Big News

*Big News*
Big News
	Final titlecard of Big News in 2008
Genre	News program; Live action
Created by	Associated Broadcasting Company
Directed by	Rosario Andres
Presented by	Cherie Mercado; various contributors;
Country of origin	Philippines
Original languages	English (1962–1972 and 1992–2004); Tagalog (2004–2008);
Production
Executive producers	Sonny Fernandez; Jackie Sierda
Production locations	ABC 5 Studio B, Novaliches, Quezon City
Running time	30 minutes
Production company	ABC News and Public Affairs
Original release
Network	ABC 5
Release	March 19, 1962 –; September 22, 1972
Release	February 24, 1992 –; August 8, 2008

Big News was a Philippine television news broadcasting show broadcast by ABC. Originally anchored by Duds Rivera and Bong Lapira, it aired from March 19, 1962 to September 22, 1972. The newscasts returned on February 24, 1992. The show concluded on August 8, 2008. Cherie Mercado served as the final anchors.^[1] It was replaced by TEN: The Evening News.

History

First incarnation (1962–1972)

The Big News was originally anchored by Duds Rivera and Bong Lapira^[2] with Antonio Tecson as head of the newsroom. Lapira later left the newscast in 1967 to transfer to ABS-CBN to anchor Newsbreak on DZXL-TV Channel 9 and he was replaced by Jose Mari Velez.^[3] The show first aired on 1962, and went off the air in 1972 due to martial law.^[4]

Second incarnation (1992–2004)

On February 24, 1992, three days after ABC returned to the airwaves, the program resumed its telecast,^[4] but this time, it was anchored by Tina Monzon-Palma. On September 14 of that year, she was joined by Eric Eloriaga and later Kathy Tanco-Ong on March 1, 1993. Tanco-Ong would later bow out of the newscast in 1995. On May 5, 1997, they were replaced by Anthony Pangilinan and Thelma Dumpit-Murillo, who also anchors the network's early evening Filipino newscast Balitang Balita as its new anchors. On March 2, 1998, Janice Pronstoller joined the newscast. Monzon-Palma went to become anchor of ABS-CBN's late night newscast The World Tonight while Eloriaga became anchor of RPN's NewsWatch, both newscast's main rivals during pre-Martial Law days.

On May 3, 1999, Amelyn Veloso became the new anchor of the newscast together Rod Nepomuceno as her co-anchor, replacing Pangilinan, Pronstroller, and Dumpit-Murillo. On June 3, 2002, Nepomuceno was replaced by Atty. Mike Toledo.

Big News (2004–2008)

On April 12, 2004, when the network reformatted most of its programs, former ABS-CBN anchor Cherie Mercado, joining with Veloso as co-anchor and the newscast switched to Filipino in order to compete with the other networks' newscasts.

On October 2, 2006, the newscast exchanged timeslots with Sentro, the early-evening news program of the network.

On August 8, 2008, the program, together with Sentro aired its final broadcast and on the next day (August 9), the station was rebranded as TV5.

Anchors

Duds Rivera (1962–1972)
Bong Lapira (1962–1967)
Jose Mari Velez (1967–1972)
Eric Eloriaga (1992–1997)
Tina Monzon-Palma (1992–1997)
Kathy Tanco-Ong (1993–1995)
Anthony Pangilinan (1997–1999)
Thelma Dumpit-Murillo (1997–1999)
Janice Pronstroller (1998–1999)
Amelyn Veloso (1999^[5]–2006)
Rod Nepomuceno (1999–2002)
Atty. Mike Toledo (2002–2004)
Cherie Mercado (2004–2008)

Substitute anchors

Gallery

Big News logo used until September 2007

References

^ "Mike Toledo joins Metro Pacific as managing director". Manila Standard. December 30, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
^ "In 1966, ABS-CBN News' true start came with the birth of its longest standing show". ABS-CBN News. July 5, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
^ "'Being first is not so important as being right'—and other credos of ABS-CBN News' early days". ABS-CBN News. July 6, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Francisco, Butch (October 8, 2002). "LONG-RUNNING SHOWS HONORED". www.newsflash.org. The Philippine Start. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
^ Serato, Arniel C (August 24, 2017). "CNN Philippines anchor Amelyn Veloso dies at 43". PEP.ph (in Tagalog). Retrieved November 14, 2021.