XN000022-1988-09-01 — Page 5

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1988

"WHILE WE WELCOME BIDS FROM PARTIES WORKING IN TANDEM TO BUILD AND OPERATE THE NETWORK UNDER ONE COMPANY AND TO DO THE BROADCASTING UNDER ANOTHER, WE CANNOT AGREE TO BECOME MATCHMAKERS,

"CABLE NETWORK PROVIDERS, HOWEVER EXPERIENCED

THEY ARE, MUST FIND A BROADCASTER TO WORK WITH.

HE SAID.

AND COMPETENT

ONE

"WHILE WE WOULD NOT RULE OUT LICENSING SEPARATE COMPANIES, FOR THE NETWORK AND ONE FOR THE BROADCASTING, PROPOSALS WHICH DO NOT SOMEHOW LINK UP THE TWO WOULD NOT EARN AS MANY 'BROWNIE POINTS' AS THOSE WHICH PROPERLY LINK UP THE NETWORK AND THE BROADCASTING.

"WE ARE LOOKING FOR QUALITY, VARIETY AND A GENUINE COMMITMENT TO THE LOCAL CULTURE OF HONG KONG," HE SAID, ADDING THAT THE SUCCESSFUL BROADCASTER MUST BE PREPARED TO UNDERTAKE SERIOUS LOCALLY-BASED PROGRAMME PRODUCTION.

I

TELEVISION

MR TSAO POINTED OUT THAT CTV WAS NOT AS SIMPLE A3 WITH WIRES ATTACHED AND TO UNDERSTAND ITS IMPLICATIONS TWO MAIN POINTS WOULD HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED.

"THE FIRST IS THAT THE SUBSCRIBER TO CTV WILL HAVE AT HIS DISPOSAL APPROXIMATELY BETWEEN EIGHT AND 30 CHANNELS TO CHOOSE FROM AT ANY ONE TIME, HE SAID.

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"THE IMPLICATION OF THIS IS THAT INSTEAD OF

THE PEOPLE MOST

OF

THE

CTV SMALL

MAZENG

SINGLE CHANNEL HAVING TO PLEASE MOST

THE TIME, BROADCASTER CAN CONCENTRATE, ON ANY ONE CHANNEL, ON PLEASING SECTION OF HIS AUDIENCE AND PERHAPS SERVING THOSE OF THE AUDIENCE WHOSE TASTES ARE DIFFERENT WILL SWITCH TO CHANNELS.

THAT

SECTION BETTER.

OTHER

**WHAT THIS MEANS FOR HONG KONG IS THAT VALID MINORITY INTERESTS CAN BE FULLY CATERED TO.

"THE SECOND IMPORTANT POINT IS THAT THE CTV BROADCASTER'S AUDIENCE IS MADE UP OF SUBSCRIBERS. THIS MEANS THAT THE BROADCASTER HAS TO GO FOR QUALITY AND HAS TO PLEASE HIS AUDIENCES, OTHERWISE WILL DEFECT AND HE WILL LOSE MONEY DIRECTLY."

THEY

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