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Millennium Transmitter

Coordinates: 14°38′25.36″N 121°02′12.08″E / 14.6403778°N 121.0366889°E / 14.6403778; 121.0366889
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Millennium Transmitter
The Millennium Transmitter in 2016
Alternate namesABS-CBN Tower
AMBS Tower
LocationQuezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tower height219.5 m (720 ft)
Coordinates14°38′25.36″N 121°02′12.08″E / 14.6403778°N 121.0366889°E / 14.6403778; 121.0366889
CommissionedMarch 21, 1969; 56 years ago (1969-03-21)
DecomissionedJuly 9, 2025; 7 days ago (2025-07-09)
OwnerABS-CBN Corporation (1969–1972; 1986–2025)
Kanlaon Broadcasting System/Radio Philippines Network Inc. (1972–1978)
Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation (1973–1986)
People's Television Network Inc. (1974–1992)

The Millennium Transmitter is a soon-to-be-demolished 219.5-meter (720 ft) tall mast transmitter owned by ABS-CBN Corporation and operated by Advanced Media Broadcasting System located at the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center, Mother Ignacia Street corner Sgt. Esguerra Avenue, Barangay South Triangle, Quezon City. The transmitter was used by AMBS to serve as the platform for television transmission of All TV on analog Channel 2 and digital Channel 16 (frequencies formerly used by ABS-CBN itself as its flagship station DWWX-TV and transmits from this tower before it ceased broadcast operations on May 5, 2020).[1] It was also used as the main transmission site for ABS-CBN-owned DWAC-TV Channel 23, the flagship station of S+A, before shutting down on May 5, 2020 and its frequency reassigned to Aliw Broadcasting Corporation and its radio station DWRR until it was relocated to Antipolo when the transmitter was upgraded by the end of 1999.

History

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Millennium Transmitter (right) before renovation
Millennium Tower at night in 2012

The Millennium Transmitter, also known as the ABS-CBN Tower, and provisionally called as AMBS Tower (from 2022 to July 9, 2025), was constructed at the corner of Mother Ignacia Street and Sgt. Esguerra Avenue, within the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center, at the time of its construction, it was one of the tallest lattice towers in the world. Construction began in the third quarter of 1968. On March 21, 1969, the tower became operational, transmitting television and radio for ABS-CBN and also used to beam color broadcasts in Metro Manila, and to nearby provinces. After martial law was declared on September 21, 1972, as ABS-CBN suspended their operations the following day, the facility was taken over by the crony-owned BBC-2 from 1973 to 1979; state-run People's Television's predecessors GTV/MBS-4 also occupied the tower from 1974 to 1992 to beam their programs. When the EDSA Revolution happened, both the tower and Broadcast Plaza were stormed by reformist rebels as escalating battle occurred on February 24, 1986. After the revolution, the tower was returned to ABS-CBN. Since then, the tower became the primary source of transmission for both DWWX-TV and DWRR and later it began transmitting the company's sister UHF station DWAC-TV in 1996.[citation needed]

The ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center as viewed from the rooftop of the main building of ABS-CBN. Millennium Transmitter (right).

Its previous height was 650 ft (198.1 m), until ABS-CBN started a major reconstruction and rehabilitation of the whole tower, which included changing cylinder antennas to the more powerful dipole antennas with reflector, and increase of its height which was finished by the 3rd quarter of 2009.[2][unreliable source?]

On June 30, 2020, the transmitter was shut off due to a cease and desist order from the National Telecommunications Commission after ABS-CBN's legislative franchise expired on May 4, 2020.[3][4]

After two years of being non-operational for transmission, ABS-CBN granted the request of AMBS to use the transmitter for the analog and digital broadcasts of All TV. This was confirmed by Willie Revillame on his show Wowowin.[1] ALLTV later beginning simulcasting several ABS-CBN programs, such as TV Patrol, Magandang Buhay and It's Showtime, since April 15, 2024. This marked the return of ABS-CBN's operations to the transmitter tower after four years since its shutdown in 2020, albeit as an airtime lease operator.[5][6][7][8]

On February 27, 2025, ABS-CBN announced that it would sell most of the Broadcast Center to Ayala Land, pending regulatory approval to the Philippine Stock Exchange.[9][10] On March 2, 2025, Ogie Alcasid shared a post on social media, where he casually confirmed that the Millennium Transmitter would soon be demolished.[11] On July 9, 2025, the Millennium Transmitter was closed in preparation for demolition,[12][13] the first to be dismantled before the Broadcast Center, just 5 years after the new franchise was rejected by the Congress.[14]

Features

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The base of the Millenium Transmitter

