MediaCorp announces special programming and coverage to mark the passing of Singapore’s founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew

SINGAPORE — MediaCorp announces special programmes and coverage on television and radio and in print to commemorate the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first Prime Minister. The founding father of modern Singapore and one of the world’s most respected statesmen died this morning at age 91, after being hospitalised on Feb 5, when he was admitted for severe pneumonia.

During the period of National Mourning over the next seven days, regular television and radio programming will make way for special coverage. At 8am today, there will be The Prime Minister’s Address to the Nation, a live broadcast of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s address to the nation, on MediaCorp TV channels, radio stations and internet video service Toggle:

MediaCorp TV stations

Channel 5

Channel 8

Suria

Vasantham

Channel NewsAsia

Channel U

OKTO

All MediaCorp Radio Stations

938LIVE

Capital 95.8FM

Warna 94.2FM

Oli 96.8FM

Class 95FM

Gold 90.5FM

987FM

Lush 99.5FM

Symphony 92.4FM

Love 97.2FM

Y.E.S. 93.3FM

Ria 89.7FM

Expat Radio 96.3 XFM

Online

Live streamed on www.channelnewsasia.com and www.toggle.sg and will be made available on for catch up viewing later.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew, an icon in Singapore’s history, led the country through nation-building and its transformation from a British colony into a successful nation with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. The special coverage will also focus on the impact of his life’s work.

TELEVISION HIGHLIGHTS

• Time Nor Tide: Remembering Lee Kuan Yew – a three-part documentary tracing his life and work from the time Mr Lee entered politics, including exclusive archive footage and interviews with local and international personalities

• Lee Kuan Yew: In His Own Words – a six-part series showing extracts of key speeches made by Mr Lee over the years, covering themes close to his heart

• Lee Kuan Yew: Forging A Nation – a series of capsules, each about five minutes, which illustrate key points in Singapore’s history including the 1959 Elections and key policy decisions that affected the course of the country’s development

These programmes will be telecast on MediaCorp’s free-to-air channels Channel NewsAsia, Channel 5, Channel 8, Suria and Vasantham, in English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. They will also be available online on channelnewsasia.com and toggle.sg.

RADIO HIGHLIGHTS

• Time Nor Tide: Remembering Lee Kuan Yew – an audio version of the TV documentary described above

• Lee Kuan Yew: In His Own Words – extracts of key speeches made by Mr Lee over the years, covering themes close to his heart

• Remembering Lee Kuan Yew – newsmakers share their views on Mr Lee and his legacy

• Leading The Nation: The Battle For Merger – a series of ten radio broadcasts made by Mr Lee in 1963 about merging with Malaysia

• Leading The Nation – a series of other iconic speeches that reflect the political battle to build a democratic society in Singapore’s early years

These programmes will be broadcast on the four news and information stations 938LIVE, Capital 95.8FM, Warna 94.2FM and Oli 96.8FM.

In reflecting the public mood, MediaCorp radio stations will adjust their music playlists.

COVERAGE OF THE PROCESSION TO THE LYING IN STATE CEREMONY AND STATE FUNERAL

On Wednesday 25 March, at 9.00am, MediaCorp television and radio will broadcast Farewell to Lee Kuan Yew - Lying in State Ceremony. The programme will follow the funeral procession to the lying in state ceremony, live on Channel NewsAsia, Channel 5, Channel 8, Suria and Vasantham and the four news and information radio stations. It will be in the four official languages of Singapore, English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. The programme will also be shown on MediaCorp’s interactive video service, Toggle.

On Sunday 29 March, at 12pm, MediaCorp television and radio will broadcast Farewell to Lee Kuan Yew, the state funeral proceedings, live on all MediaCorp TV channels, including Channel NewsAsia International, and the four news and information radio stations, in the four official languages. The proceedings will also be made available to broadcasters internationally via satellite feed.

Further coverage details of the Lying In State ceremony and State Funeral will be announced at a later date.

TODAY COVERAGE

A special edition of TODAY, MediaCorp’s newspaper, will be issued today from 12noon, devoted to Mr Lee. This will include a retrospective of his life, how he impacted every facet of Singapore’s development and success and interviews with his family and those who worked with him. TODAY will provide extensive coverage of the funeral and events leading up to the funeral.

Please refer to the websites of the respective TV channels for the revised TV schedules. The latest news updates can be found on www.channelnewsasia.com and www.todayonline.com and their Facebook and Twitter pages.