History
Since the inception of television broadcasting in Singapore, programming in Singapore's four official languages had been provided by Channel 5, and later Channel 8. Beginning on 30 March 1973, the two services began to focus on two languages each, with Channel 5 handling English- and Malay-language programmes.[1]
Plans for a third television channel in Singapore were mooted as far back as 13 January 1972 when the Centre for Production and Training of Adult Education Television (CEPTA TV) suggested that the new channel was to be used to boost adult education.[2] The government said the following day that it had no plans to start the channel.[3]
In August 1983, the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) set that Channel 12 would broadcast for a period of two to three hours a day, opening at 7 p,m. nightly. Such an arrangement would cause greater flexibility for the SBC to carry live Singapore Symphony Orchestra performances or other features making more use of the evening airtime. The plans were set amidst threats of the launch of a third channel in Malaysia in the middle of 1984. Furthermore, the existing SBC channels would have to move the slots of their newscasts while current affairs programming like Feedback, Friday Background (Channel 5) or the Mandarin Focus (Channel 8) were going to move to the new service, prompting more airtime for local productions.[4]
In December 1983, the SBC announced that Channel 12 would carry 15-minute news bulletins at the end of its nightly schedule.[5] On December 22, the channel's launch was announced for a January 31, 1984 date (pushed back from 1 February due to concerns regarding the Lunar New Year celebrations),[6] and was built upon the pillars of quality (regardless of language) and accessibility (as the service would use the 8-10pm time slots to catch up with the highest possible number of viewers including students unable to stay awake later).[7]
Launch of SBC12
The idea for SBC 12 stemmed from the buying of 100 hours worth of documentaries from the Reiner Moritz Productions catalog, which Sandra Buenaventura thought would take "a long time" to air them all in the slots available at the time. These would also be shown late at night, considered to be "a waste of time and money" by Buenaventura.[5] From that, SBC started buying more highbrow material to fill the third channel. The service was going to run akin to networks such as the UK's Channel 4 and Australia's Network 0–28, with some of the content bought for SBC 12 having originally been commissioned for those networks.[5]
Test broadcasts started on 15 January 1984, showing the test pattern between 9am and 7pm,[8] while was officially and formally inaugurated by Minister for Culture S. Dhanabalan on 31 January 1984 at 7:30pm SGT with cultural programming on its line-up and broadcast night to four hour and ten minutes per-night broadcasting from 7:30pm to 11:40pm SGT. Ahead of the launch, Channel 12 was promoted on other SBC channels.[9] The Housing Development Board started a plan for all of its flats to pick up the new service.[10] The installation period ended in late March.[11]
Expatriates living in Singapore saw mostly-favourable comments about the new service, while still believing that the channel would be improved to a level similar to that of BBC 2 at the time.[12]
During the channel's first week, it aired eighteen programmes, those being:
- Two about ballet;
- Six documentaries on the brain;
- A documentary about human conception;
- A documentary about Polish history;
- A documentary about the British army parachute regiment;
- An edition of Feedback;
- Three programmes about classical music;
- One English opera;
- One Broadway performance;
- Four dramas, one of which being a Shakespeare play.
However, the programming on offer was of little to no interest to the Singaporean viewers. Reception was mixed. Some did praise the channel's qualities, others criticized the channel for its content being either "much too European" or "monotonous", which in the latter case alienated 75% of the national population.[13] SBC wasn't deeply worried about the channel's limited schedule and viewers. The average number of viewers rounded at around 20,000. Advertising was limited to two commercials on some nights and none on most nights. An SBC spokesman assured that Channel 12 was "a long-term project", with its viewership growing depending on the rising interest of the local population in the types of programming it was going to offer.[14]
In an attempt to lure away from a heavy highbrow output, SBC executive Sandra Buenaventura decided to cut the number of operas on the channel to one a month from March 1985. To boost viewers, mini-series and documentaries were added.[15]
Faced by low viewing figures, concerns had emerged that Channel 12 had an "elitist" outlook, as a small proportion of Singapore's population regularly watched the channel. From a Straits Times survey conducted in late 1985, out of 1,008 viewers, only one percent watched the channel during prime time, compared to Channel 5's 15% and Channel 8's 30%. Since launch, none of its programmes managed to reach the twenty most-watched, despite the issues within the corporation and from viewers, Sandra Buenaventura showed potential for its content. A particular example Buenaventura mentioned in February 1986 was a yet upcoming showing of the Marilyn Monroe film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes over Madonna's poses being influenced by the actress, showing that the youth had interest in at least some of the content seen on the channel. The Straits Times said that the main problem of the channel was "an image problem".[16] Facing the potential for increase, Buenaventura had noticed that selected "highbrow" programming had surpassed 100,000 viewers. Among them, The Silk Road, Civilisation, Vietnam and Heart of the Dragon. Buenaventura stated that the channel's primary philosophy of providing "alternative programming" hadn't changed since the outset of the channel, and was trying to make the channel "more entertaining". British sitcoms were added to Channel 12 in late 1985, and the feature films seen on the service were starting to diversify, by adding thriller mini-series and later classic films on Saturdays.[17]
The channel aired some sports events such as the Summer and Winter Olympics, Asian Games, SEA Games, Commonwealth Games, FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship, European Cup (later renamed the UEFA Champions' League) and the English Premier League. In a boost to gain ratings, SBC 12 poached WWF slots from SBC 5 and create more slots for sports programming, justifying the channel's flexibility in its programming. The channel ended 1984 with an average 17,000 viewers tuning in, and the addition of Asian films and Chinese operas helped stabilise. Sandra Buenaventura hoped that SBC 12's viewership would increase from 35,000 to 50,000 from Tuesdays to Thursdays, when the slots dedicated to sporting events would air. In addition, the channel advanced its opening time to 7:30pm.[18] The inclusion of sports slots from 13 October 1986, as well as light entertainment (mostly from the USA) was seen by the Straits Times as a move "downmarket"[19]
In January 1989, SBC 12 introduced two new sports programmes, Sports Centre and Sportsview, replacing the Tamil/Hindi Cinema which air on those slots. [20]
Between June and September of 1989, SBC 12 began airing plays, feature films and drama serials based on textbooks to assist O and A level students who take English Literature. [21]
The channel converted to stereo broadcasts on 1 August 1990.
