Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), also known by its legal operating name Swara Sug Media Corporation (SSMC), is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

broadcast media arm of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) led by the Filipino

televangelist Televangelism (wikt:tele-, tele- "distance" and "evangelism," meaning "Christian ministry, ministry," sometimes called teleministry) is the use of media, specifically radio and television, to communicate Christianity. Televangelists are minister ...

Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy. Based in

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dabaw; ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of lan ...

and

Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...

, it operates a network of radio and television broadcasting stations. It currently owns and operates a sister channel ( SMNI News Channel), the broadcasting network is available over terrestrial broadcast in the Philippines, and on cable, satellite, and online streaming worldwide. The network now owns and operates two television networks, where the main flagship station, based in Davao City, maintains an uninterrupted 24-hour service through regular repetition of a dozen self-produced Kingdom Programs in English,

, and dozens of foreign languages along with news, public affairs, public service, infotainment, sports and entertainment programs. On the other hand, the network's sister channel SMNI News Channel, based in Makati, primarily provides rolling news coverage and public affairs programs, which broadcasts exclusively in Digital TV format in Metro Manila, Metro Davao, Benguet and Cagayan de Oro. It also maintains a network of radio stations under the "Sonshine Radio" brand of the Swara Sug Media Corporation. The broadcasting network was licensed in late 2003 by the Philippine government to operate seven analog free-to-air television channels in key cities across the country. It also has four digital terrestrial channels in Metro Manila, Benguet, Cagayan de Oro and Metro Davao.

History

The Kingdom of Jesus Christ's Media Ministry, known today as SMNI, traced its roots on the radio, with the program "Pagsusi sa Kamatuoran" (''Searching for Truth'') on radio stations DXDC and

DXUM DXUM (819 AM) is a radio station owned and operated by UM Broadcasting Network through its licensee, Mt. Apo Broadcasting System. It serves as the flagship station of UMBN's News & Public Affairs network, formerly known as Radyo Ukay. The sta ...

. The television ministry began in 1991, when they launched their first television program, "The Hour of Truth" aired nationally on

IBC IBC is an initialism that can stand for: Broadcasting *Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation, Channel 13, Philippines * International Beacon Project, Worldwide network of radio propagation beacons *International Broadcast Centre *International ...

and

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...

stations in Visayas and Mindanao, followed by "Powerline" in 1995. In July 2000, The Kingdom of Jesus Christ officially launched its 24-hour cable network, "The Q Channel" (then also known as "ACQ–TV, Q Channel"; not to be confused with GMA's sister free TV channel QTV/Q (Quality TeleVision) launched in 2005 and now known as GTV via Channel 27 since 2021), bringing the Gospel of the Kingdom from Davao City to key cities around the Philippines, which was carried by

Sky Cable Sky Cable (stylized as SKYcable) is a cable television service of Sky Cable Corporation in the Philippines. It covers areas across the country with both digital and analog cable services, and it has 700,000 subscribers, controlling 45% of t ...

. On April 25, 2003, The Q Channel successfully metamorphosed as the "ACQ–Kingdom Broadcasting Network (ACQ-KBN)", with an expanded reach across the Asia-Pacific region and the United States via satellite, also carrying the new slogan "Delivering the Good news 24 hours a day, 7 days a week". During also in the same year, ACQ-KBN launched its first TV station Sonshine TV-43 Davao, and introduced new religious programs such as '' Give Us This Day'', ''Sounds of Worship'', '' Batang Kaharian (lit. Kingdom Child)'', ''Way Ahead'', ''Highest Praise'', ''Quiet Moments'' and many more. In 2004, ACQ-KBN signed a historic agreement with

GlobeCast World TV GlobeCast World TV was a television via satellite service received in North America via the Galaxy 19 satellite, providing ethnic television and audio channels. It was a service by Globecast, a subsidiary of Orange. In North America, the satell ...

, which aims to expand its broadcast footprint around the world. In the same year also that KJC through ACQ-KBN launched its own radio station in Davao City as " DXAQ Kingdom Radio 1404 AM". In March 2005, KJC and ACQ-KBN acquired the congressional franchise, ownership and management of the Swara Sug Media Corporation (SSMC). at the same day, ACQ-KBN and SSMC acquired all the NBC Angel Radyo AM stations from

Nation Broadcasting Corporation Nation Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) is a Philippine radio and television Broadcast company established in 1963. As of December 2013, NBC is a subsidiary of MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. under the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund. NBC operates primari ...

, which in turn, gave birth as the "Sonshine Radio" network. In November 6, 2005,

DWAQ-TV DWAQ-DTV (channel 39) is a television station in Metro Manila, Philippines, serving as the flagship of the religious channel SMNI. owned and operated by Swara Sug Media Corporation. The station maintains studios at the ACQ Tower, Sta. Rita S ...

