Robert La Rue Stewart (November 19, 1918 – April 6, 2006), popularly known in the Philippines as "Uncle Bob", was an American
entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...
,
TV personality
Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sport ...
,
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
and
TV producer
A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon a ...
in the Philippines. He founded
GMA Network
GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...
on June 14, 1950.
Stewart came to the Philippines in 1943 as a war correspondent for
United Press
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...
(UP). He fell in love with the country and after the war ended, he decided to stay. In 1948, he met and fell in love with Loreto Feliciano, a widow from
Pampanga
Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarla ...
with three children, and married her the following year.
Republic Broadcasting System
On March 1, 1950, Stewart established Loreto F. de Hemedes, Inc. (later renamed Republic Broadcasting System, Inc. in 1963).Esposo, William M. (April 21, 2006) "Remembering Uncle Bob Stewart" The Chair Wrecker. Retrieved on 2011-03-16. On June 14, 1950, DZBB
AM radio
AM broadcasting is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known as "AM band") transmi ...
station began broadcasting from a makeshift studio on the 4th floor of Calvo Bldg in Escolta, which was then the business district of Manila. In 1955, the company launched DZXX, another AM radio station devoted to music, the first
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
station in the country.
After 10 years on the radio, Stewart decided to expand into
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...
despite limited knowledge about the new
telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...
medium. But with vision in mind, on October 29, 1961, RBS TV Channel 7 began broadcasting on a surplus transmitter and two cameras, thus becoming the third
TV network
A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid-1 ...
in the Philippines. On October 30, 1961, Stewart appeared on camera as the
news anchor
A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...
for '' The News with Uncle Bob''.
During the first five years, the studio was barely surviving but a friend in the United States gave Stewart a good deal on American syndicated TV shows which defined the station's programming in the 1960s. Television shows like ''
Combat!
''Combat!'' is an American television drama series that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American so ...
'', ''
The Flying Nun
''The Flying Nun'' is an American sitcom about a community of nuns which included one who could fly when the wind caught her cornette. It was produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book '' The Fifteenth Pelican,'' written by Tere ...
'', ''
Gilligan's Island
''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells. It aired for thr ...
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a secret ...
'' found their way to the local viewers through Channel 7. ''Dancetime with Chito'', a local dance show with brother-in-law Chito Feliciano and his group, became a hit for the station, pulling in viewers and advertisers.
''Uncle Bob's Lucky 7 Club''
While canned
animated cartoons
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...
like ''
Popeye the Sailor
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.The Gumby Show'' and ''
The Harveytoons Show ''The Harveytoons Show'' is a television series presenting theatrical animated cartoons produced by Famous Studios from 1950 until 1964, which were acquired by Harvey Entertainment.
History
This show features Harvey Comics characters and series in ...
'' targeted the youth of his TV station in the 1960s, Stewart created ''Uncle Bob's Lucky 7 Club'', the first live TV show for children in the Philippines. Aired on Saturday mornings, the show made Stewart every child's favorite uncle,SenorEnrique (November 9, 2007) "Uncle Bob's TV Show" Wish you were here. Retrieved on 2011-03-14. also featured two
sidekick
A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany.
Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sh ...
puppets
A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods or strings to mov ...
- Spanky the elephant and Pancho the worm. Stewart is remembered by his endearing viewers for his
catchphrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
"hot-diggity-dog" and non-lexical vocables like "bum-bum-barum" or "pum-pa-rum-pum".
In 1961, Stewart was threatened with
deportation
Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...
when
Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Pangan Macapagal Sr. (; September 28, 1910 – April 21, 1997) was a Filipino lawyer, poet and politician who served as the ninth president of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth vice president, serving from 1 ...
became the
President of the Philippines
The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...
. The TV network was being persecuted for supporting rival and then-president
Carlos P. Garcia
Carlos Polestico Garcia (November 4, 1896 – June 14, 1971) was a Filipino teacher, poet, orator, lawyer, public official, political economist, guerrilla and Commonwealth military leader who was the eighth president of the Philippines. A l ...
in the 1961 presidential election. After announcing his departure during the show ''Uncle Bob's Lucky 7 Club'', thousands of children, with the help of their parents, rallied behind him, writing letters showing their support. The government backed out of its plan as a result.
Martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
was proclaimed in the Philippines on September 21, 1972, by then-president
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
propaganda
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...
, all networks in the country were taken over by the military. All TV and radio stations critical to the Marcos government were all shut down including RBS TV and radio stations. In 1974, the government forbade foreign corporations and foreign citizens from owning any media facilities in the country. Republic Broadcasting System and
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Calif ...
(ABC), which at that time owned 25% of the company, relinquished control of the company to the
triumvirate
A triumvirate ( la, triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs ( la, triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are ...
of Gilberto Duavit, a Malacañang official; Menardo Jimenez and Felipe Gozon, then Stewart's legal adviser. As part of the take over, the name of the TV station was changed to
GMA Network
GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...
(RBS, Inc. became GMA Network Inc. in 1996) and relaunched in 1975 as GMA Radio-Television Arts.(2011). "GMA Kapuso". Retrieved on March 21, 2011.
In 1976, DZXX was relaunched as
DWLS
DWLS (97.1 FM), broadcasting as Barangay LS 97.1, is a radio station owned and operated by GMA Network. It serves as the flagship station of Barangay FM. The station's studio is located at the GMA Network Annex Building, EDSA cor. GMA Netwo ...
in the
FM band
The FM broadcast band is a range of radio frequencies used for FM broadcasting by radio stations. The range of frequencies used differs between different parts of the world. In Europe and Africa (defined as International Telecommunication Union (I ...
based on the initials of his wife, Loreto Stewart.
''Uncle Bob and Friends''
From 1978 to 1986, Stewart hosted a musical show which debuted as ''The Maestro and Uncle Bob'' with pianist, composer and conductor Federico Elizalde on the piano. The one-hour TV show featured Elizalde playing a variety of music from classical to
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major f ...
. After Elizalde's death in 1979, the show was renamed ''Uncle Bob and Friends'', with mainstay pianist Joselito Pascual.
Retirement and death
In 1984,
Imee Marcos
Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios "Imee" Romualdez Marcos (; born November 12, 1955) is a Filipina politician and former actress serving as a Senator since 2019. She is the daughter of Ferdinand Marcos and former first lady Imelda Marcos and the ol ...
, daughter of President
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
, attempted to take control of GMA Network. However, this attempted takeover was successfully prevented by GMA executives. Stewart retired and moved back to the United States following his utter dissatisfaction with the Marcos regime. His son, Robert Jr. ("Jody"), continued with the children's show during the remainder of the 1980s (renamed ''The New Uncle Bob's Lucky 7 Club'').(2007-06-27) "Memories of Uncle Bob and Lucky Seven Club" Nostalgia Manila. Retrieved on March 14, 2011.
Stewart died in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...
on April 6, 2006, and his remains were cremated before being returned to the Philippines on April 25. His ashes were interred at the Loyola Memorial Park next to his wife who died in 1995 in the United States.
List of RBS/GMA Shows
*'' The News with Uncle Bob'' (October 30, 1961, to September 22, 1972)
*''Uncle Bob's Lucky 7 Club'' (November 4, 1961, to July 11, 1992)
*''The Maestro and Uncle Bob'' (1978-1986) retitled to ''The Bob Stewart Show'' then ''Uncle Bob and Friends''