On March 25, Filipino radio DJ and sportscaster Boom Gonzalez recalled the challenges he faced amid the pandemic and the ABS-CBN Shutdown.
During the media conference for the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 84, Gonzalez said he lost a family and opportunity when ABS-CBN shut down in 2020.
“First of all, I lost my–I lost a broadcast company, I lost being part of that group, I lost the family and the opportunity to do other things. That’s the negative part.”
He then optimistically highlighted how Cignal welcomed him into their company.
“The positive part is I gained a new family that I’m getting to know, and I’m really loving, and the way they’ve welcomed me–it really blows my mind. I was telling my wife na parang this last year was more than I expected, because like I said, I came here thinking that I’m the new guy, I’m going to prove myself, but I’ve been welcomed with open arms by my Cignal family, and I’m so happy about that.”
He shared what he learned during the pandemic and ABS-CBN’s shutdown in 2020.
“That was the biggest lesson, na you don’t know what’s going to happen. And that’s the reason why every time that I went to the NBA to do a coverage, every time I go on TV, I try to treat it with more value than I did in the past because you don’t know when it’s going to be taken away by a pandemic or by something.
“By losing a broadcast partner or losing a broadcast home. I didn’t know I was going to get picked up by Cignal. I never assumed that I was going to be doing the UAAP again.”
Before the ABS-CBN shutdown, Gonzalez was a sportscaster for the UAAP events and a Radio DJ for Magic 89.9.
Now, Gonzalez returns with the 84th season of the UAAP league. It formally opened on March 26 with live coverage from Cignal and Smart – the new official UAAP broadcast partners.
Cignal airs its live coverage of the UAAP Season 84 through its platforms via One Sports, UAAP Varsity Channel, and Cignal Play (OTT streaming). Smart also streams the UAAP events through the Smart GigaPlay app.
