• The Pre-War Years: From the Start
• The 1940's: This is the Moment
• The 1950's: At the Beginning
• The 1960's: Top of the World
• The 1970's: Tragedy
• The 1980's: Come Out of the Rain
• The 1990's: Destiny
• The New Millennium: Here to Stay

taken from Pinoy Television: The Story of ABS-CBN (ABS-CBN Publishing), ABS-CBN TV (1986-1990), Pinoy TV Blog and Clodualdo del Mundo's "Telebisyon: Essay on the 50 Years of Philippine TV" (CCP)

ABS-CBN shows, stars and employees continue moving to the other channels (Channels 4, 7, 9, 13)

1981

January: TV channels report on the lifting of martial law.

February: TV channels give live coverage of the first Philippine visit of Pope John Paul II, who visits Manila and other key cities in the archipelago.

June: TV channels give live coverage of the 1981 Philippine national elections still with Marcos as president.

1983

August: Philippine TV channels give small airtime on Senator Benigno Aquino Jr's assasination and funeral procession. Mitos Villareal, TV director for variety specials, catches the historic 1-million crowd for the late Senator Aquino's funeral on video, later to be aired on Channel 7.

1984

TV channels cover the investigation on the Aquino assasination by the Agrava Commission.

1985

November-December: President Marcos' declaration of the 1986 snap elections starts the election campaign. All the TV channels cover President Marcos' campaigns leaving little airtime for oppostion presidential candidate and Benigno Aquino's wife Corazon.

1986

February 7: Philippine TV channels cover the tainted 1986 Philippine national elections, with Marcos and Corazon Aquino claiming victory as president.

February 22: TV channels cover the announcement of defection of military men Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce Enrile from the Marcos government--the start of the 1986 EDSA Revolution.

February 24: Rebel soldiers and former ABS-CBN personnel take over the studios of Banahaw and MBS (now the ABS-CBN studios) by the morning, going off the air during the live news conference in Malacanang with President Marcos and Chief of Staff Fabian Ver. Channels 2 and 4 come back on air late at noon and start broadcasting for the The Filipino people.  The channels air this time Mabuhay ang Kalayaan, the special marathon coverage on the 1986 EDSA Revolution set up by various media people, among them former ABS-CBN talents, personalities and employees.

February 25: TV channels cover President Marcos' oath-taking in Malacanang. Channels 2, 9 and 13 go off-air cutting the coverage of Marcos' oath-taking.  Channel 4 airs video of President Aquino's oath-taking in Club Filipino in Metro Manila. All TV channels report the departure of the Marcos family from Malacanang and the eventual Siege of Malacanang by the Filipino people.

February 28: Eugenio Lopez Jr. returns from exile in the United States to resurrect ABS-CBN.

March-September: The government supervises the stations of Broadcast City site. The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) orders the release of Banahaw's Channel 2 frequencies to the Lopezes and sequesters Channels 2, 9 (with Radio Philippines Network/RPN as a new name) and 13.

June: The government grants permits to the Lopezes to operate ABS-CBN's Channel 2 and two radio stations-one of them DZMM.

September 12: The Comeback--ABS-CBN resumes Manila operations on Channel 2 with only bank loans, a franchise, haphazard assembly of old, dilapidated and borrowed equipment, temporary offices at the Manila Chronicle office in Pasig, and an initial  staff of 200 people.

October: President Aquino presides over ABS-CBN's formal resumption of commercial operations.

Post-October: ABS-CBN joins the then 13-year old Kapisanan ng Mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP).  It becomes  the first Philippine media network to develop a successful world-class broadcast image design.  It then resurrects the pre-1972 newscasts Balita Ngayon and The World Tonight [under the new name Philippines Tonight]. In this year, it launches

•  the dramas Ina/Mother, Hilakbot/Terror, Luneta: Discovery Hour, Bubog sa Puso/Broken Glass in the Heart and Angkan/Clan
• the comedies Wanbol High/One Ball High, Let's Go Crazy with Jack and Joey and Tin Pan Alley
• the talk shows Rumors, Facts and Humors and Bar None-the shortest running show on Philippine TV
• the variety shows Na-Kuh Eto N-APO Sila/Oops...Here They Are, Triple Treat, In-Tux-Icating, Variety, Always Snooky and Lots to Catch
• the current affairs shows including PEP Talk (People, Events, Places Talk) with Loren Legarda as host
• the newscasts Magandang Umaga Po/Good Morning to You and Good Morning Philippines (later a newscast on regional news)

December 31: ABS-CBN becomes the lowest-rating TV network among all the 5 TV stations in Metro Manila, suffering heavy losses.

1987

Former ABS-CBN stars, personalities and employees, including Freddie Garcia, start to return to ABS-CBN.

The Lopezes counter accusations of Banahaw's charges of the Lopezes owing them for the supposed lease of ABS-CBN's equipment, telling that media operator Benedicto owes them back rentals for ABS-CBN's equipment taken without compensation in 1972.

ABS-CBN gets back its facilities from MBS (with the new name PTV/People's Television/Philippine Television)and absorbs MBS's 600 employees into the ABS-CBN workforce.

ABS-CBN is the first Philippine media network to use the Betacam tape, a technological advancement then.

February: ABS-CBN is relaunched as The Star Network via the live special variety show Ang Pagbabalik ng Bituin/The Star's Return, as it calls back all its former stars and personalities working in other various media networks to return to ABS-CBN.  Present in the live show are Maricel Soriano, Alma Moreno, Richard Gomez, Joey Marquez, Pops Fernandez and Martin Nievera.

