Robert Stewart (entrepreneur)

Robert La Rue Stewart (November 19, 1918 – April 6, 2006), popularly known as "Uncle Bob", was an American entrepreneur, TV personality, radio and TV producer in the Philippines. He was the founding father of Republic Broadcasting System (RBS) (now GMA Network) in the country.

Biography

Stewart came to the Philippines in 1943 as a war correspondent for United Press (UP). He fell in love with the country and after the war ended, he decided to stay and venture in the new republic. In 1948, he met and fell in love with Loreto Feliciano, a widow with three children from Pampanga, and married her the following year. He established the Loreto F. de Hemedes, Inc. (later renamed Republic Broadcasting System, Inc. in 1963) for his wife on March 1, 1950, as a legacy.^[1] On June 14, 1950, DZBB AM radio station began broadcasting from a makeshift studio on the 4th floor of Calvo Bldg in Escolta, which was then the business district of Manila. In 1955, the company launched DZXX, another AM radio station devoted to music, the first pop music station in the country.^[2]

Channel 7

After 10 years on the radio, Uncle Bob decided to expand into television despite limited knowledge about the new telecommunication medium. But with vision in mind, on October 29, 1961, RBS TV Channel 7 began broadcasting on a surplus transmitter and two cameras, thus becoming the third TV network in the Philippines.^[3] On October 30, 1961, Uncle Bob appeared on camera as the news anchor for The News with Uncle Bob.

During the first five years, the studio was barely surviving but a friend in the United States gave Bob a good deal on American "canned" (syndicated) TV shows which defined the station's programming in the 1960s. Television shows like Combat!, The Flying Nun, Gilligan's Island, Mission: Impossible and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. found their way to the local viewers through Channel 7. Dancetime with Chito, a local show with Chito Feliciano and his group, became a hit for the station, pulling in viewers and advertisers.^[1][3]

Uncle Bob's Lucky 7 Club

While canned animated cartoons like Popeye, Gumby and Harvey Films characters targeted the younger demographics of his TV station in the 1960s, Stewart also created the first TV show for children in the Philippines - Uncle Bob's Lucky 7 Club. The Saturday morning show, which made Stewart every kid's favorite uncle,^[4][5] also featured two sidekick puppets - Spanky, the elephant and Pancho.^[6] Uncle Bob is remembered by his endearing viewers for his catchphrases "Hot-Diggity-Dog", "bum-bum-barum" or "pum-pa-rum-pum".^[7]

In 1961, Uncle Bob was threatened with deportation when Diosdado Macapagal became the President of the Philippines. The TV network was being persecuted for supporting rival and former president Carlos P. Garcia in the 1960 presidential election. After announcing his leaving at the show Uncle Bob's Lucky 7 Club, thousands of children with the help of their parents rallied behind him, writing letters showing their support for Uncle Bob. The government backed out of its plan as a result.^[1][4]

Martial law

Martial law was proclaimed in the Philippines on September 21, 1972 by then-president Ferdinand E. Marcos. To stop alleged "communist" propaganda, all networks in the country were taken over by the military. All TV and radio stations critical to the Marcos government were all shut down including RBS TV and radio stations. In 1974, the government forbade foreign corporations and foreign citizens from owning any media facilities in the country. Republic Broadcasting System and American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which at that time owned 25% of the company, relinquished control of the company to the triumvirate of Gilberto M. Duavit, a Malacañang official; Menardo R. Jimenez and Atty. Felipe L. Gozon, then Stewart's legal adviser. As part of the take over, the name of the TV station was changed to GMA Network (RBS, Inc. became GMA, Inc. in 1996) and relaunched in 1975 as GMA Radio-Television Arts^[2][8]

In 1976, DZXX was relaunched as DWLS in the FM band with the LS standing for Loreto Stewart, Uncle Bob's wife.^[2][9]

Uncle Bob and Friends

From 1978 to 1986, Uncle Bob hosted a musical show which debuted as The Maestro and Uncle Bob with Spanish-Filipino pianist, composer and conductor Federico Elizalde on the piano. The one-hour TV show featured Elizalde playing a variety of music from classical to jazz. After Elizalde died in 1979, the show was renamed Uncle Bob and Friends, with mainstay pianist Joselito Pascual.^[10]

Retirement and death

In 1984, Imee Marcos, daughter of President Marcos, attempted to take GMA network under her control, but she was eventually stopped by the GMA executives Jimenez and Gozon. The Stewarts decided to move back to the United States and retire after his utter dissatisfaction with the Marcos regime.^[8][11] His son replaced him on the children's show.^[7]

Uncle Bob died in Phoenix, Arizona in April 6, 2006 and his remains were cremated before being returned to the Philippines on April 25. His ashes were interred at the Loyola Memorial Park next to his wife who died in 1990 a few years before him in the United States.^[12]

List of RBS/GMA Shows

• The News with Uncle Bob (October 30, 1961 to September 21, 1972)
• Uncle Bob's Lucky 7 Club (November 4, 1961 to July 11, 1992)
• The Maestro and Uncle Bob (1978-1986) retitled to The Bob Stewart Show then Uncle Bob and Friends

References

External links

• Photographs of Bob Stewart from facebook.com
• Copy of an original letter from Uncle Bob in Facebook.
• Short GMA Network Tribute to Uncle Bob on YouTube