MBC to put up 1K FM station here

This island province's airwaves would be a bit livelier by next year with the entry of a new FM radio station to be operated by the Manila Broadcasting Company.

In a letter to Virac Mayor Jose U. Alberto II, MBC Assistant Corporate Secretary Rolando F. Cariaga informed that the radio broadcasting station would be powered by a 1,000-watt transmitter.

He said that, through the establishment of the station, MBC hopes to fulfill its mission of public service, particularly in providing entertainment and disseminating communication and information to the people of Virac. Cariaga added that MBC, which has been granted a congressional franchise under Republic Act No. 7816, hopes to contribute to the development and progress of the capital town.

In an interview with the Tribune last week, Visayas-Mindanao operations manager Nestor Obien expressed optimism that the new radio station would be on the air by the last week of December of early January so it would not be covered by the election ban.

He disclosed that it would be essentially a two-in-one operation as it would offer AM programming in its FM mode. Local programs would be aired daily from 5 to 8 A.M., 12 to 1 P.M. and 5 to 7 P.M.

Using satellite receivers, the FM programs would be broadcast direct from MBC studios in Manila, along with live news feeds. The FM feed would be different from those broadcast from their Manila stations, Obien bared, as the programming is intended solely for provincial consumption only. The proposed station in Virac is part of MBC's plan to set up 100 community stations all over the Philippines, he added.

He said his company is currently negotiating with the management of the Catanduanes College for the lease of part of the roof deck of its new, three-storey building downtown. A 60-foot guyed antenna tower and a satellite dish will be erected on top of the building, with a room on the next floor to house the studio and broadcasting equipment.

A native of Gogon, Virac, Obien says he plans to relocate here and manage the station, which would be handled in the interim by an officer-in-charge, Manila-based MBC employee James Hernandez, who has been a student leader in his college days at CC.