Nine Media News and Current Affairs

{{Short description|Defunct news and current affairs division of Nine Media Corporation}}

{{Multiple issues|

}}

{{About|Nine Media Corporation's news arm formerly known as Solar News and 9News||9News (disambiguation){{!}}9News}}

{{Infobox

| title = Nine Media News and Current Affairs

| image1 =

| caption1 =

| image2 =

| caption2 =

| label1 = Division of

| data1 = Nine Media Corporation

| label2 = Former names

| data2 = Solar News and Current Affairs/Solar News
9News and Current Affairs/9News

| label3 = Country

| data3 = Philippines

| label4 = Area served

| data4 = Defunct

| label5 = Key people

| data5 = Pal Marquez {{small|(Senior Vice President for Operations)}}
Benjamin Ramos {{small|(President, Nine Media Corporation and President and CEO, Radio Philippines Network)}}
Pia Hontiveros {{small|(Chief Correspondent)}}
Rico Hizon {{small|(Senior Anchor, and Director for News Content Development)}}

| label6 = Headquarters

| data6 = Worldwide Corporate Center, EDSA cor. Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City, Philippines

| label7 = Language

| data7 = {{Plainlist|

English (main)
Filipino (secondary)

}}

| label8 = Formed

| data8 = {{start date and age|2011|03|02}}

| label9 = Defunct

| data9 = {{end date and age|2024|01|31}}

| label10 = Replaced by

| data10 = News5
NewsWatch Plus
Bilyonaryo News Channel (de-facto)

| label11 = Fate

| data11 = Most of the operations and assets were sold and folded to MediaQuest/TV5 Network's News5; remaining spin-off into NewsWatch Plus while some personalities/staff moved to Bilyonaryo News Channel

}}

Nine Media News and Current Affairs (formerly known as Solar News and Current Affairs/Solar News and 9News and Current Affairs/9News) was the news and public affairs production arm and sole division of the media company Nine Media Corporation, leasing airtime from Southern Broadcasting Network (2011–2013) and Radio Philippines Network (2012–2024). The division produced the local news and content of Nine Media's television brands Talk TV, Solar News Channel, 9TV, and CNN Philippines. 9News stopped using this brand when the channel was launched as CNN Philippines on March 16, 2015, and the division was finally dissolved following the closure of the channel on January 31, 2024 due to financial losses.

History

=As Solar News (2012-2014)=

After Solar Entertainment Corporation acquired 34 percent of Radio Philippines Network from the Philippine government as part of the RPN/IBC privatization in 2011, Solar TV ventured into news at the end of 2011.{{cite news |url=http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideBusop.htm?f=2011/february/25/vicagustin.isx&d=2011/february/25 |title=Tiengs move into news |newspaper=Manila Standard Today |date=February 25, 2011 |access-date=February 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714043823/http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideBusop.htm?f=2011%2Ffebruary%2F25%2Fvicagustin.isx&d=2011%2Ffebruary%2F25 |archive-date=July 14, 2011 |url-status=live }} On July 16, 2012, Solar News launched its first local newscasts, including Solar Network News, Solar Newsday, Solar Daybreak and Solar Nightly News.

