Radio in Singapore

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Public radio broadcast in Singapore began in April 1925, after the Amateur Wireless Society of Malaya obtained a temporary licence to broadcast. Radio Singapura was established as the first local mass market radio service in 1959. Subsequently, on 15 February 1963, before the withdrawal of the British Armed Forces and after the merger with Malaya, Singapore's first television service began as Televisyen Singapura (TV Singapura) under its owner, Radio Television Singapore (RTS).

History[]

Initial broadcasts[]

From 1922, a series of government committees were constituted to looked into the licensing requirement for receiving, transmitting, and broadcasting radio signals throughout the British Empire.[1][2] In 1924, only 17 licences were issued in Singapore, mostly for experiments to ascertain the equipment necessary for wireless transmissions, and issuance of licences to amateurs remained suspended.[1] Public radio broadcast in Singapore began in April 1925, after the Amateur Wireless Society of Malaya (AWSM) obtained a temporary licence to broadcast.[3][4] Operating as the callsign, 1SE (One Singapore Experimental),[5] the station used a 100-watt transmitter lent by the Marconi Company to transmit its signals from the top floor of Union Building, Collyer Quay.[6] Its first concert transmission was broadcast in April 1925.[5] AWSM would continue to broadcast regular transmissions of vocal and instrumental items by local artists on Friday and Saturday nights, as well as experimental broadcast on Sunday mornings.[7] The transmissions could be received from as far as Penang, albeit with atmospheric interferences at times.[4][8]

Radio Singapura[]

Radio Singapura, the first local radio service, was launched on 4 January 1959 months before Singapore gained gradual autonomy from the United Kingdom.[9]

Radio Singapura subsequently became part of Radio Television Singapore (RTS), which in turn became part of the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). After SBC was fully privatised, it became the Radio Corporation of Singapore (RCS) and Mediacorp radio.

Rediffusion Singapore[]

Main article: Rediffusion Singapore

With the success of Radio Singapura another key player in the broadcasting industry in the pre-independence Singapore, Rediffusion Singapore, introduced cable broadcasting service to Singapore in 1949. Rediffusion Singapore brought radio to housing areas which lacked decent radio reception with quality radio broadcast.[10]

Radio Rediffusion, the pioneer cable-radio operator on Clemenceau Avenue, continued to operate in the modern era of radio broadcasting in Singapore, however, it was not entirely able to withstand the forces of technology and time. Rediffusion operated successfully for many years on a subscription-based model, and while the service did make the digital transition (even pioneering the use of encrypted DAB+), it was becoming evident that more changes were needed to keep the operation alive. The changes that were made proved to be not enough and this led to a down-shifting, eventually closing down, and having its name and assets sold off in 2012.[11]

NTUC Heart (1991-2001)[]

So Drama! Entertainment[]

Main article: So Drama! Entertainment

So Drama! Entertainment is managed by the SAFRA National Service Association, a non-profit organisation that is dedicated to the welfare of National Servicemen (colloquially called "NSmen"). So Drama! Entertainment runs two stations, Power98FM and 883JiaFM, broadcasting in English and Mandarin Chinese respectively. The stations cater to national and professional servicemen, and both radio stations are entertainment-based, featuring modern commercial music and the latest entertainment news.

SPH Radio[]

Main article: SPH Radio

SPH Radio operates radio stations UFM100.3 in Mandarin, as well as Kiss92 and HOT FM91.3 in English.

HOT FM91.3 is an English Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR) music station playing new and current top 40 hits targeting listeners under 30. Programs and promotions are injected with loads of fun and quirkiness with a key focus on engagement and the listener’s experience. Hot FM91.3 has become well known for identifying and playing hits before they are hits. Listeners are given control over the playlist through Hot FM91.3’s online feedback platform called “Rate The Hits” which allows listeners to directly influence which songs they want to hear and how often. HOT FM91.3 also introduced ‘HOTFM CONTROL’ in which fans are given access to an entire database of songs that the station plays. Fans will be able to determine the next track that they want to hear in real-time with their votes and the winning song will be played on air immediately. With the introduction of HOTFM CONTROL, a fan’s preference makes up the music selection of the station’s weekly playlist. The station is also focused on engagement with its listeners through on-ground events such as its signature “Must Drink Friday” held on the last Friday of the month with free flow of drinks and interaction with their favourite DJs. Hot FM also engages its listeners on the street with car decal giveaways and live broadcast, in school with Recess Express school visits, online with Facebook and the station website, and on Mobile with Hot FM’s iPhone & Android apps.

