Being, as he said, ?too educated? in the ways of television production, Felipe L. Gozon ?president, chair and CEO of broadcasting giant GMA 7?didn?t mind admitting that watching shows on the small screen had become ?clinical? for him.

?I analyze everything, especially the ad load. If I find that the other channels have less, natutuwa ako,? Gozon said, grinning.

That ?forthright? as a description sat well with the Kapuso boss was fairly common knowledge, and during a visit to his office on the 16th floor of the GMA 7 studios in Quezon City, Inquirer Entertainment found exactly to what extent the term applied.

Gozon continued: ?I even take note of what they call product placements (casual exposure of merchandise in shows). I pressure my people ? because we?re behind (rival channel ABS-CBN).? Especially, he added, when Willie Revillame was still running ?Wowowee.?

?These days, TV networks are like ad agencies, too,? Gozon said. ?We pitch stories to clients. From nothing, we create something (advertising opportunities, packages) that they can buy into.?

The Yale alumnus (Master of Laws, 1965) said he enjoyed TV work more than law practice. ?TV is very dynamic. What people like today, they may no longer like tomorrow. We have to be constantly looking out for fresh ideas. I keep telling our writers, ?Let?s be original, innovative, creative.? Napupuna ko kasi, iisa lang ang style nila.?

He watches biggest rival, Channel 2, ?to see how different their shows are from ours.? He threw back a question posed earlier: ?Would you enjoy TV watching with this mind-set??

Home viewing

GMA 7 recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. Gozon, 70, assumed his current posts 10 years ago. Credited for turning his network into the country?s most profitable, he is more relaxed now, he said. ?I set out to build this ? ngayon, made na tayo.?

Gozon wore a light blue button-down shirt and gray trousers. The Inquirer team sat on a black leather sofa facing him, near the glass wall that offered a panoramic view of Edsa.

Beside his desk was a 21-inch color TV used only ?to catch breaking news, and sometimes, the NBA games.? He had lost track of the number of TV sets he had at home, but said there were two in his bedroom?one for himself, the other for his grandchildren. ?They watch DVD again and again,? he said, not exactly complaining. ?They never get tired of ?Dora the Explorer,? ?Tom and Jerry.? Two of my four grandchildren are too young to watch TV.?

Whenever he had the time, Gozon said, he tuned in to HBO and CNN. And yes, the NBA games during the season. He related, ?I?m a Lakers fan. I didn?t come to work on championship day. Nung last 11 seconds na, one of the kids suddenly turned off the TV. We screamed. When we turned it back on, tapos na.?

Gozon lives in his new North Forbes (Makati) home with Teresa, his wife of 40 years, their three children?Ana Teresa, Felipe Jr. and Ma. Teresa?and the four apo. ?Two stories, and a basement,? he described the property. ?There are two wings?one for Annette?s family, the other for my two other children. My wife and I stay on the ground floor.?

He is proud of being a good provider. ?Before we moved from Urdaneta (also in Makati), I asked our children, ?Do you want us to stay together? ?Pag humiwalay sila, I said, they were on their own. They know that as long as they stay with me, wala silang problema. My wife even asks every day what they want for breakfast, lunch and supper.?

A normal day for the Philippines? top TV man starts at 6 a.m. ?I bring paper work home at night. When I arrive in the office, tapos na lahat,? he said. ?I really don?t have a lot of free time.?

Fun times

He recalled, however, when he did, watching movies for the sheer pleasure of it. This was back at the University of the Philippines in Diliman Quezon City, as a law student. ?Nauubos ko ang mga pelikula sa sinehan. There weren?t many movie theaters then?Capitol, Universal, Odeon ? Orchestra tickets were only P1.25 each; sa balcony, P1.80.? He usually went for English titles, he said.

Now, Gozon reiterated, he had become a lot more ?technical? about entertainment: ?Watching [our Sunday noontime show] ?Party Pilipinas,? for example, I would notice if the lighting is too dim, or if the atmosphere is not happy. These things are important. Pati costume, alam ko kung ano ang modern at ano ang losyang.?

He was very vocal about the show, previously titled ?SOP,? having needed a makeover: ?This kind of production costs the network from up to P6 million per show. With that budget, there?s no reason for anyone in it, or anything about it, not to look good. We have the most expensive equipment in a P1-billion studio. I?m disappointed when the production team does not take full advantage of it.?

Unacceptable

Was he satisfied with the show now? He wouldn?t mince words: ?It has definitely improved, but I will be happy only if I see the ratings go up. We used to rate five to 10 points higher than Channel 2 in the same slot. Now, we?re happy with one point?that?s unacceptable!?

For Gozon, complacency is the enemy. ?I keep saying, when we were No. 2, we tried harder. That was how we overtook Channel 2.?

Another irritant: Lack of discipline among the talents. ?Imagine the damage that an artist who didn?t rehearse (for ?Party Pilipinas?) could do to a production number,? he said. ?They are told to report for rehearsals at 7 a.m. but some show up at 4 p.m. That?s our fault; pinapayagan kasi.?

He was pragmatic about the competition: ?Channel 2 has a lot of good talents. They?ve become stronger. But it took them a while, for example, to come up with a program to beat (the now defunct magazine show) ?Sis.? But that?s how it is?we also change our shows to suit viewers? preference. Maganda na ang labanan. The station that comes up with the best shows wins. We have 170 talents. We give them voice, dance, grooming lessons. We also prepare them emotionally for stardom.?

Meanwhile, program preferences continued to evolve, Gozon said. ?Right now, people still go for fantaseryes. Why do you think ?Pilyang Kerubin? and (ABS-CBN?s) ?Agua Bendita? are doing so well??

Humble beginnings

Gozon recounted the network?s humble beginnings. ?When I first joined the compeny (as corporate counsel, in 1970) it was Loreto F. de Hemedes Inc.? In 1974, he took over the reins with Gilberto M. Duavit (now EVP and chief operating officer). They acquired new equipment, introduced new programs and adopted the name GMA (Greater Manila Area) Radio Television Arts. ?We had a shoe-string budget. Color na ang ibang channels, kami hindi pa. The company couldn?t pay its debts so, for many years, the top shows were ?Combat? and ?Popeye.? It was already around 1976 when we had color.?

With digitization coming, Gozon said, competition among networks would be even stiffer. ?ABS-CBN will still be our top rival. We?re watching TV5, but not focusing on it.?

Open mind

He remained friends with several executives of ABS-CBN, he revealed ?I?m OK with FMG (Freddie M. Garcia, former ABS-CBN president, now a member of the board). I have no problem with Gabby (Lopez, chair and CEO). I get to talk with Maria Ressa (News and Current Affairs Department head) once in a while. This [rivalry] is really just work.?

An effective leader has an open mind, Gozon pointed out. ?We have suggestion boxes on every floor of this building. Employees can write to me directly about anything. I read all the letters.?

Does he have a suggestion box at home? ?Wala, ako ang hari do?n,? he quipped. ?But I don?t practice favoritism. I love my grandchildren equally. I taught all of them how to swim!?