XCC(86)122
THE EXISTING PATTERN OF TELEVISION SERVICES
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Through audience surveys and the submissions it received the Broadcasting Review Board concluded that all but a minority of television viewers were satisfied with the present provision and quality of programming. The BRB recommended that by tightening up the programming requirements for
requirements for commercial licensees and by giving RTHK a better access to television prime time, the existing pattern of two television licensees, each operating one Chinese and one English service, complemented by RTHK would continue to meet both minority needs and that of the public at large.
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The BRB's views were largely endorsed by the public in the consultation exercise following the publication of the BRB Report. Nevertheless, the Administration has studied number of alternative arrangements for television broadcasting, notably the possibility of allocating a separate fifth service for a public broadcaster, or replacing one of the existing English language services with a public broadcasting service. The feasibility of each of these options is considered below.
A fifth service for the public broadcaster
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Based on information supplied by Radio Television Hong Kong and the Postmaster General, the BRB calculated that the start up costs for a public broadcaster on its own service would be around $100 m, while annual recurrent costs, if the station were to broadcast for
to broadcast for four hours each night, would be about $200 m. The Administration, like the BRB
BRB itself, is unable to recommend providing public funds of this magnitude to establish a public broadcaster on a fifth service, particularly when there is no obvious demand for such an arrangement, and no certainty that RTHK
RTHK would be able to make full use of a
separate service.
Technical feasibility of a fifth television service
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It is not technically possible to establish a fifth television service by reallocating the UHF frequencies now in use. If a fifth service were to be introduced, Hong Kong would have to make use of different frequencies, which in turn would require the agreement of China and Macau who are presently designing their own UHF television broadcasting systems to be compatible with Hong Kong's existing plan. The adoption in Hong Kong of a revised plan to encompass a fifth service would also require modifications to be
be made at the outset to the receiving aerials of the public and to the broadcasting equipment of the licensees. This would involve costs to the public of about $2 $20 million (depending
(depending on the frequency plan that may be agreed), and similar costs
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exact to the
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