Mediacorp Pte. Ltd.
TypeState-owned
Public broadcasting
Country
Singapore
AvailabilityWorldwide
Founded1 June 1936 (1936-06-01)
RevenueIncrease US$750.8 million
Headquarters1 Stars Avenue (Mediapolis@onenorth)
ParentTemasek Holdings
Key people
Niam Chiang Meng (Chairman)
Tham Loke Kheng (CEO)
Official website
mediacorp.sg

Mediacorp Pte. Ltd. is a state-owned public media conglomerate in Singapore. Owned by Temasek Holdings—the holding company of the Government of Singapore—it owns and operates television broadcasting stations, radio, and digital media properties.

Mediacorp forms one-half of the mass media duopoly in the country alongside SPH Media Trust. It is officially similar and related to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

History

1925–1965: Pre-independence era

First experiments

The history of radio broadcasting in Singapore began with the formation of the Amateur Wireless Society of Malaya (AWSM) in April 1925, which launched shortwave transmission from a studio in the Union Building at Collyer Quay using a 100-watt transmitter lent by the Marconi Company under callsign 1SE (One Singapore Experimental).[1][2][3] The transmissions could be received as far as Penang, albeit with atmospheric interferences at times.[4] In 1930, Sir Earl from the Singapore Port Authority commenced its short wave broadcast every fortnight either on Sundays or Wednesdays. The BBC World Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was inaugurated on 19 December 1932 as the BBC Empire Service, broadcasting on shortwave[5] and aimed principally at English speakers across the British Empire. In his first Christmas Message (1932), King George V characterised the service as intended for "men and women, so cut off by the snow, the desert, or the sea, that only voices out of the air can reach them".[6] First hopes for the Empire Service were low. The Director General, Sir John Reith, said in the opening programme:

Don't expect too much in the early days; for some time we shall transmit comparatively simple programmes, to give the best chance of intelligible reception and provide evidence as to the type of material most suitable for the service in each zone. The programmes will neither be very interesting nor very good.[6][7]

In Singapore, the BBC World Service in English is essentially treated as a domestic broadcaster, easily available 24/7 through long-term agreement with British Malaya Broadcasting Corporation which expanded the array of programmes available for resident listeners. In 1933, Radio ZHI was launched as the first professional shortwave broadcasting station in Singapore. Owned by the Radio Service Company of Malaya, it was a shortwave radio station that delivered static-free broadcasts. Radio ZHI acquired a loyal following in Singapore and abroad. Despite its success, the station closed at the end of December 1936 when its license expired[8] because the British Malaya Broadcasting Corporation was granted the status of having the radio monopoly.[9]

British Malaya Broadcasting Corporation

The British Malaya Broadcasting Corporation (BMBC) was created on 12 April 1935 with a nominal capital of $500,000,[10] formed on 21 July 1935 and awarded a broadcasting license by the British crown on 1 June 1936 as a radio network.[11] The station was initially scheduled to start broadcasting in 1935, but was subsequently delayed to 1936 due to initial government uncertainties.[12] The station broadcast from the hill on Thomson Road.[13] ZHL made its first broadcast of Chinese music on 10 June 1936 as an experiment.[14] The BMBC conducted auditions in November 1936.[15] On 1 March 1937 at 6pm, its studios and transmitters at Caldecott Hill were officially opened by Governor of the Straits Settlements Shenton Thomas, aiming at a potential target audience of 10,000 listeners.[16][17][18][19][20]

In a move to adjust its budget, BMBC cut the number of weekly hours in late June 1937, from the initial 34 3/4 hours to 28 3/4. The Sunday schedule was cut from seven hours to four: before the revision, the daytime period ran from 11am to 1:30pm and the evening period from 5:30pm to 10pm. This was cut to 11:30am to 1:30pm for the daytime period (reducing half an hour) and 6pm to 8pm for the evening period (cutting two and a half hours). On weekdays the schedule ran from 6pm to 10pm, simply cutting the last quarter hour on air (before then, the station closed at 10:15pm). On Saturdays, the afternoon period remained in the 12:45pm to 2pm slot, but the evening period, starting at 6pm, now ended at 9:35pm instead of 11:15pm. This also prompted ZHL to reduce the number of artists to those able to perform without paying fees. Juvenile sessions were dropped because the artists had paid more. The existing charter suggested that the daily schedule would last at least four hours, with extensions depending on listener feedback. Any potential expansion was hampered purely by lack of budget. The monthly income was of $3,500, $2,500 from the licence and $1,000 from the Municipality. There were hopes to increase the income due to the start of sponsored programmes.[21] Plans for shortwave broadcasting had been outlined in July 1937, despite concerns over the quality of its reception.[22] In its first trimester on air, the BMBC was operating at a loss, a cause of "grave concern" for the staff.[23]

Work on the shortwave BMBC station started in October 1937, aiming at a March 1938 launch date. The station was to broadcast at a frequency of 31.48 meters daytime and 49.9 meters nighttime. The programming would be the same as the existing medium wave ZHL station.[24]

In January 1938, it was announced that the BMBC would cease receiving its monthly $1,000 grant from the municipality effective the end of February.[25] In the year ending February 28, 1938, the BMBC was operating at a net profit of $275.88; compared to the loss of $5,368.67[26] The number of listeners now stood at 4,213, up from the initial figure of 2,598 - even so, the figure was relatively lower than the planned target of 10,000 in the formal launch the previous year.[27] Ahead of the start of the shortwave service, it was reported that it would be picked up by over 9,000 radio receivers in Malaya - combined with over 4,000 in Singapore, the number of potential listeners was going to increase threefold.[28] The station started on 19 July 1938 under the callsign ZHP (the "P" stood for "Progress") attracting an audience not just in Malaya, but also in Sarawak, Borneo and the Dutch Indies, especially in tin mines and rubber estates.[29]

