RADIO AND TELEVISION SINGAPORE (Production of local programmes)

Mr Ch'ng Jit Koon asked the Minister for Culture and Science and Technology whether Radio and Television Singapore will be producing more programmes of its own using the talent and resources available locally, instead of relying almost completely on imported programmes which are often ambivalent to our national aspirations.

Mr Jek Yeun Thong: Mr Speaker, Sir, production of TV programmes, especially colour programmes, is an involved activity. Adequate facilities and staff are necessary though not the only relevant factors. The available pool of script writers and artistes is a prerequisite. Unfortunately we do not have an adequate pool of such local talents. In spite of this, RTS will endeavour to produce more local programmes wherever local talents are available.

It is not correct to say that our TV services rely almost completely on imported programmes. In terms of the total hours of TV programmes per average week, IocaIIy produced programmes constitute 66% as against 34% of imported programmes. Likewise, in terms of the number of TV programmes telecast in an average week, 84 are imported programmes as compared to 67 locally produced programmes. The imported programmes are stringently vetted before they are acquired and telecast. Last year a total of 70 series were rejected outright after auditioning. Some were found unsuitable as they projected Western permissiveness and decadence. Others were rejected because they contained too much crime and violence.

The House may also wish to know that all Radio output except the English Service is locally produced or locally compiled. Even in the English Service overseas produced programmes constitute only 10% of its output.

Mr Tan Soo Khoon (Alexandra): Sir, will the Minister clarify whether the 66% of air time taken up by locally produced programmes include repeat telecast, since inevitably most of the locally produced programmes are repeated within the week?

Mr Jek Yeun Thong: No, I do not think it includes repeat telecast. It is very expensive to produce a programme locally, and therefore we have to make full use of it. Since most of the locally produced programmes are documentaries, it is a good practice to repeat them because not everyone has the opportunity to see a certain programme at the time when it is telecast.

Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi: Sir, since the Minister says that there is a lack of local talents, what plans does the Ministry have to' develop these local talents.

Mr Jek Yeun Thong: Sir, we have always been trying to develop and train local talent, but unfortunately the pool of local talent is very limited. This is due not only to the limited number of people but also to the limited area of employment. At the present moment TV artistes are only employed by the Television Service. Other than that there is no real outlet for them. In other countries where a film industry exists, the artistes are mainly drawn from the film industry. But in the case of Singapore we do not have a film industry and it is quite difficult to get talent or to have full-time performers because these people cannot get a good living out of it.