PRESS, PUBLISHING, BROADCASTING, FILMS AND TOURISM 277
all urban areas and to many outlying villages on the Island and in the New Territories. At present the system embraces more than 1,400,000 yards of main trunk network and approximately 3,500,000 yards of subscribers' installation cabling. Distribution is from thirteen sub-stations, feeding 26 kiosks from which 175 feeders radiate to approximately $59,000 Rediffusion loudspeakers.
On 29th May Rediffusion moved to the new Rediffusion House building on Gloucester Road and now operates from the most modern studios in the Far East. The new building was officially opened by His Excellency the Governor, Sir Robert Black. The new Rediffusion House contains three television studios and five audio studios, all air-conditioned, from which three simultaneous sound programmes are originated daily from 7 a.m. to midnight, two networks (Gold & Silver) being in Chinese and one (Blue) in English.
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Approximately 16% of Rediffusion programmes are commer- cially sponsored. The Chinese programme offers music, news, drama, talks, sports, commentaries, women's features, children's shows, comedy, story-telling and theatre relays in Cantonese, Mandarin, Swatow, Hakka, Shanghai and other dialects. The English service features continuous daily broadcasts of musical entertainment, plays, studio presentations, news, B.B.C, and other relays, sports events, stock-market news, features for women and children, and many other presentations. Chinese broadcasts raised more than $300,000 for needy families at the Chinese New Year.
Rediffusion employs 475 local staff of whom 98% are Chinese, in addition to a great many musicians, soloists, story-tellers and dramatic artists.
Rental for a loudspeaker is $10 per month, and subscribers have a constant choice of the three programmes which, together, involve the origination of 51 hours of programmes each day.
Rediffusion, which commenced thirty two years ago in the United Kingdom, operates in many parts of the Commonwealth and the Hong Kong company, locally controlled, is part of this world-wide organization.
Television. Rediffusion (H.K.) Ltd. opened the first television service in any British Colony in May 1957, and the service has been growing in popularity and quality of service since that date.