XN000022-1986-11-26 — Page 3

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1986

+NOR WOULD IT BE RIGHT TO MAKE SUCCESSFUL LICENSEES PAY FOR RTHK OUT OF HYPOTHECATED ROYALTIES, HE SAID.

THE GOVERNMENT HAD DECIDED TO PROVIDE THAT RTHK SHOULD IN FUTURE STATUTORY BOARD OF GOVERNORS TO BE

INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO

BE ANSWERABLE TO AN INDEPENDENT APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR.

+SO THAT THE BOARD WILL REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE AND TO ENSURE ITS INDEPENDENCE, IT IS PROPOSED THAT THE GOVERNORS SHOULD BE DRAWN FROM THE COMMUNITY WITH THE ADDITION OF A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE ADMINISTRATION. MR THOMAS SAID.

THE STATUTORY FUNCTIONS OF THE BOARD WOULD BE TO IMPLEMENT THE BROAD POLICY OBJECTIVES OF RTHK THAT WOULD BE LAID DOWN IN THE ORDINANCE.

THESE WOULD EMPHASISE THE DUTY TO INFORM AND EDUCATE THE PUBLIC, AND WIDELY TO DISSEMINATE NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS.

HE SAID +RTHK MUST CONTINUE TO BE AND BE SEEN TO BE A BALANCED AND OBJECTIVE PUBLIC BROADCASTER.

+THE FUNDING OF RTHK WILL CONTINUE TO COME FROM THE PUBLIC PURSE, AND ITS STAFF WILL REMAIN WITHIN THE PUBLIC SERVICE, SUBJECT ONLY TO THE CASH LIMITS SET BY GOVERNMENT YEAR BY YEAR, THE BOARD WILL BE FREE TO PURSUE THE POLICY I HAVE DESCRIBED, AND WILL MAKE A REPORT EACH YEAR,+ HE ADDED.

RTHK WOULD IN DUE COURSE BE GIVEN INCREASED ACCESS TO THE TELEVISION CHANNELS, ESPECIALLY PRIME TIME.

ARRANGEMENTS THAT WOULD BE INCORPORATED IN THE NEW TELEVISION LICENCES ON OFFER WOULD GIVE RTHK AN INCREASE IN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF HOURS THAT MUST BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR THEIR PROGRAMMES WITHIN DEFINED ACCESS TO PRIME TIME.

ON TOBACCO ADVERTISING ON TV AND RAD10, MR THOMAS SAID THAT AFTER CONSIDERING ALL THE ARGUMENTS CAREFULLY THE GOVERNMENT HAD ACCEPTED IN PRINCIPLE THE CASE FOR A TOTAL BAN ON TOBACCO ADVERTISING AND SPONSORSHIP ON TV AND RADIO.

THIS BAN WOULD HOWEVER, BE INTRODUCED BY A PHASED PROGRAMME SO AS TO LESSON ITS IMPACT ON THE TV AND RADIO STATIONS. THERE WOULD BE THREE PHASES.

/+AT FIRST,