XN000022-1986-03-19 — Page 35

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 1986

HE SAID THE BOARD'S RECOMMENDATION TO REDUCE THE LICENCE PERIOD TO LAST FOR EIGHT YEARS MIGHT DETER NEW COMPANIES FROM BIDDING FOR THE LICENCE.

+AS THE REPORT RECOMMENDS THAT A PUBLIC HEARING BE HELD EVERY FOUR YEARS, WE SHOULD NOT NEED TO WORRY THAT A LONGER LICENCE PERIOD WOULD NECESSARILY ALLOW THE TELEVISION STATIONS TO GO ON IN THE SAME SLOPPY RUT WITHOUT MAKING EFFORTS FOR

IMPROVEMENT, HE SAID.

HE FELT THAT THE RECOMMENDATION FOR THE SETTING UP OF A RADIO AND TELEVISION COMPLAINTS TRIBUNAL SHOULD NOT BE IMPLEMENTED.

+THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG HAS ITS FOUNDATION ON A SOUND AND COMPREHENSIVE JUDICIAL SYSTEM AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ADDITIONAL TRIBUNAL MIGHT, I AM AFRAID, WEAKEN THE INDEPENDENT STATUS OF THE JUDICIARY, WASTE FINANCIAL AND MANPOWER RESOURCES AND EVEN DO HARM TO PUBLIC CONFIDENCE,+ HE SAID.

MR LEE ALSO FELT THAT SOME RECOMMENDATIONS DIRECTED AGAINST A CERTAIN TELEVISION COMPANY WHICH HAD BEEN EXCEPTIONALLY SUCCESSFUL WERE SLIGHTLY SUBJECTIVE AND SOMETIMES ARBITRARY.

AS THE BROADCASTING REVIEW BOARD OPINED THAT THE PROGRAMMES CURRENTLY PROVIDED BY THE TWO COMMERCIAL TELEVISION STATIONS WERE FAR FROM COMPREHENSIVE, THE ADMINISTRATION SHOULD REQUIRE THEM TO BROADCAST A CERTAIN NUMBER OF INFORMATIVE, CURRENT AFFAIR. EDUCATIONAL OR CULTURAL PROGRAMMES IN SPECIFIED HOURS, HE SAID.

MR LEE POINTED OUT THAT MOST PEOPLE WELCOMED THE PROPOSAL FOR THE SETTING UP OF A PUBLIC BROADCASTER, BUT DIVERSE VIEWS HAD BEEN EXPRESSED ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF ALLOCATING TO IT THE HOUR FROM 7 PM TO 8 PM ON EACH OF THE TWO CHINESE CHANNELS.

STILL OTHERS THOUGHT THAT IN THE LONG RUN, WE SHOULD NOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF SETTING UP A FIFTH TELEVISION BROADCASTING CHANNEL, HE SAID,

+ADDITIONAL BROADCASTING SERVICES WILL HELP MUCH IN THE PROMOTION OF MASS MEDIA EDUCATION AND OPEN EDUCATION SHOULD THE ADMINISTRATION DECIDE TO GO AHEAD ALONG THESE LINES,+ ME LEE NOTED.

HE SAID RADIO TELEVISION HONG KONG WOULD BE ABLE TO ACQUIRE A HIGHER DEGREE OF EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE UPON ITS CONVERSION INTO AN INDEPENDENT PUBLIC BROADCASTER, BUT IT SHOULD BE RESTRUCTURED AS A NON-PROFIT-MAKING BODY AND CONSIDERATION MUST BE GIVEN TO SUBSIDISE PART OF ITS RECURRENT COST WITH PUBLIC FUND.

AFTER ITS DI SESTABLISHMENT FROM THE GOVERNMENT, RTHK SHOULD RETAIN THE SERVICE OF ITS EXPATRIATE STAFF WITH APPROPRIATE TERMS OF SERVICE SO AS TO MAINTAIN THE QUALITY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAMMES, HE ADDED.

MR LEE