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Not to be confused with the Chinese primetime news programme with the same name, aired on Mediacorp Channel 8 and U.

News Tonight
GenreFlagship News
StarringAngela Lim
Glenda Chong
Keith Liu
Otelli Edwards
Paul Sng
Poh Kok Ing
Jill Neubronner
Steven Chia
Country of originSingapore
Original languageEnglish
Production
Production locationMediacorp Campus 1 Stars Avenue Singapore 138507
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes (21:00 until 21:30 SGT).
Production companyMediacorp News
Original release
NetworkChannel 5
Release15 February 1963 (1963-02-15) –
present
Related
Singapore Tonight

News Tonight (formerly News 5 Tonight, News 5 and before 1994 as just News) is a Singapore English long-running main flagship daily television news bulletin programme on Mediacorp Channel 5 since its inception which runs daily from 21:00 until 21:30 SGT on daily/public holidays, providing a round-up of all the day's events around Singapore, as well as coverage of breaking news and occasional global stories relevant to Singaporeans. The highly rated programme is currently presented mainly by Angela Lim, Glenda Chong, Otelli Edwards, and Steven Chia. Currently it is broadcast at 9pm every evening and has been the only news bulletin on Channel 5 since the start of Channel NewsAsia.

History

[edit]

Channel 5 has been airing news bulletins since the period of pilot broadcasts conducted in February 1963. These consisted of a plain news bulletin read by a presenter and a series of Berita Singapura newsreels. The first newsreader on launch night was Steven Lee, while the first newsreel (Berita Singapura) was read by Harry Crabb, who later appeared in the regular bulletins. The news division was assisted by Australian entrepreneur David Prior, who trained locals in the field of television journalism. At the time, it was projected that Prior would stay with TV Singapura for two years.[1] The first bulletin in the pilot service was broadcast at 6:30pm on 15 February 1963 and was a five-minute English bulletin followed by a newsreel lasting a further five minutes, the latter having Chinese subtitles.[2] On 11 March 1963,[3] ahead of the formal launch on 2 April, the channel gained a four-hour schedule and the news moved to 9:15pm, lasting fifteen minutes, adding an equal-running Chinese bulletin at 8:15pm. The Berita Singapura newsreels were transmitted separately from the newsreel featured in the main bulletin.[4]

From 30 March 1973, the channel only carried news bulletins in English and Malay, with the English bulletin airing during primetime hours.[5] Selected newsreels were converted to colour on 11 November 1974, in the second phase of RTS's colour implementation plan for television. For black and white footage, said content aired appropriately.[6]

After RTS became SBC, all four language bulletins initially received a homogenous news intro displaying the name of the four language bulletins.[7]

SBC began adapting a new format for its television news broadcasts in August 1980.[8] The new format would feature two newscasters and more on-location reporting.[8]

On 1 February 1983, the day of the third anniversary of SBC, its television news broadcasts received a new studio set, described as "duck-egg blue" and "three-dimensional". A special semi-circular table was created for the set. The previous set was "pink" in colour. The new set was inspired from news and current affairs programmes in the United States.[9] Other changes include each newscaster reading different stories[9] and more graphics and illustrations.[9] On 1 February 1984, following the launch of Channel 12, which enabled the releasing of more available time slots for the extant channels, the News bulletin expanded to the current length of thirty minutes. Moreover, SBC's news bulletins started carrying commercial breaks for the first time[10] - up until then, the only advertisements allowed were in the clock preceding the bulletin, from 1 June 1980.[11]

In August 1988, SBC news broadcasts adopted a new "upbeat and viewer-friendly" look, the backdrop being that of the skyline of Singapore. It generated positive response from viewers.[12] In December 1988, SBC announced that it would cease carrying Late News on SBC 5 and 12, due to limited news developments since the main 9pm bulletin.[13]

On 31 August 1992, SBC 5 introduced a two-minute 7 p.m. news bulletin, From The Newsroom, airing on weekdays. This did not affect the main 9 p.m. bulletin.[14] Facing competition from Singapore Cable Vision's in-house NewsVision channel providing news from five foreign sources, SBC announced that the channel would add a second news bulletin in English from January 1994. As of October 1993, the 9pm bulletin attracted 140,000 adult viewers.[15]

