HUMBLE BEGINNINGS - Early 1960s
From its inauguration in Singapore, television has always created buzz and had a huge following. Right at the start, its first appearance on local shores in 1963 brought about great excitement, with citizens gathering in colossal crowds at the Victoria Memorial Hall and the community centres to catch a glimpse of what was considered a monumental event in Singapore’s history. The initial 1hour and 45minute broadcast was the dawn of a new age of information and entertainment locally. However of course, at a point in time where the nation’s independence was still questionable, Singapore struggled to find its own identity. Together with the nation’s history of falling under colonial rule, the locals were exposed to ideals of the west. Without a steady and distinct local identity, the appeal of the ways of the west increasingly grew, particularly since they are commonly viewed as elite or upper class behaviour, stemming from a colonial culture.
The influence from the west on television could be noted from the beginning, where the growth of local television could not have happened without aid from foreign broadcasting corporations. The British Broadcasting Corporation was a key player in the development of local television, where programmes produced by them were used as materials. A prime example will be programmes selected to be aired during the inauguration of television, with the cartoon Heckle & Jeckle as well as popular BBC hit comedy series Hancock’s Half Hour among the first few shows caught by local viewers.
The following is the opening to the Heckle & Jeckle cartoon:
For the American cartoon, viewers were exposed to rude and vengeful magpies, while the British series featured a swindler friend and multiple love interests. The values passed on through these shows were certainly questionable, and these consequences will be discussed later. However, the crucial factor here is that audiences had for the first time, a visual accompaniment. Hancock’s Half Hour for instance, was initially a radio show adapted to a comedic series. Locals then who previously enjoyed the radio version could now partake in and enjoy the visual experience offered as well. The arrival of television altered significantly the composition of popular culture mediums, and was both a way of exposing locals with western influences, as well as an avenue to showcase the extent of that influence through replication and emulation of what was observed.
LOCAL VS IMPORTED PROGRAMMES - Late 1960s - 1970s
The following era for national television can be deemed as significant in the drive towards production of local programmes, resulting from a conflict in the westernised values portrayed versus that of a more conservative Asian culture. The joining of Radio Singapura and Television Singapura in 1965 upon the independence of Singapore to form Radio Television Singapura (RTS), was an attempt to increase the control over broadcast mediums as well as to work towards rapid expansion through economies of scale. The success of the newly formed institution kicked off with a new $3.6 million building at Caldecott Hill , where a television centre was subsequently developed serving Channel 8 and Channel 5.
However there were barriers in its expansion. For one, funding was a problem, given Singapore’s status as a newly developed nation. As a result, a large proportion of programmes were imported instead of being produced. For instance, statistics from early 1977 estimates that on average, locally produced television programmes accounted for just 67 showings as compared to 84 for imported programmes on a weekly basis2. This was an issue that needed to be addressed, for the initial purpose of promotion and introduction of television to Singapore was to serve the needs of the nation, by portraying content relevant and necessary to nation building. Yet with the importing of programmes, locals are increasingly exposed to foreign values instead, which is counter-effective towards fostering a national sentiment.
Hence there was a need for a shift towards locally produced programmes to go against the trend of westernization of values in Singapore. This pressing need was reiterated by Ong Teng Cheong, the then Minister for Culture, who said “we have no control over the contents of imported programmes. Even with censorship, western values and standards alien to our society are being introduced all the time.” Foreign ideals were regarded as “alien”, and the government saw the need to produce our shows, to inject our own flavour, and our own values, simultaneously suppressing the impartation of these western values.
TOOL FOR NATIONAL AGENDA - 1980s
Consequently, to increase the use of television as a tool for nation agendas as well as to allow for increased funds through the allowance of market forces, RTS moved from a government agency to become a statutory board under the name of Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC).
Despite being semi-autonomous, it was still closely looked after by the government, with top ranking civil servants such as the late Ong Teng Cheong placed in Ministry of Culture to control what was aired. A sign of success of this measure can be seen from the first fully locally produced mandarin drama in 1982. However, locally produced programmes were not without controversy. One example is the instance of a 1988 Chinese drama Breaking Point that had a scene that suggested homosexual content:
This led to the disgust of viewers, with many parents eventually writing in to the station to complain about the inclusion of such a scene during a prime time programme. The homosexual undertone and nuance here can be attributed to the gay liberation movement that had begun in the west in 1970s . Its influence resonated here in the following decade, where a Youtube user msp3000 commented that “SBC shows in the 80s were full of gay undertones actually”. This is a vital portrayal on the impact of western ideals onto local culture. For a viewer to comment as such, the showings must definitely been rather significant, so much so that it was a detectable trend. Given the rather traditional and conservative culture in Singapore in the 1980s, such portrayals of western influences went against the narrow and strict mindset of the locals.
CORPORATIZATION OF TELEVISION - 1990s
Moving on to the 1990s, there was a decision to fully corporatize television in Singapore, thus leading to the formation of the Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS).
