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Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (1980–1994) ~ On 1 Feb 1980, Radio Television Singapore (RTS) was succeeded by a new entity -- renamed as Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) -- through an act of Parliament. Unlike RTS, which operated under the then Ministry of Culture, SBC would operate as an autonomous state-owned enterprise, similar to the BBC in the United Kingdom. The new structure aimed to reduce the administrative burden in expanding television and radio services in Singapore. Through this restructuring, the SBC retained a virtual monopoly on television programming in Singapore.In 1983, SBC launched SBCText, a teletext service.[67] On 31 Jan 1984, a third free-to-air TV channel, Channel 12, which would focus on educational and cultural programming, was inaugurated by Minister for Culture S. Dhanabalan.SBC introduced NICAM stereo broadcasts in 1985, beginning with Channel 5 in Aug 1985, and Channel 12 in Dec 1985. That same year, it also invested in upgrades to its production facilities in order to support the format. It would take more than a decade before all channels were fully in stereo sound, beginning with the 1990 National Day celebrations.In Sep 1993, SBC, with its eye on a series of changes in the following year, announced that it would increase the amount of local content and broadcasting hours, with channels 5 and 12 being the initial targets. It was also decided that SBC 8 would remain under the existing Chinese and Tamil format.Privatization, expansion of channels (1994–present)On 18 Dec 1991, Brigadier General George Yeo, as the Minister of Information and the Arts, announced a two-year plan to privatize SBC. Its three television channels were to be sold to two or three separate companies. The plans for that were delayed in Mar 1993, with the end of 1994 becoming the new target goal. It was announced in late Aug 1994 that a fourth free-to-air television channel, set to use the UHF band, was going to start the following year, absorbing the cultural format of Channel 12. The plan also outlined the conversion of Channel 5 to an English-language service, Channel 8's conversion to an all-Chinese service, and the move of Channel 8's Tamil output to Channel 12.SBC's successors would be set to face commercial competition from Singapore Telecom and the NTUC. The two companies would also act as channel providers for the cable network. 1 Jan 1994 saw the debut of Singapore International Television, a rented time slot on the Indonesian Palapa B2P satellite, intending to target overseas Singaporeans in Southeast Asia.On 1 Oct 1994, SBC was privatized as the holding company Singapore International Media (SIM), with both Channel 5 and Channel 8 brought under the subsidiary. The Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS) and Channel 12 operated under the subsidiary Singapore Television Twelve. On 1 Sept 1995, Channel 8 switched exclusively to Mandarin-language programming, Channel 12 relaunched as Prime 12 (which would focus on Malay and Tamil programming), and the new UHF channel Premiere 12 launched; the new channel would be devoted to the arts, children's programming, and sports.On 1 Mar 1999, TCS launched a free-to-air news channel, Channel NewsAsia (CNA). On 15 Jun 1999, SIM was renamed to the Media Corporation of Singapore (MediaCorp). On 30 Jan 2000, Television Twelve relaunched Prime 12 as Suria, now focusing exclusively on Malay programming. Premiere 12 would be concurrently relaunched as Central. The new channel would be split into three blocks: Arts Central, Kids Central, and Vasantham Central, which feature Tamil-language programmes. On 28 Sep 2000, CNA expanded its carriage and programming to target the Asia–Pacific region.__________________________________________________Source: Wikipedia.com