SPH sets up two television news units

SPH sets up two television news units

SINGAPORE (AFP): Southeast Asia's leading publishing group
Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) announced on Tuesday the setting
up of two television news units, clearing the way for its foray
into broadcasting next year.

Officials said the two television news units -- one in English
and Malay and the other in Chinese -- will make full use of more
than 1,000 print journalists working mainly for the group's
English and Chinese newspapers.

SPH is branching out aggressively into the Internet and
broadcasting as it faces the end of its lucrative newspaper
monopoly after the government liberalized the industry earlier
this year.

Television channels to be operated by subsidiary SPH
Mediaworks will be launched next year and would feature
substantial news and current affairs content as well as
entertainment, company officials said in a news conference.

Officials declined to say how much they are investing in the
new venture.

Leslie Fong, editor of the Straits Times, told reporters the
television news units aim to target the Singapore market first.

However, they expect to expand across the region to provide an
Asian perspective of news developments, compared to other global
media networks run by Westerners.

Veteran broadcast journalist Jennifer Lewis was appointed to
head the English unit and Lim Chung Bee for the Chinese language
news unit.