INTRODUCTION
Throughout the year under review Radio Hong Kong continued its policy of providing an increasingly sophisticated audience with information on the Government's activities and policies, and sought to involve the public intelligently in community matters.
This was done by providing a balanced diet
of entertainment, information, and education to attract audiences and create regular listening habits. Over the year the public showed that they were becoming more critical and selective in their listening and viewing. By telephone, by post and by comments to the press they made their preference for balance, depth and variety very clear; and, to a great extent, their requirements were met.
2.
One of RHK's principal functions is to provide the public with information on the Government's activities and policies. This means that a great amount of effort is devoted to news and public affairs which naturally requires close contact between RHK programme staff and various Government departments. It also raises the question of RHK's role within the Government machine. Often, in the process of making a balanced report on a situation, there appears to be criticism levelled at a Government department. RHK has throughout the year shown in its programmes that such comment does not set out to be destructive but rather to be fair to the audience by acknowledging their discerning intelligence. This is done by placing an event or situation in perspective with balanced reporting. The value of this professional approach can be seen in the public's positive response to both Chinese and English Radio and Television Services. The end result has been to increase the credibility both of RHK's public affairs programmes and, by extension, of the Government of Hong Kong.
The Year In Television
3.
After its humble beginnings in 1972 the Television Unit began to feel its strength in 1973/74. Programme output expanded and improved to such a degree that RHKTV's productions more than held their own, technically and in content with commercially produced material. Because RHKTV lacks its own transmitting facilities all programmes were screened through the four channels of the two commercial companies, which presented difficulties in arranging transmission times. Fortunately with the more realistic relationship between the programme companies and RHK, these difficulties were overcome.