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.