Nation building through
strong local media
Singapore stories
Over the years, PSB content has informed, entertained and educated Singapore viewers while fostering a more cohesive and connected society. To this end, MDA has been supporting the development of compelling Singapore stories which celebrate our culture and heritage, and promote a shared identity and social values important to Singaporeans. In the year in review, MDA’s PSB funding supported a total of 6,039.5 hours of content on MediaCorp’s FTA channels, with 2,439.5 hours being locally-produced while the other 3,600 hours were acquired foreign productions.
Covering Singapore's four official languages and spanning a range of genres including news, drama, sports, children’s and variety programmes, these programmes were telecasted across MediaCorp’s seven FTA channels and attracted some 4.5 million viewers1.
As television broadcasting celebrated its golden jubilee in Singapore in 2013, content supported under PSB funding this year continued to push the envelope in quality and creativity. Programmes that were set in Singapore’s early days included Channel 8’s The Journey: A Voyage, which explored stories of first generation Chinese immigrants who set foot on our island to seek their fortunes and future in the 1920s. Meanwhile, Channel 5’s Mata Mata was an English drama series set in post-war Singapore inspired by the real life story of Mary Quintal nee Voon, Singapore's first female assistant superintendent.
The series revolved around the lives and loves of three fictional women police officers from the First Women Constabulary. Taking viewers on a journey through Singapore's turbulent history was Channel NewsAsia’s documentary Days of Rage, which used dramatic reconstructions, eyewitness interviews, rare archival documents and computer graphics to depict major events such as the Maria Hertogh Riot (1950), and the terror attack in MacDonald House (1965). Okto’s eight-episode info-ed programme, My Grandfather’s Road provided viewers with interesting insights into Singapore’s history by tracing and uncovering the origins of road names in Singapore, providing a connection between our past and present.
Other programmes took on more contemporary issues. Vasantham’s Veethi Varai, for example, was a social drama chronicling the stories of the lives of ordinary Singaporeans in a typical neighbourhood setting.
Then there was Suria's #FORUMsg, which discussed national issues from the perspective of the Malay community. To deepen engagement with viewers, the programme incorporated interactive elements via social media, email and phone calls.
On Channel U, several topics close to the hearts and minds of Singaporeans were discussed. For example, the subject of marriage and singlehood was explored through a modern drama, Marry Me (我要嫁出去) which presented the stories of three single women who chose to marry late or stay single using a light-hearted and humorous approach. In Youth Diaries (青春有悔), the info-ed provided realistic depictions of problems faced by troubled youths while sharing educational messages on the critical roles played by parents in addressing such problems.
During the year, MDA also collaborated with Singapore Post to launch a special commemorative stamp issue to celebrate 50 years of television. The colourfully-illustrated set of five stamps showcased and chronicled the key milestones of Singapore’s TV broadcasting landscape in the last 50 years.
1 Source: Kantar Media