·
favoured them.
CONFIDENTIAL
Hong Kong sought the advice of the BBC on
co-siting, and were told that whilst co-siting of transmitters
was desirable it was not absolutely essential.
5. Mr Royle had a word with the Governor in September about
Rediffusion's representations to him. We have subsequently
learnt that Hong Kong are continuing their discussions with TVB
and are hopeful that they may be prepared to modify their
attitude. In order to gain time for the solution of the problem,
legislation has been introduced into the Legislative Council to
extend TVB's current licence unchanged (it expires on 19 November)
for a limited period. The Governor hopes that it will still be
possible to call for tenders for the new stations before the end
of the year.
6. Mr Nigel Watt has been appointed Commissioner for Television
and Films and is to devote his full time to the arrangements
for the setting up of the new TV Stations.
LINE TO TAKE
7.
Mr Royle will want to raise this question with the Governor
in order to assure himself that the timetable is being adhered to
and that the tenders do in fact go out by the end of the year.
Any further delay may well destroy RTV (HK), which after all is the
subsidiary of a UK company and which pioneered television in
Hong Kong.
COPYRIGHT
8. We have been pressing the Hong Kong Government for some
considerable time to amend their local copyright legislation and
for the 1956 UK Copyright Act to be extended to cover Hong Kong.
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