| University of Mindanao Broadcasting Network (UMBN) | |
| Key People: | Guillermo P. Torres, Jr. |
| Founder: | Atty. Guillermo E. Torres |
| Brands: | Radyo Ukay, Retro, Wild FM |
| Footnotes: | [1] [2] |
The University of Mindanao Broadcasting Network (UMBN) is a Philippine radio network majority-owned and controlled by the Torres family. It serves as the media arm of the University of Mindanao.[3] [1] Its headquarters are located at the UMBN Media Center, C. Bangoy St. cor. Palma Gil St., Poblacion, Davao City, while its national marketing offices are located in Makati. UMBN and its subsidiary Mt. Apo Broadcasting System run AM and FM stations in Mindanao, while its other subsidiary Ditan Communications runs the Visayas stations. It has three radio network brands, namely UMBN News & Public Affairs, Wild FM and Retro.
The origins of UMBN can be traced to DXMC, the first radio station in Davao City and the entire Mindanao region. DXMC was founded in 1949 by businessman Atty. Guillermo E. Torres, and was granted a broadcast franchise by the Congress under Republic Act 514.[3] [4] [5]
The broadcast franchise was later amended on June 22, 1957, under Republic Act 1832, allowing Torres to establish and operate radio stations in the Philippines.[6] With this, the University of Mindanao Broadcasting Network or UMBN was established on the same year the MC was renamed as the University of Mindanao. DXUM was also launched as its second radio station in Davao.[3]
From 1957 to the 1960s, UMBN established several stations within the Mindanao area such as in the Davao areas (DXMM in Davao City, DXDN in Tagum, and DXDS in Digos), Cotabato City, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga City, Iligan, and Bukidnon.
In 1972, all UMBN stations were shut down in the midst of the Martial Law, but later resumed its operations lately. In 1975, Torres transferred the ownership of DXUM to Mt. Apo Broadcasting System (also owned by Torres) but maintaining its airtime operations.
In 1988, about two years after the "EDSA People Power Revolution", DXMC was transferred to the FM broadcasting frequency and relaunched as DXWT, forming the nucleus of UMBN's FM network known as Wild FM, while DXUM and other AM stations formed the nucleus of the Radyo Ukay network.[3]
In the 1990s, UMBN expanded its Wild FM network into the Visayas region with launch of 105.9 Wild FM Cebu in 1994 through airtime lease. This was later transferred to 103.5 FM in 2002 after Ditan Communications became an affiliate of UMBN.
In 2003, UMBN rented the airtime of Rajah Broadcasting Network-owned 100.3 FM and became an oldies/classic hits station known as Oldies Radio, which was rebranded as Hit Radio in 2008. In 2009, it transferred its airtime lease to ACWS-UBN-owned 95.5 FM, which would be acquired by UMBN in 2016 through its licensee Mt. Apo Broadcasting. By that time, the station became Retro 95.5.
On June 16, 2020, its AM stations retired the Radyo Ukay branding after 20 years, as part of enhancement of the stations' news and public affairs programming.[7]
| Branding | Callsign | Frequency | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 819 DXUM | DXUM-AM | 819 kHz | Davao City |
| 936 DXDN | DXDN-AM | 936 kHz | Tagum |
| DXAV-FM | 92.5 MHz | ||
| 1161 DXDS | DXDS-AM | 1161 kHz | Digos |
| DXAY-FM | 92.7 MHz | ||
| 1089 DXCM | DXCM-AM | 1089 kHz | Kidapawan |
| DXAZ-FM | 92.9 MHz | ||
| 1134 DXMV | DXMV-AM | 1134 kHz | Valencia, Bukidnon |
| Branding | Callsign | Frequency | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wild FM Davao | DXWT | 92.3 MHz | Davao City |
| Wild FM Iloilo | DYWT | 105.9 MHz | Iloilo City |
| Wild FM Cagayan de Oro | DXWZ | 94.3 MHz | Cagayan de Oro |
| Wild FM Butuan | DXBB-FM | 98.5 MHz | Butuan |
| Wild FM General Santos | DXRT | 99.1 MHz | General Santos |
| Wild FM Valencia | DXWB-FM | 92.9 MHz | Valencia, Bukidnon |
| Wild FM Iligan | DXIL | 103.1 MHz | Iligan |
| Branding | Callsign | Frequency | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retro Davao | DXKR-FM | 95.5 MHz | Davao City |
| Retro Cebu | DYCD-FM | 103.5 MHz | Cebu City |
| Callsign | Frequency | Location | Note/s |
|---|---|---|---|
| DXMM | 810 kHz | Davao City | Closed during Martial Law. |
| DXRZ | 900 kHz | Zamboanga City | Sold to Radio Mindanao Network in 1992. |
| DXKZ | 91.5 MHz | Sold to RT Broadcast Specialists. | |
| DXRC | Malaybalay | Equipment donated to the Armed Forces of the Philippines in 1973 and transferred to Zamboanga City as DXSC. | |
| DYSR | 95.1 MHz | Dumaguete | Under airtime lease from 2005 to 2007. Station owned by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. |
