MediaCorp
MediaCorp () is a conglomeration group of commercial
media companies in
Singapore specializing largely in
television and
radio broadcasting, and to a lesser extent, in
periodicals and
newspaper publishing and
filmmaking.
MediaCorp Group comprises of the following divisions:
*
MediaCorp TV*
MediaCorp Studios*
MediaCorp TV12*
MediaCorp Radio*
MediaCorp News*
MediaCorp Press*
MediaCorp Publishing*
MediaCorp Technologies*
MediaCorp Raintree Pictures*
Media Research Consultants*
Caldecott Productions International.
At present, MediaCorp runs 6
television channels and 14
radio channels, making MediaCorp the largest media
broadcaster and provider in Singapore.
Before 2001, MediaCorp was formerly known as:
* the
Radio and Television of Singapore (
RTS) (1965–1980)
* the
Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (
SBC) (1980–1994)
* the
Television Corporation of Singapore (
TCS) and the
Radio Corporation of Singapore (
RCS) (1994–2001)
MediaCorp has held a virtualised monopoly in the television broadcasting market, and most of the radio broadcasting market for a substantial amount of years. With the liberalisation of Singapore media in
January 1,
2001 however,
SPH MediaWorks, a division of
Singapore Press Holdings entered the market. Losses by both companies due to competition led to a merger, and as of
1 January 2005, MediaCorp once again became the monopoly in the mass market free-to-air terrestrial television provider.
MediaCorp is located at Andrew Road, Caldecott Broadcasting Centre.
*
1 June 1936, it was started as the first
radio station in Singapore. It started a
TV service in
15 February 1963.
2 April, regular TV services was launch on Channel 5. On
23 November the same year, the second channel, Channel 8, was launched. Channel 5 shows some of the
English and
Malay programme while the Channel 8 shows some of the
Chinese and
Tamil programme.
* 1966, Old broadcast house moved to current TV studio at
Caldecott Hill. Old broadcast house was redeveloped into
drama street scene.
* 1974, it started a
colour television service.
* 1984, it launched the TV12 channel, and in 1994, had them separated into Prime 12 and Premiere 12.
* 1990, SBC launched
Stereo on all TV channels.
* 1994, SBC becomes
Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS), one of the three companies created from the privatisation process.
* 1995, Channel 5 and 8 started
24-hour broadcasts.
* 1997, Channel 8 productions were exported to the Taiwanese cable market via TCSI (TCS International), a cable network in Taiwan. Popular serials included
Fann Wong's
Return of the Condor Heroes.
* 1999, SIM Group of Companies underwent corporate restructure, became Media Corporation of Singapore, or
MediaCorp Singapore.
* 1999, it started
Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the world and local news channel, which can also be seen on Asia Cable TV.
* 2000, Prime 12 and Premiere 12 were renamed to Suria and Central respectively. That year, it launched SportCity (later rename CityTV on 2001) for all sports programmes, which ceased transmission in 2002 due to the regional
economic slowdown.
* 2001, TCS becomes
MediaCorp TV.
* 2001, TVMobile started operation and it became the world's first outdoor digital TV system, broadcasting on some 1500
SBS Transit buses.
* 2004, to prevent further economic losses, MediaCorp and
SPH decided to merge their free television and free newspaper operations.
*
31 December 2004, MediaCorp and
SPH announces that the merger is legally completed, thereby creating the new holding company,
MediaCorp TV Holdings Pte Ltd, which now owns
Channel 5,
Channel 8,
TVMobile and
Channel U.
*
1 January 2005,
Channel U (Previously under
SPH MediaWorks Ltd, a subsidiary of SPH) joins MediaCorp.
*
2006, Mediacorp launch the online broadband television, called
MOBTV.
*
May 2006, Mediacorp began a
HDTV trial channel,
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was the first movie to be shown on the channel. Mediacorp expects to be
HDTV ready by 2007.
Audit Committee
*
Chairman: Ho Kwon Ping
Group Internal Audit
*
CEO:
Lucas Chow*
CFO:
Henry Lim*
EVP:
Chua Hoe Sing*
MD:
Shaun SeowMediaCorp Group's Strategic Business Units (SBUs) are managed quite independently from the parent group.
*
CEO for MediaCorp
TV:
Chua Foo Yong*
CEO for MediaCorp
Studios:
Chang Long Jong*
CEO for MediaCorp
TV12:
Alice Tan*
CEO for MediaCorp
News:
Woon Tai Ho*
CEO for MediaCorp
Technologies:
Mock Pak Lum*
CEO for MediaCorp
Publishing:
Philip Koh*
CEO for MediaCorp
Radio:
James Yip*
CEO for MediaCorp
Press:
Mano SabnaniMediaCorp offers 6 free-to-air terrestrial television channels:
*
Channel 5 is a 24-hour,
English-language channel. Programmes of Channel 5 normally includes dramas, variety shows, news, current affairs and game programmes and general adaptations of foreign productions, such as
Singapore Idol and
Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. It features many American-based productions such as reality dramas such as
Survivor,
The Amazing Race and
Project Runway, sitcoms including
Friends and
Frasier, and dramas such as
Desperate Housewives,
Grey's Anatomy, and
X-Files.
