Broadcasting in Singapore

Broadcasting in Singapore began in 1936 when Radio Singapura was established as the first local mass market radio service. Subsequently in February 1963, before the retreat of the British Armed Forces, and after the merger with Malaya, Singapore launched her first television service, under the Radio & Television of Singapore (RTS).

History

Radio

Radio Singapura (1936–1963)

Radio Singapura, the first local radio service launched in 1937, marked the beginning of a highly successful venture in broadcasting media. The radio service shut down temporarily due to the World War 2 efforts, and radio frequencies were tightly controlled. The service resumed and flourished as Singapore gained gradual autonomy from the United Kingdom after the war.

Radio Singapura subsequently became part of RTS, which in turn became part of the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). After SBC was fully privatised, it became the Radio Corporation of Singapore (RCS).

Rediffusion Singapore

With the success of Radio Singapura, another key player in the broadcasting industry in the pre-independence Singapore, [http://www.rediffusion.com.sg Rediffusion Singapore] , introduced cable broadcasting service to Singapore in 1949. Rediffusion Singapore brought radio to housing areas which lacked decent radio reception, with unrivalled sound quality compared to the conventional radio technologies at that time.

AFRA Radio

SAFRA Radio is managed by the SAFRA National Service Association, a non-profit organisation that is dedicated to the welfare of National Servicemen (colloquially called "NSmen"). SAFRA Radio runs two stations, Power98FM and 883JiaFM, broadcasting in English and Mandarin Chinese respectively. The stations cater to national and professional servicemen, and both radio stations are entertainment-based, featuring modern commercial music and the latest entertainment news.

PH UnionWorks

SPH UnionWorks is a joint radio broadcasting entity of SPH Multimedia and NTUC Media. It was created in October 2001 as UnionWorks, relinquishing NTUC Media’s full ownership of 2 local radio stations, Heart 100.3FM and 91.3FM The Most Music.

Heart 100.3FM was re-branded into UFM 1003, which had a striking similarity with SPH MediaWorks’s Mandarin Chinese television free-to-air terrestrial channel, Channel U. 91.3FM The Most Music was re-branded as 'WKRZ 91.3', with considerable resemblance to the TV Works channel.

The letter "Z" in the name of WKRZ 91.3 is pronounced "zee" as in the U.S., instead of the Commonwealth "zed". The name of the station is pronounced as "W", "K", "R", "Z" individually to create an "Americanised" illusion, mimicking the naming conventions of radio stations in the United States.

In 2006, Singapore Press Holdings increased its share in its radio subsidiary to 60% and Unionworks is thus renamed to its present name. The radio stations under this subsidiary were also renamed as Radio 91.3 FM and Radio 1003, with new programming and lineup.

Television

Company names

Only 2 television broadcasting companies have ever been created in Singapore as of 2005: SPH Mediaworks and the present MediaCorp TV. The former eventually merged with the latter in 2004. Radio & Television of Singapore (RTS), Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) and Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS), were the predecessors of the Media Corporation of Singapore (MediaCorp Group), with each name change signifying a period of privatisation and liberalisation.

MediaCorp is the direct successor of the SIM Group of Companies - the parent company of TCS and RCS, which in 2001 were renamed MediaCorp TV and MediaCorp Radio respectively.

Several free-to-air terrestrial television channels are managed by companies that are directly affiliated with SBC, TCS or MediaCorp TV.

Radio & Television of Singapore (1963–1980)

The television service began with a 1.5 hour monochrome service launched on Channel 5, under close regulation by a department within the government's Ministry of Culture, in February 1963. Formal inauguration of regular television broadcast took place in April 1963, with four hours of English programmes daily.

Channel 8, the second television channel, was introduced in November the same year to broadcast programmes in Tamil and predominantly in Chinese.

Both Channels 5 and 8 are still in transmission today.

Colour Transmission

The first colour television signal was transmitted in 1974, the first colour programmes being the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Black Beauty. Subsequently, the first live colour telecast of the company, the 1974 football World Cup final between West Germany and The Netherlands via satellite transmission took place in the same year.

Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (1980–1994)

With the passing of an Act of Parliament and after much public effort, RTS was partially privatised and given autonomy and flexibility in its lineup of programmes and handling issues such as personnel, finance and production. The Radio & Television of Singapore became the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, or by the corporate abbreviation SBC in 1980.

