2

The

thus control the management of television companies.

first implication concerns the personal financial gains of

shareholders whereas the latter concerns the kinds of

programmes to be broadcast which touch on the welfare of

the community.

3.

Hong Kong is a city open to international

investment. Foreign investors are of course permitted to

make, through legal means, economic

gains.

However,

Government must maintain certain degree of monitoring of

areas like television broadcasting whose influence on the

society is great and therefore cannot be completely open

to free competition. The main emphasis of monitoring

should not be on

from making restricting foreigners

economic gains, but should instead

be on the power to

manage television broadcasting to ensure that it is in the interest of the Hong Kong community. So, if ownership and management could be separated, then the latter was

important.

more

4.

From the recently announced terms and conditions

for renewal of licences, it seems that Government intends

economic gains of shareholders by

to

restrict the

other hand,

it also

legislating against any single foreigner holding more than

10% of the total shares. On the

intends to replace the nationality requirement by

"permanent resident of Hong Kong". It can thus be argued

that

it

is

possible

that

shareholding

of

television

!

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