Brigada Mass Media Corporation

***Brigada Mass Media Corporation***
 Headquarters
NLSA Road, Brgy. San Isidro, General Santos City, South Cotabato Province, South Central Mindanao (Region XV) Philippines
**National Broadcast Center**
 Key people
 Subsidiaries | Baycomms Broadcasting Corporation
Brigada Healthline
 Website

***Brigada News FM***
 Country
 Founded

**Brigada Mass Media Corporation** (BMMC) is a newspaper company and media network in the Philippines. It is the first-ever local Tri-media organization to have emerged from the South Central Mindanao area as a national network with its array of **Brigada News FM**stations. BMMC is part of **Brigada Group of Companies** of entrepreneur Elmer Catulpos which also maintains three newspaper editions in Mindanao, one TV station, distribution of herbal food supplements, medicines, cosmetics and engine care products, a drug pharmacy, a garden resort and two private security agencies.

Its main **Brigada Complex** is located at NLSA Road, San Isidro, General Santos City, Philippines while its **National Broadcast Center**is located at the 5th floor, Jacinta Building II, EDSA, Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City, National Capital Region (Region V), Philippines

## History

### Development

It all started with the publication of *Brigada News Philippines*, first named as *Brigada Tolendoy News and Tips*, an internet café-based, one-color, 6-page and comic-sized tabloid on October 18, 2005 with a circulation in Gen. Santos City. The tabloid had generated approximately 1,000 printed copies of its maiden issue.

It was founded by then Bombo Radyo General Santos regular anchor; independent news publisher; and now Brigada News Philippines President and Chief-Executive Officer Elmer Catulpos. Its main office is in General Santos, but the company also has offices in Davao and Cagayan de Oro, with its own edition each. It has a combined daily circulation of 21,000 copies sold, practically covering the entire Mindanao region.

In April 2007, 2 years after the birth of Brigada News Philippines, Brigada Healthline Marketing was established as distributor of health products that the company advertised in its daily newspaper and block time radio programs.[1]

In October 2009, it expanded its media operations to radio by acquiring 89.5 from Baycomms Broadcasting Corporation and reformatting it to **89.5 Brigada News FM**, the first-ever radio station in General Santos with an AM & FM format. After a short period of time from its inception, it already became the Over-All #2 radio station, both AM and FM stations combined in General Santos City and neighboring areas, according to the then latest AC Nielsen Survey. Subsequently, in early 2013, it obtained the Over-all #3 spot, according to the KBP-RRC Survey.

In January 2012, it expanded its operations once more to television with **Brigada News TV 46, Eye of Mindanao**, acquired from Asian Multimedia and Productions, which is the first-ever local television station which devotes 70-80% of its programs to local issues and concerns. Given its still very short stint in the television industry, it has already eaten up a big slice of the pie of viewership especially its news and public affairs programs in the prime time slots in the morning and afternoon. Since December 2015, Brigada News TV moved to UHF channel 34.

Since February 2013, Brigada News FM expanded to 25 cities and municipalities in the Philippines through its subsequent acquisition and 100% takeover of Baycomms Broadcasting Corporation, its owned and operated stations and other smaller radio networks.

In April 2014, Brigada News FM National Offices in Makati City was inaugurated and relocated Brigada News FM Batangas to become Brigada News FM National and completing the three broadcast centers of the network, Manila, Cebu and Gen. Santos.

As of 2017, BMMC now has 40 owned and operated stations in the country, larger than its main all-news competitor Radyo5 News FM but is ahead of another news/talk radio competitor Radyo Bandera.

## Brigada News Philippines (newspaper)

* Brigada News General Santos
* Brigada News Davao
* Brigada News Cagayan de Oro
* Brigada News Zamboanga
* Brigada News Cebu

### **Stations**

#### Mindanao

**Notes:**

\*\*Luzon Area flagship station

\*\*\*Visayas Area flagship station

\*\*\*\*Mindanao and National Network flagship station

Majority of BMMC's stations are acquired from Baycomms (prior to the merger in 2013 and became Brigada's official broadcast licensee), with a few being self-established, except the following:

* DYWF Cebu: Acquired from Vimcontu.
* DXKX Davao: Acquired from Primax Broadcasting Network.
* DWBY Naga and DWWF Legazpi: Acquired from Century Broadcasting Network.
* DWLH Sorsogon: Acquired from Hypersonic Broadcasting Center.
* DYMG Bacolod: Acquired from Armed Forces of the Philippines and Westwind Broadcasting Corporation.
* DWCL Pampanga: Acquired from UBC Media/Love Radio Network.
* Brigada News FM Zamboanga first utilized 93.1 FM under airtime lease from Audiovisual Communicators Inc. in 2013 before moving to former Baycomms operated 89.9 FM in 2015.

## Brigada News TV

**Free TV**

**Cable TV**

 Sky Cable Gensan
 JVL Star Cable
 Sky Cable Polomolok
 Sky Cable Maguindanao

## Products

Unlike other media entities, Brigada Mass Media does not rely on any third-party advertisements from major companies. Brigada News FM and TV stations acts as a sales and marketing arm of these Healthline products under the Brigada Healthline Corporation. Brigada Healthline products are also aired as an early morning blocktimer on 91.5 Win Radio Manila as of 2017

* Power Cells Herbal Capsule
* Drivemax Herbal Dietary Supplement Capsule
* Power Cells Enchanced Glutatione
* Guard-C 500 mg Capsule (Ascorbic Acid as Calcium Ascorbate)
* Power Cells Liniment
* NutriCleanse Herbal Capsule
* Power Cell Soya Coffee
* Fast Relax
* CuraMed Herbal Dietary Supplement Capsule
* DriveMax Adult Coffee
* Zoya Choco
* Bossing Premium Detergent
* Bridgette Cosmetics
* Lala Cosmetics
* AeroLube Engine Treatment Oil

## Brigada Group of Companies

* **Brigada Mass Media Corporation**
* Baycomms Broadcasting Corporation
* Brigada Publishing Corp.
* Brigada Healthline Corporation
* Brigada Pharmacy Inc.
* Brigada Distribution Inc.
* Brigada Unlimited Inc.
* Brigada Healthcare Inc.
* Brigada Rock Garden Resort Inc.
* Global Dynamic Star Security Agency Inc.
* Global Dynamic Star Protective Services Inc.
* KaBrigada Foundation Inc.

## References

1. **^** Healthline
2. **^** Brigada News FM Stations
3. **^** Brigada News FM National
4. **^** "History". Brigada.ph. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
5. **^** "A Mindanao reporter's magical success". MindaNews. Retrieved January 6, 2015.