Millennium Transmitter

Millennium Transmitter
The Millennium Transmitter in 2015
Alternative names	ABS-CBN Tower AMBS Tower
General information
Status	Operational
Type	Communications tower
Location	Quezon City, Philippines
Coordinates	14°38′25.36″N 121°02′12.08″E
Current tenants	Advanced Media Broadcasting System (ALLTV Manila)
Construction started	Mid-1968
Completed	March 21, 1969 (1969-03-21)
Owner	ABS-CBN Corporation (1969–1972; 1986–present) Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation (1973–1986) People's Television Network, Inc. (1974–1992)
Height
Antenna spire	219.5 m (720 ft)

The Millennium Transmitter is a 720 ft (219.5 m) tall mast owned by ABS-CBN Corporation and operated by Advanced Media Broadcasting System located at the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center, Mother Ignacia Street corner Sgt. Esguerra Avenue, Barangay South Triangle, Quezon City. Since September 13, 2022, the transmitter is being used by AMBS to serve as the platform for television transmission of ALLTV on analog Channel 2 and digital Channel 16 (frequencies formerly used by ABS-CBN itself as its flagship station DWWX-TV and transmits from this tower before it ceased broadcast operations in 2020). It was also used as the main transmission site for ABS-CBN-owned DWAC-TV Channel 23, the flagship station of ABS-CBN Sports and Action, before shutting down in 2020 and its frequency reassigned to Aliw Broadcasting Corporation and its radio station DWRR until it was relocated to Antipolo when the transmitter was upgraded by the end of 1999.

History

Millennium Transmitter (right) before renovation

Millennium Tower at night in 2012

The Millennium Transmitter, also known as the ABS-CBN Tower, and provisionally called as AMBS Tower, was constructed at the corner of Mother Ignacia Street and Sgt. Esguerra Avenue, within the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center, at the time of its construction, it was one of the tallest lattice towers in the world. Construction began in the third quarter of 1968. On March 21, 1969, the tower became operational, transmitting television and radio for ABS-CBN and also used to beam color broadcasts in Metro Manila, and to nearby provinces. After martial law was declared on September 21, 1972, as ABS-CBN suspended their operations the following day, the facility was taken over by the crony-owned BBC-2 from 1973 to 1979; state-run People's Television's predecessors GTV/MBS-4 also occupied the tower from 1974 to 1992 to beam their programs. When the EDSA Revolution happened, both the tower and Broadcast Plaza were stormed by reformist rebels as escalating battle occurred on February 24, 1986. After the revolution, the tower was returned to ABS-CBN. Since then, the tower became the primary source of transmission for both DWWX-TV and DWRR and later it began transmitting the company's sister UHF station DWAC-TV in 1996.

The ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center as viewed from the rooftop of the main building of ABS-CBN. Millennium Transmitter (right).

Its previous height was 650 ft (198.1 m), until ABS-CBN started a major reconstruction and rehabilitation of the whole tower, which included changing cylinder antennas to the more powerful dipole antennas with reflector, and increase of its height which was finished by the 3rd quarter of 2009.

On June 30, 2020, the transmitter was shut off due to a cease and desist order from the National Telecommunications Commission after ABS-CBN's legislative franchise expired on May 4, 2020.

After two years of being non-operational for transmission, ABS-CBN granted the request of AMBS to use the transmitter for the analog and digital broadcasts of ALLTV. This was confirmed by Willie Revillame on his show Wowowin. ALLTV later beginning simulcasting several ABS-CBN programs, such as TV Patrol, Magandang Buhay and It's Showtime, since April 15, 2024. This marked the return of ABS-CBN's operations to the transmitter tower after four years since its shutdown in 2020, albeit as an airtime lease operator.

Features

Tower

The tower uses dipole antennas with reflector, and UHF panel antennas for wide coverage of analog (VHF and UHF TV) and digital (ISDB-T) TV reception in Metro Manila some nearby provinces in both grades A and B, for the broadcasts of DWWX-TV and DWAC-TV respectively. Despite the name, the Millennium Transmitter is not a transmitter of its own, but rather a communications tower with antennas connected to multiple transmitters.

Transmitter facility

The transmitter facility housed both DWWX-TV and DWAC-TV that contained sets of transmitter equipment imported by Harris and Jampro of the United States.

Frequencies

Current

Analog television

Call sign	Branding	Channel	Video carrier	Sound carrier	Power	ERP
DZMV-TV	ALLTV	2	55.25 MHz	59.75 MHz	30 kW	Unknown

Digital television

Call sign	Branding	Digital channel	Virtual channel	ISDB-T carrier	Power	ERP
DZMV-DTV	ALLTV Manila	16	2.01	485.143 MHz	10 kW	Unknown

Former

All stations that were previously broadcasting from the Millennium Transmitter ceased transmission on May 5, 2020, following the expiration of its legislative franchise.

FM stations

Call sign	Branding	RDS ID	Frequency	Power
DWRR-FM	MOR 101.9 My Only Radio For Life! Manila	My Only Radio	101.9 MHz	22.5 kW

Analog television

Call sign	Branding	Video carrier	Sound carrier	Power	ERP
DWWX-TV	ABS-CBN	55.25 MHz	59.75 MHz	60 kW	346.2 kW
DWAC-TV	Studio 23/S A	525.25 MHz	529.75 MHz	30 kW	10 kW

Digital television

Call sign	Branding	Digital channel	Virtual channel	ISDB-T carrier	Power	ERP
DWWX-DTV	ABS-CBN	43	1.01	647.143 MHz	5 kW	None
DWAC-DTV	Studio 23/S A	1.02
None	Cine Mo!	1.03
	Yey!	1.04
	TeleRadyo	1.05
	Kapamilya Box Office	1.06
	ABS-CBN 1seg	1.31

Call sign	Branding	Digital channel	Virtual channel	ISDB-T carrier	Power	ERP
None	Knowledge Channel	16	2.01	485.143 MHz	5 kW	None
	O Shopping		2.02
	Asianovela Channel		2.03
	Movie Central		2.04
	Jeepney TV		2.05
	Myx		2.06
	Reserved		2.07		Not broadcasting
	Asianovela 1seg		2.31		5 kW

See also

• ABS-CBN
• DWWX-TV
• DWAC-TV
• DWGT-TV
• GMA Tower of Power
• List of tallest structures in the Philippines
• List of transmission sites
• Lattice tower