The HOT FM91.3 line-up includes The Shan & Cheryl Show in the mornings from 6 am to 10 pm. JJ plays non-stop hits from 10 am to 4 pm followed by BT, Adam and Josh taking you home from 4 pm to 7;30 pm. Charmaine Yee of the HOT 30 Countdown rounds up the day with the daily fan rated chart show.

Hot FM is now known as ONE FM, and targets a male audience demographic.

In September 2012, Singapore welcomed its newest radio station in over 20 years, KISS 92 FM, raising the number of radio stations from 18 to 19 on the island. Following a tender for bids on two open dial positions, the media company SPH UnionWorks Pte Ltd was successful in procuring the one opening that was ultimately allotted at 92.0 MHz with a proposal to have the station target mainly women listeners, but also included in the anticipated target audience – families.[12] It provides in-depth women and family content, coupled with adult contemporary music. Women aged 30 and above, and families will find the channel informative and entertaining.

Kiss92 brings on experts to share their knowledge on topics such as Relationships and Family Matters, Health and Wellness issues, Financial Planning and Career Advancements. It also covers Fashion and Beauty, Shopping, Entertainment, as well as offer listings of family friendly and community events. Tapping on its collaboration with SPH Magazines,

Maddy, Jason and Arnold in the morning start the day from 6 am to 10 pm followed by Claressa Monteiro jazzing up the afternoon from 10 am to 2 pm. Desiree Lai from 2 pm to 4 pm and John Klass taking fans home helming the 4pm to 8pm show.

UFM100.3 is a highly charged Mandarin infotainment station targeting at working professionals aged between 35 – 49 years that is specially catered to their lifestyle. Its creative, lively and engaging delivery style is able to consistently hook listeners on for a far longer period of listening. Program content is designed to cater specifically for the busy individuals with timely updates and discussion on current affairs, health and wellness, financial planning, property investment, communication, lifestyle, music and entertainment.

The station’s drive-time programmes are anchored by veteran DJs Wenhong, Limei and Xiaozhu in the morning, and DJ Anna in the evening. Lunch time programme is helmed by Yuling from 10 am to 2 pm followed by Liangquan from 2 pm to 5 pm.

The station actively engages its listeners through various interactive events such as dinner gatherings and enrichment workshops. To further strengthen loyalty, DJs also reaches out to the public through its outdoor activations, conducting games and giveaway prizes while introducing the station to new potential listeners. UFM100.3 also supports various community, non-profit and charity organizations with its annual U-Shine program that raises public awareness of lesser known causes and charities.

Listenership[]

Mediacorp Radio

Mediacorp continues to be the number one radio network in Singapore, with its stations reaching four in five adults weekly.

Eight out of the top 10 stations belong to Mediacorp's network. Chinese station YES 933 climbed to the top spot at 21 percent weekly listenership after gaining an impressive increase of 129,000 listeners – the highest jump by any station. LOVE 972 takes second spot overall at 19.7 percent. Other Mediacorp radio stations in the top 10 are: CLASS 95 (third place), CAPITAL 958 (fourth), 987 (sixth), GOLD 905 (seventh), Warna 942 (eighth), and Oli (tenth).

The top three stations with the longest time spent listening weekly are Warna 942 at 13 hours 41 minutes, Oli at 13 hours 35 minutes and CAPITAL 958 with 13 hours.

SPH Radio

Based on findings from independent surveys conducted in the second half of 2020, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) has registered favourable listenership numbers across all of its five radio stations managed and operated by the group's subsidiary, SPH Radio.

In the latest Nielsen Radio Diary Survey, Kiss92 saw an increase in overall listenership, with the highest exclusive listenership of 160,000 weekly. The survey indicated that the station has established the largest base of young audiences between 20 and 29 years old, and was also the English station with the highest reach among audiences below 40 years old.

ONE FM 91.3 demonstrated strong appeal among the mass affluent, according to the survey. Compared with its peers, the English radio station's core audience had the highest median personal income at $6,694. Some 90 per cent of the station's core listeners are professionals, managers, executives and businessmen (PMEBs), while 54 per cent are private property dwellers. Leading the pack is UFM100.3, with a significant listenership jump of 27 percent, the highest amongst all Chinese radio stations in Singapore. 96.3 Hao FM, SPH Radio's other Chinese radio station targeting a more mature audience, also showed a big listenership increase of 24 percent with its core audience aged 40 to 59. This was the highest growth amongst Chinese radio stations aimed at mature listeners.

