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154thmedia2012 uploaded a new video
(21 hours ago)
SINGAPORE : The Public Service Broadcast (PSB) Review Panel has complete...
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SINGAPORE : The Public Service Broadcast (PSB) Review Panel has completed its review to enhance the delivery of PSB programmes and submitted its recommendations to the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA).
PSB programmes, which promote social objectives and national harmony, are typically less commercially viable.
MICA is currently studying the panel's recommendations and expects it to be completed by June this year.
The panel's recommendations to enhance the provision of PSB content were discussed by Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts, Grace Fu, during the Committee of Supply Budget debate for MICA on Friday.
The recommendations focus on two key areas - enhancing the quality and appeal of PSB content, and extending the reach of PSB content beyond traditional free-to-air (FTA) TV channels.
The eight-member panel was set up in October 2010 to review the delivery of PSB programmes and recommend ways to maximise the reach and impact of PSB in Singapore. The panel is chaired by Ms Fu.
Since 1994, the Media Development Authority (MDA) has supported the provision of PSB through the collection of radio and TV licence fees.
The fees were abolished on 1 January 2011 and PSB is now funded directly by the government.
The review panel said that on the whole, funded PSB content has been delivered in a cost-efficient way and currently enjoys good reach among audiences.
For instance, the total reach of funded locally-produced PSB programmes was about 4.5 million viewers, close to 95 per cent of those aged four years and above.
In addition, based on the PSB Public Perception Survey - commissioned as part of the panel's review to ascertain public views on PSB standards - respondents gave a mean score of 3.8 out of five points when rating how well PSB programmes were deemed to display the desired outcomes of "quality, informative value and engagement".
In terms of rating the effectiveness of PSB objectives and messages for sampled programmes, respondents gave scores ranging from 3.5 to 4.05 out of five points.
And in terms of the public's overall satisfaction with the standard of PSB, six in 10 respondents indicated that they were highly satisfied, and eight in 10 respondents indicated that they were satisfied.
The panel also noted that survey findings show nine in 10 respondents were either satisfied with the current output or wanted to see more PSB content.
The panel observed that while past PSB performance has been satisfactory, the standards of content must continually be raised to retain viewership.
That is because of a multitude of alternative viewing choices available to the public.
David Ong, MP for Jurong GRC, said: "In television, our main free-to-air channels are fighting for viewership with hundreds of competing channels and soon the digital-only television. But with a multitude of entertaining channels today, more will be needed to be done to make PSB relevant and achieve its goals."
Ms Fu said: "With media convergence driven by the Internet, the TV set in the living room is losing its lustre, especially among our young. The Internet has opened up a new and exciting world of information and entertainment. With so many alternatives, the challenge is for our PSB programmes to remain competitive and appealing."
So the panel has recommended several strategic measures to raise the quality and appeal of PSB programming and to widen the reach of these programmes beyond traditional FTA channels.
Among them - adequate resources be channelled to enhance key components of the production process, such as story-planning, scripting and research, and to ensure sufficient time for filming and post-production.
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www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1186580/1/.html
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154thmedia2012 uploaded a new video
(22 hours ago)
SINGAPORE: FHM is pulling out copies of its March issue.
This comes after...
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SINGAPORE: FHM is pulling out copies of its March issue.
This comes after an article, which could have offended some Christians, was published.
In a statement, the magazine's Senior Editor David Fuhrmann-Lim apologised for any offence caused in the article.
He said the magazine is always sensitive to people's religions and beliefs.
He added while the said article was written with a tongue-in-cheek humour, the magazine realises now it was not done in the best taste or judgement.
He added it will certainly be more mindful of such sensitive issues in the future.
He said all copies on sale in the newsstands will immediately be removed, and the process should be completed in the next two days.
www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1186639/1/.html
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154thmedia2012 uploaded a new video
(22 hours ago)
SINGAPORE: Singapore's tourism industry will receive a S$905 million sho...
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SINGAPORE: Singapore's tourism industry will receive a S$905 million shot in the arm from the government over the next five years to prepare the sector for the next stage of growth.
Responding to MPs questions in Parliament on Friday, Second Minister for Trade and Industry S Iswaran said this second tranche of the Tourism Development Fund is aimed at spurring yield-driven growth.
This means getting tourists to visit Singapore more often, extend their length of stay and spend more in Singapore.
The new investment is on top of the S$2 billion that was committed in 2005.
Of the S$905 million, one third of the funds will be channelled to building Singapore's position as a global lifestyle and business hub by seeding "best-in-class" events and bringing in international conferences and exhibitions.
S$340 million will be used to co-create new concepts and ideas for tourism products, while S$265 million will go towards enhancing capabilities in tourism-related enterprises.
Mr Iswaran was responding to queries by Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Mr Yee Jenn Jong on what strategies the second tranche of funding will support.
Mr Yee also asked for a clarification on the fund's long-term target to triple tourism receipts to S$30 billion by 2015.
Mr Iswaran added that the government will also expand the types of training supported under the Tourism Capability Development Scheme to include specialised skills that can spur productivity and enhance service delivery.
On whether Singapore will extend the Formula One race (F1), Mr Iswaran said the government will make a decision on extension only after carefully weighing all factors.
The F1 race has helped to lift the tourism sector and the Singapore economy.
Singapore has been hosting the F1 race since 2008. The five-year contract for the Singapore Night Race ends this year.
MediaCorp understands that the F1 race has attracted about 160,000 international visitors and contributed more than S$560 million in tourism receipts over the last four years.
www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1186566/1/.html
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154thmedia2012 uploaded a new video
(22 hours ago)
SINGAPORE: Nine students scored a perfect score of nine distinctions in ...
