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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 1985
BY USING MODEST STANDBY FACILITIES, RTHK WOULD BE ABLE TO DUPLICATE ITS RADIO 1 SERVICE IN FM TO COVER WHAT BROADCASTERS CALLED THE +GOLDEN BOWL+, THAT IS THE NORTH OF HONG KONG ISLAND, KOWLOON AND TSUEN WAN, AS WELL AS SHA TIN, TUEN MUN, AND THE NORTH EAST NEW TERRITORIES.
THE EXISTING RTHK RADIO 2 FM SERVICE WOULD BE SIMILARLY EXTENDED AND SOME IMPROVEMENT WOULD BE PROVIDED IN FM FOR RAD 10 3 LISTENERS LIVING ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF HONG KONG ISLAND.
THESE IMPROVEMENTS WOULD BE MADE BY THE COMING SUMMER, MR TSAO SAID.
+DISCUSSIONS ARE UNDERWAY WITH COMMERCIAL RADIO AIMED AT FACILITATING SIMILAR INTERIM IMPROVEMENTS TO THEIR SERVICES - IMPROVEMENTS WHICH COMMERCIAL RADIO ARE, I KNOW, MOST ANXIOUS TO MAKE, HE SAID.
MR TSAO SAID AS EARLY AS 1979 THE GOVERNOR-1N-COUNCIL HAD INSTRUCTED THAT PLANS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF RADIO RECEPTION FOR BOTH RTHK AND COMMERCIAL RADIO BE DEVELOPED.
THAT THESE HAD NOT SO FAR REACHED FRUITION RESULTED FROM THREE PRINCIPAL CONSTRAINTS.
FIRST, THE FREQUENCY SPECTRUM AVAILABLE FOR HONG KONG'S USE WAS NARROWER THAN ORIGINALLY ENVISAGED, IN DRAWING UP A FREQUENCY ALLOCATION PLAN THE GOVERNMENT HAD TO TAKE PARTICULAR CARE TO ENSURE BOTH THAT THIS LIMITED RESOURCE WAS USED EFFICIENTLY AND THAT OUR PLAN DID NOT INTERFERE WITH THE PLANS OF NEIGHBOURING TERRITORIES. THIS HAD PROVED COMPLICATED.
SECONDLY, THE GOVERNMENT HAD TO ENSURE THAT THE LARGE NUMBER OF NEW TRANSMITTERS AND FREQUENCIES REQUIRED WOULD IN NO WAY INTERFERE WITH THE CRITICAL AERONAUTICAL COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES. THIRDLY, IT WAS CLEARLY DESIRABLE THAT ANY PLAN DEVISED SHOULD MINIMISE EXPENSIVE REPLACEMENT OR MODIFICATION TO EXISTING INSTALLATIONS AND EQUIPMENT.
+A PLAN HAS NOW BEEN DEVISED WHICH MEETS THESE CONSTRAINTS AND WE WILL SHORTLY SEEK THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL'S FORMAL ENDORSEMENT OF THE PROPOSALS, HE ADDED.
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