Immediately after the partial privatisation, the company managed breakthroughs that were hitherto impossible due to the direct influence of the Ministry of Culture. After two years, SBC produced its first local drama for Channel 8. SBC also produced various awarding-winning documentaries and current affairs talkshows; were however, criticised for her marginalised broadcast of news and current affairs, carrying news that are supporting the common misconceptions that are much silenced.

In 1984, SBC launched Singapore's third free-to-air terrestrial television channel, Channel 12, after the government announced its goal to nurture a gracious and elegant society. Channel 12 carried mostly art and cultural programmes, marking the inception of niche programming.

SBC continued to innovate, and eventually introduced the Star Search contest in 1988, which launched the career of some of today's most recognised local artistes. The trend of innovating accelerated when the company was totally privatised in the early 1990s.

Television Corporation of Singapore (1994–2001)

SBC was fully privatised in 1994, and split into 3 individual companies under the SIM Group of Companies: The TCS took over the television broadcasting arm of SBC; the RCS inherited SBC's radio broadcasting arm, while TV12 operated Channel 12.

In 1995, Channel 5 and Channel 8 began 24-hour transmission, and 2 new free-to-air terrestrial television channels were created from Channel 12: Prime 12 and Premiere 12. Channel 8 dropped its Tamil language programmes; these were moved to the new Prime 12. For the first time in the history of Singaporean broadcasting, there were 4 free-to-air terrestrial television channels broadcasting programmes in all 4 official languages.

TCS was named the Broadcaster of the Year at the Asian Television Awards in 1996, an award it held for the next 5 consecutive years. In the same year, TV12 became Singapore Television Twelve (STV12). STV12 produced the world’s first Tamil sitcom, Amali Thumali, which premiered on Prime 12 in 1997, and introduced the nation’s first locally-produced animation series, Jo Kilat in 1998.

In 1999, after the SIM Group of Companies’ restructuring exercise, TCS became one of its Strategic Business Units (SBUs). STV12 underwent an entire makeover, and the Suria (TV Channel) channel replaced Prime 12 as a channel for the entertainment needs of the Malay community, while Premiere 12 became Central, a channel separated into 3 sections according to the time slot given at different part of a day:
*Kids Central – The children's channel, with enriching educational & animation programming;
*Arts Central – A channel that showcases art, cultural and largely foreign award-winning productions, and incorporated a significant amount of niche programming, making the channel rather distinctive compared to the others;
*Vasantham Central – The new Tamil language channel with programming similar to Channel 5 and Channel 8.

In the same year, Channel NewsAsia was launched, TCS's latest offering of a free-to-air terrestrial television channel in Singapore, while the channel is available overseas via a post-paid service on Asia Cable TV.

The STV12 channels did not commence 24 hour transmissions, despite rumours, while TCS Channel 5 and Channel 8 continued their 24-hour transmission with significant reform to their programming for late evenings. SportCity, a channel dedicated to sports programmes, was introduced by TCS in 2000, and subsequently renamed CityTV in 2001 and introducing programmes catering to a larger range of audience, before being shut down in 2002 due to economic recession and a lack of viewership.

MediaCorp TV (2001–present)

The SIM Group of Companies underwent a corporate restructure exercise in 1999. The Group was reorganised to become the Media Corporation of Singapore (MediaCorp Singapore). TCS and STV12 became 2 individual Strategic Business Units (SBUs) under the new corporation.

In 2001, TCS became the present MediaCorp TV, and introduced the world’s first outdoor digital television (DTV) service on SBS buses. In the same year, STV12 became MediaCorp TV12. The prefix “MediaCorp” was added to all of the SBUs of MediaCorp.

PH MediaWorks (2001–2004)

With the liberalisation process near completion, SPH began preparing to introduce an alternative broadcaster to challenge the well-established MediaCorp. In 2001, SPH announced the creation of SPH MediaWorks, which would transmit 2 new free-to-air terrestrial television channels, Channel U and TV Works, broadcasting in Mandarin Chinese and English respectively. The process of establishing the 2 new channels entailed one of the largest staff crossovers in Singapore. A significant number of MediaCorp’s employees moved to SPH MediaWorks, including renowned producers, celebrated artistes and notably the media veteran, Man Shu Sum, one of the pioneers in the local broadcasting industry.

With the launch of Channel U and TV Works in May 2001, SPH MediaWorks immediately began a long and excruciating ratings war. Survey results by research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres showed MediaCorp TV’s Channel 5 and Channel 8 to be constantly in the lead. However, Mediaworks rebutted this with figures by another research firm, AC Nielson, which showed that SPH MediaWorks’ Channel U was in the lead.

