Hy2254 Pop Culture in Singapore Term Paper What Does the History of Television Demonstrate About the Wider Context of Singapore’s History in the Post-1965 Period?

Question Number & the question:
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4.   What does the history of television demonstrate about the wider context of Singapore’s history in the post-1965 period?
Roadmap for Analysis
1. Introduction 1
2. Television and Society’s Changing Values 2
3. Television as a mirror of the Government’s goals 5
4. Television as a reflection of Singapore society’s maturing preferences 6
5. Conclusion 7
6. Bibliography 7
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  1. Introduction

Television was introduced to Singapore in 1963 by Radio and Television of Singapore, under close regulation by a department within the government’s Ministry of Culture. Today, local free-to-air television channels are wholly owned by state-owned Mediacorp Singapore. Thus, the government has retained its ability to exert close control over television content over the years. In addition, as Mediacorp is a profit driven organization, “entertaining the masses is more or less [our] top concern.”   Thus, television in Singapore serves two key aims; the first is to support development objectives sought by the government and the second is to entertain the masses. The history of television in Singapore is thus a telling narrative of how the Singaporean government’s goals has developed over the years, and also how the preferences of the masses have changed with the progression of society, with the average real incomes of the general populace rising together with their level of education. Hence, this paper will demonstrate the development of Singapore’s history in the post-1965 period by analysing the history of television in Singapore.
  2. Television and Society’s Changing Values

The history of television in Singapore serves as litmus to demonstrate Singapore society’s progression from a collectivist culture to one that is more individualistic in nature; the result of being a society that is unusually open to the world.... [continues]

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