COTABATO City, Jan. 2, 2010— The Oblate Media Center will be inaugurated on January 4 at the partially renovated building of DXMS and DXOL at the corner of Sinsuat and Quezon Avenues, this city.
The Center brings together under one roof the offices of the entities involved in the Mass Media Apostolate of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, DXMS-AM and DXOL-FM of Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation, the Mindanao Cross and i-Watch.
It is envisioned that the physical coming together of these entities will create a strong network that will promote and enhance synergy among these institutions. The network Center’s slogan, “Beyond frontiers” connotes the idea of breaking down barriers among peoples, and becoming more inclusive and compassionate, which are core values of the Oblate mission in the Philippines. The motto also signifies the network’s openness to the limitless possibilities of information technology at the service of knowledge sharing.
DXMS and DXOL are the leading radio stations in the region, branding themselves as “radio for peace”. Through news, music, and other entertainment and public affairs programs, they seek to fill people’s need for knowledge, information and recreation, striving to do so from the slant of its “peace paradigm”.
DXOL has also just acquired and installed a new 10kw transmitter to solidify its No. 1 position in the industry. DXMS has over 50 years of history behind it, proud in its claim as the first Catholic commercial radio station in the country. NDBC’s other radio stations are DXND-AM and DXDM-FM in Kidapawan City, and DXOM-FM in Koronadal City.
The Mindanao Cross, meanwhile, is Mindanao’s longest-running Catholic weekly newspaper, having begun in 1948, and not missing an issue except for one when Marcos imposed martial law. Besides covering the news in the region, it espouses an active public journalism through its Sanduguan and Tapatan features, providing in-depth analysis and information for better understanding of issues affecting the region. It is seeking to establish a strong presence not only in Cotabato City but in the cities of Kidapawan and Koronadal as well.
The new kid on the block is i-Watch, an audiovisual service that produces and disseminates material on various critical concerns in the local and national scene. It has produced video documentaries on the elections, internally displaced persons, Oblate ministries, and other issues relevant to the Church and society, among others. i-Watch promotes the perspective of the poor in their productions, giving voice to their plight and problems.
This project at greater collaboration brings together three Oblates who are currently at the helm of the these institutions--Frs. Ignacio Rellin of NDBC, Jonathan Domingo of Mindanao Cross, and Eduardo Vasquez, Jr. of i-Watch, and over 30 lay partners of various expertise and experience in the fields of broadcast, print, and audiovisual media. (Fr. Jonathan Domingo, OMI)
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