When did TV begin in Singapore?

Posted by Tan Wee Kiat under National History
(5) Comments • (2544) Reads • Permalink

If you are one of the many Singaporeans who watched World Cup Football on TV, did you spare a thought on when TV first came to Singapore? Very unlikely.
However, if you came across a speech delivered to the public on 3 December 1959 by then-PM Lee Kuan Yew, you might be prompted to ask this question.

Inauguaration of the Pilot Television Service. Collection of the National Archives of Singapore.

Here is the portion that is relevant to the TV question.
“We, the people of Singapore, are gathered here to rejoice in the step we are taking,
away from our colonial past, towards an independent future and our tryst with destiny ….

Today, here on this Padang,
and also in the thousands of homes LISTENING (emphasis mine) with us here,
let us renew our faith in ourselves and our future;
let us pledge ourselves afresh to make this island
a happy and peaceful place of plenty for all those
who have been born and bred here, together with
all those who have sworn to be one of us.”
Notice the words “in the thousands of homes LISTENING with us here“. This shows that in 1959, his speech was broadcast on radio, not TV. The simple reason is that TV was not available then.

So when did TV begin in Singapore? Again the simple evidence on little pieces of paper (stamps) can be presented. In 1988, on the 25th anniversary of TV’s origin in Singapore the postal authorities issued a special set of stamps to mark the occasion. This indicates that TV in Singapore began in 1963. It was just black-and-white TV in the early days and only the rich could afford to have TV in their homes. The rest of us would go to the Community Centres to watch TV.

Here is a picture of the stamps.

Rating: 0