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SINGAPORE: Nine students scored a perfect score of nine distinctions in the 2011 Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level Examination.
Six of them are from Raffles Institution, one from River Valley High School and the rest are from Hwa Chong Institution.
The number of school students getting 'A' level passes for 2011 remains the same as 2010 at 90.8 per cent.
A new record has been set at Raffles Institution, with half the cohort scoring distinctions in all four H2 subjects.
Many of the top scorers held leadership positions in their co-curricular activities.
They said time management is the key to their success.
Khoo Jia Hui from Raffles Institution said: "Sometimes when the deadlines are really close to each other, and there're peak periods when I'm really busy, it gets quite tough. But I feel that planning ahead is very important and also, if you're passionate about it, it'll just keep you going. Especially when you have the support of your friends and family."
Raghunathan Adithya from Raffles Institution said: "Just be passionate about what you're doing because if you really see the point in what you're studying. And, don't just see it as a pen and paper issue and not just about marks, automatically, you'll find the drive to excel and succeed."
Over at Hwa Chong Institution, there is an almost tangible excitement in the air. Over half of the 1,200 students scored at least three H2 distinctions, making them eligible for virtually any university.
Of these, two students obtained nine distinctions.
Desmond Toh, whose father works as a delivery man, and mother as a housewife, has been receiving financial assistance for his studies at Hwa Chong Institution. He is one step closer to fulfilling his dream of becoming a scientist.
Desmond was hospitalised on three occasions in the lead up to his 'A' levels after suffering from a collapsed lung. But he managed to come out tops, thanks to support from his family, friends and teachers.
"They showed me a lot of care and concern, and they helped me a lot with my school work, especially during the times I was hospitalised.
"They provided me with updates about what had happened in school, they helped me collect homework and they sometimes even guided me through some of the concepts that I have missed," he said.
At Nanyang Junior College, Ong Hua Han has been an inspiration to his peers.
Hua Han, who obtained 5 distinctions and a B for General Paper, has brittle bone disease.
He said: "Don't look at what you can't do but look at what you can do. Just think positively and don't see your disability as a handicapped but more of an obstacle that you can overcome."
Hua Han hopes to further his studies at a local university.
90.8 per cent of the 14,262 students who sat for the examinations obtained at least three H2 passes with a pass in General Paper or Knowledge and Inquiry.
www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1186550/1/.html
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154thmedia2012 uploaded a new video
(22 hours ago)
SINGAPORE: Second timers applying for a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat, retir...
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SINGAPORE: Second timers applying for a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat, retirees looking to age-in-place, and multi-generation families have received a housing boost from the Ministry of National Development.
National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan announced tweaks to balloting rules for second-timers during the Committee of Supply debate for his ministry in Parliament on Friday.
He said these are aimed at building strong families, encouraging Singaporeans to own their homes, and also to govern with a "heart" and help the less well-off.
Mr Khaw said when he stepped into the ministry a year ago, it was facing a "hot housing problem".
There were lessons to learn from pioneers who led Singapore's Housing Board.
He said they focused on the longer term greater good of many, putting community interest above self interest, and dared to try.
Mr Khaw said because of that, they turned Toa Payoh into a thriving modern township and Singapore into a world-renowned Garden City.
He recalled the work of those like the late Dr Toh Chin Chye and Mr Lim Kim San, the Housing Board's first Chairman.
Mr Khaw said under Mr Lim's watch, public housing and home ownership became firmly established and eventually, became the Singaporean way of life.
He said he stepped into an MND facing a severe mismatch in supply and demand, which, coupled with global liquidity and low interest rates, caused sharp spikes in housing prices.
Mr Khaw said: "The situation reminded me of a speech that the late Dr Goh Keng Swee made in 1980 on the plight of pig farmers. He spoke on what the economists refer to as the pig cycle. When the price of pork is high, pig farmers rear more pigs in the hope of making more money. However, when the piglets grow up and reach the market, there is a glut and prices drop. Farmers then cut the number of piglets they raise, thereby ensuring that when these mature, there will be a shortage and prices go up again."
He said months of corrective action have brought some stability to the housing market.
Mr Khaw said: "The best laid scheme can often go askew. This is particularly so for Singapore where the larger global environment, over which we have little control, can easily derail our projections. And that was how MND's housing projection and recent rebuilding programmes went askew, when our population shot past projections, mortgage interest rates plunged, and our economy made a surprisingly quick and strong rebound in 2010.
"And bear in mind how difficult it is for the construction industry to ramp up and slow down. There is a long lead time. Many months of corrective action, policy modifications and hard work have brought some stability to the housing market. We are not yet out of the tunnel, but we are seeing some light at the end of it."
Having ramped up the supply of new BTO flats, Mr Khaw said almost all first-timers (earning below $10,000) will be successful.
And he can now address the housing needs of others.
Currently, second-timers are allocated 5 percent of new flats across all categories.
Starting from the March BTO exercise, the percentage of flats in non-mature estates allocated to second-timers will be tripled to 15 percent.
Mr Khaw said this should cut the application rate for second-timers from more than 25 to a single digit.
HDB estimates the rate will drop to 8 or 9 applicants per flat offered.
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www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1186615/1/.html
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check out this channel's videos... (applicable for Singapore people only)
i prefer this channel 154thmedia2012!!!
there's already a national anthem on youtube~
http://youtu.be/OebyMin4SR8
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