Reaching Beyond Channels: RBC Media Group Marks 1 Year as a Unified Conglomerate, Anchored by 31 Years of Legacy
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, PAMPANGA — Born from the ashes of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, the story of RBC Media Group is deeply rooted in Central Luzon’s enduring resilience. Celebrating its first formal anniversary as a unified media conglomerate—while building upon a 31-year legacy established by its pioneering brands starting in 1995—the network is proving that true local media doesn’t just survive change; it drives it.
Founded on August 17, 1995, RW95.1 FM began as a vital communication and relief hub for devastated communities, earning KBP Golden Dove Awards for public service. Years later, under the banner of Radioworld Broadcasting Corporation, the group expanded its footprint with the launch of regional television station CLTV36 on March 19, 2007. Founded by Levy P. Laus, a visionary businessman driven by a mission of enabling public good, CLTV36 became the first and only regional TV station in the country, built alongside his other major businesses at the heart of Central Luzon in San Fernando, Pampanga. Last year, these powerful multimedia pillars officially integrated under the overarching corporate umbrella of RBC Media Group, anchored by the core vision of “Reaching Beyond Channels” and a commitment to help audiences “Find Your Vibe.”
Under the leadership of Virgilio “Billy” A. San Juan, RBC Media Group Head, that vision has translated into aggressive, forward-looking execution. Reflecting on this dual milestone, San Juan shared:
“Celebrating our first year as a fully integrated media conglomerate while honoring three decades of trusted community service changes our entire perspective. RBC Media Group is designed to operate beyond the traditional boundaries of television or radio. By unifying our multi-platform assets—from our pioneer broadcast brands and digital bureaus to high-level partnerships like BNC and Amber Studios—we are engineering a modern, agile media ecosystem right here in Central Luzon that serves audiences wherever they choose to consume content.”
That drive has defined a landmark year of growth, beginning on the international stage and carrying through to major strategic alliances that bridge the gap between hyper-local trust and national-standard broadcasting.
Taking the Global Stage: The Blueprint at BroadcastAsia 2026
Earlier this year at BroadcastAsia 2026 in Singapore, San Juan took the stage as a featured panelist at the Singapore EXPO for the session “Broadcast Leadership in Today’s Multi-Platform Environment.” Delivering a frank survival blueprint for legacy media, he outlined how RBC Media Group has deployed “Full Flex” content bureaus—decentralized teams of hybrid storytellers working across platforms—and integrated Agile-KPIs and OKRs across its operations. Emphasizing that human journalists remain the ultimate gatekeepers of editorial integrity against automated misinformation, San Juan’s presentation reinforced the conglomerate’s positioning as a model for agile, public-interest media leadership in Southeast Asia.
Deepening Local Roots: Election Coverage and Community Programming
That same cross-platform philosophy has long played out closer to home. Since last year, RW95.1 FM and CLTV36 have jointly produced “Ang Paglalahad,” a political forum and interview series that partners with newspaper SunStar Pampanga to give candidates in local elections across Pampanga and neighboring provinces a direct platform to present their programs and be questioned on their track record. The collaboration reflects the same multi-platform model driving the network’s national partnerships, applied at the hyper-local level where it matters most to voters.
That local commitment is also anchored by “Talakayan Ngayon,” RW95.1’s longest-running talk show, which recently returned to television screens as a live teleradyo simulcast—continuing the network’s long-standing practice of bringing its radio programming to TV audiences at the same time it airs. Rounding out that local footprint is CLTV36’s coverage of regional culture and events—from the Apung Iru Festival to the Mutya ng Pilipinas Pampanga 2026 Grand Coronation Night—a reminder that the network’s mandate extends well beyond news and politics into the life and culture of Central Luzon.
Partnering with Schools and the Community
That same community-first approach extends into local government and the academe. CLTV36 works closely with the Arts, Culture, Tourism Office of Pampanga (ACTOP), the Pampanga LGU’s cultural arm, while also opening its platform to student talent: on June 25, 2026, CLTV36 signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Angeles University Foundation’s College of Computer Studies (AUF-CCS), and starting July 7, films, documentaries, and animations produced by AUF students began airing on CLTV36 every Tuesday at 4:30 PM. Mark William Canlas, CLTV36’s TV Operations Head, explained the thinking behind these partnerships: “Our work with government agencies such as ACTOP and schools and universities — whose students get to showcase the films they make on our platform — reflects the reputation CLTV36 has built as the region’s most trusted media platform. That’s why schools and organizations continue to come to us, and collaborations like these add real value to our programming while promoting the tradition and culture of the region.”
Championing Public Interest Media and Solutions Journalism
At the core of the conglomerate’s journalistic mission, its television flagship CLTV36 has officially been recognized as a vital public interest media organization. Standing out as the only regionally owned and operated television broadcaster among the ten Philippine grantees selected by the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM), CLTV36 reaches over 40 million people across its broadcast and social media platforms. Represented by San Juan and Content Lead Justine Dizon during IFPIM’s strategic planning bootcamps, the network has formally adopted solutions journalism as a core editorial philosophy—moving beyond traditional issue-only reporting to investigate and highlight evidence-backed responses to systemic societal challenges.
Bridging Digital and Broadcast: The Reimagine Podcast
Translating that philosophy into action across its ecosystem, RBC Media Group announced a major step in its digital-to-broadcast evolution through a partnership with Amber Studios MNL, bringing “The ReImagine Podcast” to television screens across Central Luzon starting May 1. Hosted by award-winning journalist and media entrepreneur Jacquelyn “Jacque” Manabat, the program features deep-dive conversations with innovators and visionaries. Paul A. Laus, President of the Laus Group of Companies and Executive Director of RBC Media Group, called the partnership “a cornerstone of our new direction” as the network pivots to capture a younger, more dynamic audience with fresh formats like televised podcasts, while Manabat noted that partnering with CLTV36 lets the show “specifically feature the fast-rising economy of Pampanga and the incredible talent and transformative ideas emerging from this region.”
Raising the Bar: The Bilyonaryo News Channel Partnership
Building further on this momentum, RBC Media Group reached another historic peak on June 24 with a strategic partnership between CLTV36 and the Bilyonaryo News Channel (BNC). Beginning July 6, CLTV36 became the official Central Luzon home for BNC’s premier multimedia programming, integrating a powerhouse weekday evening prime block featuring live simulcasts of “Agenda” (hosted by Pinky Webb, Korina Sanchez-Roxas, and Willard Cheng), “On Point,” and “The Spokes,” alongside robust weekend lifestyle, wellness, and sports blocks. Laus called it “a significant milestone in regional broadcasting,” expanding CLTV36’s grid with high-value programming that complements its deeply rooted local news, while BNC SVP for Sales & Marketing Maria Fatima Baylon added that the partnership brings BNC’s most-viewed programs “directly to the vibrant communities of Central Luzon through the region’s most trusted television network.”
Looking Ahead
As RBC Media Group marks its first anniversary as a unified entity alongside 31 years of broadcast heritage, its trajectory is clear. From its pioneering roots in “Social TV” and international thought leadership to the expansion of Full Flex bureaus, ongoing film production initiatives, and the upcoming development of Global Kapampangan TV (GKTV) for the diaspora abroad, the media group continues to innovate.
By uniting iconic legacy brands with cutting-edge global insights, elite international partnerships, and a firm grounding in solutions journalism, RBC Media Group is setting a new benchmark for what a regional media conglomerate can achieve.
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