*
Channel 8 is a 24-hour,
Mandarin channel. It is the highest-rated channel in Singapore. It airs local and regional-made Chinese dramas, variety shows, news and current affairs programmes. Special Chinese-language events like the "NKF Charity Show", "Star Search" and "Star Awards" are also broadcasted on this channel.
*
Channel U is the second
Chinese-language channel. It aims to reach the younger generation who wishes an alternative to the more traditional commercial television programming. It has a slogan 带动亚洲流行, Leading Asia's Trends.
*
Central is a combination of
Kids Central,
Arts Central and
Vasantham Central, which is an English-language channel for
children, an English-language channel featuring the
arts, and a
Tamil-language channel for dramas respectively.
*
Suria is a
Malay-language channel featuring malay dramas and latest programmes with a tagline
"Semakin Bersinar" meaning
"Shining Even Brighter". Showing programmes like Anugerah 2005, Pesta Pesta Pesta and Dia Suria has seen recognition in the non-Malay community, drawing media attention in Singapore and surrounding regions.
*
Channel NewsAsia is an English-language regional channel for international news and
current affairs.
*
TVMobile, The world's first outdoor digital television channel, aired on public buses, which features
reruns and
simulcasts of shows from its sister channels and occasionally feature original content, e.g. shorts produced in collaboration with
Nanyang Polytechnic. It is broadcasted as a free-to-air channel using the
Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) standard, but can only be received with a digital set-top box for home viewers.
TV drama and sitcom series
Chinese language:
*
Seletar Robbery (1982) (First Singapore
telemovie)
*
The Awakening (1984) (The first blockbuster drama)
*
The Unbeatables (First drama series in Singapore about gambling. Its three seasons were released in 1993, 1996 and 2002 respectively.)
*
Don't Worry, Be Happy (1996) (The first local Chinese sitcom)
*
Return of the Condor Heroes (1998) (The most expensive blockbuster
wuxia drama ever produced by MediaCorp, based on
Louis Cha's novel. The serial made waves in the Taiwan and China markets and was repeated due to overwhelming audience demand. It also made screen idols out of
Fann Wong and
Christopher Lee, who were the charismatic leads.)
*
Spring of Life (2002) (Comedy about life in Singapore between the 1950s to the 1970s)
* Always On My Mind (2003) (Starring
Fann Wong, this serial was made to commemorate the sacrifices of the brave members of the Singapore medical profession during the SARS crisis.)
*
Holland V, 荷兰村 (2003) (The second longest Chinese drama in Singapore history with 125
episodes Biggest winner in Star Awards 2003, winning best M/F Lead and M/F supporting).
*
The Champion (2004) (The drama series about
swimming starred Singaporean and Taiwanese artistes.)
*
Double Happiness, 喜临门 (2004) (The longest Chinese drama, it had 130 episodes in two parts. The first part was shown from May to August, while the second part began in October).
*
Portrait of Home, 同心圆 (2005) (The third longest Chinese drama with 100 episodes in two parts. The first part (60 episodes) aired from May to July, while the second part (40 episodes) began in October) (Was nominated for best drama serial in 2005, but lost to another serial most likely due to the judges getting wind of the audience's hatred for this show).
English language:
*
Masters of The Sea (1994) (TV drama)
*
Under One Roof, 同一屋檐下 (1994) (The first local English sitcom)
*
Phua Chu Kang (Local English sitcom, starring
Gurmit Singh. Much
Singlish was used in the series.)
*
Living with Lydia (Local English sitcom, starring
Lydia Sum.)
*
Oh Carol (Local English sitcom, starring Dodo Cheng.)
*
ABC DJ (2006)(Local English sitcom, starring Korean actor
Eugene Lee)
*
Maggie and Me (2006)(Local English sitcom, starring
Adrian Pang and
Fiona Xie, premieres July 25, 2006)
TV variety shows
*
Comedy Night, 搞笑行动 (The longest variety show in Singapore history, it started from 1990 to 2000. It returned in 2003 to celebrate MediaCorp TV 40 anniversary, for a brief period.)
*
PSC Nite, 普威之夜 (The variety show which is held in June and during the end-of-year holiday season, it has talent contest and prize giving for lucky draws winner.)
*
Top Fun, 欢乐巅峰 (It had 7 series and was created by
jteam Productions.)
*
Super TV Champion, 超级"视迷 (The gameshow for celebrate 20 years of MediaCorp drama in 2002.)
