COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA
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close contact with the government's overseas offices, commissioners and consuls-general of foreign countries in Hong Kong.
To promote Hong Kong's overseas public relations, the Visits Office has, since May 1985, been co-ordinating programmes on overseas speaking engagements for prominent people. Suitable platforms are arranged for influential Hong Kong personalities and other internationally-known people to speak for Hong Kong before audiences in North America, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom and other European countries.
Public Relations Consultants in the United States
In order to strengthen public relations efforts in North America, the government appointed the New York firm of Gavin Anderson and Company in October 1987 to implement a public relations plan and strategy for Hong Kong. As part of the overall plan they assist in the identification of speaking platforms in North America and in the drawing up of speaking tours for visiting high-level speakers from Hong Kong.
Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) Board of Governors
In order to enhance RTHK's identity as an objective public broadcaster, new legislation was introduced in late 1988 for the establishment of an RTHK Board of Governors. The role of the board will be to formulate and implement the broad policy objectives of RTHK within the overall terms of reference of the public broadcaster. The board will comprise nine members - eight members from a wide-cross section of the community, and one government officer. RTHK will be the executive arm of the statutory board under the direction of the Director of Broadcasting, who will be the chief executive officer of the board.
To avoid being subject to undue commercial pressure, the Board of Governors will receive government subvention for RTHK's radio and television productions and will be encouraged to market RTHK's programmes commercially.