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Page 2 EDITORIALS, FEATURES
South China Morning Post
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 1972
Government's decision
on television
There has been a good deal if discussion in recent months more private than public on whether Hongkong would be best served by a continuation of the existing television network or by the addition of one or more channels.
Mr Andrew Eu, Managing Director of Television Broadcasts Ltd, has spoken in favour of maintaining the status quo largely because he felt there was insufficient adverti ing revenue to support an additional station, particularly in the Chinese language which is the money-spinner.
No doubt if Mr Eu looks back to the days before TVB came into being he might have wondered whether there was sufficient money to support a second television station.
But there was, and despite the competition of more than 70 daily newspapers, radio stations, and a host of magazines not to mention cinemas, billboards, tramsides and ferry piers the advertising dollar has steadily grown. And it would be surprising if the market did not grow to accommodate a third Chinese channel.
Cities smaller than Hongkong have found it possible to support more channels than we have.
It was Lord Thomson who said that a television station is a licence to print money; however, it clearly involves a large outlay of funds to establish it and to keep its programmes up to the mark.
The public's only concern is the quality of the entertainment and Government has made it clear that this is to be the main criterion.
In other words, the calling of tenders is not to be another happy hunting ground for fly-by-night investors but hopefully limited to those with both adequate financial backing and long experience in the business.
It is immediately apparent that Rediffusion stands a strong chance of winning, the tender for one of the two new stations by converting to a broadcast signal.
In the meantime Government will permit wired TV to continue until the second station is on the air.
If RTV wins one of the tenders, the future of wired TV will have been decided p. inlessly (except for the viewer with the obsolete set). Though again if better contenders emerge the wired TV dilemma must not be allowed to influence the final choice.
Generally speaking, however, the viewing public will welcome the advent of a third station if for no other reason than the variet it promises.
How to make it pay and at the same time conform to acceptable standards is the operator's and Government's responsibility.
Conditions can be made flexible enough to enable all stations to get the most in terms of advertising revenue out of peak vi wing times, and royalty arrangements.
Other media may feel the Craught of this decision but to most it will be take 1 as a challenge and a spur to improvement.
We firmly believe that newpapers will long continue to be the ideal mesum for news, views and features for their readers and in this way increasingly enhance their advertisers.
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