*
Everyone Wins, 今天谁会赢 (Singapore's very own formatted gameshow after
Who Wants to be a Millionaire,
The Weakest Link,
Wheel of Fortune,
Russian Roulette and
Hollywood Squares; the show was created by
Robert Chua.)
*
Russian Roulette, 灵机一洞 (The
U.S. gameshow produced by
Game Show Network, only Singapore had the Chinese version.)
*
Celebrities Squares (The Singapore version of
Hollywood Squares.)
*
The Weakest Link, 智者"存 (Based on the
British gameshow. Produced in both the English and Chinese languages, though not simultaneously).
*
Who Wants to be a Millionaire, 百万大赢家 (based on the
British gameshow, also produced in the English and Chinese languages.)
*
It's Showtime!, 全民创意争霸赛 (Similar to the Japanese TV variety show:
Kasou Taishou. Showcased original creativity and entertaining performances achieved by teams.)
*
Rated: E (Singapore entertainment news programme, premieres July 20, 2006)
*
Global Picnic (Takes a look at "the different minority expat communities here for an eyeopening look at their vibrant lifestyles.", hosted by
Andrea Cruz and
Chua En Lai)
TV charity shows
*
NKF Charity Show, 群星照亮千万心 (The biggest charity show in Singapore every year organised by
National Kidney Foundation, it has two shows in total.)
*
Affairs of the heart, 心手相连 (The charity show organised by
Singapore Heart Foundation.)
*
President Star Charity (The charity show for the President Challenge.)
*
True Heart (The first outdoor charity show in Singapore, organised by Community Chest.)
Major shows
*
Singapore Idol, 新加坡偶像 - The Singapore version of
American Idol on
Channel 5 in the English language.
*
Star Search, 才华横溢出新秀 - The talent quest event is held once per the two year; the programme is broadcast in
Channel 8, in the Chinese language.
*
Star Awards, 红星大奖 - The annual award cermony, rewarding the achievements of the artistes who contributes to
Channel 8, mostly in the Chinese language.
*
Talentime - The first talent quest event in Singapore history, on
Channel 5.
*
Miss Singapore Universe, 新加坡环球小姐 - A pageant contest choosing one lady out of the whole to represent Singapore for
Miss Universe and offered MediaCorp contracts, on
Channel 5.
*
Project SuperStar, 绝对 SuperStar - A Chinese equivalent of
Singapore Idol, but with Mediacorp's own contest rules rather than following the lines of Singapore Idol.
*
Star Idol, 明星偶像 - An acting talent quest to test their acting skills.
News and current affairs
*
Talking Point*
Get Real! (The Current Affairs Show in Singapore, hosted by
Diana Ser)
*
The Frontline, 前线追踪 (The Chinese Current Affairs Show, investigative programme shown every Friday night.)
*Cross fire
Others shows
*
Crime Watch (Talk about crime prevention.)
*
True Files (Cases of the murders of yesteryears.)
*
True Courage (The extraordinary courage of some Singaporeans.)
English
*
Gold 90.5FM (formerly One FM and Radio One)
*
Symphony 92.4FM*
938LIVE (formerly NewsRadio 93.8FM)
*
Class 95FM*
987FM (formerly Perfect Ten 98.7FM)
*
Lush 99.5FM (formerly Passion 99.5)
Chinese
*
Y.E.S. 93.3FM (醉心频道, Cuìxīn Píndào)
*
Capital 95.8FM (城市频道, Chéngshì Píndào)
*
Love 97.2FM (最爱频道, Zuì'ài Píndào)
Malay
*
Ria 89.7FM*
Warna 94.2FMTamil
*
Oli 96.8FM (ஒலி, formerly Olikkalanjiam-ஒலிக்களஞ்சியம்)
French/German/Japanese
*
International Channel (96.3)
Others
*
Radio Singapore International*
SmartRadioRadio's 70th Anniversary Gag
DJ's were locked up in rooms in Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza in
February 2006 to celebrate 70 years of Radio in Singapore.
*
Broadcasting in Singapore*
Singapore Broadcasting Corporation*
Television Corporation of Singapore*
List of Singaporeans*
Entertainment Portal of MediaCorpTelevision
*
MediaCorp TV*
Channel 5*
Channel 8*
Channel U*
Channel NewsAsia*
SuriaRadio
*
MediaCorp Radio*
938LIVE*
Symphony 92.4FM*
Lush 99.5FM*
987FM*
Class 95FM*
International Channel 96.3FM*
Gold 90.5FM*
Ria 89.7FM*
Warna 94.2FM*
Oli 96.8FM*
Love 97.2FM*
Capital 95.8FM*
Y.E.S. 93.3FM*
Radio Singapore InternationalPress
*
TODAYPublication
*
8 Days*
LIME*
Manja*
i-weekly