=As 9News (2014-2015)=

In November 2013, San Miguel Corporation President and COO Ramon S. Ang acquired a majority stake in Solar Television Network as well as its stake on RPN. The Tiengs were the majority stockholders then of STVNI.{{cite news |title= MVP-Ang rivalry set to spill over into television with San Miguel acquisition of Solar stake |url=http://www.spin.ph/sports/basketball/news/mvp-ang-rivalry-set-to-spill-over-into-television-with-san-miguel-acquisition-of-solar-stake |date=November 9, 2013 |access-date=August 18, 2014 |first=Snow |last=Badua |work=Sports Interactive Network Philippines}} On August 20, 2014, Solar Entertainment Corporation chief Wilson Tieng announced that he had sold his entire share of Solar TV Network, Inc., including its 34% majority share of RPN, to Antonio Cabangon-Chua, owner of business newspaper BusinessMirror and Aliw Broadcasting Corporation. The Tiengs were losing money after they invested in RPN, and the group focused on the cable channels of the Solar Entertainment Corporation.{{cite news |url=http://www.interaksyon.com/business/93653/exclusive--businessmirror-owner-acquires-majority-stake-in-rpn9 |title=BusinessMirror owner acquires majority stake in RPN9 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822083909/http://www.interaksyon.com/business/93653/exclusive--businessmirror-owner-acquires-majority-stake-in-rpn9 |archive-date=August 22, 2014 |access-date=August 20, 2014 |first=Darwin G. |last=Amojelar |date=August 20, 2014 |work=InterAksyon}}{{cite news |url=http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/08/21/1360003/cabangon-chua-acquires-rpn-9 |title=Cabangon-Chua acquires RPN-9 |access-date=August 21, 2014 |first=Lawrence |last=Agcaoili |date=August 21, 2014 |newspaper=PhilStar Global}} To reflect the change of ownership, and upon announcement of the rebranding of Solar News Channel into 9TV by August 23, Solar News also rebranded to 9News, retaining its news and current affairs programming as 9TV expanded its weekend programming.{{cite news |url=http://www.solarnews.ph/lifestyle/2014/08/13/solar-news-channel-turns-into-9tv |title=Solar News Channel turns into 9TV |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813201208/http://www.solarnews.ph/lifestyle/2014/08/13/solar-news-channel-turns-into-9tv |archive-date=August 13, 2014 |access-date=August 13, 2014 |date=August 13, 2014 |work=Solar News Channel}}{{cite news |url=http://www.medianewser.com/2014/07/solar-news-to-be-renamed-news9.html#.U_EmhJuXNIg |title=Solar News to be renamed News9? |work=Media Newser Philippines |access-date=August 18, 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910140722/http://www.medianewser.com/2014/07/solar-news-to-be-renamed-news9.html |archive-date=September 10, 2014}}{{cite web |url=https://fromthetube.wordpress.com/2014/08/04/is-rpn-9-destined-to-return/ |title=Is RPN-9 Destined to Return? |access-date=August 18, 2014 |date=August 4, 2014 |author=Ralphierce |work=From the Tube |publisher=WordPress}}

=As CNN Philippines (2015-2024)=

File:CNN Philippines Logo.svg

9News underwent a major overhaul in 2015, as parent Nine Media Corporation signed a five-year brand licensing agreement (later extended until the end of 2024) with Turner Broadcasting System/Warner Bros. Discovery to share resources with CNN to integrate the latter's content and 9News's reporting as CNN Philippines, which launched on March 16, 2015.

=Closure=

On January 25, 2024, Media Newser Philippines reported that Nine Media Corporation and CNN were closing down CNN Philippines by mutual agreement due to financial losses, as well as poor ratings of the network and loss of advertisers' support.{{cite web |title=CNN Philippines is shutting down after 9 years |url=https://medianewser.ph/cnn-philippines-is-shutting-down-after-9-years/ |website=medianewser.ph |access-date=February 1, 2024 |date=January 25, 2024}}

Nine Media News and Current Affairs was dissolved a week late, on January 31, 2024. The division's live news operations had ceased on January 29, citing financial losses and a shift in focus to the operations of their sister channel, Aliw Channel 23.{{cite news|url=https://manilastandard.net/business/314410436/nine-media-owner-confirms-cnn-philippines-shutdown.html|title=Nine Media owner confirms CNN Philippines shutdown|publisher=Manila Standard|date=January 26, 2024|accessdate=January 26, 2024|author=Amojelar, Darwin G.}}{{cite web|url=https://www.rappler.com/business/cnn-philippines-shuts-down-january-2024/|title=CNN Philippines shuts down as losses mount|first=Ralf|last=Rivas|work=Rappler|date=January 29, 2024|access-date=February 1, 2024}}

On February 1, 2024, Nine Media Corporation formed a partnership with TV5 Network and launched CNN Philippines' replacement channel RPTV. Its news programs are now outsourced from TV5's news division News5 which was acquiring most of former assets of Nine Media News and Current Affairs, though selected CNN Philippines' current affairs programs are carried over to RPTV as reruns. According to reports by Rappler on May 15, 2024, RPN's in-house newscast NewsWatch will be revived as NewsWatch Plus after a 12-year hiatus under the production of Nine Media Corporation, and featuring former CNN Philippines staff and correspondents laid off following the closure of the channel and its news department on January 31, 2024. The show will be seen initially on online and digital platform starting from July 1, 2024 and later on TV (via RPTV and Aliw Channel 23).{{Cite web |last=Rivas |first=Ralf |date=2024-05-15 |title=RPN 9's NewsWatch to be revived |url=https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/inside-track/rpn9-newswatch-revival/ |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=Rappler |language=en-PH}} Other several personalities and remaining staff who are not part of its successor outlet (including the likes of Pinky Webb and Mai Rodriguez), however, were later resurfaced on Prage's newly-launched news channel Bilyonaryo News Channel.