Thanks to the wider coverage range of ZHP, ZHL was able to broadcast more sporting events, namely horse races, tennis and the football, specifically the Malayan Cup. Before the change in policy, it was more likely for attendees to go to the matches.[30]

The shortwave frequency moved in on 1 October 1938 from 30.96 meters to 48.58 meters, under the new callsign ZHO, at the request of the Posts and Telegraphs Department. The extant medium wave frequency (225 metres or 1333kc) remained unchanged.[31]

In February 1939, the government started giving aid to the BMBC. The listener base was by then upgraded to 15,000 listeners: 5,000 in Singapore, a further 5,000 in the Federated Malay States, 2,000 in Penang, 1,000 in Johor and 350 in Malacca. Statistically, out of the 5,104 licence holders (number of receivers) in Singapore, 2,574 were Europeans and Eurasians, 2,023 were Chinese, 219 were Malays, 195 were Indians, 87 were Japanese and six were Siamese.[32] The shortwave transmitter carrying ZHO upgraded its power in mid-1939, from 400 watts to 2 kilowatts.[33] At the 1939 Annual Report, there were plans to create two separate services, an 8 1/2 hour European service and a 9 1/2 hour Asiatic one. Included in the proposal was the creation of a second medium wave transmitter for the two programmes to be delivered from the extant facilities.[34] Subsequently, a second plan to increase the power of the shortwave transmitter was held in early 1940, this time increasing its coverage to reach out to the entirety of Malaya, Borneo, the Netherlands Indies and Siam. Much of the equipment used was already manufactured in Singapore.[35]

Malaya Broadcasting Corporation

The corporation was taken over by the Straits Settlements government in 1940[36] as a part of the British Department of Information, subsequently nationalised and reorganised as the Malaya Broadcasting Corporation (MBC),[17] the local counterpart to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Additional French programming was added on 16 September 1940.[37]

In order to counter German propaganda, a second shortwave transmitter was added on 29 September 1940, ZHP 3 (the existing transmitter was renamed ZHP 1). The station carried a special programme in German on Friday nights from 10pm to 10:30pm. The remainder of the line-up consisted of music and news, in Hindustani, Dutch, Tamil, Arabic and French. ZHL and ZHP 1 carried primarily content in English and Chinese dialects, with some Malay programming as well.[38][39] By April 1941 ZHP 2 was activated. The station was merely a relayer of ZHL's output, that was also heard on ZHP 1.[40]

Syonan Broadcasting Station

During World War II, when the Japanese Imperial Army occupied Singapore from 1942 to 1945, the radio station on the island of Singapore was seized by the Japanese authorities and renamed Syonan Hoso Kyoku ('Light of the South' Broadcasting Corporation, 昭南放送局, known in English as the Syonan Broadcasting Station or SBS), the local counterpart to the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK). Broadcasts under the new administration started on 13 March 1942 and broadcast over three frequencies, one in medium wave for within Singapore, another to relay output from Tokyo and a shortwave frequency aimed at the time in Australia.[41] After repairs, broadcasts officially started on 28 March.[42] Programming was at the outset of occupation airing daily from 7pm to 10pm (later the closing time moved to 10:30pm) with an additional hour-long period from 10am to 11am for educational programming. Programming was still in the same mix of languages as before but content in Japanese was added.[43]

In June 1942, the Syonan station broadcast Japanese language learning classes to students, installing sets in 87 schools.[44]

During occupation, a confidential British Far Eastern Broadcasting Service (BFEBS) was carried out by the UK to its occupied territories, briefly having its offices at Caldecott Hill. The facilities were later used as a relay station for the BBC.[17]

Radio Singapore

After the war, the British came back into power and reclaimed the radio station, with the station managed by the interim government – British Military Administration (BMA).[16]

Two separate stations were introduced from 23 December 1945. The existing service was renamed Blue Network, carrying programming in English and Malay. The second service, the Red Network, carried content in Tamil, Hindustani and Chinese dialects. The Blue Network was carried on the 41,61,225 metre band and the Red Network, on the 41,61,300 metre band.[45]

On 1 April 1946, Radio Malaya Singapore and the Federation of Malaya (RMSFOM; or Radio Malaya), a short- and mediumwave service, was established in Singapore. Radio news and information, as well as local entertainment, were aired on its stations in English and later Mandarin Chinese and Malay. In June 1947, the BBC initiated a one-year takeover plan of the BFEBS.[46] The plan was culminated on 8 August 1948.[47]

Changes to programming led to the Blue Network adding some Chinese content on from 1 January 1949. Both networks increased their airtime.[48] This was due to requests from individual communities, who demanded more programmes for them.[49] The Chinese output gained its own station on 1 January 1951, the Green Network.[50]

Radio Malaya left the Cathay building on 4 November 1951 at closedown.[51] The two networks increased their schedule again in January 1952.[52]

