Palawan Broadcasting Corporation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Palawan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), also known by its call sign DYPR, was the first local radio station to serve the island of Palawan, the Philippines. It was established in 1965, in the capital Puerto Princesa City, by Ramon Oliveros (Ray Oliver) Decolongon.

The station faced many difficulties in its early years. Although Palawan could receive some broadcasts from Manila and neighbouring Visayan islands, radio ownership among the 20,000-strong population was not high. The Tinio Electric Plant provided electricity only from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and to less than half the population. Then, in 1966, Decolongon was killed in a plane crash: his father, Emilio Decolongon, took over as company president.

In September 1972 martial law was declared throughout the Philippines and all broadcasting stations were shut down, but DYPR was able to reopen fairly quickly after making its case as a provider of essential services. The station had become a part of the communications of the island, broadcasting urgent personal messages—known as Panawagans—as a free service to the community. As of 2006, radio broadcast languages include Tagalog and Ilocano, and DYPR is affiliated to Radio Mindanao Network, Inc. (RMN).

In 1986, PBC began television broadcasts. It is now also affiliated to ABS-CBN, which provides some television content.