In February 1991, SBC 12 began airing simulcasts of CNN, airing Mondays to Fridays and sponsored by several companies.[22] From 10 June 1991, it only aired twice a day for an hour at 7 am and 7 pm until 1992, when the subscription channel NewsVision was set to launch.[23]
In June 1992, SBC 12 began to air sports on Sunday mornings with content from ESPN. SBC says that ESPN will "expose viewers to other sporting events popular elsewhere". It was meant to supplement the SBC-produced World Of Sports.[24]
Effective 1993, the CDIS blocktime slot produced by the Ministry of Education would be aired as part of the Channel 12 programming schedule.
Channel 12 and Prime 12, expansion of Malay programming
SBC announced in September 1993 that it would move all of its Malay output, previously seen on Channel 5, to Channel 12 effective 1 January 1994. The move would enable the increase of the weekly proportion of Malay programmes from nine hours a week to fifteen hours a week, and 5 to relaunch as an English-language channel. The Malay news bulletin, Berita, was set to expand from 20 minutes to 30.[25]
As Channel 12, its advertising revenue was higher than when it was SBC 12, where the latter was perceived as a highbrow channel with fewer people tuned in. 40% of the revenue came from its sports programmes as they were unable to operate with solely arts programming.[26]
On 26 August 1994, Minister for Information and the Arts George Yeo announced the plan for the creation of a fourth free-to-air television channel in Singapore, offering a predominantly cultural lineup. Under this plan, Channel 8 would switch to an entirely-Chinese format, causing the Tamil shows there to move to Channel 12, using its new format to concentrate primarily on Malay and Indian content, whereas the cultural output that was on the former Channel 12 would move to a new UHF channel, due to the lack of VHF slots available.[27]
On 1 October 1994, SBC was privatised into the new holding company Singapore International Media (SIM); Channel 12 was assigned to its subsidiary Singapore Television Twelve (TV12).[28][29][30] The Singapore Broadcasting Authority allocated $40 million per annum of money to TV12 to provide 45 out of the 60 hours a week of public service broadcasting, with 19 hours for arts, sports and culture programming, 15 for Malay programming and 11 for Indian programming. The rest of the hours was funded by TV12.[31]
On 27 July 1995, the Singapore Broadcasting Authority granted TV12 authority to broadcast its new service on UHF channel 27.[32] The new channel would be known as Premiere 12, and would inherit the cultural programmes that had been seen on Channel 12 up until this point. Concurrently, Channel 12 would rebrand as Prime 12. Sandra Buenaventura, CEO of TV12, said that the two channels were "like a tin of assorted biscuits", reflecting the individual nature of the specialist programming of the new services.[33]
The launch of Prime 12 meant that Malay programming was increased to 20.5 hours a week instead of 15 hours, while Tamil programming receive 16 hours a week instead of 10 hours when they were on Channel 8. Malay news was moved to 8 p.m. while Tamil news aired at a "higher-profile" 7:30 p.m. and expanded to 30 minutes. The channel would also air the European art-house films slot Cinematheque on Wednesday nights and self-improvement and lifestyle programmes for four hours on weekdays.[26]
By 1996, Prime 12 began to air Malay programmes commissioned by production houses, including profiles of Malay personalities, a morning chat show, variety shows and two drama series.[34] Over six companies bidded for Malay programmes in 1996, rising to fourteen in 1997.[35]
A survey conducted by ACNielsen in 1996 revealed that 90% of the Malay population watched Malay programmes on Prime 12 in one month, with 40% tuned in to the channel between 8 and 10 p.m.[34] In 1997, Prime 12 aired Japanese dramas, with three titles airing every week, all in Japanese. However, the ratings for such airings were at an average of 2%, as they were targeted at the Japanese community; nevertheless, these dramas attracted local viewers as well, calling them "a refreshing change" to the Western dramas.[36]
Suria
On 30 January 2000, Prime 12 relaunched as Suria, becoming a full-time Malay-language channel. As part of the transition, Tamil programming was moved to Premiere 12, which concurrently relaunched as Central.[37][38]