On the basis of the Radio Malaya broadcasters that moved to Kuala Lumpur in 1958, Radio Singapura took over on 4 January 1959 as the radio service for Singapore, organised into a station each for English, Malay and Mandarin listeners, plus a blocktime slot for Tamil speakers.[53] Shortwave broadcasts commenced on 14 February 1960, consisting of relays of extant Radio Singapore output.[54] The frequency changed in 1961, with test transmissions in the new frequencies (7250, 6175, 6615 and 4280) were carried from mid-January.[54] A new radio station, Siaran Istimewa, was announced in May 1961[55] and started broadcasting on 3 June, on 990 kc (990 KHz) in all of the official languages.[56] When Singapore joined Malaysia on 16 September 1963, Radio Singapura's stations became part of Radio Malaysia and rebranded as "Radio Malaysia (Singapura)".[57]

From 2 March 1964, the Malay, Tamil and Mandarin sections increased their airtime.[58] The number of radio news bulletins was increased from 29 to 42.[59]

Television broadcasting

Shortly after Singapore reached self-government status on 3 June 1959, there were plans to obtain television transmission rights. This manifested the founding of Television Singapura on 4 April 1961.

Television Singapura aired test broadcasts on channel 5 from 21 January to 15 February 1963, ahead of its first official pilot broadcast on the evening of 15 February 1963. Minister for Culture S. Rajaratnam became the first person to appear on Singapore TV, announcing that "Tonight might well mark the start of a social and cultural revolution in our lives." The first programme aired was a documentary, TV Looks at Singapore. The pilot service would broadcast for one hour and 40 minutes nightly; at the time, it was estimated that only one in 58 Singaporeans owned a television.[60]

On 2 April 1963, Channel 5 was officially inaugurated by President (then Yang di-Pertuan Negara) Yusof Ishak; the service expanded to 7:15 to 11:00 p.m. nightly. By September, its broadcast day had been lengthened to begin at 6:30 p.m.[61] Initially, Channel 5 carried programmes in all four of Singapore's official languages. On 31 August, Channel 8 started trial broadcasts,[62] before starting its regular service on 23 November 1963. Both channels still shared programming in all four languages.[63]

In January 1964, Television Singapura became the state branch of the new Televisyen Malaysia from Kuala Lumpur and was subsequently rebranded as sister channel "Television Malaysia (Singapura)". During its time as part of Malaysia, Singapore, like its three other partners–Sabah, Sarawak and Malaya had its own radio network, but Singapore was the only state to have its own television network. The state's radio and television broadcast right was included as an annex in the Malaysia Agreement which garnered autonomy in this area, among others.

Television advertising started on 15 January 1964.[64]

1965–1980: Radio Television Singapore

After the separation of Singapore from the Malaysian federation, all of the Malaysian television and radio operations in Singapore were fused to become Radio Television Singapore (RTS), a part of the Ministry of Culture. This led to the expansions of the network, including a move to the new $3.6 million Television Centre in Caldecott Hill on 27 August 1966.[65]

An FM service was announced in January 1967, set to start in June or July of that year, where the four existing stations would be relayed.[66] The experimental FM service started testing in May 1967 and upgraded to a pilot service on 23 June, with FM being ideal for Singapore's size.[67] The service went regular on 15 July, broadcasting over five frequencies: 94.2 (Malay), 95.8 and 96.8 (Chinese), 96.8 (Tamil) and 92.4 (English).[68] Test broadcasts of the FM Stereo service started on 18 July 1969 using the 92.4 frequency.[69]

From 30 March 1973, the two channels were now sorted by languages. Until then, both channels broadcast in the four languages, but this was paired down to English and Malay on Channel 5 and Chinese and Tamil on Channel 8.[70]

On 24 October 1973, RTS aired a 40-minute documentary titled Addiction: Three Experiences, chronicling the lives of three drug addicts. The documentary was given a Special Commendation by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union in 1974. [71]

In January 1974, RTS bought two colour television transmitters worth $700,000. The old transmitters installed in 1966 would remain as standby equipment.[72] The first colour test transmissions were held by Channel 5 and 8 on 2 May 1974.[73] On 7 July 1974, Channel 5 broadcast the first programme in colour on Singaporean television, the 1974 FIFA World Cup Final.[74] The following month on 9 August, the ninth National Day Parade marked the first domestic colour broadcast in Singapore.[75] The second phase of the pilot colour service began on 11 November 1974, with newsreels being converted to colour, but still had to air monochrome newsreels because some of the footage available was still in black and white. The number of weekly hours given to colour programming increased from two to four on weekdays and four to six on weekends.[76] Full-time colour broadcasts began on 1 November 1977.

RTS unveiled a new logo as result of a competition in August 1975, out of 662 concepts. The logo was jointly designed by Loh Hong Liat and Lawrence Wong Heng Kwok. Mr. Lok designed the letters "R and T" which represent recording, while Mr. Wong designed the letter "S". The contest was stemmed from the then-recent adoption of colour TV in Singapore, in which the old RTS logo was not suitable for the new environment. The R was red, the T was blue and the S was green.[77]

New radio studios were built in 1972, starting with addition of the Radio House, then in 1975 by a new complex costing $4.2 million.[17]

In accordance with the 1975 Geneva Frequency Plan, the RTS radio stations moved their frequencies effective 23 November 1978:

  • English Service: 630KHz → 630KHz
  • Chinese Service: 680KHz → 675KHz
  • Multilanguage Service: 790KHz → 792KHz
  • Malay Service: 990KHz → 990KHz
  • Tamil Service: 1370KHz → 1368KHz

Since their frequencies were already spaced in the multiples of 9 kHz before the Geneva Frequency Plan, the English and Malay stations had their frequencies unchanged.[78]

1980–1994: Singapore Broadcasting Corporation

Singapore Broadcasting Corporation logo.

