TAY, Philip Joo Thong
History of Broadcasting,
Accession Number 003862
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 16
Total Reels
- Denise Ng
Interviewer
- 09:46:00
Total Running Time
- English
Language
Copyright Notice
All rights to the recordings and transcripts on this website, including the rights to copy, publish, broadcast and perform, are reserved. Written permission is required for any use. If you have any queries, please contact nas@nlb.gov.sg
Reel/Disc 1 of 16
Metadata
- 17 Sep 2015
Recording Date
- 00:37:55
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Born in 1946. Description of the Boat Quay and the activities. Grandfather and father were seamen. Recollection of grandfather’s death when he was four or five years old. Grandfather and father came from Swatow, China. Family links maintained back in Swatow China.
Stories his mother told him about the Japanese Occupation. Poverty in his early childhood.
Recollection of living in a share-house along Boat Quay. Recollection of father returning from sea once every three months.
About his maternal family history. How his family relied on a maternal uncle.
More details about the Boat Quay area and how it has changed over the years. Other tenants living in the share-house.
Reasons why he moved to his uncle’s house along Racecourse Road when he was seven years old. Stayed at uncle’s home until primary 6.
Fond recollection of joining Scouts. Difference in life in uncle’s home and his own home.
Began Primary school in 1953 at Rangoon Road Primary school. Subjects he took.
His parents view towards education. Extra-curricular activities at Rangoon Road Primary School.
Daily routine in Primary School. His classmates in primary school. Sports day in primary school. School carnival and fun fair.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 16
Metadata
- 17 Sep 2015
Recording Date
- 00:38:17
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Scout activities that he took part in. Recalled where he got his scouting equipment and uniform from. Details about camping trips. Recalled Scout Masters.
Recollection of his Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). Reasons why he enrolled into Queenstown Technical School in the early 1960s. About the curriculum at Queenstown Technical School. Details on how he used to do well in Secondary School. Referred to his secondary school report card. Explained metal and wood work.
Described the Queenstown Technical School environment. Teachers in Queenstown Technical. About the science club that he was part of. His involvement in the school magazine called, The Quest.
About the electronic radio kit project. Travelling back and forth school. Described the Queenstown area. Games he played in his neighbourhood. Recalled seeing cows in the Queenstown area.
Reasons why he family moved from Boat Quay to Queenstown. Moved back to live with family when he was in Secondary School. Urban development in the Queenstown area during this time. Landmarks and businesses around the Queenstown area.
Reasons why he went to join the Singapore Polytechnic from Raffles Institution.
Recollection of the 1963 merger with Malaysia and the 1965 Separation. Recollection of the 1964 race riots.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 16
Metadata
- 17 Sep 2015
Recording Date
- 00:37:22
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Involvement in student union activities at the Singapore Polytechnic (SP) [1963 – 1966]. About the Technical Diploma he took. How after school activities took up most of his time. Student union activities he organised. Problems that students faced. Description of the SP building at Prince Edward Road.
Memories of working as a relief teacher at Pre University one at St. Andrews and at a fibre glass factory at Tanglin Halt after he graduated from SP.
Recollection of interviews with the Singapore Telephone Board and the Department of Broadcasting at the Public Service Commission. Details of what his job appointment letter stated from the Department of Broadcasting in 1967.
Recollection of his first day of work and how he was introduced to the Engineering Department. Described the set-up of the studio and the various roles involved in a studio recording. About a Camera-Control-Unit (CCU). How he moved from CCU to other roles in a studio recording. Working hours and work environment.
The lighting set up for studio recordings.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 16
Metadata
- 23 Sep 2015
Recording Date
- 00:37:27
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Re-explained his role in the Camera-Control-Unit (CCU). Equipment that they used in the Camera studios.
Described the daily set-up of television studios in the 1960s. Programmes he remembered being part of in the late 1960s. Recalled Talentime. Short description of the Radio Television Singapore (RTS) (Enterprises).