Due to the different research figures used by the two companies, ratings were often biased towards the company using them. In 2003, after Singapore Broadcasting Authority becomes the MDA, both companies stopped presenting the ratings of the rival either in their web sites or on air; MDA introduced its own ratings as well, showing MediaCorp TV channels in the lead.

In May 2002, TV Works was renamed Channel i, in an attempt to revamp the English television channel. It had suffered considerably in the ratings war and became the channel with the lowest viewership. SPH MediaWorks was awarded the "Broadcaster of the Year" in the 2002 Asian Television Awards, an award clinched by MediaCorp previously, while Channel U received the "Channel of the Year", an award previously received by MediaCorp's Channel 5.

In September 2004, SPH and MediaCorp announced the possibility of merging the broadcasting arms of the respective companies. It was eventually agreed that a new holding company, "MediaCorp TV Holdings Private Limited" would be created to operate the MediaCorp and SPH MediaWorks channels affected by the merger, namely MediaCorp Channels 5 and 8 and MediaWorks Channel U. SPH had previously said that Channel i was unprofitable, and the merger agreement excluded Channel i, which stopped transmission at 12 a.m. on 1 January 2005.

It was also agreed that MediaCorp would retain 80% stake in the new holding company, while SPH would cash in for a 20% stake. The agreement also included the end of the free newspaper battle; Suria, Central and Channel NewsAsia would continue to be operated solely by the MediaCorp, with Suria and Central under MediaCorp TV12 and CNA under MediaCorp News.

On 31 December 2004, it was announced that the merger was completed, and the new company would begin operations on 1 January 2005. The merger was one of the largest in the local market to date. SPH MediaWorks stopped operating on the morning of 1 January 2005.

The return of market monopoly

After the merger of MediaCorp and SPH MediaWorks' mass market television channel and free newspaper operations on 31 December 2004, MediaCorp, the first local broadcaster, once again became the monopoly in the free-to-air terrestrial channels broadcasting market after three years.

Private ownership of satellite dishes is illegal although international TV broadcasts (such as BBC, CNN, etc.) are available on StarHub's cable TV.

Language

The issue of language used in broadcasting has caused many controversies in the short but significant history of local broadcasting. Tight censorship and control over the language used have resulted in programmes which have been severely edited and dubbed in the name of protecting national interests.

In accordance with the state policy of promoting Mandarin Chinese, local television channels have been banned from showing programmes in Chinese dialect for years. These programs, such as popular TV serials from Hong Kong which use Cantonese, have to be dubbed into Mandarin; local television series or programmes may not use any form of dialect and are subjected to tight censorship. Similarly, local newspapers were not allowed to carry listings for Malaysia's TV3, which showed Cantonese programmes. Ironically, Malaysia's state-run RTM 1 & 2 did broadcast programmes in Cantonese for a period of time. Although these were not meant for viewers in Singapore, Singaporeans could still receive the TV signals. (Since 2001, RTM 2 is no longer free-to-air in Singapore, due to its broadcasting foreign copyrighted programmes.) Hong Kong's TVB, broadcasting in Cantonese, is now available on cable, as well as TV3.

ee also

*List of Singaporean television channels
*List of television stations in Southeast Asia
* Censorship in Singapore
* Communications in Singapore
* Media of Singapore

Defunct companies

*Radio & Television of Singapore (RTS)
*Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC)
*Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS)
*Radio Corporation of Singapore (RCS)
*SPH MediaWorks

Existing companies

*MediaCorp
*StarHub
*Rediffusion

External links

* [http://www.mediacorpsingapore.com MediaCorp Singapore]
* [http://www.starhub.com/cabletv StarHub CableTV]
* [http://www.rediffusion.com.sg Rediffusion Singapore]
* [http://www.mda.gov.sg Media Development Authority]
* [http://www.mediacorptv.com/40years/eng.htm The History of 40 years of Television in Singapore]
* [http://www.sph.com.sg/news/archive/corpann_040917_001.html SPH corporate announcement of merger with MediaCorp]
* [http://www.sph.com.sg/news/archive/press_041207_002.html SPH press release: "Channel i to close on 1 January 2005, Channel U and Channel 8 to have complementary programming"]
* [http://www.sgclub.com/television_talk Singapore television discussion forum]