If you watch TV2’s Chinese news at 12pm, you’ll probably recognise the two senior anchors of the channel, Victor Teo (张钟霖) and Wil Liew (刘振业). Both have served the station for over a decade, Liew having worked there for 15 years while Teo has been there for 14 years.
On 14th April, both Liew and Teo announced they would be resigning. The announcement, made on their personal Facebook pages, did not disclose the reason for it. However, the sudden and simultaneous announcement surprised many.
For Liew, his last broadcast was on 12th April. “After reporting the news, I would like to say, Thank you for watching, I am (Wil Liew), we will meet again,” he wrote. “After today, I will not repeat this line again.” Teo’s final broadcast was on 13th April. He admitted he had mixed feelings after the evening broadcast, but he was also relieved. “The 10-year career of anchoring in the state-run TV station has come to an end,” Teo said.
Both Teo and Liew recollected their time at the station, fondly remembering their first days there. Liew began working with TV2 on 3rd July 2006. He said he never thought he “would be fortunate enough to witness the transformation of the state-run TV2 Chinese news in these 15 years“. Teo began anchoring for TV2 Chinese News in 2012. He recalled going through many TV reforms, personnel changes, interviewing and broadcasting major accidents, and stepping on “landmines”. “Some people say, “The space of state-run media is created by the brave,” he said. “This sentence is not exaggerated.”
While both news anchors had fond memories of their work, they admitted they had wanted to leave for a while. “This was a difficult decision,” Teo stated. “It is not easy to leave the job you like!” Both said they stayed because of what a predecessor, Ms. Chen (陈丽珠) had said: “The Chinese news of the state-run TV station should be decent. Don’t let people look down on it.”
While the two stayed on for as long as they could, they eventually made the decision to leave. “It takes courage to come to power, and courage to step down,” Liew penned. “To invest requires enthusiasm, and to give up requires countless discouragement…”
Liew also clarified that while they work at the state-run TV station, they are not civil servants. According to him, it is a common misconception people had. “Many people also think that being able to work in a state-run TV station means having an ‘iron rice bowl’ (an occupation with guaranteed job security, steady income and benefits),” he said. “The thing is… we are not civil servants!”
While both were grateful for all they had learned at the station and the people they have met, the two are ready to move on to the next chapter of their lives. “I hope I can learn new things and start a new life in a new environment,” Teo said.
While we may not know the real reason on why the pair decided to resign, we wish them all the best for the future. Who knows? We may see them elsewhere instead!
Sources: China Press, Facebook (1)(2), Rojak La!
