TNAG-1632-FCO40-2248-Ministerial-visits-from-the-UK-to-Hong-Kong--including-visit-1987 — Page 192

G.F. 326

CONFIDENTIAL # *

The News Media in Hong Kong

A

General

The news media in Hong Kong are free, critical and aggressive. On the whole, coverage of international as well as local news is good. Reporters work in a fiercely

competitive environment and resort to all means to get a

scoop. They are, however, not too difficult to handle as

their questions are largely superficial and predictable, even though they tend to compensate for this by adopting an unduly aggressive and forceful stance. Foreign

correspondents are generally better trained and more

penetrating.

Television

2.

There are two commercial television stations, Asia

Television Limited (ATV) and Television Broadcasts Limited

(TVB) each broadcasting on one English and one Chinese

channel. In addition, the Government-owned Radio Television

Hong Kong (RTHK) produces about 12 hours per week of public

affairs programmes which are broadcast by the commercial stations. All three organisations adopt an independent

editorial stance but TVB has been observed to have exercised

special care not to upset China.

3.

TVB dominates the ratings, with an average weekday

audience share of 85 per cent for its Chinese channel

compared to ATV's 16 per cent. There are no reliable

audience figures for the two English channels.

Radio

4.

-

The main competition is between RTHK and the

privately owned Commercial Radio. They attract broadly

equal shares of the radio audience. RTHK operates five

channels two in Chinese, two in English and one bilingual while Commercial Radio operates two Chinese channels and one English-language service. There is also a British Forces Broadcasting Service operating two channels, one in Napali and the other in English, mainly for service

personnel.

-

/cont'd.

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CONFIDENTIAL **