James Lindenberg

{{Short description|American-born Filipino engineer and businessman}}{{Infobox officeholder

| name = James Lindenberg

| office = Chairman, Bolinao Electronics Corporation (now ABS-CBN Corporation)

| term_start = June 13, 1946

| term_end = 1952

| successor = Antonio Quirino (1952–1957 as Chairman of Alto Broadcasting Corporation)
Eugenio Lopez, Sr. (Chronicle Broadcasting Network)

| birth_date = {{birth date|1921|12|20|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2009|4|28|1921|12|20|mf=y}}

| death_place = Makati, Philippines

| spouse = Soledad S. Lindenberg

| profession = Engineer

| known_for = Founder of ABS-CBN and Radio Philippines Network

}}

James Lindenberg (December 20, 1921 – April 28, 2009){{cite web |url=http://www.abs-cbn.com/headlines/Article/3285/Farewell-to-the-Father-of-Philippine-Television.aspx |title=Farewell to the Father of Philippine Television |website=www.abs-cbn.com |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502183014/http://www.abs-cbn.com/headlines/Article/3285/Farewell-to-the-Father-of-Philippine-Television.aspx |archive-date=2 May 2009 |url-status=dead}} was an American-born Filipino engineer and businessman. He moved to the Philippines in the 1940s. He is credited for his founding of Bolinao Electronics Corporation (BEC), the precursor of ABS-CBN Corporation, and dubbed as the Father of Philippine Television.{{Cite news |last=Salterio |first=Leah C. |title=2003: A good year for ABS-CBN — and how! |url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2004/01/02/233688/2003-good-year-abs-cbn-151-and-how |work=The Philippine Star}}

Career in the Philippines

=ABS-CBN=

On July 11, 1946, he began assembling transmitters and established Bolinao Electronics Corporation (BEC).{{cite web |title=ABS-CBN Corporation - Company Information |url=http://edge.pse.com.ph/companyInformation/form.do?cmpy_id=114 |access-date=16 June 2024 |website=PSE Edge |publisher=Philippine Stock Exchange}} The company was named after his wife's hometown of Bolinao, Pangasinan. He was the first to applied to the Philippine Congress for a license to open a television station three years later. His wish was fulfilled on June 14, 1950, one year later. Instead, he had to get into radio broadcasting because of the tight import controls (since 1948) and lack of raw materials.[https://web.archive.org/web/20091025090825/http://geocities.com/pinoytv/birth.htm Geocities: The Philippine TV History]. Accessed January 23, 2009.

His attempt to put up a television station did not go to waste. Antonio Quirino, a judge and brother of then-Philippine President Elpidio Quirino, had been trying to get a license from Congress that would allow him to put up a television station. The Congress, however, denied him from getting such a license for the fear that he might use it as a vehicle for propaganda for his brother who was then running for a second term in the presidential elections of 1953. Because of this, Antonio Quirino bought a 70% share in BEC, which earned him indirect control of a television franchise. He changed the name of BEC to Alto Broadcasting System (ABS). Lindenberg continued to be a co-owner and served as the general manager, and in November 1955 directed hands-on the first televised coverage of an election in the Philippines with the cooperation of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL).{{cite news|last=Trinidad|first=Cita|title=How TV covered its first election in Philippines|work=The Manila Times|publisher=The Manila Times Publishing Company, Inc.|date=November 10, 1955|quote=Earphone on and both hands kept busy turning on and off the double row of phone switches[...], Lindenberg kept faithfully at his post and reported to his vast unseen radio and TV audiences every single bit of news stories...}} On February 24, 1957, Don Eugenio Lopez, Sr. acquired ABS from Quirino and Lindenberg.{{cite web |last=Rodrigo |first=Raul |date=February 28, 2020 |title=How Don Eugenio Lopez bought ABS from the Quirinos to build a broadcast giant |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/02/28/20/how-don-eugenio-lopez-bought-abs-from-the-quirinos-to-build-a-broadcast-giant |access-date=July 16, 2022 |work=ANC X}}{{Cite news |title=ABS-CBN’s 50th year celebrates Philippine television |url=https://www.philstar.com/business/2003/11/01/226272/abs-cbn146s-50th-year-celebrates-philippine-television |work=The Philippine Star}}

=RPN=

After co-founding ABS-CBN, Lindenberg founded the Radio Philippines Network on February 25, 1960.{{cite news |date=June 22, 2020 |title=At 91, Atty. Jake Almeda-Lopez is still fighting for ABS-CBN, the media company he helped shape |url=https://news2.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/06/22/20/at-91-atty-jake-almeda-lopez-is-still-fighting-for-abs-cbn-the-media-company-he-helped-shape |accessdate=February 6, 2024 |publisher=ANCX}}{{cite web |title=About Us |url=https://rpnradio.com/about-us/ |access-date=29 July 2020 |publisher=Radio Philippines Network}} RPN was formed as the Congress of the Philippines approved its franchise in June 19, 1960.{{cite web |date=June 19, 1960 |title=Republic Act 2980 |url=https://thecorpusjuris.com/legislative/republic-acts/ra-no-2980.php}}