MediaCorp TV Channel 8
1572632
225231322
2008-07-12T16:20:13Z
219.79.65.189
{{Infobox TV channel
| name = MediaCorp TV Channel 8
| logofile = Mediacorp8_logo.jpg
| logosize =
| logoalt = Channel 8 logo
| logo2 =
| launch = [[November 23]], [[1963]]
| closed date =
| picture format = [[PAL]] [[576i]]([[SDTV]]) 4:3
| share =
| share as of =
| share source =
| network = MediaCorp TV
| owner = MediaCorp
| slogan = 最亲切 ([[English Language|Translation]]: The Most Caring)
| country = {{Flagicon|SGP}} [[Singapore]] |
| broadcast area = Nationwide
| headquarters = Caldecott Broadcasting Centre
| former names = 第8波道 ([[English Language|Translation]]: The Eighth Frequency) (Until January 2005)
| replaced names =
| sister names = Digital 8
| timeshift names =
| web = http://8.mediacorptv.sg/
| terr serv 1 = Analogue
| terr chan 1 = Channel 8 (196.25 MHz)
| terr serv 2 = Digital (DVB-T)
| terr chan 2 = Channel 29 (538.00 MHz)
| sat serv 1 =
| sat chan 1 =
| cable serv 1 = [[StarHub CableTV]]
| cable chan 1 = Channel 3
| sat radio serv 1 =
| sat radio chan 1 =
| adsl serv 1 = [[mio TV]]
| adsl chan 1 = Channel 3
| online serv 1 =
| online chan 1 =
}}
[[Image:Sbc8 logo.JPG|thumb|right|139px|Channel 8 logo before 1994.]]
'''MediaCorp TV Channel 8''' ([[Simplified Chinese|Chinese]]: 八频道, Before 2005: 第八波道) is a [[Mandarin (linguistics)|Mandarin Chinese]] general entertainment [[television channel]] in [[Singapore]]. It is one of the two Mandarin Chinese over-the-air television channel in Singapore, the other being [[MediaCorp TV Channel U]].
==History==
The station first went on air on [[23 November]] [[1963]] as [[Singapore Broadcasting Corporation|Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC)]] Eighth Frequency ([[Simplified Chinese]]: 新广第八波道). Until [[1984]], programming on the Eighth Frequency consist of a mixture of [[Tamil Language|Tamil]] and Chinese programming, with a majority of the programmes bought from foreign TV stations.
Colour programming began in [[1976]].
===Chinese Language Broadcasting===
In the infancy of the station, Chinese programmes were acquired from stations in [[Hong Kong]] and [[Republic of China|Taiwan]], which resulted in these programmes being broadcast in a variety of regional Chinese dialects (such as [[Cantonese Language|Cantonese]] and [[Minnan Language|Minnan]], with no dubbing in Mandarin. This anomaly ended in [[1979]], when the government began to forbid Singapore's electronic media from broadcasting its Chinese programmes in any dialects other than Mandarin without prior consent.
This put a pressure on the station's budget, as Chinese programmes acquired overseas now have to be dubbed into Mandarin. As a result, the SBC decided to begin producing Chinese drama series domestically, and established a Chinese Drama Department (华文戏剧部) towards that end. The new department had to hire many production staffs overseas, as the station only had experience in producing short TV programmes. Due to the closure of [[Commercial Television]] and the sale of [[Rediffusion Television]] (now [[Asia Television]]) in [[Hong Kong]] at the time, many production staff from those two TV stations were hired, thus creating a basis for domestic Chinese drama series production.
Although there were earlier productions, the station considers [[Seletar Robbery]] to be its first-ever Chinese drama production, and considers the day of its premiere: [[24 July]] [[1982]], to be the birth of Singaporean Chinese drama production.
Tamil broadcasting were completely phased out of the station's schedules by [[1984]], its programmes transferred to other channels.
===Privatisation ===
The station, along with its sister stations [[MediaCorp TV Channel 5|Fifth Frequency]] and [[MediaCorp TV Channel 12|Twelfth Frequency]], were privatized in [[1994]], and became the [[Television Corporation of Singapore|Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS]] (Chinese: 新加坡电视机构). Further restructuring were made, and by [[2001]], TCS became MediaCorp (Chinese: 新传媒).
===Competition from MediaWorks===
In an effort to inject competition into the Singaporean television broadcasting industry, the government allowed [[Singapore Press Holdings]] to operate television stations, which resulted in the establishment of [[SPH MediaWorks]] and its two television channels: [[SPH MediaWorks Channel U|Channel U]] (Chinese: 优频道) and TV Works (Chinese: 电视通), which was later renamed [[SPH MediaWorks Channel i|Channel i]] (Chinese: i频道).
