Effects of Noontime Shows in Philippine Economy and Filipino Families

Since television came out in the Philippines in the 1950s, it has become “the most accessible and most influential medium to the society” (SEECTV, 2012). The television has become such an integral part of homes in the modern world that it is hard to imagine life without television. Not just for entertainment value, but TV is also a valuable resource for advertising and different kinds of programming (Jezek Geno, 2014). The TV affects many lives of Filipino people. One’s perception, attitude, and behaviour in politics, education, health, economics, and the like are also affected.

No matter how old you are, TVs are powerful in affecting one’s life either positive or negative or even in both aspects. One that affects much in the Filipino society and economy are the noontime shows. Most noontime shows are classified as game shows or variety shows. According to a research conducted by Second Year – BS Accountancy students that its effects to the Filipino families have constantly been very influential on the values of numerous Filipinos.

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These variety shows are entertaining, touching, and helping the lives of the Filipinos by their segments that exhibit humorous acts and taglines, their grand prizes that turn lots of Filipinos to millionaires and their other segments that help out many unfortunate Filipino families. Not just the Filipino society and families, but noontime shows also affect the Philippine economy. Philippine economy is concern about these noontime shows because these things either will result with positive or negative outcomes - the state of economy is dependent to its people.

Unhealthy people will surely have a poor economy.

It was also said that shows are under competition with the other shows where Philippine economy is concerned about and to its effects to the Filipino families where they are trying to take something to catch people’s attention. The Philippine economy with its noontime shows has its benefits. The bigger rating the show, the more opportunities of money to circulate.

Most especially when the shows are shown outside the country, the rating would probably get higher and higher even to the countries outside Philippines. Noontime game shows have showcased two sets of audiences the balikbayan mostly women with their foreign husbands – the HAVES. The other side would be of course the HAVE NOTS that comprises the marginalized whose professions ranges from balut vendors, takatak cigarette boys, the dyaryo boteros and the palenkeras.

This noontime show scenario only says one thing: there is more money and opportunity abroad. Generally, the atmosphere imbibes their audience to have a mindset that joining the game, coming to the studio as contestant or just merely watching it would improve one’s life (Jethernandez, 2008). These noontime shows also help the Philippine economy, specifically for a high rating of tourists who visit the country. Like the twin segments entitled You’re My Foreignoy and You’re My Foreignay in the Philippine noontime show, Eat Bulaga in GMA – 7.

It brings to light its significance as not only a mass cultural reference but also in terms of questioning the parameters of belonging in a foreign culture and the extent of being able to become a part of a national history (Juntado, 2014). In the noontime shows that have been practically taken over by all kinds of palaro, money is being made for the program’s producers even as it is being given away. In these shows, most of their sponsors do not only place ads, but are also allotted space on the stage for their banners and have their names said aloud several times by the program hosts.

But there’s the rub; in the old noontime shows, for example, much of the fun was provided by professional entertainers who sang and danced or put on skits. The few contests the programs had usually showcased a particular skill or talent — say singing or debating — and people clapped when participants were finally rewarded their well-deserved prizes (Lorenzo, 2008). Noontime shows also affect the economy when some idiotic, cheap, nonsense noontime shows were shown where people make idiots of themselves. They only show what the people want to see and not what they need to see (Func, 2015).

They exploit women and insult people’s intelligence. Sometimes these shows often showed lack of respect towards others. Severe lack of common sense is what most Pinoys need to really work on - the ability to question and think first. If the show easily falls prey to even the typical "kwentong barbero" or "tsismis" around, how about the shows they watch every day? (Func, 2015). Filipinos are not dumb and senseless not to realize that they are wasting their time watching nonsense, useless, noontime shows. Instead of finding some fun in watching these shows, they will just rather take a rest and nap.

These three big noontime shows affect much in the Filipino society, culture and the economy either good or bad or both. Two of these are still airing in these present times. The longest noontime show in the Philippine television is the Eat Bulaga, first aired by Radio Philippines Network or RPN 9 on July 30, 1979. The program’s original core consisted of the comic trio, Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon (TVJ). This noontime show has become a showbiz institution. Eat Bulaga has time and again defied the changing seasons, shifting trends, stiff competition, and a slew of cast changes for 35 years (GMA News, 2007).

The show is still on air up until now on channel GMA – 7. It’s Showtime (formerly known as Showtime) is a Philippine noontime musical variety show broadcast on ABS-CBN. The show is also broadcast worldwide through The Filipino Channel. On October 24, 2009, Showtime premiered as a morning program, airing before the network's noontime shows, which served as the replacement of Pilipinas, Game KNB? The original cast consisted of Vhong Navarro, Anne Curtis, Kim Atienza, Jugs Jugueta and Teddy Corpuz, and Vice Ganda as the permanent judge. It’s Showtime has been airing since 2012.

