PRESS, BROADCASTING AND CINEMA
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Chinese and English programmes on medium wave and VHF/FM. The Chinese service is also carried on short wave, principally for the benefit of the fishing fleets. The medium wave transmitters are at Hung Hom in Kowloon and the FM mast is on the summit of Mount Gough. Since 1951 Radio Hong Kong's studios and engineering services have been housed in Mercury House, the far eastern headquarters of Cable and Wireless Limited. An intended move to a building in the former naval base this year was tem- porarily frustrated when the fabric of the building was found to be unsound. Plans are now in hand for an entirely new site.
The principal language of the Chinese programmes is Cantonese although news bulletins and important announcements are also broadcast in Kuoyu, Chiuchow and Hakka. Educational material has become a feature of the Chinese service during recent years and these programmes, often related to specially issued text books command considerable attention among student listeners. Musical tastes among Chinese listeners range all the way from classical opera to modern Chinese and western songs favoured by younger listeners.
Regular news bulletins covering local and regional as well as world news are supplemented by the relay of BBC services in Kuoyu and Cantonese. A news magazine, 'Topical Events', is broadcast each weekday evening to give a background to local news. There is a big public for Radio Hong Kong's outside broadcasts, especially those from the race track and football matches. For the 18th Olympiad the station sent commentators to Tokyo and daily reports in Cantonese and Kuoyu were sent back each day for re-broadcast. This operation was carried out in conjunction with Radio Australia which used the broadcasts for the Chinese Overseas Service.
Radio Hong Kong's English programmes serve not only Euro- peans living in the Colony but the growing number of English- speaking Chinese. They include a high proportion of classical music and talks. Frequent discussion programmes are broadcast and current events are also covered in a daily news magazine.
Radio Hong Kong has now joined the Asian Broadcasting Union as an Associate Member and the director attended the first meeting of the Union, which was held in Sydney in November.