Rediffusion Cable radio service. Rediffusion started as British Electric Traction— a company which provided power cables for trams in the United Kingdom in the late 19th century and early 20th century. When radio broadcasting began in the United Kingdom in 1922, the company decided to capitalize on its existing network of cables by running additional ‘cable radio wires’ through them. These wires carried radio signals using an alternating current (AC) through the same cables that carried direct- current (DC) power to trams. Thus, Rediffusion (literally ‘broadcasting again’) was founded in March 1928.

Rediffusion was first introduced to Singapore in 1949, marking the company’s first foray into broadcasting in Asia. The combination of affordable subscriptions ($5 a month) and local programming made the service extremely popular, and the ubiquitous Rediffusion box was soon found in almost every home, shop and office.

Many well- known names from Singapore’s entertainment industry were first featured on Rediffusion. Cantonese storyteller Lee Dai Soh and his Hokkien counterpart, Ong Toh, all began their careers on Rediffusion.

In the 1970s, Rediffusion, like radio itself, lost some of its popularity due to the rise of television. However, it has continued to broadcast to its customers (for a monthly charge) and, since 2000, it has ventured into digital audio broadcasting.

Photo credit: Singapore Press Holdings/ New Nation