DZOE-TV

DZOE-TV is a Philippine television station serving Metro Manila and nearby provinces. It operates on analog VHF channel 11 and digital UHF channel 20, and is owned by ZOE Broadcasting Network, the broadcast-media arm of the Jesus Is Lord Church. The station is currently the flagship terrestrial outlet of A2Z, a programming service created through a blocktime arrangement between ZOE and ABS-CBN Corporation, with additional religious and educational programming supplied by ZOE-affiliated and third-party partners. The channel 11 facility emerged from the earlier DWXI-TV arrangement associated with religious broadcasters Mike Velarde and Eddie Villanueva. A dispute over control of the frequency was eventually resolved in favor of Villanueva and the Jesus Is Lord organization, after which the station adopted the ZOE TV identity. ZOE TV formally launched on April 13, 1998, presenting religious programs alongside news and public affairs, music videos, educational features, lifestyle content, and infomercials. Its early operations were based in Pasig's Ortigas Center, where its offices, studios, master control, and transmitter were located. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the station entered into a programming arrangement with Enternet that brought CNBC Asia content to its schedule. The partnership expanded the station's broadcast hours but ended amid contractual disagreements and subsequent litigation. ZOE TV also became notable for its coverage of the 2001 Second EDSA Revolution. Financial and operational pressures later led the station to reduce its schedule to approximately ten hours per day, a format that continued until 2005. A major change occurred in 2005, when Citynet Network Marketing and Productions, a GMA Network subsidiary, leased the station's entire airtime. GMA upgraded the facility, including replacing the original transmitter with a higher-powered unit, and used channel 11 to launch successive versions of its second network: QTV, later Q, and then GMA News TV. Although ZOE retained the license and transmitter-management role, channel 11 functioned largely as a GMA-operated service from 2005 to 2019. ZOE also resumed independent broadcasting on UHF channel 33 in 2006, the frequency associated with its Light TV service. GMA and ZOE ended their blocktime relationship in 2019. After a period off the air, the channel 11 transmitter was reactivated in June 2020 from Antipolo for test and interim programming. In October 2020, ZOE and ABS-CBN announced a new blocktime partnership and relaunched the service as A2Z. The network combined ABS-CBN entertainment and news-related programming with educational content from Knowledge Channel and religious programming from Light TV, CBN Asia, and other partners. A2Z initially broadcast through analog channel 11, followed by digital transmission on UHF channel 20 in November 2020. DZOE-TV therefore represents both a physical broadcast facility and a succession of channel brands and operating partnerships. Its identity has shifted from an independent religiously oriented station to a leased platform for GMA's secondary networks and later to the A2Z service. ZOE Broadcasting Network continues to own the facility, while programming and day-to-day output are shaped by the applicable blocktime and affiliate arrangements.

The channel 11 frequency that became DZOE-TV was initially connected with DWXI-TV and a joint venture involving religious leaders Mike Velarde and Eddie Villanueva. A dispute over control separated the parties. Following intervention by the Philippine Congress, Villanueva and the Jesus Is Lord Church secured the station rights and compensated Velarde's Delta Broadcasting System. The Jesus Is Lord organization subsequently developed the frequency as part of its own broadcast operation. On April 13, 1998, the station launched under the ZOE TV identity. Its programming mixed religious broadcasts with news and public affairs, music videos, educational shows, lifestyle programs, and infomercials. ZOE operated from the Strata 2000 Building in Pasig's Ortigas Center, which accommodated its offices, studio facilities, master control, and transmitter. In 1999, Enternet entered into a programming lease that introduced CNBC Asia simulcasts. The arrangement eventually expanded to continuous programming, but ended in 2002 after contractual disagreements. Enternet later pursued legal action involving ZOE and Eddie Villanueva. ZOE TV was also an important broadcaster during the Second EDSA Revolution in 2001, when it became the first television station reported to cover the political uprising that resulted in President Joseph Estrada's removal. By 2003, the station had reduced its broadcast schedule to roughly ten hours daily, from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m., and this limited schedule continued until the end of August 2005. In April 2005, Citynet Network Marketing and Productions, a GMA Network subsidiary, agreed to lease all of DZOE-TV's airtime. The arrangement allowed GMA to use the station as the effective outlet for a revived secondary network, while ZOE retained its license and continued managing transmitter operations. GMA replaced the original 40-kilowatt transmitter with a 100-kilowatt unit at its Quezon City transmission site. After a temporary shutdown beginning September 1, 2005, test broadcasts began and the GMA-operated service launched on November 11. The channel first carried QTV, later renamed Q in 2007, and then became GMA News TV in 2011. During the GMA period, ZOE's own programs continued to receive limited carriage through GMA services, including sign-on and sign-off periods and selected weekend slots. The investment also enabled ZOE to resume independent broadcasting on UHF channel 33 in 2006, which became the long-term home of its Light TV service. GMA and ZOE announced the termination of their blocktime agreement in April 2019. The arrangement ended in June, although an operational error delayed the final shutdown of channel 11 until shortly after midnight on June 5. The facility remained inactive for about a year. In June 2020, ZOE reactivated its 100-kilowatt transmitter from Antipolo and transmitted interim Light TV and Hillsong Channel feeds during testing. The station's next major phase followed the expiration and nonrenewal of ABS-CBN's broadcast franchise in 2020. ZOE and ABS-CBN entered a blocktime agreement and announced the A2Z brand on October 6, 2020. A2Z launched four days later, carrying a combination of Kapamilya Channel entertainment, Knowledge Channel educational content, Light TV and CBN Asia religious programs, and other partner material. The service initially used analog channel 11 and began digital broadcasting on UHF channel 20 in November 2020. DZOE-TV remains the principal terrestrial platform for A2Z in Metro Manila, with transmitting infrastructure shared in part with ZOE's Light TV operations.

