You may be just like me who can still remember the epic 25.5 hour New Year special to welcome Y2K/Millennium 2000 on Channel 2 which included a dusk-to-dawn New Year variety show boasting of high caliber performances from most ABS-CBN artists. You may wonder why this New Year variety show was not repeated in New Year 2001/New Millennium/Millennium 2001 thereafter. You may wonder why the ABS-CBN News anchors and reporters took most of the work to present the New Year countdown year after year (which they did even for New Year 2000).
First off: New Year's Eve and New Year's Day events (year-end gatherings, year-end presentations, incidents occurring before and after due to overindulgence in the celebrations, 1st New Year baby, firecracker injuries, even peace and order situations and emergency alerts) most of the time are news-worthy. Don't worry: the ABS-CBN News reporters are there.
Second: Christmas break is true for most musicians, singers, dancers, actors, performers and presenters--an opportunity to spend the Christmas season for real off-stage, off-cam, off-mike. This is also true for reporters, but the call of duty for public service and journalism is stronger even during the holidays. We must be so lucky spending Christmas break with our loved ones, while others spend the holidays on duty to serve us on radio and TV.
Third: ABS-CBN marks the New Year in a simple way. Having a New Year presentation (midnight coverage and broadcast Mass) is better than none at all. Having a big New Year concert is another story--another drain on the finances with regards to costs of planning, organizing, promoting and executing, including the talent fees.
If you can remember what happened in 1999-2000, there was just little word on Channel 2's Christmas special (which is actually an annual tradition on ABS-CBN). All eyes were on the network's Millennium 2000 coverage. You can imagine the stress of mounting 2 specials during the year-end--for both Christmas and New Year. Well, after Millennium 2000, the network personnel have little to worry about every year-end.
Then again, New Year countdowns on TV are the exciting part of the year-end, especially with the news anchors and reporters in their lightest and best selves :) That is why this blogger anticipate every Salubong Sa Bagong Taon coverage at year-end; this year won't be different.
Catch #Salubong2018 this New Year's Eve, 12-31-2017, Sunday, 11:30pm, after Gandang Gabi Vice on Channel 2. That's a Deal; all right?
