GMA Network, Inquirer ink deal on 'bigger, better INQ7'

GMA Network Inc. and the Philippine Daily Inquirer signed an agreement on Friday to renew their partnership and launch INQ7.net into a news portal that will host GMANews.TV and Inquirer.net. "Today marks the beginning of a much better arrangement between Inquirer.net and GMANews.TV," said GMA Network Inc. chairman and president Felipe L. Gozon. "When you open the portal you will face two realities, the Inquirer.net and GMANews.TV," he said. "The public should watch out for a greater, bigger and better INQ7," said Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez, Philippine Daily Inquirer president. "When two No. 1s join forces, how can you go wrong?" she said. Gozon said Inquirer.net and GMANews.TV will operate "separately and independently." "The sum of parts will be greater. Independently, both the websites have their own brands. With this, I think the parts will become greater than the whole," Gozon said. The news portal will be launched in January 2007. It will host the websites of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and GMA Network’s News and Public Affairs department. Philippine Daily Inquirer chairman Marixi Prieto said both websites will provide better coverage to readers. "We're still one," she said, adding that the renewed partnership aims to fortify the existing one, which both media giants started on February 27, 2001, during the launching of INQ7.net. Gozon said the new agreement marks another "beginning" and a "better arrangement" for both media companies. "We're doing this to improve the portal. We want to simplify operations," he said after the signing of the agreement at GMA Network’s headquarters in Quezon City. Malou Mangahas, editor-in-chief of GMANews.TV and vice president for research and content development of GMA News and Public Affairs, said both partners will draw on their respective strengths to deliver a better website and a better product. "Both parties want to do good journalism. Together we will make great journalism," she said. INQ7.net editor-in-chief and senior vice president JV Rufino said that under the new arrangement, readers can expect to get more compelling content. -GMANews.TV