From advertising, blocktiming, real estate, and ultimately broadcasting, EUT — who would’ve been 83 last July 21 — was a true renaissance man who left an enviable legacy of dogged determination, a pioneering vision, and the perseverance to pull through against all odds.
The son of a mathematics genius
Edward U. Tan, born in 1941, traced his roots to a prominent clan from Fujian, China, where many Chinese Filipinos draw their ancestry. His father was a distinguished academic; earned a doctorate in mathematics from the prestigious University of Edinburgh in Scotland, whose notable alumni include Charles Darwin.
Edward himself was sent to the best schools in the country: Ateneo for elementary and high school then De La Salle for college, graduating with a degree in business.
“They were a middle class family,” recounts Rachel Renucci-Tan, the oldest of EUT’s two daughters, “but my dad was well-educated.”
An early start and marriage
Fresh out of college at age 22, Edward married Rita Ching, a Scholastican with many suitors who would later author books on oriental ceramics.
“They likely met within the same circles,” Rachel says.
As it happened Rita’s father was Ching Banlee, believed to be the country's first Chinoy tycoon, who led Chen Ban Yek & Co., the firm behind Baguio Oil and other businesses in tobacco, textile, steel, and insurance.
Edward found early work in a bank but was soon bored and restless, unhappy with life as an employee. Still, truly greater things lay ahead for the young Tan.
Edward the adman: ‘Ang Order ni Mrs.’
It's unclear why EUT ventured into advertising, but his creative streak and entrepreneurial acumen made him well suited for this field.
And so was formed Atlas Promotions and Marketing Corp. (APMC), operating right at the heart of bustling Binondo and initially servicing the companies under Chen Ban Yek & Co.
“They were the obvious, low-hanging fruit,” says Rachel.
In the 1960’s APMC conceived what blogger Alex D.R. Castro describes as “one of the most successful and effective advertising campaigns for a local brand” — Ang Order ni Mrs. for Baguio Oil.
The tagline, says Castro, “became so popular that it achieved top-of-mind recall and made Baguio Oil a household name.”
Indeed the partnership between Chen Ban Yek & Co. and APMC proved mutually beneficial. The market success of Baguio Oil helped catapult APMC to one of top five advertising agencies in the country, the rest all multinationals.
EUT, pioneer blocktimer
With APMC at the top of its game, EUT saw an opportunity yet untapped: blocktiming or the buying of “blocks” of air time to produce programs.
Leveraging on his friendship with Menardo "Nards" Jimenez of GMA-7, he proposed taking over the “dead” 9:30 p.m. time slot in a 60/40 co-production deal favoring GMA until he acquired 100%.
With Jimenez providing the airtime, EUT contributed programs such as the Little House on the Prairie, A-Team, and Knight Rider, as well as advertisers.
Since he had access to the market data provided by his ad agency, coupled with his keen sense of the zeitgeist, EUT had a pulse on what the audiences wanted and ratings soared.
When the profitable partnership ended after “a happy marriage,” EUT moved to RPN-9, but it was never the same.
At this point he realized that the only way to survive — “as not to be at the mercy of others” — was to acquire his own television network.
Coming home to ABC
In 1986, the Roces family, like the Lopezes with ABS-CBN, sought to regain ownership of ABC-5, which was among the stations that were shut down when Martial Law was imposed in 1972.
Whereas the Lopezes may have had the resources, the Roceses needed a partner to make this happen. For this they turned to EUT who was no stranger to the ABC-5 of old as he was responsible for airing The Ed Sullivan Show and produced Carmen on Camera headlined by Carmen Soriano in the 1960s.
Leading a new slate of stockholders including the Yuchengco group whose RCBC organized the funding syndicate necessary to jumpstart the station, EUT, “whose determination and perseverance never wavered in the face of the unbelievable obstacles” plunged head-on with the daunting task at hand, with his advertising business taking a back seat.
In 1990, ABC Development Corp. broke ground on a state-of-the-art studio complex in Novaliches, Quezon City (built at a cost of $25 million dollars per an Asiaweek report) and by February 1992, ABC Channel 5, with the tagline “Come Home to ABC,” was finally back on air after what was dubbed as “the longest station break in history.”
With Tan as chairman and managing director and Edgardo Roces, Chino’s son, as president, Tina Monzon-Palma was appointed chief operating officer.
“We have the most advanced transmitter, studio systems and equipment which are designed to bring television and radio broadcasting in the Philippines into the 21st century,” said EUT at that time.”We [also] have some of the best people in the field.”
In no time, ABC-5 came to be known as “the fastest growing network,” opening provincial stations in rapid succession and leaving its mark through innovative programming that was a mix of hit foreign shows (Friends and ER), original local programs (Tropang Trumpo and Eezy Dancing) and balanced and fearless news (Balitang Balita and The Big News).
By the mid-1990s ABC-5 had risen to number three in the ratings game with the bold declaration of being In the Big League. Numerous awards and recognition would follow as well.
(In all of these EUT was always in the thick of things. While ABC’s corporate offices were in Makati, he’d make sure to visit Novaliches regularly taking the company chopper in true media magnate fashion)
In 1999, still reeling from the effects of the East Asian financial crisis, ABC-5 was awarded the last remaining UHF frequency (Channel 47), “winning over a field of competitors because of its capabilities and track record.”
The end of an era
With advertising revenues on the decline, EUT saw the writing on the wall and after a largely successful decade-long run, he sold his beloved ABC-5 in 2003 to a consortium led by Antonio “Tonyboy” Cojuangco for P4.8 billion.
“My dad was disciplined, detailed, rigorous, a brilliant entrepreneur who could’ve done much more,” Rachel recounts with fondness. ”He taught me to never give up and to have faith; he made sure I had the character and the spirit and the courage to endure.”
In 2008, Edward U. Tan — trailblazer and visionary; fastidious dresser and cigar aficionado — passed away at the age of 67.
With his passing, an era came to an end. Yet, the legacy he left behind and the innovations that he sparked lives on — forever changing the landscape of Philippine media and television.
Features Reporter