A bill (the SBC act) was passed in parliament in September 1979, with the aim of becoming a statutory body with the same functions as RTS, while giving more flexibility to give more quality and standards for its content.[79][80] The act was approved in parliament on 12 January 1980.[81]

A competition for a new SBC logo was initiated in January 1980. The characteristics of the new brand were to be "simple and attractive", while not having more than three colours, including the background. The winner would receive a cash prize worth $5,000.[82]

The government officially dissolved RTS on 31 January 1980 and transferred its assets to the then-new Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, a statutory board under national supervision to free RTS from the administrative and budgetary constraints that had hampered its ability to upgrade broadcasting services to meet the growing expectations of local audiences.[83] The new name received much criticism, with some confusing it for the Singapore Bus Service (SBS) and others pejoratively nicknaming it "si bei cham" which meant "damn terrible" in Hokkien.[17] In English, the initials were also used as a backronym for "Same Boring Channel".[84]

The rebrand was not ceremonious. Ahead of closedown on 31 January, an announcement was made telling viewers of the rename. The following morning, at 6am, SBC formally started with no preamble. The logo, temporarily, was a plain SBC wordmark as the winning design was not selected yet. The start-up and closedown videos were changed, so was the intro for the news.[85] Viewers also believed that SBC was the same as RTS.[86]

The new logo competition finished on 16 February. A preliminary selection was determined by five judges on 22 February. At first the logo was set to be introduced in March.[87] A total of 4,042 entries were received.[88] The new logo was unveiled to the public on 18 May 1980.[89] The winner was Laurence Wong Heng Kwok, a draftsman of the Public Utilities Board, who was the co-winner of the previous RTS logo unveiled in 1975.[90]

SBC introduced "weather girls" on 1 May 1980 for its English news broadcasts, before expanding to other languages in 1981. The format ended in March 1982 because it wanted the weather report to be the same as the other languages and the "weather report within the news bulletin was adequate".[91]

From June 1980, SBC would start sponsoring its clock before the news on its television channels.[92]

SBC began adapting a new format for its television news broadcasts in August 1980.[93] The new format would feature two newscasters and more on-location reporting.[93]

SBC introduced political party broadcasts for the 1980 general election campaign on 17 December 1980, with the People's Action Party getting 12 minutes of broadcast, the United Front and the Workers' Party three minutes each and United People's Front three and a half minutes.[94] The shortest available broadcasts were for parties with six candidates with two and a half minutes.[95] The participating parties were required to send five copies of their manifestos to SBC. A final broadcast was held on 22 December.[95]

The English-language current affairs programme Friday Background debuted in March 1981.[96]

On 1 January 1982, SBC renamed its radio stations:

  • Radio 1 (English; present-day Gold 905)
  • Radio 2 (Malay; present-day Warna 942)
  • Radio 3 (Chinese; present-day Capital 958)
  • Radio 4 (Tamil 6am to 9pm and Chinese 9pm to midnight; present-day Oli 968)
  • Radio 5 (Classical Music, the former FM Stereo; present-day Symphony 924)

The revamp was the result of a 1978 survey where listeners preferred entertainment programming over talk.[97]

In 1982, commercial breaks during prime time on SBC 5 were four minutes long with six to nine advertisements squeezed in, while SBC 8's were eight to ten minutes.[98]

On 1 February 1983, SBC's television news broadcasts received a new studio set, described as "duck-egg blue" and "three-dimensional". A special semi-circular table was created for the set. The previous set was "pink" in colour. The new set was inspired from news and current affairs programmes in the United States.[99] Other changes include each newscaster reading different stories[99] and more graphics and illustrations.[99]

The next day, SBC launched Newswatch, a children's news programme aimed at 10 to 14 year-old children[100] It would air three times a week for 10 minutes; every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7:20 pm.[100] The idea for Newswatch was suggested by the-then Cutural Minister in 1980[101] and planning for its creation started the following year,[100] involving the studying of similar news programmes such as John Craven's Newsround[102] and Video Despatch.[100] The development for Newswatch was headed by SBC news executive Myrna Thomas and is assisted by William Earl of Television New Zealand.[102] The initial presenters of Newswatch were Woon Liew and Shantini Sundram.[100] Toh Seng Ling, who presented Newswatch in 1990, would later become the newscaster for News 5 Tonight in April 2001.[103]

SBC Radio 1 and SBC Radio 3 started carrying hourly news bulletins on 1 May 1983.[104]

On 31 January 1984, SBC launched Channel 12, a new television service devoted to cultural programming. In connection to its launch, the English and Mandarin news bulletins had their length extended to 30 minutes the following day, including commercial breaks.[105]

SBC began on-camera coverage of Parliament proceedings in 1985.[96] Today in Parliament began on 1 March 1985 with a one-hour long broadcast.[106]

Studio 6, a studio specially made for local programmes especially dramas, was completed in early 1985.[107]

Advertisements on SBC in 1986 were limited to four for a half-hour programme and eight for an hour-hong programme.[108]

In May 1986, SBC introduced "subtitle ads", advertisements appearing as a single-line sentence or one letter at a time and appear for 10 seconds. This format is used to compensate for the advertisement limit imposed by the corporation. However, they only appear on programmes that do not have translation subtitles. While this advertisement format enabled more companies to advertise on television due to its cheaper rates, it has caused irritation among viewers.[108]

In August 1986, SBC's start-up and closedown sequence were updated. The sequences for the television channels are different and are meant to capture the essence of each channel. SBC 12's would include more "cultural items". The sequence would also include topical items and snippets from existing footage. In addition, a special sequence – which only broadcast on National Day – include scenes from the National Day Parade full-dress rehearsal which include the human flag and precision drill display. Producers from various units of the corporation take turn in the production of the sequences each year. The filming and editing of the sequences took two to three weeks.[109]

In August 1988, SBC news broadcasts adopted a new "upbeat and viewer-friendly" look. The backdrop is now that of the skyline of Singapore. It generated positive response from viewers.[110]

At the stroke of midnight on 1 January 1989, SBC launched two new radio stations: "Perfect 10" (airing English contemporary hits for youth) and "YES" (airing Mandarin music).

