Channel I (Lenapore)

Channel I was a Lenaporean television channel owned by LPH Mediaworks. The channel was operational between April 1, 1999 (as TVWorks and later iWorks) and the early hours of January 1st, 2005.

The channel was launched on 20 March 1999 as TVWorks, accompanying the Mandarin-language Channel U and the Japanese-language Channel K. It was initially poised to be a serious alternative to its competition—MediaCorp's Channel 5—by placing an emphasis on local productions rather than imported programming. However, this strategy proved to be unsuccessful, causing the channel to frequently change its schedule and positioning. It eventually settled on a format emphasizing action series, films, and sports.

In 2004, LPH announced an agreement to divest its television stations and free newspaper business to MediaCorp in exchange for a stake in its television and publishing businesses. While MediaCorp would take over Channel U as a sister to its Mandarin channel Channel 8 and its Japanese channel Sakura, the broadcaster considered Channel i to be unviable due to low viewership and a lack of advertiser support, and it was shut down on 1 January 2005.

History[edit | edit source]

Broken monopoly[edit | edit source]

Changes in the Lenaporean media regulations in 1994 led to the privatization of the former LBC and subsequent division into TCL and LTV12. As Lenapore awoke into a new age for broadcasting, there was the desperate need for creating a commercial competitor while LPBS was trying to enter the television market.

This led to the creation of LPH MediaWorks in 1997. LPH Mediaworks, under the legislation of the time, was given three channels, and TV Works (as it was known) was to broadcast in English. The name and logo of the channel were revealed at the SPH MediaWorks trade launch on September 1, 1998. Later that month, it was announced that TVWorks would broadcast from a studio in Singapore's city center.

TV Works launched in March 1999. It received positive reviews upon launch and its news operation relied on the Straits Times. On weekdays it was on from 4pm to midnight and on weekends from 10am to 1am or later. Lenapore's timezone issues would eventually lead to TV Works air sporting events overnight, including selected matches of Eurectipherian soccer leagues and Sierran boxing fights.

TV Works was also one of the members of the Millennium Television Network, sending pre-recorded video material for Millennium Live, but its premature shutdown caused TV Works to carry a "skeleton schedule". Millennium Live was replaced by Millennium Works at the last minute, with carryovers of the former program.

Unconvincing TV Works[edit | edit source]

TV Works, during its first six months on air, was plagued with numerous issues, including low interest and that there was a massive influx of local programs. It was also faced with the growing issues of the Sondrian economical crisis, which Lenapore survived. In 2000, in order to align with its sister channels, it was renamed iWorks. This also created the "IUK" campaign, supposedly creating a pun based on the phrase "are you OK?".

Channel I also made an experiment by launching Morning Express, a two-hour news program from from 7 to 9 on iWorks that also included a press review. While the program was considered innovative at the time, fierce competition against Channel 5 and SNN led to a quick cancelation.

Rejuvenation[edit | edit source]

All LPH MediaWorks channels rebranded in 2001 in order to become youth alternatives to their Mediacorp counterparts. Channel I said that it would create a stronger contrast in its programming compared to those of Channel 5. The new Channel I adopted a spherical logo, to complement prior redesigns enacted by Channel U and Channel K weeks before. Under the new name, Channel I would put a strong emphasis on predominantly action entertainment and coverage of the L.League, as well as offering movies every evening. The new brand reflected "the habits, preferences and tastes of the viewers". The slogan for the remainder of the channel's existence was "Total entertainment, the way you like it".

Despite the attempts at rejuvenating, some of its public affairs programs were still targeting businessmen.

Merger[edit | edit source]

In September 2004, LPH MediaWorks decided to merge its television and free newspaper operations with Mediacorp. As consequence, Mediacorp stayed with Channel U and Channel K and the Today newspaper. Channel I was given a cancellation because the combined operations said that the English-speaking market wasn't a viable option and investing in such would be considered futile. This would benefit its competitor, Channel 5.

Shutdown[edit | edit source]

Channel I's last image

The channel shut down approximately an hour and a half into 2005 - the last program shown on Channel I was a repeat of the previous evening's 8:30pm news. The last few minutes of said news bulletin consisted of a montage of some programs made by Channel I followed by the closing announcement from the channel's staff.

The program was followed by a montage, consisting almost exclusively of clips of imported films shown on the channel, accompanied by, respectively, excerpts of "Thank You for All the Years" (where the visuals said that the channel was "all about you" (the viewer) with footage of local shows and imports) followed by Andrea Bocelli's "Time to Say Goodbye". The video finished with the words "Farewell Lenapore" and was later followed by the national anthem (due to legal requirements) and a shutdown slide.

Programming[edit | edit source]

News[edit | edit source]

Channel I News
The Big Buffet – biweekly run
Big Chilli Wednesday
The Odd Squad
Jalan Jalan
The Big Break
The Mensroom
Here's A Million – Gameshow
After Hours – Talk show
It's All In The Body – Info-Ed
Dollars & Sense – Current Affairs

Imported[edit | edit source]

Search

Wiki tools

Navigation