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C. District Boards' Views on the BRB Report
Sixteen out of the nineteen District Boards discussed the BRB Report. The summary below reflects the views of 15 DB's, as the administration has not yet received the official minutes of one DB meeting (Yau Ma Tei). The analysis is indicative only: not all DB members spoke on all subjects; some DB's reflected their views by voting, whereas at other DB meetings members offered individual views and no collective opinions were put forward. For brevity, only the response to the major BRB recommendations are covered below.
On the Independence of RTHK
2.
About seventy DB members commented on the proposal to establish an independent public broadcaster. Sixty-two members supported the proposal in principle, fifteen disagreed with it, the remainder were undecided. Those in support spoke of the need for strong media independence, and the value of an alternative to the commercial broadcasters. Those against the proposal felt that government should maintain a voice, especially during the transitional period, or felt that it was over-optimistic to expect any broadcaster to be fully independent, so better the devil you know.
On the Proposal to Have a Monopoly of Prime-Time on the Commercial Stations
3.
This was one of the most widely discussed proposals. Fifty-seven individual DB members opposed the idea, and one DB voiced its collective opposition. Twenty-one members supported the proposal. Most of those opposing felt the proposal was unfair to the two commercial stations and that it would damage their revenues. A number doubted whether the public wished to see RTHK programmes after a hard day's work.
4.
Most of those supporting the proposal did so as they felt it was the best means to ensure good quality TV programmes at prime-time.
5.
Thirty-three members doubted whether a public broadcaster funded solely by advertising was either feasible or desirable. Some argued that public broadcasting type
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