CO537-5142 — Page 191

CONFIDENTIAL.

INFORMATION 2.0011049 REGISTRY

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONG KONG.

14th June, 1949.

92.

(90)

Dear Sidebotham,

*

1

Our Confidential Savingram No.461 of 11th June.

In the above savingram we have suggested that the Government

broadcasting in Hong Kong should be taken over by the Rediffusion Company,

the main reason being that in Hong Kong there is not really room for two

separate organisations. And since we are going to be very short of money

for the next few years what will happen will be that the service given by

Rediffusion will get better and better, whilst that given by Government

broadcasting will get worse and worse. This would be a very unsatisfactory

state of affairs. As it is the Government broadcasting only operates for

72 hours a day whilst Rediffusion operates for 17 hours. The alternative

would be for Government to finance its broadcasting by going in for advertising,

but unless we were to take over Rediffusion as well the objection would still

remain of having two separate organizations in one small territory.

The main crux is the control of the programmes.

But I don't

anticipate that there would be any difficulty over this as the terms of the

company's licence already give us some measure of control in this regard.

As regards the proposal of H.M.G. to establish transmitters in

Hong Kong with the idea of broadcasting into China I do not see why these

should not be operated by the Rediffusion people similarly with general control

over their programmes.

There would be the added advantage that a commercial

company is much more likely to put out programmes that will appeal to the

J.B.Sidebotham, Esq., C.M.G.,

Colonial Office.

P.T.O.