SBC stopped airing Late News bulletins on Channel 12 in English and Channel 8 in Mandarin on 2 January 1989 due to fewer news developments happening between the main news and the late news bulletins.[111]

Two further services were joined, announced in December 1989: "93.3" (airing Mandarin music) and a yet-unnamed MOR service (which would later become Class 95). The former was scheduled to launch on 1 January 1990, similar to Perfect 10 the year before. The existing numbered radio services had some changes: broadcasting hours on Radios 2 and 4 (Malay and Tamil) were extended to 2 am[112] in June 1989, along with Radio 3 (Chinese) but only on Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of public holidays,[113] and Mandarin language broadcasts were phased out from Radio 5.[112] The MOR service, Class 95, started on 1 April 1990.[114] "Ria" (airing popular Malay music) started later.

93.3 at its beginning was also known as Radio 6.[115]

SBC announced on 21 February 1990 that it would begin NICAM stereo broadcasts by August that year, spending $3.5 million in the installation of the systems.[116] Channel 5 began stereo broadcasting on 8 August 1990, the first programme in the new format being Countdown to National Day 90.[117] With the start of stereo broadcasts, SBC invested $5 million to upgrade its production facilities for the new technology.[118] Channel 12 followed in December.[119]

Additionally, SBC had further ambitious projects throughout the 90s, costing a grand total of $700 million: a new studio complex, upgraded equipment and transmission facilities and the development of new programmes and staff. To minimize congestion from Caldecott Hill, a second facility was to be opened tentatively from Bukit Batok, the location of the television transmitter.[120]

By the early 90s, SBC's Mandarin drama series were already being exported to places such as China and Canada.[121]

SBC Channel 12 logo from 1990 to 1994.

Up until 1991, broadcasts of the television channels started and ended with multilingual greetings (Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, English), in what was known as the "good-night girls". The start-up and closedown sequence, including the anthem, was known in Singaporean terminology as a "presso". From then on, SBC replaced the videos, which changed annually, by a CGI animation created by Ong Lay Hong, that was to be used in both start-ups and closedowns. The new video bagged a bronze medal at the Fuji Network System Title Fair in June 1991, out of more than thirty entries from Asia. Such animation conveyed "human warmth" by including footage from SBC programmes, and the music was arranged to match the multi-ethnic nature of Singapore, incorporating drum beats, sitars and violins.[122] The minute-long animation started with a yellow sphere (with a reflection of the Singaporean skyline of the time) flying by Caldecott Hill, when the sphere enters the building, footage from SBC shows, staff and control appear, followed by the sphere hitting the SBC logo at the building, segueing to the latter part of the animation, in which cloths appear and a ribbon passes through them, forming the SBC logo, which was integrated to the channel's logo. Three versions were made, one for each channel, with the only difference being the box to the right at the end, which changed according to the channel: blue for 5, red for 8 and green for 12.[123]

Four of the five numbered SBC radio stations got their names changed over the course of several months from late 1991 to early 1992. Radio 2 was renamed Warna; Radio 3, The City Channel; Radio 4, Olikkalanjiam and Radio 5, Symphony. Radio 1 maintained its name since the station was "well established as a leader".[124]

SBC ended live broadcasts of parliament proceedings in June 1992; earlier the corporation trialled broadcasts of the Budget debate. SBC's highlights of parliament coverage continued but only as a 15-minute broadcast.[125]

In January 1993, SBC added 20 hours a week of broadcasting hours for its television channels. As a result, each channel refined its identity – SBC 5 will only air English and Malay shows, SBC 8 with Mandarin and Tamil and SBC 12 with "serious fare" and sports. Some programmes were reshuffled, while newer programme genres, including talk shows and classic TV in the form of sitcom reruns were introduced.[126] The corporation also introduced block programming; originally began in 1992 with the Saturday morning cartoon slot "Nine to Twelve".[126]

An educational programming block known as CDIS (Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore) began airing on Channel 12 on 4 January 1993 produced by the Ministry of Education for SBC similar to Malaysia's TV Pendidikan and the then Indonesian TPI blocktime service on TVRI. On 1 February of that year, SBC celebrated its 30 years of television broadcasting. On 7 June that year, Channel 8 expanded its airtime, now broadcasting from 3:00 p.m. on weekdays. In November that year, SBC announced a satellite television network named Singapore International Television (SITV), to start on 1 January 1994. The service was to be operated by the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) with the aim of promoting the Singaporean way of life abroad, and was to broadcast over a rented transponder in the Palapa satellite from 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. nightly.[127] At launching time, the channel opened with a special edition of Channel 5's Inside Asia followed by a relay of the 10:30pm news. The first half hour was to be devoted to relays of current affairs and lifestyle programming.[128]