Studio recording and set up for Talentime, singing competitions. Lighting effects to see the show. About the TV control room. Described the mistakes made in studio recording.
Described the mistakes he made when he was manning a studio camera under the CCU. Explained over exposure. About the skills he learnt in the CCU and in lighting the studios. Challenges in lighting the studios for different shows.
Relationship between camera operators and producers. How he re-orgranised the camera crew and lighting staff in the 1980s when he was Head, Operations and Methods.
About television studies one – four. Relationship between television and radio. Sponsored programmes like the Rado Show and Mat Yo Yo.
His views on his working attitude and the reputation he earned in the broadcast sector. Memories of colleagues he worked with. Manpower needed in studio recording.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 16
Metadata
- 23 Sep 2015
Recording Date
- 00:35:38
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Team dynamics of studio crew. Frequency in overrunning of studio recordings. Daily working hours. Recollection of studio producers.
Short recollection of how programmes changed in the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation days.
Reasons why he moved from operating a studio camera to the maintenance unit. About furthering his studies when he was working in the maintenance unit.
Skills that he picked up in the maintenance unit. About operating the auto-cue machine for Lee Kuan Yew’s National Day message. The first World Cup finals telecast in colour in 1974. Colour TV was officially launched in 1975.
How the Outdoor Broadcast (OB) Vans were fabricated to cover the National Day Parade (NDP) in colour in 1974. Details on how the new colour OB vans were fabricated. Described the atmosphere of covering the NDP live in the 1970s. How live footage was transferred in the 1970s.
Went for a six-month colour TV engineering course in the United Kingdom. Issues with colour quality in the 1970s. Various equipment available in for colour broadcast.
Explained the technical differences between a black and white and colour TV.
How he studied for his Chartered Engineering certificate on his own.
Recollection of Mrs Wong-Lee Siok Tin, Director of the Department of Broadcast. Impression of meeting Lee Kuan Yew in the television studios. More details on the two-mirror system before the auto-cue machine came into place.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 16
Metadata
- 23 Sep 2015
Recording Date
- 00:36:57
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Attended colour TV engineering course in the 1970s, United Kingdom. Received his certificate from Lord Thomson in London in 1974. Experiences living in Glasgow in six months.
Explained what he learnt during the six-month course.
On his return in 1975, he was posted to the Telecentre. Explained the role of the Telecentre and its links to the United Nations Development Programme. Taught broadcasting techniques. Formal training programmes on broadcasting introduced in the 1970s. His recollection of the Singtel Academy.
Job scope as Head of training at the Telecentre (1975 – 1980). Reasons why the training programmes at Telecentre stopped.
Fond memories during the five-years as Head of Training.
Reasons for returning to Radio Television Singapore (RTS) in 1980.
His role as Engineer-in-Charge in 1980 when the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) was formed. Challenges in producing Chinese dramas in the 1980s. Examples of complaints made to him as Engineer-in-Charge during the productions of Chinese dramas.
SBC management changes in the 1980s and 1990s.
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Reel/Disc 7 of 16
Metadata
- 23 Sep 2015
Recording Date
- 00:35:24
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Introduction of “live” night entertainment shows in the broadcast industry in the 1980s. Recollection of the first National Day Parade (NDP) “live” night show in 1986. Technical challenges in broadcasting “live” NDP night shows. Success of NDP night shows that continued from 1986. Explained the preparation work that went into organising the “live” NDP show. Equipment used and technology for live broadcasting in the 1980s. Communications between staff during the NDP night shows.
Short description of the production set of the historic Chinese drama series “The Awakening” (1984). Difficulty in finding local acting talent. About the Singapore Broadcast Corporation (SBC) training school set up in 1984.
Recollections of Mr Cheng Tong Fatt, General Manager of SBC (1984) and his ambitions for the broadcast sector. About Mr Cheng Tong Fatt’s ideas for the broadcast sector and his working style.
