CONFIDENTIAL
нко 306 // .HKB. 301 /
011524
JF COPY
DIS a DisM
MDHIAN 7978
23
حمت
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 3256
OF 020935Z OCTOBER 89
INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG, PEKING
HKD306/2
22
HKD 306/1
2
OUR TELNOS 3272 OF 6 SEPTEMBER 1988 AND 134 OF 11 JANUARY 1989: BBC WORLD SERVICE RELAY IN HONG KONG
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1. NEW FM BROADCASTING ARRANGEMENTS WILL COME IN ON 3 DECEMBER 1989. CERTAIN TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD 3 DECEMBER · 31 DECEMBER 1989 HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED BY THE BROADCASTING AUTHORITY. AS A RESULT, RETENTION OF THE NAME ''RTHK RADIO 5'' BY THE 24-HOUR BBC WORLD SERVICE RELAY WOULD NOW NO LONGER SERVE IT ORIGINAL PURPOSE OF ENSURING A LOW PROFILE FOR THE EXTENDED BROADCASTS.
2. FOLLOWING THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW FM PLAN ON 3 DECEMBER, RTHK RADIO 5 CONSISTING OF BBC WORLD SERVICE AND RTHK MINORITY LANGUAGE BROADCASTS WILL MOVE TO 783 KHZ ON THE AM WAVE-BAND. IT WILL THEN BE SEPARATED INTO TWO DISTINCT CHANNELS, ONE FOR CHINESE PROGRAMMES AND ONE FOR THE BBC WORLD SERVICE, ON 1 JANUARY 1990. FROM 1 JANUARY 1990, THE WORLD SERVICE WILL BE BROADCAST ON A 24-HOUR BASIS FROM PING CHAU ON 675 KHZ AM. IF WE RETAIN THE ''RADIO 5'' NAME, WE RISK DRAWING UNDUE ATTENTION TO IT BECAUSE THE STATION WILL CHANGE FREQUENCIES TWICE.
3. TO MAINTAIN A LOW PROFILE PRESENTATION, RTHK NOW PROPOSES THAT THE WORLD SERVICE BECOME ''RADIO 6'' (AS ORIGINALLY PROPOSED) WHEN IT MOVES TO 675 KHZ. THE MAIN PUBLICITY AT THAT TIME WOULD FOCUS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE CULTURAL AND MINORITY INTEREST PROGRAMMES ON WHAT WOULD CONTINUE TO BE CALLED ''RADIO 511 ON 783 KHZ. THIS IS HOW WE NOW PLAN TO HANDLE THE ISSUE.
4. THE NEW FM FREQUENCY ARRANGEMENTS AND THE RESULTING CHANGES ON AM WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT A PRESS CONFERENCE THIS (MONDAY) AFTERNOON.
5. WE WILL LET THE BBC KNOW FORMALLY ABOUT THE ABOVE ARRANGEMENTS, BUT YOU MAY WISH TO GIVE THEM ADVANCE NOTICE PARTICULARLY OF THE PROPOSED STARTING DATE FOR THE 24-HOUR RELAY (1 JANUARY 1990).
WILSON