How would you characterise the year 2023? For the Singapore media team, we would like to condense this year with a single word: dynamic.

This year witnessed media outlets undergoing rebranding, podcasts taking to the streets, and significant editorial appointments that contributed to the ever-changing landscape.

Kicking things off with some noteworthy editorial appointments of the year. Here are a few that caught our attention:

Chan Cheow Pong assumes the role of Executive Editor at BT
Steve Lai steps into Chief Presenter role at BBC News in January 2024
Han Weiding appointed as Deputy Chief Editor at 8world Entertainment Lifestyle
Irshath Mohamed is appointed as the News Editor and Venga Subramaniam assumes the role of Digital Editor at Tamil Murasu
David Winning takes the helm as the new Chief Newswires Editor for APAC at Dow Jones Newswires, with Colin Ng stepping in as the new Deputy Chief Newswires Editor for APAC
Eveline Danubrata holds the position of Managing Editor, Asia at REDD Intelligence
Jasmine Ng and Clara Ferreira Marques takes on the position of Managing Editor at Bloomberg (Singapore) while Linus Chua is now the APAC Executive Editor
Sara Yap steps into the role of Digital Editorial Director at Prestige

These new appointments mark a significant change in leadership across different media platforms.

Moving on, let's highlight noteworthy updates in the media industry:

In recent developments, SPH Media Limited has successfully acquired Tech in Asia. Under the same media spotlight, Heart Media Group initiated the relaunch of Esquire Singapore in June 2023 and revealed plans for the upcoming relaunch of ELLE Singapore in March 2024.

On the milestone front, Lianhe Zaobao commemorated its 100^th anniversary in September, while Tamil Murasu celebrated its 88^th year in July. The Smart Local Media Group marked a decade of content creation with a focus on community-first initiatives. Mothership.sg also commemorated its 10^th year in September.

New titles have made their debut, adding to the dynamic and ever-changing fabric of the media landscape. This includes GRAZIA Singapore, myBT by The Business Times, Tatler GMT, and LA REVUE DES MONTRES. 

This year, we also witnessed the exciting launch of podcasts that have quickly gained momentum. Some examples include Social Capital Matters, 茶水间三问, Hatch & Hustle, CFO Talks, The Building Series, and The Honeycombers Podcast.

In an effort to engage a younger audience, media publications took a step further by introducing new social media channels. CNA, ST, and Business Insider, for instance, launched on WhatsApp.

Lastly, noteworthy transformations occurred in the media landscape, with several publications giving themselves a new image through rebranding or revamping efforts. O+ by OGS, for instance, now goes by Ribbit.FYI. Growing Pains has undergone a rebranding to become The HoneyKids Asia Podcast. Additionally, Insider is now known as Business Insider.

This year's Singapore Media Alert featured in-depth profiles on various media outlets and engaging interviews with journalists. Here's a glimpse of some standout interviews in case you missed them.

Publication Profile:
CNA Lifestyle
TheSmartLocal.com
The Climate Conversations

Telum Talks To:
Michelle Low, Deputy News Editor, The Business Times
Irshath Mohamed, News Editor, Tamil Murasu
Pakkee Tan, Editor-in-Chief, GRAZIA Singapore

As we wrap up 2023, Telum Media looks back on a year filled with exciting developments in the media industry. We're eagerly anticipating bringing you even more updates in the upcoming year. Stay tuned for more insights!

Read the roundup online or share the link here.