Here’s the TV liner, which will be familiar to many of us:
This however, did not meant that they ultimate full autonomous control. Instead, the government had in place stringent regulatory and censorship laws, so as to ensure a continual effort in broadcasting media with a nationalistic enforcing purpose. The establishment of TCS saw Singapore’s first foray into producing an English sitcom, with the well-received and popular Under One Roof. I am sure we all still remember the tune of the music introducing this well-loved show:
A series that revolved around a local family, living in a HDB flat with a diverse cast across all ethnic groups placed in supporting roles, the sitcom is a good example of how television was used as a way to enforce values. It imparted the importance of a harmonious relationship within the family and among races, and served to reflect the lives of every day Singaporeans. Initially, the sitcom had incorporated Singlish into its production. However, it was later instructed by the government to stick to proper English. This was similarly as in the case of Phua Chu Kang , where there was even had an episode depicting this change, albeit in a fashion that seemed to poke fun at the implementation:
The need for such a language overhaul arose basically because students started to use Singlish greatly in school and in their daily lives stemming from the popularity of these shows (“don’t pray pray ah!”), and this worried the government for fear that the standard of English might drop. Thus stemming from the basis of an economic need, due to the increase dealings of Singapore with the west, and English as the language of business internationally, the government engaged television as a tool to fulfil the task of promotion of good English. This move did receive some backfire, as locals felt that this took away the flavour of these local productions. But due to an increasingly globalized world with the west as a key area of economic activity, this action had to be taken to ensure the continual advancement of the country.
Television Today
Moving on to the present decade, a restructuring of local broadcast agencies led to the formation of MediaCorp TV Singapore. Today, the firm has seven channels across four languages, including TV Mobile. Upon taking a quick look at Channel 5’s programme guide, it appears that the ratio of local to imported films has once again increased. Programmes ranging from the Survivor and The Amazing Race, to Desperate Housewives and Ghost Whisperer, are commonly given evening prime time slots. The popularity of these films is immense, and the broadcaster has to give in to the demand, or lose this group of viewers to cable television or internet streaming.
This brings into question once again, about the morals portrayed from these American series. Often with raunchy and highly sexual scenes, some of which even I am surprised made it through censorship cuts, together with the common instances of cheating adulterous spouses and broken families, such programmes are increasingly dictating the norm in society. As Singapore becomes more globalized, with its citizens more liberal and open to embracing new ideas, a portrayal of such a value system may send across a wrong message, and tug at the moral fabric here. This is especially so since, as emphasized at the start, that television is a powerful medium as it reaches people within their own home. Viewing of such programmes and getting exposed to the respective ideals, can lead to the rise in undertaking of western values over traditional Asian ones.
Though of course, credit must be given to the corporation for its attempted to bring locals back, through the use of nostalgia and heritage. Examples of these include the new series Fighting Spiders and the wildly popular Little Nyonya. The latter, a series to re-introduce locals to the culture of the Straits Chinese Peranakan, was the most watched drama in 15 years, with an average viewership of close to 1 million.
The show in itself showed the effects of westernization on the characters, where the behaviour of those sent abroad to England to study could be contrasted with that of the locals. The series’ success can be attributed to its diverse characters with varying beliefs, ranging from staunch traditional women to strong willed ones, and the impact of the immersion of western culture on the behaviour of the young men, a contrast between supposed superiority and gentlemanly actions. This show was a hit across all age and language groups, even among youths, who are more likely to veer towards overseas programmes. The fact that such dramas are still popular among local viewers is an assuring testimony that locals are and can still be attracted and enticed by their local production, instead of simply writing it off and turning towards imported programmes.
Conclusion
Globalization and westernization have in general, largely placed their influence directly through their programmes. Given the size of Singapore’s television industry, where not even two separate television stations can survive, it is easy to see why foreign productions are used and given airtime. Also, as television too serves as a form of escapism and an insight into alternate lifestyles, the exposure to another form of value system is somewhat inevitable. This is further encourage by the fact that the world as a whole, is moving towards a more westernized system of operation, and the television industry likewise, will have to advance in the same direction. Censorship laws have likewise been relaxed following calls from an increasingly liberal society. On the whole, the impacts of westernization can be seen throughout the development of local television, and in my opinion, does not look to be settling down anytime soon.
References
- Singapore Ranks Second in the World as the Country with the Highest Ownership and Usage of Media Technology, Nielsen Survey finds East West Divide in Media Habits, http://www.ihubmedia.com/blog/?p=1888
- Singapore Infopedia, “Television Singapura” Marsita Omar|Nor-Afidah Abd Rahman, 2006-04-03, National Library Board Singapore, http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1064_2006-04-03.html
- http://www.ongtengcheong.com/mr_otc.htm
- ‘Tiptoe Out of the Closet: The Before and After of the Increasingly Visible Gay Community in Singapore.’’ Heng Hiang Khng, Russell. Journal of Homosexuality (Harrington Park Press)Vol. 40, No. 3/4, 2001, pp. 82
- Quick Quick: 'Singlish' is out in re-education campaign, Mohan Srilal, Inter Press Service, Asia Times, 1999-08-24
- MediaCorp Ch8's "The Little Nyonya" is highest rated series in 15 years, 31 December 2008, Channel News Asia
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