Tower

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The tower uses dipole antennas with reflector, and UHF panel antennas for wide coverage of analog (VHF and UHF TV) and digital (ISDB-T) TV reception in Metro Manila some nearby provinces in both grades A and B, for the broadcasts of DWWX-TV and DWAC-TV respectively. Despite the name, the Millennium Transmitter is not a transmitter of its own, but rather a communications tower with antennas connected to multiple transmitters.[citation needed]

Transmitter facility

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The transmitter facility housed both DWWX-TV and DWAC-TV that contained sets of transmitter equipment imported by Harris and Jampro of the United States.[citation needed]

Frequencies

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Final

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Analog television

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Call sign Branding Channel Video carrier Sound carrier Power ERP
DZMV-TV All TV 2 55.25 MHz 59.75 MHz 30 kW 100 kW

Digital television

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Call sign Branding Digital channel Virtual channel ISDB-T carrier Power ERP
DZMV-DTV All TV Manila 16 2.01 485.143 MHz 10 kW 25 kW

Former

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All stations that were previously broadcasting from the Millennium Transmitter ceased transmission on May 5, 2020, following the expiration of its legislative franchise.

FM stations

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Call sign Branding RDS ID Frequency Power
DWRR-FM MOR 101.9 My Only Radio For Life! Manila My Only Radio 101.9 MHz 22.5 kW

Analog television

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Call sign Branding Video carrier Sound carrier Power ERP
DWWX-TV ABS-CBN 55.25 MHz 59.75 MHz 60 kW 346.2 kW
DWAC-TV Studio 23/S+A 525.25 MHz 529.75 MHz 30 kW 10 kW

Digital television

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Call sign Branding Digital channel Virtual channel ISDB-T carrier Power ERP
DWWX-DTV ABS-CBN 43 1.01 647.143 MHz 5 kW None
DWAC-DTV Studio 23/S+A 1.02
None Cine Mo! 1.03
Yey! 1.04
TeleRadyo 1.05
Kapamilya Box Office 1.06
ABS-CBN 1seg 1.31
Call sign Branding Digital channel Virtual channel ISDB-T carrier Power ERP
None Knowledge Channel 16 2.01 485.143 MHz 5 kW None
O Shopping 2.02
Asianovela Channel 2.03
Movie Central 2.04
Jeepney TV 2.05
Myx 2.06
Reserved 2.07 Not broadcasting
Asianovela 1seg 2.31 5 kW

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Gabinete, Jojo (September 16, 2022). "Willie Revillame, nagpasalamat sa ABS-CBN sa pagbebenta ng transmitter sa AMBS" [Willie Revillame thanks ABS-CBN for selling transmitter to AMBS]. Philippine Entertainment Portal (in Tagalog). Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  2. ^ "A Third Generation Of Analog TV Transmitting Antenna Installation For ABS-CBN Tower In 2009". albcorph.wordpress.com. August 24, 2009. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  3. ^ "ABS-CBN to go off air in compliance with NTC order". ABS-CBN News. May 5, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "NTC orders ABS-CBN to stop TVPlus in Metro Manila, SKY Direct". ABS-CBN News. June 30, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "TV Patrol to air on ALLTV beginning April 15". ABS-CBN News. April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  6. ^ "AMBS, ABS-CBN to bring Kapamilya shows, TV Patrol to ALLTV". ABS-CBN News. April 23, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  7. ^ Byx Almacen (April 30, 2024). "Eere sa ALLTV: Regine Velasquez 'di iiwanan ang 'Magandang Buhay'". Abante (in Tagalog).
  8. ^ Richard de Leon (June 18, 2024). "Tahimik lang: It's Showtime balik-Channel 2, napapanood na rin sa ALLTV". balita.net.ph. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  9. ^ "ABS-CBN to sell portion of its Quezon City property to Ayala Land". ABS-CBN. February 27, 2025.
  10. ^ "ABS-CBN sells part of HQ to Ayala Land for P6 billion". Philstar. February 28, 2025.
  11. ^ "Ogie at Regine, nagpaalam na sa Millennium Transmitter ng ABS-CBN". Philippine Entertainment Portal. March 3, 2025.
  12. ^ "Kapamilya stars, officials, employees nagpaalam sa ABS-CBN Tower". Philippine Entertainment Portal (in Tagalog). July 10, 2025.
  13. ^ "Sofia Andres, Nikki Valdez, more stars bid farewell to ABS-CBN Tower". Inquirer. July 10, 2025.
  14. ^ "Millennium tower ng ABS-CBN, mauunang gigibain!". Philstar (in Tagalog). July 11, 2025.
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