By 1993, SBC had ambitions to produce more local content and broadcasting hours on channels 5 and 12, with Malay content scheduled to move to Channel 12.[129] Channel 8 would stick to the existing formula of Mandarin and Tamil.[130]

SBC made its first attempt at producing an English drama by producing the made-for-TV movie Time Tomorrow, which aired on 9 March 1993.[131]

On 9 August 1993, a technical difficulty caused the live broadcast of the National Day Parade to be interrupted for a minute.[132]

In 1993, SBC launched a home shopping programme called Sell-a-Vision (provided by Quantum International and represented locally by LeisureMart Pte Ltd) which broadcast twice daily for two hours a day on its television channels and was expected to run until May 1994. However, The Straits Times writer Cherian George mentioned that Sell-a-Vision was not part of SBC's twelve minutes of advertising per hour rule.[133] It would also expand to SBC 8 in October 1994.[134]

On 1 January 1994, Channel 5 moved its remaining Malay programming to Channel 12, and re-launched as an English-language channel. On the same day, AM radio broadcasts were cut without prior warning.[135]

Radio Singapore International (RSI) was launched on 1 February 1994 as the official radio international broadcasting company in Singapore, airing news and current affairs, lifestyle, and music programming in English, Malay, Mandarin and Indonesian.[136][137]

1994–1999: Privatisation

On 18 December 1991, the Minister of Information and the Arts George Yeo announced that the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation was to be privatised within a period of two years. Its three television channels were going to be at the hands of "two or three companies" and the radio stations spun off to a separate company. There were already talks with foreign investors from Hong Kong and the United States regarding the possibility of allowing potential stakes in the new companies.[138] The decision was delayed in March 1993 from year-end 1993 to year-end 1994 to allow for greater competition in the region and abroad.[139]

In readiness for the bill to formalise its privatisation, a fourth television channel was announced, carrying cultural content carried over from Channel 12's old format, in order to streamline Channel 5 as an English channel and Channel 8 as a Chinese channel, moving the Tamil content from Channel 8 to Channel 12. The new service was going to broadcast on the UHF band.[140]

SBC held a committee for the names of the new corporations. One peculiar suggestion came from lettering artist Rathna Kumari, who suggested that the facilities service was to be called "The Backbone", the radio network "Silksound" and the company in charge of channels 5 and 8 "FutureVision".[141]

On 1 October 1994, SBC was formally privatised into a new holding company Singapore International Media (SIM) with four business units: Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS), Radio Corporation of Singapore (RCS), Television Twelve (TV12) and SIM Communications (SIMCOM).[142][143][144][145]

In early 1995, TCS scrapped the duty officers, who were responsible to gauge feedback from viewers. The programme advisory committee – which were made up of members of the public and were useful for internal check – were also scrapped.[146]

On 1 September 1995, Channel 8 expanded into a 24-hour network focusing exclusively on Mandarin-language programmes, while its Tamil programming was assumed by Prime 12—a relaunch of Channel 12 which focused on multilingual programming. TV12 also launched a spin-off channel known as Premiere 12, which featured arts, culture, documentaries, children's, and sports programmes. On 29 September 1995, Channel 5 expanded into a 24-hour network.

The separation of TCS and TV12 has caused the channels of both companies competing each other with similar programming at the same time slot, causing viewers to have less choice.[147]

On the occasion of TCS' third anniversary, its executive Daniel Yun said that its two channels, Channel 5 and Channel 8 will become more Singaporean with increasing local productions and its viewers become increasingly bilingual. Yun pointed out that they are not just channels for the "English-educated yuppie" and "the HDB heartlander" respectively.[148]

TCS launched its own film production studio Raintree Pictures on 1 August 1998.

1999–2015: Media Corporation of Singapore

Mediacorp logo (2001–2015).
Radio Singapore International logo.

On 1 March 1999, TCS launched Channel NewsAsia (CNA), a local news channel.[149] On 15 June that year, the Singapore International Media group of companies restructured into MediaCorp.[150]

On 30 January 2000, Prime 12 and Premiere 12 were renamed Suria and Central respectively; Suria would be a Malay-language channel, while Central would be divided into three dayparted blocks under the brands "Kids Central" (children's programming), "Vasantham Central" (Tamil-language programming), and "Arts Central". SportsCity, a sports channel, was also launched the same year.[151][152] In September 2000, CNA launched an international feed, intending to expand the service into a pan-Asian network.[153] On 10 November, Today was launched as a free newspaper to compete with Singapore Press Holdings. The newspaper was owned by MediaCorp, together with SingTel and SMRT, with DelGro pulling out two days earlier.[154][155]

Ernest Wong was appointed CEO of MediaCorp on 1 October 2000. He had worked with the corporation since 1994, when he joined the Audit Committee of what would become Singapore International Media. Among his accolades in the group were the start of its news channel and its international expansion, as well as the investment in the internet and theatrical businesses.[156] At the time, the government planned to list MediaCorp at the stock market by the end of 2000 or the start of 2001.[157]

On 12 February 2001, the Television Corporation of Singapore, Radio Corporation of Singapore and Singapore Television Twelve were renamed to Mediacorp TV, Mediacorp Radio, Mediacorp TV12 respectively as part of a new management plan following their dissolution.[158]

