The Department of Development Broadcasting and Telecommunication (DDBT) of the College of Development Communication (CDC) marked the centennial of broadcasting in the Philippines by hosting a conference on Oct. 18.

Faculty members and research and extension personnel presented papers delving into community broadcasting education and practice at a parallel panel session that was held virtually.

The conference began with a presentation by Dr. Trina Leah Mendoza, DDBT department chair, entitled “A Historical Account of Radyo DZLB as a Pioneer in Philippine Community Broadcasting.”

Mendoza discussed the beginnings of DZLB, and how it has evolved into a teleradyonet platform, merging the power of radio, television, and the internet. Dr. Mendoza also discussed how Radyo DZLB adapted to the online realm through the program, DZLB Online!

The papers presented during the panel showed DDBT’s pioneering, adapting to changes, and future-proofing community and development broadcasting as it endeavored to continue operating Radyo DZLB.

Other papers presented were on the community cable television program Dito Sa Laguna, schools-on-the-air, and the transformation of radio as a broadcast medium.

Two papers on the community cable TV program Dito Sa Laguna were presented in the panel discussion. Marifi Magsino, a faculty member, presented the results of DDBT’s research in her paper “Online Viewership, Feedback, and Challenges of Dito Sa Laguna Program of the College of Development Communication, UP Los Baños.

Ryan Jay Galang, a researcher, presented “Future-proofing Community Broadcasting: Learnings and Experiences from UPLB Devcom’s Community Cable TV Program Dito Sa Laguna Amidst the Pandemic,” focusing on how the program’s production adapted during the pandemic through live broadcasting-from-home. Galang also discussed how the program connected various development stakeholders during the community quarantine.

Two papers focused on the school-on-the-air format. One was the paper of Mark Lester Chico, also a DDBT faculty member and the director of the UPLB Office of Public Relations, “Rediscovering a Legacy of a Lost Voice: A History of Radyo DZLB’s School-on-the-Air,” which traced the history of the broadcast-based distance learning format pioneered by Radyo DZLB, was the focus of

On the other hand, Guien Eidrefson Garma, also a faculty member, presented “Adapting the School-on-the-Air for an Online Audience: The BIDANI NutriLive Experience,” which delved into how Radyo DZLB and the Barangay Integrated Development Approach for Nutrition Improvement (BIDANI) Network Program adapted and tweaked the SOA format for a purely online audience and online broadcast platform.

How community radio stations adapted to the online world was the focus of the paper of Dr. Benjamina Paula Gonzalez-Flor, and graduate students Nathan Felix and Mohamadsaid Gandawali, “On Air Online: Transformation of Traditional Radios in a Digital World.” The paper also presented a framework emphasizing the evolution of community radio towards a more online broadcast landscape.

The Department of Broadcast Communication of the UP College of Mass Communication with the Philippine Studies Association and DZUP 1602 organized the 100 Years of Broadcasting in the Philippines Conference. (Guien Eidrefson Garma)

This article was originally published on the UPLB website.