COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA
Television
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Television viewing continues to be Hong Kong's prime leisure activity with more than 95 per cent of households owning one television set or more. Two franchised commercial wireless broadcasting stations, Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) and Asia Television Limited (ATV), transmit an average of 500 hours of programming each week and together provide two English and two Chinese-language services for the community. The UHF 625-line PAL colour system is standard and virtually all transmission is in colour. Both TVB and ATV maintain large well-equipped studios and office complexes using the latest production and transmission technologies.
The television stations are licensed to operate under the provisions of the Television Ordinance which is administered by the Television Authority. The Commissioner for Television and Entertainment Licensing is responsible for the regulation of the stations' licences and the issue and enforcement_of the programme, advertising and technical standards required of the licensees. He is advised in these responsibilities by the Television Advisory Board. One of the main roles of the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority is to monitor regularly the performance of the television stations to ensure that the terms and conditions of their licence requirements are being met.
An important breakthrough has been made in the development of local television technology. The two television stations have launched a joint experiment with the digital multiplex sound system, with the aim of providing stereophonic and dual-sound program- mes to viewers. The experiment is being carried out in conjunction with the British Broadcasting Corporation. The introduction of such a service would give viewers a much wider choice of programme material in that apart from stereo-reception viewers would be able to receive the same programmes in either English or Cantonese.
Competition between the stations continues to be keen. This competition has brought benefits to the public in the form of more varied and sophisticated entertainment, information and educational programmes. However, station-produced serialised drama remains the major attraction on Chinese services. These are mostly productions of martial arts dramas, soap operas and action adventures. There is also a sprinkling of social dramas. A few joint ventures in drama production with television stations in China have been undertaken.
There has been an appreciable increase in informative and educational/enrichment programmes. Putonghua lessons and keep-fit exercises appear almost every day on both Chinese services, and one of the stations has developed short programmes on etymology. Both stations produced special programmes on the district board elections held early in the year.
Television Home Viewing Groups appointed by the TELA have been in operation since 1982 in each of Hong Kong's 19 districts. These groups, set up with the assistance of district offices and having a total membership of 540, provide the authority with a continuing flow of public opinion on programming and advertising across a broad spectrum of the population. Three Regional Advisory Panels, one each for Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories, consisting of representative members drawn from each group, were established in 1983 and have served to keep the authority and members of the Television Advisory Board in close contact with the Home Viewing Groups.
Radio Television Hong Kong, which uses the transmission services of the two commer- cial stations, produced over 14 hours of public affairs programmes each week. Below the Lion Rock, On the Beat, Hong Kong Profile, and Streets of Hong Kong are highly acclaimed dramas, while Commonsense and Police Call remain among the top programmes.