NBS Corporation

National Broadcasting System Network, Inc. (shortly and famously known as NBS Network, Inc.) is a Filipino mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by Montecarlos Group of Companies and headquartered at the fictional Samar Avenue in Diliman, Quezon City.
Founded in 1946 by the Montecarlo and Associates Company (MAC) as the Montecarlos Media Coporation, NBS is one of the oldest major broadcast network in the Philippines. In 1948, MMC was renamed as Alpha Electronics Corporation (AEC) patterning it to the corporate name, after Severino Montecarlo partnered with Eduardo Villarosa to operate one of the first television stations in the Philippines, DZNB-TV in April 12, 1952. The company together with the Villarosa Media Company (VMC) were formally merged in July of 1956. Although the NBS brand was first used on television in 1955, the company became known as NBS Network Inc. a year later and later renamed as NBS Network Inc. in 2000 to reflect the growing company's business beyond broadcasting.
The group owns and operates the NBS and Vinta national television networks as well as the Radyo Sinag and KFM regional radio networks. The NBS television network - in particular, is the largest contributor to the group's revenue, generating about 30 to 40 percent of the group's total annual revenue mainly from selling airtime to advertisers. The remaining revenue is generated from consumer sales, mainly from NBS International, which distributes international television channels (such as NBS International, and Musica) and also from pay TV and broadband internet provider City Cable.
Other companies which operate under the NBS group are motion picture company Shine Films, music recording label Shine Music, publishing firm Bookshine Publishing, pay TV content provider and distributor NBS Shine City Media Inc., and artist agency, Shine Artists Group. Among the pay TV networks and channels under the NBS group are NBS HD, NBSN Philippines, Vinta Channel HD, CityScreen, EN Channel, StyleNet, NBS Sports Network, NBS Sports 2, and Musica. In recent years, NBS has ventured and diversified in other businesses such as over-the-top platform Vinta, digital terrestrial television service CityBox, and theme park center, NBS Xperience.
==History==
===Beginnings===
The company was founded on March 15, 1939 as Montecarlos Media Corporation (MMC). MMC was established by media mogul, Severino Montecarlos Sr., who went into radio equipment assembly and radio broadcasting. At that time, the largest media company was Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC), with DZRH as the leading radio station. Also in 1939, Montecarlos shifted MMC to radio broadcasting with KZSV, but prior to its commercial operations, the company moved temporarily to Australia as the war insinuates and continued broadcast operations in Perth, but after the war, the company returned to the Philippines and masterminded the introduction of television to the country in 1949.
In 1948, MMC was renamed as Alpha Electronics Corporation (also as its corporate name). Though they had only enough money and resources, MMC was able to put up its TV tower by November 1948 and import some 1000 television sets. The initial test broadcasts began on December of the same year. The very first full-blown broadcast was on March 12, 1949. The television station was known as DMMC-TV.
===Merger===
In 1947, Villarosa Newspaper Company owner Eduardo Villarosa Sr. and Teodoro Montecarlo acquired a radio-TV franchise from Congress and immediately established Villarosa Media Company (VMC) on June 5, 1948. In the same year, they partnered with the Montecarlos to operate DMMC and DVMC-TV jointly, since then, the relations of the two company became well. In 1955, both companies planned to merge operations to integrate and form the then-largest media company in the Philippines, and in 1956, the deal was reached and the successor of both media companies was named NBS Network Inc., to reflect the changes.
With the establishment of DMMC-TV 4 and DVMC-TV 10, the Montecarlos and Villarosas controlled both television channels in the archipelago, and there are plans that were underway to leave its old headquarters in City of Manila and move and integrate the operations of both television networks in one building in Diliman, Quezon City, which was constructed on 1961 and was finished in 1964 to become the official studios for Channels 4 and 10. By 1957, with the official launch of its first ever regional station in Cebu, the NBS brand was officially used for the first time on the station in newspaper ads promoting the first ever locally produced television dramas. However, in 1968, the company closed its Channel 10 operations due to antitrust fears.
===Martial Law Era===
On September 21, 1972, then President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law by the virtue of Proclamation 1081. Marcos, ruling by decree, curtailed press freedom and other civil liberties; closed down the Congress and media establishments including NBS. In June 1973, NBS was given the green light by the government to return on the air, however with time-limited permits. Programming during that time was supplied mostly via imported and local programming provided still by the network. But due to difficulty in financial obligations and political and economic fears, the Villarosa family cede their control to the Montecarlos, making the network fully-owned and controlled by them. Upon the advise of his trusted people and the Montecarlos too, they migrated to United States and formed the first overseas version of the network.
The network made arrangements to production companies to ease the financial dip of the company, the network has been a consistent top network, and was relaunched in 1975 as part of its decade long plan, however, it dipped by the time that Montecarlos handed the control of the network to the San Juans in 1976 due to economic pressure, which dipped the finances of the network deeper as it has been. The revenues and ratings also dropped, making the network, almost last in the ratings game and placing the future of the network in doubt.
The network also had a regional setback as affiliates turned their backs as those tried to court other networks to affiliate with them, relegating the network into weaker affiliates in 1981. The disappointing six-year tenure will be ended by a boardroom coup plotted by the Board to oust San Juan from the executive and entertainment divisions.
===Claiming The Lost Glory===
On February 17, 1981, the Board elected Severino Montecarlo Jr., the son of the older Montecarlo as President and CEO, Carlos Abeleda as the executive vice president and both newly-elected members handpicked Lincoln Apolonio as the new entertainment head of the network.
The three was assigned to rebuild the station from its downfall in the late 1970s. Recovery did not became easy and the resources are now being outdated and others being dilapidated; Apolonio convinced his previous colleagues on VGC to join him in reworking the station's programming and introduce unique but impacting marketing strategies. Apolonio inherited a schedule full of low-rated dramas and little-to-no sitcoms, but gave other promising programs a fighting chance against big networks. Apolonio also experimented to put dramas before and after newscasts. He also moved the newscast to 6:30pm to start their primetime programming at 7:00pm, he also moved its daytime drama, Misyon in primetime, where its ratings improved dramatically and become critically-acclaimed. He also conceptualized Presidencia, a political drama situated in fictional Philippines and acquired the local airing rights of Cheers.
On April 1, 1984, Channel 4 was relaunched via a live special, "You Are Here: Nandito ang Kuwento Mo" which drummed up its then-upcoming shows. Within the three-year stretch, Apolonio managed to turnaround the network's situation, from dead last in the ratings to being #2 nationally, behind VGC.
In 1984, the huge success of Hay! Buhay led to a renewed popularity of NBS in making sitcoms, while Hating Bahay saw viewership increase from having Hay! Buhay as a lead-in. With hits like Batch '85, season two of Presidencia, 227 (of NBC), Hiling, and Miami Vice (also of NBC), the network's upswing continued and became no. 1 again after more than 20 years. The upswing helped the company to pay up its losses and has drifted up its financial situation and experienced many successes throughout this years. 
Even after Marcos was deposed, the network remained the top network. With the restoration of democratic institutions and a period of transition to the 1990s, the Broadcast Complex was renovated and began the process of updating its broadcasting technology and equipment and has built new complex in Cebu as another hub outside Mega Manila. By the end of the process, the broadcast complex was one of the most advanced in the world. Along with the supremacy of the network throughout the rest of 1990s, Vinta Channel was launched on Channel 22, as their secondary and spillover channel. Following the change of trends and eras, NBS began to home independent producers that honed their names as it helped bridging their programs to the masses for reach. The late 1980s and throughout 1990s also marked the time when the network began diversifying its business, expanding on films, cable, music and other businesses.