Wong-Lee Siok Tin

Wong-Lee Siok Tin
Born 1938
Died 1993
Occupation Journalist
Known for Head of Broadcasting at the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation

Wong-Lee Siok Tin was a Singaporean journalist and head of broadcasting at the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation between 1981 and 1991. During her tenure she was credited with diversifying programming to include niche interests and for overseeing the creation of Channel 12. In 2017 she was inducted in the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame for her contribution towards Singaporean journalism.[1]

Biography

Wong-Lee was born in Singapore in 1938 and attended the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus school. Noted for her clear and articulate voice she entered broadcast in the 1950s as a part-time announcer for Radio Malaya while studying for an English degree at the University of Singapore.[1]

After a brief spell as a teacher at Raffles Girls School, Wong-Lee returned to broadcasting and was assigned to accompany then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew to London to report on negotiations for Singapore's independence from Britain. Impressed with her ability to effectively summarize reports, Lee Kuan Yew had her accompany him on many future trips and took advice from her on how to write scripts. Afterwards, she quickly rose through the ranks of what was then the Ministry of Culture’s Department of Broadcasting to become the head of the Central Productions Unit and then its deputy director, the first woman to do so.[2]

In 1980 broadcasting in Singapore was partly privatised, leading to the creation of the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation. With none of the board members having any experience in broadcasting, Wong-Lee was promoted from deputy general manager to general manager, overseeing the network's broadcasting. In her role, Wong-Lee made changes to the type of programming offered to audiences. Formally television was used as tool for the government to broadcast messages, however Wong-Lee stressed the importance of diverse programming, offering segments on art and music. In 1991, Wong-Lee was diagnosed with cancer and retired in her role as general manager. Two years later she died of her illness.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Wong-Lee Siok Tin". Singapore Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  2. ↑ "Siok Tin Gets Top RTS Job". New Nation. 27 August 1978. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
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