S'pore to issue media licenses

S'pore to issue media licenses

SINGAPORE (AFP): The Singapore government announced on Monday that it would grant new print and broadcast licenses but made it clear the domestic media would stay in Singaporean hands.

Minister for Information and the Arts Lee Yock Suan said Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. (SPH), which publishes all of the island's newspapers, will be given up to two free-to-air television licenses and two radio licenses.

The dominant broadcaster, the Media Corp. of Singapore, will in turn be granted a newspaper license, breaking the SPH monopoly on dailies.

Foreign newspapers and magazines as well as cable news broadcasters are freely available in Singapore but the domestic media are regarded by officials as strategic sectors which should remain in local control.