Rooted in a legacy of excellence, DZRH has nowhere to go but up. With the sky as its only limit, the station continues to seize every opportunity to grow—branching out onto TV and digital platforms, in step with today’s rapidly evolving technologies.
From one momentous event to the next, DZRH has been there to tell the story. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
DZRH Online
DZRH, keeping pace with today’s digitized world, has carved out a presence online—gaining recognition as a competitive media network not only on the airwaves, but also on the internet and in social media platforms.
Even in its early stages, DZRH’s digital offshoot honors the name it carries through its production of engaging and informative content across a broad spectrum of stories, pulling in Filipinos from all walks of life.
Bringing the electoral race closer to the people
COMELEC Chair George Erwin Garcia explaining the issue with the transparency server for media coverage during the National and Local Elections 2025. Photo provided by Boy Gonzales
DZRH online, with its capacity for accessible, real-time updates, played a vital role in the successful coverage of the landmark 2025 National and Local Elections.
“I think hindi talaga magw-work ‘yung election (coverage) without digital. Kasi malaking part talaga siya, knowing na lahat ng tao ngayon may cellphones na, nasa computer na, and very high-tech na,” the AM digital team leader said.
That said, although social media visuals seem rather simple and straightforward, much effort goes into making them.
“Behind those pubmats (publication materials) and videos are people na talagang nagpuyat,” she added.
However, the team is driven by a singular goal: to serve the public interest through the dissemination of verified facts, the team leader said, empowering Filipinos to make informed decisions for the future of the country.
Months before Filipinos were set to cast their votes, DZRH hosted “Bakit Ikaw: The DZRH Job Interview” for candidates who wanted to promote their platforms—radio interviews for which the team produced various social media and website materials, including publication materials shared on Facebook, spliced videos, and comprehensive articles.
A vote tracker, which was first launched for the 2022 Presidential Elections, was also devised. It took data from the Commission on Elections’ (COMELEC) transparency server through DZRH’s partnership with the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP). On election day, the tabulated data was uploaded and plainly displayed on the website.
When the unofficial vote count plummeted in the early morning hours of May 13, DZRH quickly set the record straight through an interview with COMELEC Chair George Garcia and KBP legal counsel and DZRH Station Manager Atty. Rejie Jularbal, which DZRH online made articles of. The following press conference was also written about, along with additional updates.
“(Mula) sa bilangan, hanggang sa magkaroon na ng results, nandoon tayo talaga. Hindi tayo bumitaw sa mga updates, sa mga reports,” the team lead stressed.
And, despite the odds, “We made it happen and possible na maging successful din talaga (‘yung coverage).”
DZRH TV
DZRH, continuously seeking to innovate and diversify its platforms, ventured into TV production for radio programs. After the pandemic, the team began exploring content independent of radio broadcasting, delving into Filipino stories across e-sports, lifestyle, show business, and more.
“Kasi ever since DZRH TV was conceptualized, it was to merely, actually to mirror the AM station. So, ‘yung mga programs niya, parang another platform lang siya to reach a wider audience,” TV Production Head Rita Salonga explained.
“Tapos now lang, siguro after the pandemic (is) when we started to talaga produce, to take seriously the production of TV content. So we’re also trying to veer away, to (give TV) its own identity,” she said, noting that TV building its own following was crucial to its growth.
This strategic shift was met with success. In 2022, DZRH TV became one of the first news media outlets to join Tiktok, and earned recognition as the platform’s third leading news content provider.
The year after, they secured a partnership with Asian TV Awards, and have since handled productions for the KBP and Araw Awards.
Come 2024, they were awarded by MPL (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League) as one of its top news media partners. Subsequently, invites from basketball, volleyball, and other sports organizations have been streaming in.
Traslación, wherever you are
Traslación 2025. Photo taken by Dennis Villanueva
Traslación, or the Feast of the Black Nazarene, is a cultural mainstay in the Philippines as a predominantly Catholic nation. Hence, DZRH TV has always covered the event. However, it was only during the post-pandemic period that the annual tradition was given greater visibility.
“Nag set-up kami ng remote satellite sa may (Quirino) Grandstand, and then we sent out our TV reporters and cameraman to actually report live. So ‘yun ‘yung mga milestones natin,” Salonga said, adding teams are also sent out to cover the elections and the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).
During the procession, the devotees who flock in massive droves to the Nazarene pose a constant risk of fatal stampedes. Nonetheless, the TV reporters position themselves where the crowds are thickest to deliver honest, on-the-ground coverage.
“Because kung saan ‘yung action, nandoon ‘yung scoop,” said the production head.
She recounted that two of her team members were caught in a stampede close to the San Sebastian Church as they were covering the Dungaw, when the Blessed Mother is brought out to gaze upon the Nazarene as the procession passes by. Devotees were attempting to enter the church gates, which had already been shut due to their sheer numbers.
