The postwar years ushered in the adoption of radio as a form of mass media and popular entertainment in Singapore. The establishment of Radio Malaya in 1946 and its successor Radio Singapore in 1959 expanded local infrastructure and manpower capabilities in radio ...

Radio broadcasting began in Singapore in 1924 through the initiatives of a small circle of amateur radio enthusiasts and hobbyists. It was developed further by commercial companies until it was nationalised by the colonial government in response to the threat of ...

The first television station in Singapore, Television Singapura, was launched on 15 February 1963. It merged with Radio Singapura to form Radio and Television Singapore (RTS) following Singapore’s independence on 9 August 1965. On 1 February 1980, RTS was corporatised ...

Na Govindasamy (b. 1946, Singapore−d. 26 May 1999) was an educator, writer and an Internet researcher. He started writing in the 1960s. His works, which include plays, dramas and short stories for radio and television, furthered the development of literature in ...

Chinese street storytelling was a popular form of entertainment in Singapore during the colonial period and up till the 1960s. The storytellers set up makeshift premises in various locations in the evening, and read aloud in dialect to paying customers seated around ...

Rediffusion was Singapore's first cable-transmitted, commercial radio station. It started broadcasting in Singapore in 1949. In the 1960s and ’70s, the station's Chinese dialect programmes enjoyed a strong following, and many coffee shops and households were fitted ...

P. Krishnan (b. 1932, Johor, Malaya–), also known as Puthumaithasan, is regarded as one of Singapore’s Tamil literary pioneers. He is a prolific short-story writer, playwright, poet and radio broadcaster, with an oeuvre comprising more than 40 stories, 100 essays ...

Choo Hwee Lim (b. 28 September 1931, Singapore–d. 12 May 2008, Singapore) was an important figure in the development of choral music and opera in Singapore. An accomplished baritone singer and music teacher, Choo spotted, encouraged and nurtured once-unknown music ...

Jacintha Abisheganaden (b. 3 October 1957, Singapore–) is an accomplished Singapore actress, entertainer and jazz singer. The daughter of musician and Cultural Medallion recipient Alex Abisheganaden, Jacintha’s early training in music stood her in good stead for ...

Jah Lelawati (b.1937, Medan, Indonesia–d. 2 November 1979, Singapore), also referred to as Jahlelawati, was a bangsawan (Malay opera) actress and writer. She started by writing novels and short stories and later progressed to scripts for radio and television dramas. ...

Mohammed Saffri Bin Abdul Manaf (b. 3 November 1952, Singapore–) is a scriptwriter, actor, director and comedian. Much of his work has been aired on the local Malay television and radio. A bangsawan (Malay opera) enthusiast, M. Saffri has also written, acted in ...

Dai Sor (b. 1913–d. 23 March 1989, Singapore), also known as Lee Dai Soh or Li Da Sha, was a renowned Cantonese storyteller. He was especially popular among radio listeners in the 1950s and 1960s. Lee, together with Ng Yong Khern and Ong Toh, who performed in Teochew ...

Hossan Leong (b. 1969, Singapore–) is an actor, comedian, director, television and radio host, motivational speaker and entertainer.

Paya Lebar Airport officially opened on 20 August 1955. With its associated taxi tracks and aprons, it was considered a Class B3 Airport based on the 1953 standards of the International Convention for Civil Aviation. Operationally, Paya Lebar Airport was described ...

Halford Lovell Boudewyn (b. 1921–d. 26 April 1998, Singapore) was a long-serving police officer. During the Japanese Occupation, he risked his life by storing classified documents stolen from the Indian National Army. He also secretly gathered and shared war news ...

Playwright, director, producer and actor, Almahdi Al-Haj Ibrahim (b. 1946, Singapore-), better known as Nadiputra, is considered by many in the Malay community as the reigning patriarch of Malay theatre. He has been involved in drama for more than three decades, ...

The Federation of Malaysia was formed following the merger of the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak on 16 September 1963. Then Prime Minister of Malaya Tunku Abdul Rahman was initially resistant to the idea of Singapore joining Malaysia. ...

Rufino Soliano (b. 10 January 1932, Singapore–22 April 2017, Singapore) was an accomplished musician, composer and conductor. He was the former head of the now-defunct Singapore Broadcasting Corporation Orchestra. Soliano had been active in the local music scene ...