ZOE Broadcasting Network, Inc. (ZOE TV or ZBNI) is a Philippine broadcast media arm of the Jesus Is Lord Church. Based in Ortigas Center, Pasig, it operates a network of television and radio stations in Mega Manila, Baguio, Bacolod, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Iloilo and Puerto Princesa. The company also owns its first television station in Metro Manila, DZOE-TV 11 and its DTT companion UHF channel 20, which currently airs the A2Z network, a joint-venture partnership between ZOE and ABS-CBN Corporation through its blocktime agreement.
History
Initial period
The frequency rights of Channel 11 under call letters DWXI-TV in Metro Manila was given to a joint venture of influential religious groups in the 1990s: El Shaddai a Catholic charismatic-based group headed by Mike Velarde and Jesus Is Lord Church an evangelical Protestant group headed by Eddie Villanueva. Conflict of interests started the two groups to contest the full ownership of the station. The Philippine Congress intervened and awarded to Mr. Villanueva and the JIL the right to acquire channel 11. Villanueva paid Velarde for the stocks and assets held by the channel's then-owner Delta Broadcasting System (DBS).
On April 13, 1998, JIL began its broadcast history with channel 11's relaunch as DZOE-TV, with ZOE Broadcasting Network, Inc. as the new corporate name. It also launched the new station ID and slogan "Give Love, Celebrate Life," which have been the corporate motto for years.
In 1999, Entertainment Network (Enternet), headed by Benito Araneta, and ZOE entered in a channel lease agreement that saw Enternet occupying the station's morning and afternoon block through CNBC Asia. Three years later, disagreements on the contract led to ZOE pulling out Enternet's program block and the latter filing a case on Villanueva.
In 2001, ZOE TV became the first TV station to air the second EDSA Revolution.
In 2004, Villanueva resigned as the company's chair to run in the country's presidential elections. After ending last in the election results, Villanueva returned to ZOE and continues his appearance on various ZOE TV programs.
Channel lease agreements
In April 2005, Citynet Network Marketing and Productions, Inc., a subsidiary of GMA Network, Inc., and ZOE TV entered to an agreement for Citynet leasing the entire TV airtime block of the station in exchange of upgrading ZOE TV's facilities and ZOE distributing its in-house programs to GMA Network's airtime.
On September 1, 2005, channel 11 quietly went off the air as GMA installed, upgraded and rehabilitated the transmitter and studios of ZOE TV. At the same time, Channel 11's 40 kW transmitter in Ortigas was decommissioned in favor of an upgraded 100 kW transmitter facility purchased by GMA located at the GMA Tower of Power site in Brgy. Culiat, Quezon City, with ZOE maintaining transmitter operations for the station (due to current ownership restrictions requiring only one station per broadcaster per frequency). ZOE TV, meanwhile, was relaunched on Channel 33 through its new call letters DZOZ-TV (a variant of DZOE-TV). Channel 33 began using its newly constructed 30 kW transmitter tower station located in Antipolo, while retaining the Ortigas Center studios as its master control facility.
On November 11, 2005, after a series of test broadcasts, GMA Network finally handled master control operations of channel 11 and launched their new second TV network through ZOE TV. It started as an all-female lifestyle channel QTV (Quality TeleVision; later renamed as simply Q on March 18, 2007), then reformatted as news and public affairs channel GMA News TV (now GTV) on February 28, 2011.