Channel 39 went back on the air and began its test broadcast as "ACQ-KBN Sonshine TV-39 Metro Manila". On January 8, 2006, ACQ-KBN Sonshine TV 39 was launched during the first Global Thanksgiving and Worship presentation of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, which held at the PhilSports Arena, the network ventured from Cable TV broadcasting to Free-to-Air TV broadcasting, and broadcasts with the transmitter power of 60 kilowatts. On June 5, 2006, ACQ-KBN Sonshine TV launched "Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI)" as News and Public Affairs block which became a tie-up of ACQ-KBN Sonshine TV-39 in Metro Manila and ACQ-KBN Sonshine TV-43 in Davao, with the original slogan "Service First, Right Here, Right Now, Worldwide". On July 30, 2006, ACQ-KBN Sonshine TV is now on Nationwide with more than 500 cable TV operators across the Philippines. On January 4, 2009, ACQ-KBN Sonshine TV-37 in Santiago, Isabela as the third TV station after the TV stations are TV-39 Manila and TV-43 Davao, ACQ-KBN Sonshine TV-37 is launched after the first Global Thanksgiving and Worship presentation at the Buenavista Barangay Hall in

Santiago, Isabela Santiago, officially the City of Santiago ( ilo, Siudad ti Santiago; ibg, Siudad nat Santiago; gad, Siudad na Santiago; fil, Lungsod ng Santiago), is a 1st class independent component city in the Cagayan Valley region of the Philippines. A ...

and followed by on May 10, 2009, The fourth TV Station as ACQ-KBN Sonshine TV-39 Butuan is launched after the first global thanksgiving and Worship presentation at the Luciana Convention Center in

Butuan Butuan (pronounced ), officially the City of Butuan ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Butuan; Butuanon: ''Dakbayan hong Butuan''; fil, Lungsod ng Butuan), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Caraga, Philippines. It is the ''de facto'' ca ...

. In August 2010, ACQ-KBN Sonshine TV (merger of ACQ-KBN and Sonshine Media Network International) was renamed again as simply "SMNI", the network now focuses in Religious, News and Public Affairs programs carried from the now-defunct ACQ-KBN, it also the network was launched with the new slogan "Alternative media, Alternative power, it Sustains Life" (first slogan) and "Informs, Delivers, Transforms" (second slogan) with a new station ID. In January 2011, SMNI was launched with a new slogan "Where Everything is Possible" with a new station ID. On May 24, 2016, SMNI launched its own News and Public affairs channel as SMNI News Channel and it is exclusively aired over Digital Terrestrial Television on UHF Channel 40 in Metro Manila until December 31, 2022 (move to UHF Channel 43 starting January 1, 2023) and its internet Live streaming. On August 31, 2019,

Philippine President 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 ...

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...

signed Republic Act No. 11422 which renewed

Swara Sug Media Corporation Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), also known by its legal operating name Swara Sug Media Corporation (SSMC), is a Filipino broadcast media arm of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) led by the Filipino televangelist Pastor Apollo C. ...

license for another 25 years. The law grants SSMC a franchise to construct, install, operate, and maintain, for commercial purposes, radio broadcasting stations and television stations, including digital television system, with the corresponding facilities such as relay stations, throughout the Philippines. On January 26, 2022, the

National Telecommunications Commission The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC; fil, Pambansang Komisyon sa Telekomunikasyon) is an attached agency of the Department of Information and Communications Technology responsible for the supervision, adjudication and control over ...

assigned the network's television frequency on channel 43 which was formerly used by

Mareco Broadcasting Network Mareco Broadcasting Network, Inc. is a radio network in the Philippines. Mareco stands for Mabuhay Records Corporation as its parent company also owns Villar Records and Mabuhay Records. Its headquarters is located at #6 Tirad Pass Street, Sta ...

as a TV carry-over station of 105.1 Crossover from 1994 to 2000 and

AMCARA Broadcasting Network AMCARA Broadcasting Network is a Philippine television broadcast company. The company is located in Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City. The company is majority-owned by the heirs of Arcadio M. Carandang, one of the pioneers of Phil ...

for

's DTT broadcast from 2013 to 2020. On January 1, 2023, SMNI began to transmit its digital test broadcast on UHF Channel 43 (647.143 MHz) as its permanent frequency assigned by NTC.

SMNI TV programs

SMNI stations nationwide

SMNI TV stations in the Philippines

SMNI TV nationwide

SMNI TV on digital terrestrial television

Affiliates

SMNI TV on pay television

*And 500 Cable TV Operators in the Philippines.

Sonshine radio stations

Criticism and alleged bias

Media institutions and sectoral rights groups have accused SMNI of spreading

misinformation Misinformation is incorrect or misleading information. It differs from disinformation, which is ''deliberately'' deceptive. Rumors are information not attributed to any particular source, and so are unreliable and often unverified, but can turn ou ...

and

fake news Fake news is false or misleading information presented as news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person or entity, or making money through advertising revenue.Schlesinger, Robert (April 14, 2017)"Fake news in reality ...

while at the same time attacking critics of the

Duterte administration Rodrigo Duterte became the 16th President of the Philippines on June 30, 2016, succeeding Benigno Aquino III. He was the first president from Mindanao, the first president to have worked in all three branches of government, and the oldest t ...

and several media outlets in the form of " red-tagging". The right-wing bias is also on

Net 25 Net 25 (capitalized and stylized as NET25) is a Philippine television network owned and operated by Eagle Broadcasting Corporation. The network is named for its flagship station in Metro Manila, DZEC-TV, which is carried on UHF Channel 25 on ana ...

, owned by Iglesia ni Cristo's affiliate

Eagle Broadcasting Corporation Eagle Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) is a Filipino Media company based in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. Named after the national bird, the ''Philippine eagle'', it is primarily involved in radio and television broadcasting. The primary st ...

which similar to SMNI.

References

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sonshine Media Network International Mass media companies of the Philippines Television networks in the Philippines Mass media companies established in 2000 Television channels and stations established in 2003 Radio stations in the Philippines Television in Davao City Companies based in Davao City Television in Metro Manila Companies based in Makati 1987 establishments in the Philippines Privately held companies of the Philippines Religious television stations in the Philippines