Salonga’s team was able to make multiple reports for this year’s Traslación—a week’s worth of material: some from research prior to the day of the event, live coverage, and supplementary stories.
“So may pre-Traslación siya na parang feature … After that, nag-live siya … Siyempre may lull times naman, hindi naman all the time, (na) nandoon siya sa Traslación, nagre-report siya. So during those times na hindi siya nagre-report, gumagawa na siya ng materials para sa ipo-produce naman ‘yan na post-Traslación … Puwedeng may nakilala siya doon, na nagpapanata…” she explained, referring to personal, human-interest stories and making use of both live and fuller, canned content.
Like DZRH’s digital content arm, TV also strives to uphold the standard of excellence DZRH has maintained for 86 years.
“We always strive for the truth, and excellence. Hindi tayo ‘yung tipong uurong tayo sa balita, just because it’s dangerous,” Salonga said of DZRH.
“Sa TV, ganoon rin kami. So we show what is truth, what is factual. Hindi kami magre-report ng hindi kami sigurado. Because ‘yun ‘yung tatak DZRH: kailangan verified, confirmed ang mga reports natin,” she added.
DZRH TV would not be what it is now, if not for the trusted brand of the longest-running AM station in the Philippines, Salonga said.
“Now, in a way, even though we’re niching our own brand, niching our own voice, dala namin ‘yung credibility, ‘yung tatak DZRH … A part of it will always be DZRH,” she affirmed.
TV content: Sa Likod ng Kontrobersiya
Even before its rebranding, “Sa Likod ng Kontrobersiya,” one of DZRH TV’s original programs, was already providing a platform for the marginalized to speak their truths. The program spotlit diverse narratives, such as that of some members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are outspoken in their faith and are active members of the church as well. Rose Babiera, the show’s host, has also interviewed a Lumad woman from the Obo Manobo tribe in Mindanao.
DZRH in the service of all Filipinos
In Season 3, Episode 4 of the program, Katherine “Kat” Dalon is a Lumad woman newly graduated from the University of the Philippines (UP) and a member of SABOKAHAN, an organization which stands for the equal respect and recognition of indigenous women’s rights.
Dalon shared that she had grown up in a heavily militarized community, where playing outdoors while men with long guns loitered felt normal, where war was normal. Students in Lumad schools were often red-tagged and killed and the school labelled a breeding ground for New People’s Army (NPA) fighters.
The violence and repression she endured as an Indigenous person propelled her into human rights advocacy. Hers is a Filipino story—one that persists in the face of colonialism and modernization.
Babiera shared that she first heard of Dalon back in college, when UP opened its doors to indigenous students as Lumad schools in Mindanao were being targeted. Given her lived experiences and the risks she faces as a Lumad woman, it was essential to build rapport with Dalon as well as research, disclosed Babiera.
“I think what we really prepared for the most was how to make our guest feel safe. Siyempre, magbabahagi siya ng mga kwento sa mas malaking audience at tsaka mananawagan against powerful people,” she explained.
“We have to understand that Lumads live in constant fear. So, weeks before the interview, I constantly chat(ted) and even made calls with Kat para maramdaman niyang safe siya. Even with our questioning, we made sure wala kaming language na gagamitin para ma-trigger siya,” she went on, adding that she did “research, research, research,” to ensure factual reporting.
Babiera’s goal for sensitive interviews such as these is to create a safe space, particularly for interviewees who are unaccustomed to speaking in public or on TV.
“Their (indigenous peoples’) plight, or simply their existence, shows that modernization cannot erase our culture. They are symbolisms of resistance—resistance to change, foreign influences, and western ideals,” Babiera said.
DZRH, she argued, is the best platform for stories like Dalon’s.
“I think just the essence that DZRH is a witness of key moments in history, as the oldest station in the nation—makes them the best platform for stories as such. Kasi kumbaga nakita nila ‘yung mga changes in history, dapat sila rin ‘yung nakakakita kung gaano ipinaglaban ng mga Lumad na hindi magpadala sa impluwensya ng nagbabagong panahon—which is evident in this episode. Mainstreaming issues like this is important,” she continued.
Moreover, DZRH is in the service of all Filipinos. Although indigenous peoples’ cultures and traditions share little in common with the everyday Pinoys’, at the end of the day, they share the same roots, land, and resources.
“ALL Filipinos dapat. Definitely, Pilipino tayo and they hold our roots and lands close and tight, something we can learn from them,” Babiera agreed.
After 86 years on-air, DZRH remains a pillar of Philippine broadcast journalism—whether through the radio, television, or digital platforms. The company’s growth has also allowed room for not only hard-hitting, factual reporting but also storytelling that brings out the human side of history.
