GMA Network Center

GMA Network Center
The GMA Network Center from the ground up
General information
Type	High-rise
Location	EDSA corner Timog Avenue, Barangay South Triangle, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Coordinates	14°38′01″N 121°02′37″E / 14.6337°N 121.0435°E / 14.6337; 121.0435Coordinates: 14°38′01″N 121°02′37″E / 14.6337°N 121.0435°E / 14.6337; 121.0435
Construction started	1996
Completed	2000
Cost	US$46 million[1]
Technical details
Floor count	17
Design and construction
Architect	Roger Villarosa[2]

The GMA Network Center is the headquarters of the GMA Network, a major radio and television network in the Philippines. It is located at EDSA corner Timog Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City. It is the network's main television and radio production center, and its main transmission facility for most of Metro Manila. The building houses Super Radyo DZBB 594 AM, Barangay LS 97.1 FM, GMA-7, and GMA News TV-11. The center housed the UHF channel DWDB-TV 27.

GMA inaugurated the facility on June 14, 2000, the birthdate of GMA Network, as part of the kick-off of its year-round celebration of its 50th golden anniversary. While the first phase of the project has already been completed with the completion of the 17-storey high-rise building, the center has an option to upgrade the older, existing facilities in the GMA compound, as originally planned.

The Center is equipped with MARC (Multiple Automated Recorder Cassette) System with a D3 format digital video recorder and a Broadcast Automation System that allows the network to manage live feeds and international feeds that will be carried out to GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV and, GMA News TV International subscribers around the world.

Although the Network Center was inaugurated in 2000, GMA has held office in its current EDSA headquarters since 1957 with its television broadcasts started in 1961, having moved from the Calvo Building in Escolta, Manila (where the network, then known as Loreto de F. Hemedes, Inc., later renamed Republic Broadcasting System, had its first studios and corporate offices since its inception in 1950).

The GMA Network Studios

The GMA compound has seven studios, three of which (Studios 1, 2 and 3) are in the network center, two (Studios 6 and 7) in the new GMA Network Studio Annex, and two (Studios 4 and 5, formerly Studios A and B) in the old GMA Building, Studios 4 and 5 are one of the oldest GMA Studios. The Center serves as the Corporate Headquarters for the network and also houses radio stations Super Radyo DZBB 594 AM and Barangay LS 97.1 FM, as well as the newsroom. A convenience store and a coffee shop services the employees who work in the center. Meanwhile, the Kapuso Center, located along the GMA Network Drive (11th Jamboree Street) entrance of the compound, serves as the offices for the GMA Kapuso Foundation, the "Action Center" of Mike Enriquez's Imbestigador, and the public service program Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko. On the building's courtside is a sculpture by artist Eduardo Castrillo.^[3]

View of GMA Network Center from Kamuning MRT Station.

The GMA Network Studio Annex

In 2006, on an 18,404-square-meter complex, GMA built a 3,000-square meter 4-storey structure beside the old network complex. The structure houses two state-of-the art soundstages, one of which can accommodate up to 1,000 studio audience. The new building, dubbed the GMA Network Studios, also houses studio support and set construction facilities, technical equipment for broadcast and theater systems, props storage, garage areas, rehearsal rooms, talent dressing and makeup rooms, as well as administrative and production offices. A bridge also connects the new building to the rest of the compound. The new structure costs as much as PhP1 billion.^[4] The new GMA Network Studios was unveiled on Friday, October 17, 2008 with a red carpet event. And the tour of the new studio was shown in GMA Pinoy TV, worldwide by the famous Bubble Gang characters, Angelina and Yaya, which are played by Ogie Alcasid and Michael V., respectively. They've shown the features of the studio and they've shown the dance studio where the audience including Felipe Gozon watched them dance. The German Moreno Studio (formerly known as Studio 6) of the Annex currently houses Wowowin^{[5][6][7][8][9]}, and the Studio 7 used for Sunday PinaSaya and Studio 7.

GMA Network's Walk of Fame

On March 24, 2014, GMA Network launched its own version of "Walk of Fame" outside Network Center, over 190 celebrities and news & public affairs personalities received the plaque. The concept of this "Walk of Fame" was done by the late German "Kuya Germs" Moreno who was also behind the Eastwood City's Walk of Fame.^{[10][11][12][13]}

References