Findings by Nielsen also showed a doubling in listenership for Money FM 89.3, which had the highest reach to car owners of 60 per cent and grocery buyers of 79 per cent in its core audience of PMEBs aged 35 to 54. In a press statement on Wednesday, SPH Radio says the station's emerging base of loyal listeners is a clear indication that audiences are turning to Money FM 89.3 as their trusted source for business and personal finance updates.

UFM100.3 came in second in its core audience time spent listening at nine hours and 26 minutes weekly. Among the Chinese radio stations surveyed by Nielsen, UFM100.3 listeners have the highest household and personal median incomes at S$6,379 and S$3,272 respectively.

The survey also reflected a 13 per cent increase in overall listenership for Chinese radio station 96.3 Hao FM, which registered the highest growth in core audience time spent listening. On average, listeners tuned in one hour and 56 minutes longer each week.

In a separate study involving more than 2,000 respondents and conducted in October by independent local consumer insights company Milieu Insights, Kiss92 was named the most-liked station in Singapore, while Money FM 89.3 retained its top spot with its influence on purchasing decisions at 65 per cent.

Both surveys by Nielsen and Milieu suggested radio as a key media channel during the pandemic, with Nielsen reporting a 1.7 per cent increase in audience share. Some 74 per cent of respondents for the Milieu study agreed they had been listening to the radio more often after the COVID-19 situation escalated earlier this year.[13]

Listenership figures of radio stations

According to findings from Nielsen Radio Diary Survey Wave 2, 2021 for Singapore, the listenership figures of radio stations in Singapore are as follows:

Radio stations[]

Main article: List of radio stations in Singapore

FM stations[]

  • The first 24-hour radio station, Perfect 10 (now known as 987), was launched on New Year's Day 1989. All radio stations started broadcasting 24/7 from New Year's Day 2008.[16][17]
  • Mediacorp used to offer Visual Radio service on Nokia phones. The first radio stations to utilise Visual Radio are 987 in December 2005 and YES 933 in June 2006. The service has since been discontinued.
  • The 89.3 MHz frequency on the FM band used to be occupied by TVMobile. An audio simulcast of the TV channel was available until the station closed down on 31 December 2009.[18] It has since been occupied by Money FM 89.3 since 29 January 2018.
  • The 99.5 MHz frequency on the FM band used to be occupied by Passion 99.5FM, a station set up by the National Arts Council in December 1997 that supported and played local music. The station closed down on 31 December 2003 due to the bad economic climate as there was insufficient sponsorship and advertising revenue to cover operating costs.[19] The frequency was then awarded to Mediacorp in May 2004 and the new station, Lush 99.5FM, was launched 9 months later.[20][21] The station ceased operations on 1 September 2017 as part of a rationalization of Mediacorp's network of radio stations.
  • The 96.3 MHz frequency on the FM band used to be occupied by Expat Radio XFM 96.3 by Mediacorp. Formerly known as FM 96.3 - The International Channel, which was launched on 12 October 1998,[22] the new name reinforces the station's role in providing a variety of content for the expatriate communities in Singapore, while redefining the experience of feeling closer to home. The station ceased operations on 30 September 2016. It has since been occupied by 96.3 Hao FM since 8 January 2018. Meanwhile, the Bollywood belt Radio Masti continued as the first independent LIVE digital radio as RADIO MASTI 24x7 and can be tuned in from anywhere anytime across the globe by downloading the APP Radio Masti 24x7.
  • The former Jurong Drive-in Cinema used to rely on their own radio station to transmit audio from their movies through their own radio station. Car drivers would tune in to the radio station to listen to the sound from the movies.

DAB stations[]

Mediacorp used to operate "Digital Radio", a radio service using digital audio broadcasting technology which simulcast eight FM stations, namely Class 95FM, Gold 905FM, 987FM, YES 933, Love 97.2FM, Symphony 92.4FM, and CNA938 and broadcast six digital-only stations, namely Cruise, Club Play, JK-Pop, Chinese Evergreens, Planet Bollywood and Bloomberg.

