Birth pains: A glimpse into Manny Villar’s TV-radio venture

Can Manny Villar pull it off?

The country's richest man — whose net worth, mostly gained from real estate, is estimated at $8.3 billion by Forbes' latest billionaires' list — is trying to fill in the gaps before his TV-radio venture, Advanced Media Broadcasting System, now named AllTV, gets off the ground.

For the past few weeks, publicity on the network, which has acquired the franchise of free TV broadcast frequency channel 2, consists of announcing its talents.

So far, the artists who have signed up with AllTV — after leaving their respective home networks — are Toni Gonzaga and husband Paul Soriano, Anthony Taberna, Ciara Sotto, Mariel Rodriguez, and Willie Revillame.

Boy Abunda, who was with Rodriguez in the photo that accompanied the announcement of her joining AllTV, was not mentioned to be part of its artists' roster.

It has also been made public that the CNN Philippines program News Night will be simulcast on AllTV.

That's it?

The word is, more artists will come out when AllTV holds a grand launch on 13 September.

Meantime, the good news on the radio airwaves is, AMBS has acquired K-lite 103.5 FM as its flagship station.

K-lite will broadcast on the AMBS studio at Level 2 of Starmall Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City.

First heard in 1995 with a tasteful pop format, it is now said to be playing "an expansive genre of rhythmic contemporary music hits from the '90s up to the present."

Listening to the station on my phone, I caught some Kings of Leon and other similar sounds. That's pretty good stuff.

You may also catch it on live streams on channel 3 of Planet Cable TV in parts of Mega Manila and Region 4 Calabarzon subscribers. Followers from anywhere around the world can also tune in and stream live online through its website klite1035.com.ph or by downloading the Twitch app.

K-lite's current DJs are Jaybee Jariol and Aly Esplana. Jaybee is onboard Mondays to Fridays, 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

Aly is on from 5 to 9 p.m. on weekdays.

So, apparently, even AMBS' radio station is understaffed. It bears watching how things will pan out in the next few months.