Suria (TV channel)

Plans for a third television channel in Singapore were mooted as far back as January 13, 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.[1] The government said the following day that it had no plans to start the channel.[2]

In August 1983, the SBC set that Channel 12 would broadcast for a period of two to three hours a day, opening at 7pm 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.[3]

In December 1983, the SBC announced that Channel 12 would carry 15-minute news bulletins at the end of its nightly schedule.[4] On December 22, the channel's launch was announced for a January 31, 1984 date, 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).[5]

Test broadcasts started on January 15, 1984, showing the test pattern between 9am and 7pm,[6] while regular broadcasts began on 31 January 1984 with cultural programming on its line-up. Ahead of the launch, Channel 12 was promoted on other SBC channels.[7] The Housing Development Board started a plan for all of its flats to pick up the new service.[8] The installation period ended in late March.[9]

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.[10]

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.[11] 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.[12]

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.[13]

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".[14] 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.[15]

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.[16] 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"[17]

The channel converted to stereo broadcasts on 1 August 1990.

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. The Malay news bulletin was set to expand from 20 minutes to 30. Some light entertainment shows previously carried on Channel 12 would move to Channel 5, which after the reshuffle would switch to an all-English format.[18]

On 1 January 1994, Channel 12 started airing Malay-language series transferred from Channel 5. On 1 October 1994, the Singaporean Broadcasting Corporation was dissolved and Television Twelve took over the television station.

On 1 September 1995, Channel 12 was renamed Prime 12 to match with the launch of its sister channel Premiere 12. Tamil-language programmes from Channel 8 were transferred to Prime 12.

On 30 January 2000, Prime 12 was renamed Suria, becoming a standalone Malay channel as it is today. At the same time, Tamil programmes were transferred to Premiere 12, which was renamed Central.

Suria thus continues the Mediacorp network's long service to Malays in Singapore that began in 1963 with the first Malay TV programmes aired on Channel 5 at the time.