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THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 1975
NEW WOMAN PRODUCER FOR "BELOW THE LION ROCK"
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FOR CHEUNG MAN-YEE 1975 PROMISES TO BE AN EXCITING YEAR.
AT THE END OF THE MONTH SHE FACES THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF HER CAREER IN TELEVISION WHEN SHE TAKES OVER AS PRODUCER/DIRECTOR OF RADIO HONG KONG TELEVISION'S PROGRAMME UNDER THE LION ROCK' FROM WONG WAH-KAY WHO STARTED THE SERIES TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO. WITH ITS 2.7 MILLION VIEWERS, UNDER THE LION ROCK' IS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL LOCAL TELEVISION PROGRAMMES TODAY.
MAN-YEE, WHO CELEBRATED HER BIRTHDAY ON CHRISTMAS DAY, FIRST BECAME INTERESTED IN TELEVISION WHEN SHE WAS A STUDENT AT THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY AND USED TO TRANSLATE SCRIPTS OF POPULAR OVERSEAS SERIES FOR REDIFFUSION.
+1.USED TO GO IN WEEKLY AND COLLECT THE SCRIPTS AND I GOT TO KNOW PEOPLE THERE. SOMEHOW I KNEW THAT I'D END UP WORKING IN TELEVISION, SHE SAID.
WHEN SHE GRADUATED THAT CHANCE CAME AND SHE JOINED REDIFFUSION AS COMPERE OF A PROGRAMME CALLED YOUTH TODAY AND PRODUCTION ASSISTANT FOR VARIETY SHOWS. TWO YEARS LATER SHE BECAME A PRODUCER FOR SIX MONTHS.
NEXT CAME A STINT IN ADVERTISING. BUT NOT FOR LONG. TELEVISION STILL HELD ITS OLD ATTRACTION AND 11 MONTHS LATER WHEN HER MOTHER SAW AN ADVERTISEMENT IN A NEWSPAPER FOR A PRODUCTION OFFICER WITH RADIO HONG KONG TELEVISION, MAN-YEE APPLIED.
SHE GOT THE JOB AND JOINED RHKTV IN APRIL 1972. EIGHT MONTHS LATER SHE WAS SENT TO THE BBC FOR THREE MONTHS' TRAINING AND THREE MONTHS' ON ATTACHMENT.
BACK IN HONGKONG, MAN-YEE WORKED ON TELEVISION DOCUMENTAR IES AND ALSO HANDLED THE FILMING FOR THE SPECTRUM PROGRAMME.
NOW SHE'S GETTING READY TO TAKE OVER THE REINS OF UNDER THE LION ROCK. COMING FROM A MIDDLE-CLASS BACKGROUND MAN-YEE'S KNOWLEDGE OF LIFE IN THE RESETTLEMENT AREAS, THE SETTING FOR THE SERIES, WOULD SEEM TO BE LIMITED AND TO POSE A PROBLEM IN HER NEW JOB.
BUT SHE QUICKLY DENIES THIS SAYING THAT WHEN SHE FIRST JOINED THE STATION SHE WORKED WITH WONG WAH-KAY, THE MAN SHE'S GOING TO REPLACE, ON A PROGRAMME CALLED HOME IS HONGKONG'. UNDER HIS GUIDANCE SHE GAINED A VALUABLE INSIGHT INTO THE LIVES OF HONG KONG'S POORER PEOPLE.
NOT THAT SHE DOESN'T ADMIT HER NEW JOB WON'T HAVE ITS DIFFICULTIES, BUT MAN-YEE'S CONFIDENT SHE WILL SUCCEED.
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/+1 AM DETERMINED