COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA
304
Doctor and You, a programme co-produced with the Hong Kong Medical Association, adopted a new approach by using ‘infotainment' format and seeking greater audience participation. The Sex Education programme completed its fifth series.
RTHK's Educational Television Division and the Education Department continued to jointly produce curriculum-based and special educational programmes for schools. These programmes, transmitted on the commercial television channels for eight hours every weekday during school time, were watched by about 622 000 school children from Primary 3 to Secondary 3.
Sound Broadcasting
Fifteen radio channels are broadcasting in Hong Kong - seven operated by RTHK, three by the Hong Kong Commercial Broadcasting Company (Commercial Radio), three by Metro Broadcast Corporation Limited (Metro Broadcast), and two by the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS).
Radio Television Hong Kong (Radio)
RTHK, a publicly-funded station, is charged with providing balanced and objective broadcasting services to inform, educate and entertain the people of Hong Kong. Its news and public affairs programmes aim to provide timely, accurate and in-depth news reports. The Director of Broadcasting is its editor-in-chief.
RTHK maintained its international links with overseas radio stations-Apart from co-operating with the BBC, the Chinese Programme Service co-produced programmes with radio stations in China and overseas, and Chinese communities abroad were kept informed of developments in Hong Kong and vice versa.
RTHK now broadcasts 1 148 hours a week. Its main Chinese and English services, Radio 1 and Radio 3 respectively, operate 24 hours a day. The station has developed an individual identity for each of its channels.
Radio 1 is the main news and information channel of the Chinese Programme Service. It provides fast, accurate and in-depth financial, traffic and weather reports. Major political and social events are covered extensively and the public mood of the time is aptly reflected through the channel's phone-in programmes Talkabout and Headliner.
The three hour public affairs magazine programme Newsrama has become a major feature of Radio 1, bringing to listeners up to the minute happenings around the territory to the listeners. Guangdong on the Line was relaunched in September for a 20-episode series in co-operation with Guangdong Radio Station to improve understanding of the legal systems in China and Hong Kong. Radio 1 also provides family magazine and sports programmes for the more mature listener. The channel carried comprehensive reports on the 1992 Olympic Games round the clock during the two-week period of the Games.
Radio 2, the most popular station in the territory, is designed as a youth channel and provides programmes ranging from civic education to entertainment. The channel organises a large number of community activities for its audience. Spearheaded by a number of youth organisations, the Solar Project campaign was produced to encourage the young generation to play a positive role in community affairs; the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award Presentation Concert which was in its 15th year to promote local music talent, raised funds for charitable organisations.