- ‘Magandang Morning with Julius and Zen,’ now better and brighter
- Brighter mornings ahead with Julius Babao and Zen Hernandez
Saturday and Sunday mornings are bound to get brighter for Filipinos as DZMM’s long-running weekend show “Magandang Morning with Julius and Zen” is about to get a boost with new segments on DZMM TeleRadyo, which is available in ABS-CBN TVplus and cable TV.
Simulcast on DZMM Radyo Patrol 630, the program is hosted by broadcast journalists Julius Babao and Zen Hernandez. It will still be news driven with interviews and commentary on the week’s biggest issues and will be introducing new segments to provide their loyal listeners and viewers useful tips and information that they can use in their day-to-day life.
In “Ano’ng Meron,” Julius and Zen will share places that families can go to or activities they can try to bond and relax over the weekend. In “Kayod-Kayod,” they will give us a glimpse of the lives of Filipinos who work while everybody else are having their day-off, like policemen, nurses, and vendors. Julius and Zen will also feature the other side or the lighter side of people in the news in “Dahan Dahan Lang.”
The program will still feature a rundown of the hot topics in the country, interviews with newsmakers, flash reports from DZMM Radyo Patrol, and in-depth discussions on current issues that the show has been known for since its inception in 2003.
Original anchor Julius shared his excitement as the program undergoes a transformation on its 15th year. “It brings joy to me to know we have developed a loyal following through the years. I am happy that the show is evolving as we continue to explore more ways to improve the program and make it more interesting for our listeners and viewers.”
Zen, meanwhile, continues to relish the opportunity to work with a broadcast veteran like Julius, who helped her learn the ropes as a radio newbie when she joined the program in 2015.
“I felt excited and nervous to work with him at first. He was surprisingly a very warm person and probably the least intimidating person even though he was already a well-known journalist. I still look up to him now but he has also become a friend so the tense feeling that comes with being in the same program with a journalist of his caliber is already gone.”
Julius also has good words for Zen, his third co-anchor in the show after his wife Tin-Tin Bersola-Babao and Nina Corpuz-Rodriguez.
“We complement each other because Zen is also a journalist. We are like sparring and dancing when discussing issues. We know how to take turns in asking questions or in expressing our thoughts. I am proud of how far she’s gone in her career and she deserves it because she is an intelligent and articulate journalist who always comes to work prepared,” he explained.
On top of their weekend program, Zen continues to do field reporting for ABS-CBN News and sometimes anchors for “TV Patrol” while Julius has “Mission Possible” and “Bandila” on ABS-CBN and “Lingkod Kapamilya” with Bernadette Sembrano and an earlier edition of “Bandila” on DZMM. Their jam-packed workweek, however, does not stop them from looking forward to doing “Magandang Morning” on Saturday and Sunday.
“It’s my outlet or my venue for hard news interviews which I am not able to do in my other programs. This is where I am able to talk to people and probe deeper about the news,” he said.
Similarly, Zen sees the show as an opportunity to discuss issues in a more in-depth manner and with their new format, they will still be able to do just that and offer even more for their viewers and listeners.
“Even if it’s the weekend, we promise to continue informing them about the news that matter to them and at the same time offer new segments that will also help them relax after discussing heavy issues about the country,” she said.
Meanwhile, DZMM Radyo Patrol 630 still comes first to listeners in Mega Manila based on the latest Kantar Media Radio Survey. In the second quarter of the year. DZMM garnered an audience share of 25% to remain ahead of DZBB and DZRH, which got 22% and 21%, respectively.
“Magandang Morning with Julius and Zen” anchored by Julius Babao and Zen Hernandez airs every Saturday and Sunday on DZMM Radyo Patrol 630 and DZMM TeleRadyo at 6 am. Watch online on iwantv.com.ph. For news, follow @DZMMTeleRadyo on Twitter and Facebook or visit news.abs-cbn.com/dzmm. For updates, follow @ABSCBNPR on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or visit www.abscbnpr.com.