Channel 8 and Channel U were both locked in a fierce ratings battle, with each station releasing statistics indicating that they are prevailing over the other station. The ratings battle began to cool in [[2004]], when [[Lee Kuan Yew]] commented that Singapore's size cannot sustain more than 1 TV station for each language. This spurred the two sides into a merger negotiation, which was completed by December of 2004, whereby Channel U will join MediaCorp as its second Chinese TV station.
The merger took effect on New Year's Day of 2005, with Channel i being the only casualty of the competition.
==Programmes==
See [[List of programmes broadcast by MediaCorp TV Channel 8]]
===Current Primetime Schedule===
{| width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" style="border:1px solid #aaa"!
|-
!width="4.54%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|
!width="4.54%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|7:00pm
!width="4.54%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|7:30pm
!width="4.54%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|8:00pm
!width="4.54%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|8:30pm
!width="4.54%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|9:00pm
!width="4.54%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|9:30pm
!width="4.54%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|10:00pm
!width="4.54%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|10:30pm
!width="4.54%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|11:00pm
!width="4.54%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|11:30pm
|-
!bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Monday
| colspan="2" bgcolor="87CEEB" rowspan="5" align=center |'''[[Love Blossoms I]] (心花朵朵开)'''
| colspan="2" bgcolor="F0E68C" align=center |'''[[Star Chef 2]] (至尊厨王2)'''
| colspan="2" bgcolor="87CEEB" rowspan="5" align=center |'''[[Beach.Ball.Babes]] (球爱大战)'''
| bgcolor="D2691E" rowspan="7" align=center |'''News 8 at Ten (十点新闻)'''
| bgcolor="D2691E" align=center |'''[[Her Sense]] (女人香)'''
| colspan="2" bgcolor="87CEEB" rowspan="5" align=center |'''[[The Undisclosed]] (迷云二十天)
|-
!bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Tuesday
| colspan="2" bgcolor="F0E68C" align=center |'''[[The Record Challenge]] (奔向健力士)'''
| bgcolor="D2691E" align=center |'''[[Tuesday Report]] (星期二特写)'''
|-
!bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Wednesday
| bgcolor="FFD700" align=center |'''[[Makan Kakis Go Malaysia]] (食足大马)'''
| bgcolor="FFD700" align=center |'''[[Supreme Matron]] (超级好管家)'''
| bgcolor="FFD700" align=center |'''[[Living Well]] (乐活有方)'''
|-
!bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Thursday
| bgcolor="FFD700" align=center |'''[[Say It If You Dare 4]] (有话好好说4)'''
| bgcolor="FFD700" align=center |'''[[I Am Perfect]] (我最完美)'''
| bgcolor="D2691E" align=center |'''[[Focus(Singaporean TV series)|Focus]] (焦点)'''
|-
!bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Friday
| bgcolor="FFD700" align=center |'''[[Glamour Mum And The Dude]] (辣妈好时尚)'''
| bgcolor="FFD700" align=center |'''[[True Files]] (真实档案)'''
| bgcolor="D2691E" align=center |'''[[Frontline (Singaporean TV series)|Frontline]] (前线追踪)'''
|-
!bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Saturday
| colspan="2" bgcolor="87CEEB" align=center |'''[[Fallen Angel (TV Drama)|Fallen Angel]] (天使的烙印)'''
| colspan="2" bgcolor="F0E68C" align=center |'''[[The Sheng Siong Show 2008]] (缤纷万千在昇菘)'''
| bgcolor="D2691E" align=center |'''[[Simply Overseas 2]] (异乡人。新鲜事2)'''
| bgcolor="D2691E" align=center |'''[[My Smart Healthy Baby]] (聪明健康乐宝宝)'''
| colspan="5" bgcolor="EEEEEE" align=center |''Saturday Chinese Cinema 1 & 2 (Continued 2:30am)''
|-
!bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Sunday
| colspan="4" bgcolor="87CEEB" align=center |'''[[Fallen Angel (TV Drama)|Fallen Angel]] (天使的烙印)'''
| colspan="2" bgcolor="FFD700" align=center |'''[[Delicious Food All Over China|Delicious Food All Over China 5]] (美食大三通5)'''
| colspan="4" bgcolor="87CEEB" align=center |'''[[The Young Warriors]] (少年杨家将)'''
|}
comedies are in '''<font color="F08080">red</font>'''; dramas are in '''<font color="87CEEB">blue</font>'''; reality shows are in '''<font color="FFD700">yellow</font>'''; game shows are in '''<font color="F0E68C">beige</font>'''; news programming/Info-Ed is in '''<font color="D2691E">brown</font>'''; Mini-Series/anthology series is in '''<font color="FF55FF">purple</font>'''.
==External links==
*[http://8.mediacorptv.sg/ MediaCorp TV Channel 8 Official Website]
[[Category:MediaCorp|Channel 8]]
[[Category:Television stations in Singapore]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1963|Channel 8]]
{{MediaCorp}}
{{Chinese Language Television}}
[[zh:新传媒电视8频道]]