MediaCorp's monopoly on free-to-air television was broken in May 2001, when the Singapore government granted new free-to-air licenses to SPH MediaWorks, a subsidiary of publisher Singapore Press Holdings. The company launched two channels in English and Chinese respectively, TVWorks (later Channel i) and Channel U. In late-2004, citing financial issues and a small market for English-language programmes, SPH sold the channels to Mediacorp; Channel i was shut down on 1 January 2005, while Channel U continued as a complementary service to Channel 8.[159] In alignment with the merger, the Mandarin notation of the channel names changed from "bodao" to "pindao", as Channel U was using the term.[160]

On 11 November 2007, Mediacorp launched HD5, the first high definition television channel in Singapore.[161] In August 2008, MediaCorp also launched MOBTV, an online television service.[162] On 19 October 2008, Central was dissolved, with Vasantham becoming a full-time service in its channel space, and its children's and arts programming spun out into the new channel Okto in Channel i's channel space.[163]

All Mediacorp radio stations converted to 24/7 broadcasting from 1 January 2008. At the time, the only stations that still closed down were Capital 95.8, Ria 89.7, Symphony 92.4, 938LIVE and 96.3 The International Channel (renamed XFM later in 2008).[164]

Owing to the diminished effectiveness of a shortwave radio service over time with changing technology and media consumption habits, RSI was dissolved on 31 October 2008.[165]

In 2007, in effort to establish a new generation of actresses, Mediacorp identified and grouped the seven most promising young Mediacorp actresses from Singapore in the 2000s, namely Jesseca Liu, Jeanette Aw, Rui En, Fiona Xie, Joanne Peh, Felicia Chin and Dawn Yeoh, then all in their twenties, and referred to them collectively as Seven Princesses of Mediacorp (新传媒七公主).[166][167][168] A similar grouping of its male artistes for similar reasons was carried out in 2014, grouping eight promising upcoming Mediacorp actors from Singapore in the 2010s, namely Zhang Zhenhuan, Romeo Tan, Desmond Tan, Jeffrey Xu, Xu Bin, Ian Fang, Aloysius Pang and Shane Pow, and were collectively known as the "8 Dukes of Caldecott Hill".[169][170][171]

2015–present: New headquarters, transition to digital

The current Mediacorp logo used since 2015.[172]

On 8 December 2015, Mediacorp officially opened a new headquarters at one-north's Mediapolis development. The 12-storey complex was designed by DP Architects and Maki and Associates and features a "fenceless" design with four studios, a 1,500-seat "broadcast-ready" theatre, and an integrated multi-platform newsroom. The company expected to complete the migration from its previous Caldecott Hill facilities by July 2016. Alongside the new headquarters, Mediacorp also unveiled a new logo, which was designed to reflect the broadcaster's "vibrancy" and "multiplicity", acting as an "a window to the world and a reflection of life".[173]

In April 2017, the weekend editions of its newspaper Today went digital and in September 2017, Today became fully digital and ceased print publication.[174] In September 2018, magazines 8 Days and i-Weekly ceased print publications and went solely on their digital platforms.[175] i-Weekly would later merge with Channel 8 News to form 8world for Chinese news, entertainment and lifestyle contents.

At midnight on 2 January 2019, Mediacorp's analogue television signals signed off, completing Singapore's transition to digital terrestrial television.[176]

On 1 May 2019, Okto was discontinued as a standalone channel, with its children's programming becoming a daytime block on Channel 5 under the Okto on 5 branding. Okto's sports programming was moved primarily to other Mediacorp outlets.[177] Okto branding also appeared on Channel 8 as Okto on 8.

On 30 January 2020, Mediacorp rebranded its digital media platforms Toggle, MeRadio and MeClub as meWatch, meListen and meRewards respectively. The rebranding came as part of the broadcaster's "Made for You" initiative to build multi-platform services "designed around consumers' preferences and consumption habits".[178]

On 16 January 2023, Mediacorp announced a rebranding of nearly all of its properties, which officially took effect on 1 February. The properties adopted a unified branding scheme based around flat design, with logos prefixed by an encircled Mediacorp logo, which the Mediacorp logo also appeared on CNA.[179]

Terrestrial stations

Television

Mediacorp operates six free-to-air terrestrial channels broadcast in the four official languages of the country (Malay, Singapore English, Singaporean Mandarin and Tamil). The company holds a monopoly on terrestrial television within the country.

Channel Frequency Name LCN Language Picture format Type 24-hours Multiplex Opening date
29 538MHz Channel 5 2HD English HDTV (1080i 16:9) General entertainment Yes MUX1 15 February 1963 (as TV Singapura)
2 April 1963 (as TV Singapura Channel 5)
Suria 4HD Malay No 15 February 1963 (as Channel 5)
31 January 1984 (as Channel 12)
31 554MHz Channel 8 3HD Chinese Yes MUX2 23 November 1963 (as TV Singapura Channel 8)
Vasantham[lower-alpha 1] 5HD Tamil No 15 February 1963
33 570MHz CNA 6HD English 24-hour news and current affairs Yes MUX3 1 March 1999
Channel U 7HD Chinese Youth general entertainment No 6 May 2001

Radio

Mediacorp operates twelve FM radio channels, including BBC World Service (under the long-term agreement with the BBC), broadcasting in FM stereo format.[180] The company's digital audio broadcasting service was discontinued on 1 December 2011.[181]

