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TOO 'HIGH-END'
E! Philippines closure
'temporary': RMN execs
Posted: 10:29 PM (Manila Time) | May 13, 2003
By Marinel R. Cruz
Inquirer News Service
OFFICIALS of E! Entertainment Television Philippines will make their annual trip to Hollywood tomorrow, Thursday, to look for new and better programs to beef up its programming, dispelling rumors that the local E! franchise would soon close shop.
But E! Philippines insiders say the franchise would actually shut down at the end of the month.
According to an E! Philippines executive, the group will leave for Los Angeles to join television executives from all over the world in a week-long conference where they will view the pilot episodes of US TV shows.
"This is a yearly thing," the Filipino executive told the Inquirer in a telephone interview. "We're seriously looking into how we could reprogram."
The executive, however, asked not to be identified.
Rumors that E! Philippines, which airs on UHF Channel 31, would permanently shut down started going around after the channel announced that it would soon go off the air after airing its final show-"Wild On! Philippines"-on May 31.
"It is not a permanent closure," the executive insisted. "It is only a temporary thing while officials consider regrouping to improve the channel."
The station has not made a formal announcement as to why E! Philippines would be off the air indefinitely, but the E! executive cited the lack of support of advertisers as the major cause of the "temporary closure."
"A lot of advertisers claim that the programs on E! are too high-end and that they could not afford to advertise," the executive said. "But we also have to consider the fact that times have been tough on most people, with the Southeast Asian economic crisis and all."
E! Entertainment is also seen on Channel 16 on Home Cable, Channel 64 on Destiny Cable, and Channel 75 on SkyCable. It began its 24-hour broadcast last year.
E! Entertainment Television, the biggest producer of entertainment-based programming in the US, formed an alliance with Radio Mindanao Network (RMN), the country's largest radio network, in 2000 to create E! Philippines.
RMN used to air E! programs on its old CTV 31 channel.