Post February: ABS-CBN reports on the drafting of the first post-1972 Constitution.  It launches

• the newscast TV Patrol (new name: TV Patrol World), becoming the number 1 newscast on Philippine TV for the next 20 years and having anchors Robert Arevalo, Mel Tiangco, Noli de Castro, Frank Evangelista, Angelique Lazo, Kata Inocencio, Korina Sanchez, Julius Babao, Tintin Bersola, Henry Omaga Diaz, Ces Drilon, Aljo Bendijo, Ted Failon and Karen Davila
• the comedies Palibhasa Lalaki/Because of Males, Chika Chika Chicks, In The Money, Mga Kuwento ni Lola/Grandma's Stories and Goin' Bananas
• the variety shows Loveli-Ness with Alma Moreno and Twogether: Martin and Pops with Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez
• the talk shows Star Cafe and Dina
•  the weekly Regal Films movie special Regal Presents
• the current affairs show Probe with Cheche Lazaro, which moved to GMA after less than a year (in 1988) and coming back to ABS-CBN after 18 years (in 2005)
• the drama Maricel Drama Specials, which runs for the next 10 years

1988-1990

ABS-CBN launches the talk show Teysi ng Tahanan/Teysi of the Home with Tessie Tomas

1988

ABS-CBN airs

• the variety show Tonight with Dick and Carmi
• the current affairs show Magandang Gabi Bayan/Good Evening to Our Dear Nation, with host Noli de Castro and running for more than 17 years [with replacements Henry Omaga Diaz, Gus Abelgas, Erwin Tulfo, Julius Babao, Korina Sanchez, and Katherine de Castro]

Events take a turn on ABS-CBN this year.

• ABS-CBN relaunches ABS-CBN Cebu and starts the resumption of operations in ABS-CBN's regional stations.
• ABS-CBN revives the Bridges on the Air-Link to the Future with a new domestic satellite system, making it the first Philippine media network on full nationwide satellite broadcast.
• March: More artists like Sharon Cuneta and President Aquino's actress-of-a-daughter Kris join ABS-CBN. Sharon has her first show--The Sharon Cuneta Show.
• August 8 (The Historic Date: 8-8-88): Number 1 Since Then--ABS-CBN becomes number 1 among the 5 Filipino TV channels in Manila in the audience share and ratings, with all the Top 10 shows belonging to the network, and the first in the Philippines to be number 1 after its relaunch.  ABS-CBN's TV companions, notably People's Television (PTV Channel 4, later National Broadcasting Network: NBN Channel 4) and Greater Manila Area (GMA Channel 7) start attempts to bring in more viewers after ABS-CBN becomes the number 1 Philippine TV network.
• November: ABS-CBN introduces the new slogan "In the Service of the Filipino".
• December: ABS-CBN starts satellite broadcast of its prime time shows.
• December 11: ABS-CBN airs marathon of 6 hours for the phenomenally top-rating EDSA Revolution-themed international drama series A Dangerous Life. A Dangerous Life is the first successful 6-hour marathon broadcast and the most highly-rated show in Philippine TV then.

1989

ABS-CBN airs

• the dramas Agila and Coney Reyes on Camera [from RPN9
• the talk show Oh No It's Johnny
•  the comedy Okay Ka Fairy Ko/You Did Well My Dear Fairy from RPN (and then to GMA)
• the variety shows Ryan Ryan Musikahan/Musicals with Ryan and Eat Bulaga, from RPN (and then to GMA)
• the educational show Batibot (from PTV and RPN to GMA)
• the current affairs show Tatak Pilipino/Filipino Brand

Events take a turn on ABS-CBN this year.

• ABS-CBN holds the first media-sponsored nationwide midnight prayer vigil for peace in the Philippines.
•  ABS-CBN airs Kris at 18, the network's birthday special for Kris Aquino and begins the series of media specials celebrating the birthdays and milestones of its stars and personalities then.
• ABS-CBN re-launches its Manila FM station DWRR 101.9 FM, beginning as the country's 1st all-CD music and all-female music jock radio station.
• ABS-CBN launches socio-civic media campaigns Sundalo ng Karahasan, Kandila at Panalangin, Citizen's Crusade for Democracy and Peace with Justice, Bantay Bata and Sagipbayan.
• ABS-CBN is the first broadcast network in the Philippines with an electronic newsroom.
•  ABS-CBN launches the socio-civic organization ABS-CBN Foundation.
•  December 9: Rebels seize the ABS-CBN buildings for a few hours at dawn in a military coup against President Aquino, stalling the taping of Goin' Bananas.

1990

ABS-CBN airs

• the comedy Luv Ko Si Kris/I Love Kris with Kris Aquino
• the talk show Mel and Jay (later moving to GMA after 5 years)
•  the variety show Sa Linggo N-APO Sila/They're Here on Sunday! with the legendary band Apo Hiking Society
• One Asia Assembly, the country's first live via satellite conference.

ABS-CBN covers

• the aftermath of the 1990 Earthquake hitting the cities of Baguio and Cabanatuan and starts the Killer Quake Emergency Fund Campaign
• the Middle East Gulf War in Iraq and Kuwait

ABS-CBN makes DWRR the first FM radio station on full nationwide satellite broadcast.

ABS-CBN gets 40-50% Metro Manila TV audience share, and 70% regional TV audience share-the highest of any Philippine TV network.