TNAG-0350-FCO40-386-Future-of-broadcasting-in-Hong-Kong-1972 — Page 100

Note for the Record

CONFIDENTIAL

18

WIRELESS TELEVISION LICENCES IN HONG KONG

1. Mr Dennis telephoned Mr Wilford on 13 April to say that he had had a report over the telephone from Hong Kong that -

(a) The Governor in Council had considered further the

proposals for the award of broadcasting licences at a meeting on 11 April.

2.

(b) It had been decided that there should be two new

licences granted one covering a two channel service (one channel English and the other Chinese) and one for a one channel service in the Chinese language which would in the main broadcast "public" material (eg educational programmes).

(c)

There would be a selected list of applicants invited to tender for licences - RTV(HK), Mr George Ho and Miss Aw Sian.

(a) The timetable would now be as follows - tenders issued

in September and in by December 1972. The licences would be issued in the early summer 1973.

(e) In deciding to whom licences should be granted the

authorities would take into account - the quality of the picture, the infra-structure of the applicant and the speed with which the new service could be introduced.

(f) RTV(HK)'s existing licence would be extended to an

unspecified date.

(g) TVB and RTV (HK) would get a letter about the new

arrangements on 18 April.

Mr Dennis said that this information changed the situation completely. It now seemed almost certain that RTV(HK) would get the licence they needed. In the circumstances he asked that nothing should at present be said to the Hong Kong Government about the representations he had made to us on 11 April. He would get in touch with us again after RTV (HK) had received the letter from the Hong Kong Government. If the letter confirmed the revised arrangements, the details of which he had had over the telephone, he thought there would be no need for anything to go to Hong Kong from the FCO. He would however let us know later what he would like us to do.

CONFIDENTIAL

EN.

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