she has lost track of her American soap operas. They air on the same evening timeslots.
Watching Filipino programs regularly has also served another purpose. It has galvanized conversations in households, making it interactive, in a manner of speaking.
http://www.tempo.com.ph/news.php?aid=30330
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