DWKC TV

As CTV-31

On October 31, 1993, Radio Mindanao Network became the second radio-based network to launch a TV station called CTV 31. It is also the first UHF station to be inspired by the format of a cable movie channel.

But recently CTV-31 acquired and aired E! (the American-cable network channel in the US) in mid-1997. Because of the broadcasting rules assigned by National Telecommunications Commission and the matter that they acquired the broadcast rights from E!, CTV-31 stopped its broadcast on August 2000.

E! Philippines 31 and ceased transmission

In mid-1997, it acquired rights to broadcast shows from the E! channel, a U.S. cable TV channel, which broadcast together with RMN's CTV-31. On September 2000, CTV-31 leased the entire channel block and changed its name to E! Philippines. Originally broadcasting 24-hours a day, in 2001 it reduced its broadcasts to 6pm-12mn. However, on June 1, 2003, RMN had to cease their operations on TV due to financial constraints and poor television ratings, and somehow decided to focus only on their 2 radio networks (which is 93.9 iFM and DZXL 558 AM). There were several religious groups who had wished to acquire block programming of CTV but the RMN refused to accept their offers. Some programs of E! were broadcast to QTV Channel 11 via "E! on Q" (now known as GMA News TV), ETC (aired over SBN 21), Solar News Channel (now CNN Philippines and aired over RPN 9), and Velvet (now defunct).

Since July 2011, E! has been available on most major cable/satellite systems in the Philippines distributed by Universal Networks International (a subsidiary of NBCUniversal).

Initial Broadcast and The Game Channel

After almost eight years of inactivity in Metro Manila television, on July 3, 2011, UHF 31 returned its operations as a test broadcast. The station (along with some RMN-owned UHF stations nationwide) was occupied by Broadcast Enterprises and Affiliated Media, after the latter bought up the acquisition by Bethlehem Holdings, Inc. (funded by Globe Telecom's Group Retirement Fund) from RMN. And as the first broadcast TV operations under new ownership, BEAM began its affiliation partnership with Solar Entertainment Corporation.

The network was branded on July 13 as BEAM Channel 31. On August 15, 2011, it started its initial broadcast carrying The Game Channel. However, on December 24, The Game Channel limited its broadcast every morning and afternoon, to give way to its new sister network station CHASE, which is used its evening block.

As CHASE

On December 24, 2011, The Game Channel limited its broadcast on daytime sharing with a new programming service called CHASE which takes over the evening block. In February 2012, both services aired a promotion, announcing the split of CHASE and TGC to form themselves as separate channels, which entitled "CHASE goes 24". The changes took effect on February 15, 2012, when The Game Channel bade goodbye to the viewers after its 7-month run on free TV and became a cable-only channel; while CHASE leased and took its entire BEAM airtime on free TV.

As Jack City

On September 7, 2012, Jack TV plugged their announcement thru CHASE programs bearing the title "Another Jack TV is rising, coming soon on this channel" (BEAM Channel 31). This indicated that CHASE was being replaced; finally, on October 20, 2012, Jack City was then launched, marking October 19 as the end of CHASE's broadcasts. Jack City still does carry some of CHASE's programs however. The full broadcast was initiated on November 11, 2012. On June 28, 2013, Jack City was forced to reduce its Free TV broadcast to 18 hours a day on BEAM in compliance with the National Telecommunications Commission's guidelines. However, it still continues to air as a cable channel 24 hours a day.

On July 16, 2014, the day that Metro Manila was crippled by "Typhoon Glenda (Rammasun)", the station became inactive. It was later found out that the transmitter located in Palos Verdes in Antipolo City, Rizal received a total damage to some of its facilities done by the said typhoon. As a result, the station shuts down temporarily for another maintenance, and continued its telecast on cable networks. Somehow it resumed telecast on August 10, 2014 at 9:00 PM, but still under observation.

Digital Television broadcast

On September 1, 2014, Jack City was no longer aired and affiliated on BEAM Channel 31 and its provincial affiliates, as BEAM prepares its ISDB-T digital television. However, Jack City continues to broadcast on pay TV networks until March 21, 2015, when the channel was rebranded as CT a day later on March 22, 2015.

At the same day, it began using blocktime programs from O Shopping (of ABS-CBN Corporation and CJ Group of Korea) and several programs from TBN Asia (including The 700 Club Asia and Praise the Lord) along with religious programming produced by the Essential Broadcasting Network under the leadership of Bro. Greg Durante of Greg Durante Ministries.

On November 15, 2014, the channel is carried over SkyCable, Destiny Cable and other Pay TV subscribers (per compliance with NTC's "must-carry" basis), displacing Jack City to a different cable channel assignment, which is only available for subscribers residing in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces. This also makes BEAM available to cable viewers 24 hours a day once again when it took effect four months later, on March 12, 2015.

On March 1, 2015, TV Shop Philippines (also known as revival of Value Vision) began airing on this channel in the afternoon, followed by selected Tagalog-dubbed telenovelas carried from the Telenovela Channel on nighttime.

On March 9, 2015, the channel also added Shop Japan to its programming during morning hours, and recently they added Shop TV as their newest shopping network partner on February 22, 2016 (ironically Shop TV is owned by BEAM's former blocktime partner Solar Entertainment).

By March 1, 2016, all of BEAM's programs were split into digital television streams. O Shopping, TBN, TV Shop and Shop Japan were relocated as their respective digital subchannel of its own; while BEAM became an affiliate of Shop TV in its analog signal, allowing it to cover most of BEAM's airtime (Tagalog-dubbed telenovelas remained on the analog channel during primetime).

In May 2016, BEAM added the live video streaming service of Philippine Daily Inquirer and Trans-Radio Broadcasting Corporation's Radyo Inquirer 990 as its new subchannel affiliate, coinciding with the 2016 Philippine elections. Within the same month, Bacolod City-based travel and lifestyle cable channel Island Living (broadcasting its programs through provincial cable operators including some affiliates of SkyCable from Visayas and Mindanao) became BEAM's new subchannel, followed by the replacement of TBN Asia with Taiwan-based Christian pay TV channel GOOD TV (which is in fact aired as a former blocktime program from Light Network-33 and as a standalone channel on Destiny Cable and Cignal). GOOD TV PH, however, was replaced by infomercial service EZShop weeks later. Its channel space on digital television remains vacant since July 2016, with GCTV returned a few months later.

The channel split of BEAM was finally completed in August 2016 when telenovelas were removed from the network's main/analog feed.

Digital channels

UHF Channel 32 (581.143 MHz)

With the exception of Radyo Inquirer, programming for the analog signal and digital subchannels is supplied by BEAM's management. Though Radyo Inquirer have round-the-clock broadcasts (Radyo Inquirer would air music on its livestream during off-air hours of its radio counterpart), BEAM's digital signal follows the analog signal's broadcasting hours.

Transition to digital television

According to BEAM president Steve Macion, the station is expected to replace the 60 kW (4.05 million watt ERP) analog transmitter with a new, DTT-ready transmitter which is currently under transition and will be complete by the end of 2015. Cebu, Davao and Iloilo stations are also expected to upgrade to digital broadcast.

Aside from blocktimers, BEAM is now looking for local and foreign partnerships to allocate and generate content up to six digital free TV channels.

In the first quarter of 2016, BEAM's station in Cebu conducted its DTT test transmission on (UHF Channel 32) and before the end of 2016 in Davao (UHF Channel 32). Iloilo station are expected to conduct DTT test transmission by 2017.

BEAM TV stations in the Philippines

Further information: BEAM TV Stations