On New Year's Day (1 January) 1994, SBC 5 officially introduced and launched new name or new look as Channel 5 with officially introduced and launching new logo and slogan "Where It All Happens!" marked officially introduced and launched new name, logo and slogan for a new look for Channel 5 opening at stroke of midnight Singapore Time after countdown new year and happy new year and became the first channel in Singapore to become a full-fledged English-language channel on the television programme Panasonic Countdown New Year (Countdown 94): Hi! 5 is an annual multi-tiered event held every New Year's Eve celebrations in Singapore are centered in Raffles Hotel and Changi Airport its main events are pyrotechnic displays was officially launched by Prime Minister of Singapore Goh Chok Tong including after countdown new year marked farewell from SBC 5 marked very final and last time farewell the end to midnight firework new year marked officially introduced and launched new name or new look as Channel 5 with officially introduced and launching new logo and slogan "Where It All Happens!" marked officially introduced and launched new name, logo and slogan for a new look for Channel 5 opening at stroke of midnight Singapore Time after countdown new year and happy new year and became the first channel in Singapore to become a full-fledged English-language channel both of which are terrestrial telecast nationally free-to-air on Channel 5 on New Year's Eve 1993 11:15pm to New Year's Day 1994 at 12:30am Singapore Time lasting 75-minutes and sponsored by Panasonic, Grand Seiko (Seiko) and Lexus (Toyota), Tellymatch: Hip Hop! Fashion Stop! on New Year's Day 1994 at 12:30am Singapore Time (live from Junction 8), Eye on 5 at 12:45am Singapore Time, Tellymatch: Hubhub at the Pub at 2:20am Singapore Time, Tellymatch: Running On 5 at 7:30am Singapore Time, Tellymatch: Style Alive On 5 at 2:00pm Singapore Time and Tellymatch: Finale On 5 at 1:30am Singapore Time. News in English was officially launched new split into two new English television news bulletin programmes includes:[16][17]

On same time, Channel 5's new newsroom was built at a cost of S$8 million.[19] On that time, Singapore International Television (SITV) (Malay: Televisyen Antarabangsa Singapura) was a Singaporean international free-to-air terrestrial and satellite television channel operated by Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS). SITV was broadcast from Palapa B2P an Indonesian communications satellite owned by Indosat which covers Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. It was officially opening ceremony at grand opening or formally opening night in Singapore by Prime Minister of Singapore Goh Chok Tong on New Year's Day 1994 at 10:00pm Singapore Time based in Singapore and it operated from Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS) head office and headquarters in Caldecott Broadcast Centre, Singapore along with Channel NewsAsia. Singapore International Television (SITV) was officially opening ceremony at grand opening or formally opening night in Singapore on New Year's Day 1994 at 10:00pm Singapore Time after officially opening ceremony by Prime Minister of Singapore Goh Chok Tong based in Singapore owned and company by Television Corporation of Singapore daily with the first programme at launching ceremony: a special edition of Inside Asia and a live simulcast of News 5 Tonight (now News Tonight) was aired on Channel 5. It was originally based in Singapore.[20]

TCS determined in October 1998 that, with the launch of Channel NewsAsia in the following year,[21] it was decided that all of Channel 5's current affairs programmes were to move to CNA, leaving only the main news (News 5 Tonight) with only one edition at 9:30pm.[22]

Since 1 March 1999, All English news and current affairs programmes officially moved from Channel 5 to new free-to-air terrestrial channel as Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS) officially very first formal launched took place as local free-to-air terrestrial news channel, Channel NewsAsia with a 18-hour broadcasts from 6:00am to stroke of midnight SGT. The channel opening with a speech by Minister of Information and the Arts George Yeo at Raffles Place at 9:00am SGT.[23][24] Channel NewsAsia leaving only the main flagship daily television news bulletin (News 5 Tonight) with only one edition from 9:30pm at 10:00pm Singapore Time.

On 30 April 2001, News 5 Tonight was retooled with a new format, geared towards "young people and people on the streets" with stories relatable to the local audience and irrelevant news removed. This also included a live studio interview session each night. Toh Seh Ling, who was a presenter for "teen" news programme Newswatch in 1990, became its new host.[25]

With the announcement of Channel 5's Local Upsize on 1 November 2014, Channel 5 would move News 5 Tonight to 9pm effective 31 December 2014.[26] In October 2020, the newscast was simply renamed News Tonight.

