Channel i News
{{Infobox television
| image =
| caption =
| director =
| starring = Paul Jansen
Arnold Gay
Michelle Quah
| opentheme =
| composer =
| country = Singapore
| language = English
| executive_producer =
| producer =
| editor =
| location =
| camera = Multi-camera
| runtime = 30 minutes (8:30pm to 9:00pm Singapore Time at closing time).
| company = SPH MediaWorks
| network = Channel i
| first_aired = {{Start date|2001|5|20|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{End date|2004|12|31|df=y}}
| related = Singapore Tonight
}}
Channel i News (formerly TVWorks News and Straits Times TV News) was a Singaporean daily evening news bulletin broadcast on Channel i since its inception until its closure. It employed synergies from Singapore Press Holdings' print publications, most notoriously The Straits Times, which used its name until 2003.
History
The first TVWorks news bulletins aired on 20 May 2001. TVWorks broadcast two news bulletins at 7:30pm and 10:30pm.{{cite web |date=21 May 2001 |title=Page 17 |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/page/today20010521-1.1.17 |access-date=2 January 2025 |website=Today (retrieved from NLB)}} The first 7:30 bulletin was presented by Michelle Quah and the first 10:30 bulletin by Paul Jansen.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_bB3_oQREc SPH Mediaworks Channel i - Last Transmission] Although the first edition of TV Works News was plagued by minor technical issues,{{cite web |date=22 May 2001 |title=Here comes the competition |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/streats20010522-1.2.2 |access-date=2 January 2025 |website=Streats (retrieved from NLB)}} the bulletin was known for its novel ideas, such as ending the bulletins with live jazz performances by the Singapore Stompers.{{cite web |date=23 May 2001 |title=BOB NG |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/eyeball20010523-1.2.15.4.3.1 |access-date=2 January 2025 |website=Project Eyeball (retrieved from NLB)}}[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCtt3TvAUpI Singapore Stompers live on TV Works] Unlike its competitor News 5 Tonight, TV Works News aimed more at local news.{{cite web |date=4 July 2001 |title=Straits Times TV news bulletins are refreshing |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20010704-1.2.25.6?qt=%22straits%20times%20tv%22&q=%22Straits%20Times%20TV%22 |access-date=2 January 2025 |website=The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB)}}
On 13 June 2001, the channel's news operation angered the Filipino community over controversial remarks from Michelle Quah telling viewers that the Abu Sayyaf hostages were "fortunately not American" led to accusations of portrayals of Filipinos as maids or prostitutes.{{cite web |date=14 June 2001 |title=TV station's hostage remark offends Filipinos |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/today20010614-2.2.2.2 |access-date=2 January 2025 |website=Today (retrieved from NLB)}} Quah apologised on the following evening's newscast, after news of the incident reached news wires.{{cite web |date=15 June 2001 |title=Story of a slip-up |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/today20010615-1.2.7.1 |access-date=2 January 2025 |website=Today (retrieved from NLB)}}
On 3 September 2001, the same day TV Works introduced a new schedule in order to recoup losses from the initial format,{{cite web |date=2 September 2001 |title=TV Works gets exciting new look |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20010902-1.2.7.6 |access-date=13 September 2023 |website=The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB)}} the news moved to 9:30pm and adopted a two-anchor format, presented by Arnold Gay and Michelle Quah;{{cite web |date=1 September 2001 |title=Broader coverage for TV Works news |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20010902-1.2.7.6 |access-date=2 January 2025 |website=The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB)}} the former returned to SPH.{{cite web |date=2 September 2001 |title=Good news: Arnie's back |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20010902-1.2.69.19 |access-date=2 January 2025 |website=The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB)}}
In order to increase its identity and ratings, SPH MediaWorks announced on 12 May 2003{{cite web |date=12 May 2003 |title=LIFE! |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20030512-1.2.5.4 |access-date=2 January 2025 |website=The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB)}}{{cite web |date=12 May 2003 |title=i ON THE NEWS |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20030512-1.2.47.10 |access-date=2 January 2025 |website=The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB)}} that it would rebrand Straits Times TV News as Channel i News effective 19 May 2003.{{cite web |date=19 May 2003 |title=CHANNEL i-nnovation |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/streats20030519-1.2.31.1 |access-date=14 September 2023 |website=Streats (retrieved from NLB)}} The new look was heavily visual in nature.{{cite web |date=19 May 2003 |title=Seeing will be believing on i News |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20030519-1.2.53.9.1 |access-date=15 September 2023 |website=The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB)}} Its journalist Deborah Ng in July fed the story of the surgical operation of Iranian twins Laleh and Ladan Bijani to US network CNN in July 2003.{{cite web |date=19 May 2003 |title=Channel i journalist on CNN with Iranian twins updates |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20030708-1.2.51.2.14.1 |access-date=2 January 2025 |website=The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB)}} In order to clear more time to entertainment programming, the bulletin moved to 8:30pm on 3 November 2003.{{cite web |date=3 November 2003 |title=i will look different |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/streats20030519-1.2.31.1 |access-date=14 September 2023 |website=The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB)}}{{cite web |date=3 November 2003 |title=WHAT YOU CAN LOOK FORWARD ON i |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20031103-1.2.56.6 |access-date=14 September 2023 |website=The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB)}} On 4 December 2003, Channel i News was awarded "Best News Programme" at the 2003 Asian Television Awards.{{cite web |date=5 December 2003 |title=Channel i News is best in Asia |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20031205-1.2.3 |access-date=14 September 2023 |website=The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB)}} The award was given mainly because of its 2003 refresh.{{cite web |date=6 December 2003 |title=i-catching graphics |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20031206-1.2.43.6 |access-date=14 September 2023 |website=The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB)}}
The final edition of Channel i News aired on 31 December 2004 at the usual time{{cite web |date=1 January 2005 |title=That's all, folks, from Channel i news |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20050101-1.2.37.3 |access-date=14 September 2023 |website=The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB)}} and was repeated at 1am, effectively becoming the last programme seen on the channel.{{cite web|url=http://sphmediaworks.com/chi/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041230160852/http://sphmediaworks.com/chi/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2004-12-30|title=Channel i Final Week Schedule {{!}} SPH Mediaworks|access-date=2024-09-25|website=sphmediaworks.com}} The final segment consisted of a brief retrospective of the channel's news and current affairs programming followed by a farewell message from the channel's news team.