• 2020

  A2Z launches

  [1]DZOE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  ZOE and ABS-CBN introduced A2Z on channel 11 in October.

• 2019

  End of the GMA-ZOE partnership

  [1]DZOE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  GMA ended its long-running blocktime arrangement with ZOE and moved its remaining channel 11 operations to another facility.

• 2011

  Channel 11 becomes GMA News TV

  [1]DZOE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  GMA reformatted the channel's service from Q into GMA News TV.

• 2006

  ZOE resumes independent UHF broadcasting

  [1]DZOE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  ZOE began independent broadcasting on UHF channel 33, later associated with Light TV.

• 2005

  GMA begins channel 11 operation

  [1]DZOE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  After a facility upgrade and temporary shutdown, Citynet and GMA launched the QTV service on DZOE-TV.

• 2001

  Coverage of the Second EDSA Revolution

  [1]DZOE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  ZOE TV covered the political uprising that led to the removal of President Joseph Estrada.

• 1999

  CNBC Asia programming agreement

  [1]DZOE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Enternet began supplying CNBC Asia programming under a channel lease arrangement.

• 1998

  Launch of ZOE TV

  [1]DZOE-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The Jesus Is Lord organization launched the station under the ZOE TV identity on April 13.

A locally owned broadcast platform with a religious-media heritage that has served as a carrier for large Philippine television networks, currently presenting the A2Z service through a ZOE-ABS-CBN blocktime partnership.

• Free-to-air television network · 2020

  A2Z

  A2Z is the current primary service carried by DZOE-TV. It combines ABS-CBN entertainment and selected news programming with educational material from Knowledge Channel and religious programming from Light TV, CBN Asia, and other blocktime partners. It launched in October 2020 and later expanded to digital terrestrial transmission.

• Religious and general-interest television service · 1998

  ZOE TV

  The original branded service of the station, launched in 1998 by the Jesus Is Lord organization. ZOE TV combined religious broadcasting with public affairs, educational, lifestyle, music, and infomercial programming.

• General-interest television network · 2005

  QTV/Q

  QTV, later shortened to Q, was the first major GMA-operated service to use DZOE-TV after the 2005 airtime lease. It was initially positioned around lifestyle and female-oriented programming before the channel was reformatted as GMA News TV.

• News and public-affairs television network · 2011

  GMA News TV

  GMA News TV replaced Q in 2011 and used DZOE-TV as its Metro Manila analog outlet during the continuing GMA-ZOE arrangement. Its programming emphasized news, public affairs, information, and related general-interest content.

• 2020

  Create the A2Z blocktime service with ABS-CBNStrategy

  Background

  Following the nonrenewal of ABS-CBN's broadcast franchise, the companies sought a terrestrial distribution arrangement for ABS-CBN programming.

  Action taken

  ZOE leased substantial channel 11 airtime to ABS-CBN and relaunched the station as A2Z, incorporating ABS-CBN, Knowledge Channel, Light TV, CBN Asia, and other partner programming.

  Aftermath

  A2Z became DZOE-TV's principal service and was subsequently carried on digital UHF channel 20.

  Source

• 2019

  Terminate the GMA-ZOE blocktime arrangementStrategy

  Background

  GMA announced that rising lease costs and the changing economics of the arrangement made continuation unattractive.

  Action taken

  GMA and Citynet ended their use of DZOE-TV and transferred the remaining GMA News TV Manila operation to GMA's own DWDB-TV facility.

  Aftermath

  DZOE-TV went off the air for about a year before ZOE reactivated the transmitter and pursued a new programming partnership.

  Source

• 2005

  Lease the entire channel 11 airtime to CitynetStrategy

  Background

  GMA needed a stronger platform for a secondary television service because its existing Citynet facility had limited signal reach.

  Action taken

  ZOE and Citynet entered a full-airtime lease, while GMA financed major upgrades to the station's transmitter and facilities.

  Aftermath

  The agreement transformed DZOE-TV into the operating platform for QTV, Q, and GMA News TV for roughly fourteen years.

  Source

1. 1DZOE-TVen.wikipedia.org