ALLTV, the inaugural TV station of the Advanced Media Broadcasting System (AMBS), officially went on air at noon on September 13, with anchors Willie Revillame and Toni Gonzaga leading the celebration.
The opening included Ella Cruz, DJ Loonyo, Donnalyn Bartolome, and “Moon” hitmaker Nik Makino performing song and dance numbers.
“Simula na po ng oras ng ligaya, oras ng saya, pagbibigay ng kasiyahan at pag-asa sa bawat Pilipino. Ito po ang network ng bawat Pilipino. Ito po ay talaga namang pinag-isipan namin ng mabuti, pinag-aralan namin kung ano ang dapat gawin. Ang bida dito ay kayo — Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao — lalo na ang mga kababayan natin saan mang sulok ng mundo,” said Revillame during the premiere of the station which was shot live at the helipad of Wil Tower in Quezon City.
The two recalled their first collaboration as the initial presenters of ABS-CBN’s “Pinoy CBN’s Big Brother” in 2005, with Mariel Rodriguez. Following that, the network debuted its original Station ID, inspired by their tagline, “Saya ALL.”
“Pare-pareho tayong mga Pilipino na nagmamahalan, nagkakaisa, nagtutulungan para makapagbigay ng serbisyo sa taong bayan. Hindi lang serbisyo na pamimigay ng pera, ng kasiyahan, kabuhayan showcase, pamimigay ng inspirasyon, pag-asa, at masayang bukas para sa lahat ng nanonood ngayong tanghali,” said Gonzaga.
Other celebrities who graced the soft network’s soft launch included broadcaster Anthony Taberna, Randy Santiago, Janine Teñoso, Kim Molina, Katrina Velarde, Jay Durias and the South Border, Jinky Vidal, This Band, Luke Mejares, Kris Lawrence. Mariel Rodriguez, Ciara Sotto, Ruffa Gutierrez and Julia Barretto, who also promoted her new movie, “Expensive Candy.”
The network, owned by billionaire Manny Villar, was granted the franchise by the Congress for the next 25 years.