News Tonight is one of only two main English national newscasts available in Singapore; the other being CNA's Singapore Tonight.

Title history

[edit]
  • Berita Singapura (newsreels, 15 February 1963 - 1975)
  • News in English/News (15 February 1963 - 31 December 1993)
  • News 5 at Seven (1 January 1994 - 28 February 1999)
  • News 5 Tonight (1 January 1994 - 30 December 2014)
  • News 5 Today (3 July 1995 - 26 February 1999)
  • News 5 (31 December 2014 - 18 October 2020)
  • News Tonight (19 October 2020 - present)

Weather

[edit]

From 1 May 1980, "weather girls" were added to the English bulletins, and were shown after the main news. In addition to data for Singapore, which had been carried since the start, an international section with data for foreign cities (Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Manila, Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo and Seoul) was added, as well as wind conditions in the South China Sea. This was already done on SBC's radio stations.[27][28] These bulletins were pre-recorded at 8pm.[27]

A new batch of part-time presenters was announced in 1981, being paid S$25 per report.[29] The practice of having a separate weather report ended in March 1982 because the "weather report within the news bulletin was adequate".[30] On 26 March 1984, the weather at the end of the news was limited exclusively to data for Singapore, with foreign data still being available on SBCText and radio stations.[31]

Currently, the bulletin has weather updates before commercial breaks.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Backroom boys of television". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 14 February 1963. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  2. ^ "PROGRAMME FOR TV PILOT PROJECT". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 1 March 1963. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Today's Radio, TV programmes". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 11 March 1963. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Television Singapura". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 20 March 1963. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  5. ^ "NEW TIMES FOR TV SCREENING FROM FRIDAY". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 27 March 1973. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  6. ^ "TV newsreels in colour from Nov 11". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 27 October 1974. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  7. ^ "New SBC plays it low key". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 3 February 1980. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Here's to good news". The Straits Times. 24 July 1980. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  9. ^ a b c "New look for TV news". The Straits Times. 2 February 1983. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  10. ^ "TV news to include commercial breaks". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 13 January 1984. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  11. ^ "SBC time clock may earn $1m". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 21 February 1980. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  12. ^ "SBC news takes on a more glamorous look". The Straits Times. 19 November 1988. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  13. ^ "SBC to stop Late News service from Jan 2". The Straits Times. 9 December 1988. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  14. ^ "7 pm news bulletin on SBC 5 from Aug 31". The Straits Times. 25 August 1992. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  15. ^ "SBC races against time". The Straits Times. 9 October 1993. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  16. ^ "CHANNEL 5 OFFICIALLY NEW LOOK". The Straits Times. 1 January 1994. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  17. ^ "35 hours of TV to ring in 1994". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 19 December 1993. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  18. ^ "Pass the chips, it's TV time tonight". The Straits Times. 19 December 1993. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  19. ^ "Lots of strange things on SBC". The Straits Times. 17 March 1994. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  20. ^ "Jan 1 launch for SIF's satellite TV broadcasts". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 23 December 1993. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  21. ^ "No one waits till 10.30 for news". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 29 October 1998. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  22. ^ "Channel 5 will have 9.30 main news". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 29 October 1998. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  23. ^ "TCS Channel NewsAsia starts telecast". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 2 March 1999. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  24. ^ "Channel NewsAsia a bold move: BG Yeo". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 2 March 1999. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  25. ^ "New host, new look for News 5". Today. 30 April 2001. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  26. ^ "Local Upsize on MediaCorp's new Channel 5". Television Asia Plus. 12 November 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  27. ^ a b "Brunei will be new target of STPB'S tourism drive". New Nation. 21 April 1980. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  28. ^ "Weather girls on TV". The Straits Times. 29 April 1980. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  29. ^ "Fresh faces for SBC". The Straits Times. 20 May 1981. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  30. ^ "BEHIND THE CAMERA with Kannan Chandran". The Straits Times. 6 March 1982. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  31. ^ "Local weather only on news". The Straits Times. 25 March 1982. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
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