The service was discontinued on 1 December 2011 as the low adoption of DAB radio (compared to FM radio) and the prevalence of listening to Internet radio streams on computers and mobile devices has rendered DAB radio irrelevant.[23]

Shortwave stations[]

Launched in 1994, Radio Singapore International (RSI) operated as the external service for Singapore. The station launched a signature program in 1996 called ‘Friends of the Airwaves’ reaching out throughout South-East Asia. The station featured programs in several languages, and was chiefly run by MediaCorp Radio. RSI ceased operation on 31 July 2008.[24]

Internet Only Stations[]

Launched on 15th September 2020, VintageRadio.SG is a station for Seniors in Singapore to call their own. Day-parted by the four National languages and hosted by Brian Richmond (English), Patrick 郭贤华 (Chinese with Hokkien and Cantonese dialects), PN Bala (Tamil) and Rahimah Rahim (Malay), the station aims to provide Seniors with the impetus to bridge the digital divide and help improve the mental well being of Seniors in Singapore through nostalgia. Other Senior relevant content is also produced and aggregated for the benefit of Seniors from information on Vascular Dementia prevention to Healthy Aging through continuous learning. VintageRadioSG also aims to bring about more awareness of the rising Silver Tide that Singapore is experiencing. VintageRadioSG is a registered CLG. As a not-for-profit SE, the channel does not receive any PSB funding and is dependent on commercials, sponsorship and donations to keep the lights on.

In September 2021, IndieGo, the spiritual successor to Lush 99.5FM which closed in 2017, was launched. Similar to its predecessor, IndieGo's music format focuses on local and alternative music. The station also features dayparts of various genres, such as soul/R&B, acoustic/folk, indie pop/electronica, rock, hip-hop.[25][26]

See also[]

Defunct companies[]

Existing companies[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Broadcasting in Malaya". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. 2 December 1924. Retrieved 3 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "IMPERIAL WIRELESS". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Malaya Tribune. 1 March 1922. Retrieved 3 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "THE WEEK'S NEWS". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (Weekly). 15 April 1925. Retrieved 3 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ a b "Wireless in Malaya". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. The Straits Times. 8 April 1925. Retrieved 3 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b "Wireless in Malaya". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. The Straits Times. 28 December 1925. Retrieved 3 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "LETTERS TO THE EDITOR". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (Weekly). 11 March 1925. Retrieved 3 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Listening-ln". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Singapore Broadcasting". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. The Straits Times. 25 June 1925. Retrieved 3 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Diary of a Nation (SBC 1988) - 4 January 1959: Radio Singapura
  10. ^ "Rediffusion | Infopedia". eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  11. ^ Freeman, B.C., & Ramakrishnan, Y. (2016). Singapore radio: Then & now. UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
  12. ^ Freeman, B.C., & Ramakrishnan, Y. (2012). Red dot on the dial: Singapore radio then & now. In J. Hendricks (Ed.), The Palgrave handbook of global radio, pp. 299-319. UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
  13. ^ "SPH Radio reports strong 2020 listenership figures last 6 months, surveys show". 23 December 2020 – via The Straits Times.
  14. ^ "Mediacorp remains Singapore's top audio network: Nielsen survey - RadioInfo Asia". radioinfo.asia.
  15. ^ "Media Releases - Singapore Press Holdings". corporate.sph.com.sg.
  16. ^ "All MediaCorp Radio stations to run 24/7 from 1 Jan - Channel NewsAsia".
  17. ^ Toh, Christopher (20 April 2016). "Some radio milestones through the decades". Today. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  18. ^ Freeman, B.C., & Ramakrishnan, Y. (2012). Red dot on the dial: Singapore radio then & now. In J. Hendrick's (Ed.) The Palgrave Handbook of Global Radio, pp. 299-319. UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
  19. ^ "Victoria Chorale • View topic - Passion 99.5 to shut down". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  20. ^ "MediaCorp Radio Awarded 99.5FM Frequency For New Radio Station". Archived from the original on 6 February 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  21. ^ "Singapore's Lush 99.5 FM Delivers 24-Hour Downtempo". www.properlychilled.com.
  22. ^ "Launch of FM 96.3 - The International Channel". NAS. 12 October 1998. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  23. ^ "Digital radio from MediaCorp to cease". Channel NewsAsia. 1 November 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  24. ^ Freeman, B.C., & Ramakrishnan, Y. (2016). Singapore Radio: Then & Now. UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
  25. ^ Introducing indiego: Could This Online Local Radio Station Be The New Lush 99.5FM?
  26. ^ Mediacorp: Mediacorp Goes Indie with indiego – the Latest Offering from Singapore’s Largest Digital Radio Network

External links[]

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