Frequency (FM)TRP (kW)StationRDSLanguageGenreOpening dateNotes
88.9 MHz5BBC World ServiceBBC_WS__EnglishNews/Talk19 December 193224-hour relay of BBC Empire Service (now BBC World Service).
89.7 MHz6Mediacorp Ria 897RIA_897_MalayTop 40 (CHR)1 December 1990
90.5 MHz6Mediacorp Gold 905GOLD_905EnglishNews/Talk
Classic hits
Nostalgia		1 March 1937 (under British Malaya Broadcasting Corporation)
92.4 MHz10Mediacorp Symphony 924SYM_924_EnglishClassical18 July 1969
93.3 MHz6Mediacorp YES 933YES_933_Mandarin ChineseTop 40 (CHR) (Mandopop/K-pop)1 January 1990
93.8 MHz6CNA938cna938EnglishNews/Talk1 January 1998
94.2 MHz10Mediacorp Warna 942WARNA942MalayAdult contemporary
Drama
News/Talk/Islamic		1 March 1937 (under British Malaya Broadcasting Corporation)
95.0 MHz6Mediacorp Class 95CLASS_95EnglishSoft adult contemporary1 April 1990
95.8 MHz10Mediacorp Capital 958CAPTL958Mandarin ChineseClassic hits (C-pop)
News/Talk		1 March 1937 (under British Malaya Broadcasting Corporation)
96.8 MHz10Mediacorp Oli 968OLI_968_TamilAdult contemporary
Infotainment		1 March 1937 (under British Malaya Broadcasting Corporation)
97.2 MHz6Mediacorp Love 972LOVE_972Mandarin ChineseAdult contemporary (Mandopop)
Infotainment		23 September 1994
98.7 MHz6Mediacorp 987987FM___EnglishTop 40 (CHR)1 January 1989

Digital platforms

meWATCH

meWATCH[167] (formerly Toggle) was launched on 1 February 2013 as an OTT service. On 1 April 2015, xinmsn was merged with Toggle.[182][183][184] It is Mediacorp's digital video service that redefines TV viewing, bringing Toggle Originals, catch-up content, live coverage of key national events, news, entertainment, and behind-the-scene exclusives to viewers across multiple devices – computers, tablets, smartphones, smart television sets, and digital media players.

meLISTEN

Current meLISTEN logo

meLISTEN[167] (formerly MeRadio) is an audio digital platform focusing on live audio streaming of Mediacorp's eleven radio stations as well as audio podcasts.[185] This platform is also where they offered their online radio stations, such as IndieGo for independent music and urban adult contemporary.[186]

Mediacorp Partner Network

In 2018, Mediacorp launched the Mediacorp Partner Network. Under the MPN, Mediacorp signed agreements with brands like:

  • ESPN on 6 August 2018, where Mediacorp will be the exclusive representative for all ad sales in Singapore for ESPN.com, while ESPN will launch a dedicated Singapore edition of the ESPN site to deliver a mix of local sports news and features in addition to coverage of global sports.[187]
  • 99.co on 29 August 2018 to create property related news and information for consumers.[188]
  • Edipresse in November 2018 to co-develop content across digital editorial platforms, TV, live radio and events. Such content will be made available on both Mediacorp and Edipresse Media platforms, utilising the regional reach and influence of both companies.[189]
  • VICE on 23 April 2019 to bring original VICE digital and TV content to a new Singapore audience via Mediacorp's multi-platform reach.[190]

Flagship programmes

Some of Mediacorp's flagship programmes include:

  • Star Awards – Mediacorp's Chinese awards event
  • 118 – long-form Channel 8 drama. 255-episode 118 I aired from 2014 – 2015, 218-episode 118 II ran from 2016 – 2017, and a special 23-episode 118 Reunion aired in 2018.
  • Tanglin – long-form Channel 5 daily drama that centred on the lives of multiracial and multigenerational families in a middle-income neighbourhood, in the Holland Village, Tanglin. The 823-episode show ran from 2015 to 2018.
  • KIN – ongoing long-form Channel 5 weekends drama launched in 2018 (after Tanglin's conclusion).
  • Getai Challenge – singing talent search competition that aimed to promote the Getai culture and discover aspiring Getai singers. Season 1 was shown on Channel 8 in 2015, and Season 2 in 2018.
  • SPOP SING! –  an initiative launched by Mediacorp in 2018 to showcase and curate local music compositions.
  • Abang Teksi (Taxi Brother) – Suria only Malay sitcom aired season 1 from 2017 and season 2 from 2019.
  • Forensik (Forensics) – Suria drama and spin-off to Code Of Law Singapore launched in 2020.

Production

In 2000, MediaCorp Studios was created to produce content for MediaCorp TV channels, such as Channel 5, Channel U and Channel 8.[191] In 2001, EagleVision was created to produce content for Suria and Vasantham.[192] They co-produce programmes with regional broadcasters and production houses such as Media Prima Malaysia,[193] Radio Televisyen Malaysia,[194] Radio Television Brunei,[195] Eightgeman Taiwan and Taiwan Television.[196]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ replacing Vasantham Central formerly by Central

References

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  2. ↑ "Listening-In". The Straits Times. Retrieved 3 April 2021 – via NewspaperSG.
  3. ↑ "Wireless in Malaya". The Straits Times. 8 April 1925. Retrieved 3 April 2021 – via NewspaperSG.
  4. ↑ "Singapore Broadcasting". The Straits Times. 25 June 1925. Retrieved 3 April 2021 – via NewspaperSG.
  5. ↑ Repa, Jan (25 October 2005). "Analysis: BBC's voice in Europe". BBC News. Archived from the original on 27 July 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
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  11. ↑ Adrian Petersen (3 June 2021). "Radio Malaysia Celebrates 75 Years". radioheritage.com.
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