Jun Nicdao: Capturing Minds and Hearts

With almost five decades of service at the oldest existing broadcasting company in the Philippines, Ruperto “Jun” Nicdao, Jr. (MBM 1977), as its president, is a pillar of the Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC). As Chairman of Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) and Advertising Foundation of the Philippines and Founding Chairman and now Board of Trustees Member of the AD Standards Council, he shapes culture through his thought leadership that impacts the Filipino public at large. He is a seasoned media professional with an unblemished record that extends far beyond the industry. And as a leader or member of various companies and organizations with huge public spheres of influence, you might not know it, but Jun Nicdao might have had a hand in shaping your life.

Making Waves in the Airwaves

Under Jun Nicdao’s leadership, MBC has become a radio behemoth with broadcasting network institutions such as DZRH, the first and longest running radio network in the country, Love Radio, Yes FM, and Easy Rock. From a humble 9 stations, MBC has grown to be a titan of Philippine media today with 200 stations nationwide

As president of the oldest existing broadcasting company in the Philippines, Jun Nicdao has been at the forefront of modernizing MBC from a pure radio broadcast venture to a leading multimedia platform creator–an undertaking that continues to evolve in this ever-changing media landscape. Mr. Nicdao spearheaded changes in how MBC radio is broadcast to expand revenue streams. DZRH has become available on screen as DZRH News Television, a 24-hour cable news channel that provides audio-visual content carried by more than 1,000 cable providers. All major MBC networks have since established robust websites and massive social media communities that engage audiences in the Philippines and all over the world. In 2016, MBC partnered with Spotify to boost local entertainment experience.

Jun Nicdao does not limit his attention to the financial bottom line when making business decisions. His long-term interest is in business growth that balances profitability with market sustainability and development. This farsighted and open-minded strategy allowed MBC to sail through the rough waters of the Asian Financial Crisis in the late 90’s and withstood local political instability in the early 2000’s. MBC’s revenues remained stable because the company had branched out to events management and content creation instead of just relying on corporate-led advertising revenues, which dropped significantly during this period. MBC created high-profile events that provided advertisers and sponsors with on-the-ground, personalized brand exposure to their respective target markets in addition to the awareness-building benefits of traditional radio advertising. Among these that have made a mark on the nation’s cultural fabric are the Aliwan Fiesta and the MBC National Choral Competitions. With these innovations, the concept of radio broadcasting in the Philippines took on a new twist and flavor in terms of quality entertainment. After all, culture and the soft side of leadership become more lasting and are better at influencing the people’s psyche.

When MBC expanded to 200 stations nationwide, managing the corporate giant presented a slew of new challenges. To incentivize employees to be proactive managers of local stations, Mr. Nicdao introduced the profit-sharing business model called Hating Kapatid. This new model gave partners the motivation to drive up sales and keep costs down, and in return, they get half the share of the station’s net profits. This proved effective as station partners strictly monitored their day-to-day performance and ensured superior ratings while providing advertisers prime spots.

The AIM alumni community always has Mr. Nicdao to thank whenever the AIM Alumni Association (AAAIM) or AIM needs a major partner to disseminate information to the public. With or without an official position, Jun Nicdao has always readily made his time, resources, and connections available for the benefit of both AIM and the alumni community.

A Most Capable Conductor

Jun Nicdao’s management expertise is not limited to broadcast media. He has held top management positions in real estate development, hotel and tourism, agri-business, business holdings, and education.

Under the Elizalde Group, he leads companies engaged in broadcasting (MBC and its subsidiary broadcast companies), management (MBC Resources, Inc.), marketing services (MBC Marketing Services Inc.), theme parks (Star Parks Corporation), holding company (Elizalde Holdings, Inc.), real estate (Elizalde Land, Inc.), and hotels and tourism (Elizalde Hotels and Resorts, Inc., Feliz Hotel Boracay, Inc., Feliz Signature Boracay, Inc., Feliz Place Boracay, Inc., and Sunshine Inns, Inc.). He has been on the Board of Trustees of St. Scholastica’s College-Manila for 18 years. Additionally, Ruperto Nicdao Jr. is involved in the affairs of the influential Makati Business Club (MBC), Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX), and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)–three associations that hold the most influential business and thought leaders in the Philippines. At KBP, he improved the quality of broadcast practitioners by helping institutionalize the regular training of journalists or sending them to higher education. And as founding chairman of the Ad Standards Council, he was instrumental in professionalizing the screening process for advertising materials.

The Currency of Credibility

Jun Nicdao believes in a simple, yet powerful mantra: the best way to capture hearts and minds is simply to tell the truth. The broadcast industry carries with it a public service responsibility of integrity and transparency, values that Jun Nicdao has a wealth of.