Ging Reyes retiring from ABS-CBN News

After more than three decades, Regina “Ging” Reyes is retiring from ABS-CBN, closing what has been a legendary career in television news, virtually all of it at the Kapamilya news division.

The veteran journalist, who just turned 60 Friday, is officially stepping down in January 2023. A homegrown ABS-CBN newser, Reyes has been part of the network since its reopening in 1986, just right after the EDSA People Power Revolution.

“I must admit malungkot din ako dahil ito lang ang buhay na alam ko,” Reyes said during a speech Thursday at the ABS-CBN newsroom. “I spent a lifetime here with you. Hinding-hindi ko kayo makakalimutan. Mahal na mahal ko kayo.”

A UP alum, Reyes began her ABS-CBN journey as a production assistant. She would then quickly rise through the ranks in what was then a male-dominated industry, becoming the head writer and executive producer of the long-running The World Tonight, working with the late Angelo Castro, Jr.

In 2001, she was upped to news director position before leaving Manila the following year to become its North America bureau chief.

During her tenure, the bureau saw its influence skyrocket in North America, making ABS-CBN the only Philippine broadcast station to establish a powerful news gathering operation in the US and Canada. It was also during her time when the bureau launched what was once an important program for the Filipino communities there — the now-defunct Balitang America, a program which Reyes developed herself.

Following a rocky period for ABS-CBN — a time at which GMA-7 dominated the ratings game — Reyes was summoned by the network bosses to come back in 2010, replacing then-outgoing Maria Ressa.

Under her leadership, ABS-CBN once again became a serious news competitor both critically and in the ratings. Its radio and cable properties, DZMM TeleRadyo and ANC, were also both leading in the race. 

When the then-Duterte government didn’t grant ABS-CBN the renewal of the broadcast franchise it needed to operate in 2020, Reyes and her team pivoted online. To date, ABS-CBNNews.com and its YouTube channel remain among the top sources of news online. 

An MNP media winner for three consecutive years (2014-2016), Reyes in September was named the 2022 Southeast Asia Laureate for Women in News Editorial Leadership by the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).