Wowowillie was a Philippine noontime variety show aired by TV5, The show premiered on January 26, 2013, and was broadcast live from TV5's Delta Studio in Quezon City, with its main host and producer, Willie Revillame. The show earned the distinction of being the only noontime program to have a Strong Parental Guidance rating from the MTRCB, which was imposed due to the dancers' provocative outfits. In September 2013, Revillame admitted in an interview that the show's ratings "fell below expectations", and contemplated on a possible cancellation.

The show aired its final episode on October 12, 2013, six months after its debut. It was replaced by Sine Ko 5ingko Hapon on weekdays and Sabado Sinerama on Saturdays. Filipinos are known to be really innately happy but it takes a lot to make them genuinely laugh. So variety shows at noontime are very entertaining to some. Some Filipinos would say that shows at noontime are very eye-catching and also called as palaman during the lunch time. When talking about Filipino kids, some shows would probably be unhealthy to the ages such as those in the very young age where Movie and Television Review and Classification.

Board (MTRCB) is concerned of. There are variety shows which are suspended due to some violations regarding in catching up viewers where people at very young age are subjected to not see or hear some actions on the shows which is not healthy at their age. Like the Wowowee where Pinoy migrants who hold get-togethers with fellow Pinoys often congregate around a television set that has The Filipino Channel (TFC) in order to watch the show and get their kids learning to dance to the Ocho-ocho, Spaghetti Song, and other sexually-explicit and unfit-for-public-broadcast crass embarrassments to Filipino identity that very often get criticized by non-Filipinos.

Those immigrant Filipino communities are just small microcosms of what goes on in the teeming squatter colonies and shanty-towns all throughout the country, where birthday parties of little girls aged 5, 6, 7, or older are celebrated with the same sexually-explicit songs and dances popularized on the noontime shows (Correct Philippines, 2015) thus, not a healthy developmental milestone. Also, any kind of shows would be inappropriate when taking so long to watch especially to kids where their diet would be very affected. It is noon and the time to eat their lunch.

Some children forgot to eat their foods and according to research, there is a rising case of obesity. One study showed that although there was no increase in exercise levels, relative body mass index was lowered because the children snacked less, lowering their average consumption by 100 calories per day (Guballa, 2008). Noontime shows also affect the exercise level of the individual when really focused. Some also, specifically at young ages are reading less and poor in focusing. In the same study, it was found that boys and girls with bedroom TV sets spent less time reading than others (Guballa, 2008).

Furthermore, George Gerbner stated that television also have the powers to cultivate beliefs and values through the constructs‘occurrence in television shows. In his theory “The Mean World Syndrome”, he identified two types of viewers; the heavy and light. The heavy viewer‘s repetitive and hefty exposure to the same kind of information increases the probability of being affected by the show‘s content (Littlejohn, 2008). With this, a belief system about a certain topic is cultivated on the audience. This can be amplified through the process of resonance where the audience‘s view, based from television consumption, is amplified by her/his personal experiences that are aligned with the view (University of Twente).

In the process, the Mean World Syndrome would be an outlook of how the world is generally perceived as a mean environment, due to the cultivation of violence among the heavy- viewing audiences. This hence creates a scary view of world. With resonance, a coincidence of an audience‘s personal experience with the prevailing view of the world would make the world even scarier. The theory also states how TV viewing leads to learning of incidental information based on the focus, involvement, capacity of the audience, or the nature of viewing.

This would lead to construction of their social reality as amplified by their personal interaction and experiences in the real world (University of Twente). In contrast, noontime variety shows are not just as an entertainment to Filipinos but also an instrument to some for them to stand up, especially with their game, segments, and they give opportunities to the people in need for them to cope up with a circle of life. They had also segments promoting a game. Noontime shows also helped people to show, to develop, and to enhance their different talents and skills.

Just like in Xavier University “With It’s Showtime’s great influence and exposure to Filipino viewers, XUFD 2014 also had a comical adaptation of the said noontime show and organized its very own talent competition dubbed “X-Ur show, X-Ur time, It’s XU- Time. The competition was participated in by six talented groups vying to become XU-Time’s grand winner. ” (Magallanes, 2014). Noontime shows way back was a battleground for a spelling contest for elementary and high school students. Like the “IQ-7, a quiz show that was part of GMA-7’s Student Canteen in the ‘80s, in which contestants really used their brains (Lorenzo, 2008).

Some shows were the Mathtinik, Sineskwela, and more. The noontime shows make the Filipino families feel relax that the only way to help them forget about their problems are to be entertained. Help relieve persistent feelings of depression or general sadness. It is like their relieving stress to avoid the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life. A post on Tumblr from “Filipino Culture” that noontime shows help the family to bond and laugh together while watching these noontime shows. These improve family ties and helps in tightening the bond of Filipino families.

These shows are a proof that Filipinos are standing together, although not all are fortunate to be chosen. According to some Filipinos, they also get some lessons. The Filipino rendition of a successful noontime show doesn’t really have any synonymity with the Western take on the variety or game show. It focuses on the individual, talents, and wit; if ever there would be any games, they are more often both substance and vehicle for a political economy of emotions. The objective of the Filipino noontime show is to be, to an extent; personal with those it places its attention on (Juntado, 2014).