How Singapore hosted (under the Singapore Tourism and Promotion Board, STPB) and broadcasted the Miss Universe in 1987. The team sent to learn from the 1986 Miss Universe in Panama.
Disagreements between cameramen and engineers on what type of cameras to buy. Film cameras used during the 1970s.
First time coverage of the General Elections (GE) nationwide in 1984. His role as Engineer-in-charge on the first nationwide coverage of GE in 1984. Operational problems encountered during the nationwide coverage of GE.
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Reel/Disc 8 of 16
Metadata
- 30 Sep 2015
Recording Date
- 00:37:10
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Broadcasting equipment in 1970s and 80s and how it improved over time.
Setting up of the in-house Film Processing Lab in the 1970s. The role of the Telecine Unit. Described the process of film processing. Problems and challenges with shooting on film and film processing.
Working relationship between the Film and Camera Unit and the Engineering Unit.
Video tape machines and its improvements over the years. Centralisation of the video tape machines in the 1970s.
Acquisition of portable cameras and the acquisition of Outdoor Broadcast (OB) vans.
Electronic News Gathering (ENG) systems acquired in the 1980s when the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) was formed. How it improved the quality and efficiency of broadcast.
Restructuring of the Telecine Unit in the 1980s.
Explained the TV-receive only satellite dish and its role. Explained how live transmission worked and the costs incurred for live transmission of football matches. About video-casette recorders and the improvements over the years. Built-in recorders in cameras. Problems in dealing with many formats of video recording.
Introduction and implementation of the Teletext in the 1980s.
Introduction of computer graphics in 1986. About the Super Nova equipment. Problems with early computer graphics.
Increased efforts to train staff in SBC in the 1980s. Setup of SBC training school in1984. Programmes run under the SBC training school.
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Reel/Disc 9 of 16
Metadata
- 30 Sep 2015
Recording Date
- 00:36:20
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Organisational changes when Radio Television Singapore (RTS) became Singapore Broadcasting Company (SBC) in 1980.Impact on the Engineering Division under SBC. Effective changes in terms of pay, staff rank, increase in manpower and expansion of the Engineering Division.
About the setup of the Commercial Production Unit. Promotions he received under SBC. His role as Head of Operations and Methods in 1991. How studies were done to improve work processes and organisational structure. Reshuffle of cameramen.
Memories of retrenchment in the 1990s.
Recalled the setup of the Singapore International Media Communications (SIM-Comm ) where the Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS) came under. Problems with the organisational structure of SIM and TCS in 1994.
Reasons why Mediacorp was formed in 1999.
His roles and job scope under SIM-Comm, TCS. Problems in the rental of studios.
Reflections on his role as Head of Engineering under SIM-Comm, TCS. Problems he faced such as viewer complaints.
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Reel/Disc 10 of 16
Metadata
- 30 Sep 2015
Recording Date
- 00:35:32
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Recollection of key events in the 1990s. Introduction of Stereo audio.
About the first Star Search and Star Awards.
Launch of AM Singapore and the first local English drama, Masters of the Sea. Some challenges on the production of local English drama. Short recollection of Channel 12 and English sitcoms.
In 1996, TCS won Asian Television Awards, his memories on how some Chief Executive Officer (CEO) viewed those awards differently.
Elaborated on how he championed digital TV in the whole Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region in 1998. Chaired a National Committee and travelled to many countries to consider which Digital TV standard Singapore should adopt. Reasons behind the decision to adopt the European DVB for digital TV in Singapore. Described the move from analogue TV to digital within ASEAN.
His feelings for receiving the award for industry excellence in 2003 for the work done on digital TV.
Elaborated the differences between analogue TV to digital TV.
How Mediacorp prepared for the digital age. About the new Mediacorp Fusionpolis studios. How tapes were manually moved around in the past. About the old equipment and space in Caldecott Hill. Opening ceremony of the new Mediacorp premises in Fusionpolis in 2016.
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