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Radio
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4.
The main competition is between RTHK and the privately-owned Commercial Radio. They attract broadly equal shares of the radio
audience. RTHK operates five channels two in Chinese, two in English and one bilingual while Commercial Radio operates two
Chinese channels and one English-language service. There is also a
British Forces Broadcasting Service operating two channels, one in
Nepali and the other in English, mainly for service personnel.
Printed Media
5.
Hong Kong has a wide range of dailies representing a broad
spectrum of political opinion. Not counting a significant number of so-called "mosquito" papers that provide a mix of sex, violence and racing tips, there are about 20 dailies that could reasonably be described as newspapers.
6.
The main English language paper is the South China Morning
Post (circulation 65,000), which was acquired by Rupert Murdoch in
June 1986 and, as a result, is no longer as pro-establishment as
previously. (The Sunday edition of the paper ran one instalment of
extracts from "Spycatcher" but was then restrained when HMG obtained
an injunction in the Hong Kong courts. The paper is vigorously
opposing the order.) Its rival is the Hong Kong Standard
(circulation 15,000).
7.
The leading Chinese language newspapers are the Oriental
Daily (410,000), Sing Pao (300,000), Ming Pao (100,000) and Hong
Kong Daily News (100,000). The specialised Hong Kong Economic
Journal (50,000) is recognised as a "serious" paper. All of them
pursue an independent editorial line. There are three communist
dailies, Wen Wel Po (70,000), Ta Kung Pao (60,000) and New Evening
Post (50,000), and one Kuomintang-funded (i.e. pro-Taiwan)
newspaper, the Hong Kong Times (15,000), which generally toe their
respective party lines.
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