Radio_Hong_Kong_1955-1956 — Page 34

Relations with other Broadcasting Organizations

85. Close liaison with the British Broadcasting Corporation was maintained. Once again Hong Kong stood in debt to the B.B.C. for the supply of a high percentage of English pro- grammes in the form of direct relays from London, and the extensive range of material made available by the B.B.C. Transcription Service.

The Controller of Broadcasting continued to act as local correspondent for the B.B.C. and several recorded reports were used in Radio News Reel, including the arrival in Hong Kong of American airmen released from China, the visit of the Rt. Hon. Alan Lennox Boyd, Secretary of State for the Colonies, the statement by H.E. the Governor on his return from a holiday in Peking and the breaking of the world 30 and 25 mile running records by R.N. runner, 'Bob' Pape.

Many highlights of Radio Hong Kong English pro- grammes were re-broadcast in the new B.B.C. series, "Asia on the Air". These included commentaries on the annual cross harbour swimming race, the British Forces Tattoo and the Exhibition of Hong Kong Products, and interviews with Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, Alfred Hitchcock, S. 1. Hsiung and Sir Hartley Shawcross.

(For a full list of Radio Hong Kong contributions to B.B.C. programmes see Appendix "D".)

During the year the Head of the B.B.C. Far Eastern Service visited Hong Kong and had discussions on problems of mutual interest with Radio Hong Kong and other organizations.

86. Radio Hong Kong continued to work together on very friendly terms with Messrs. Rediffusion, who under the terms of their agreement with Government continued to relay a percentage of Radio Hong Kong programmes. There was close co-operation in the programme presentation field on a number of occasions. Unique among these was the three-day "Operation Fat Choy" produced as a combined operation (See para. 69).

87. Thanks to the co-operation of Radio Vila Verde, Macau, it was once again possible to relay commentaries on the Macau Grand Prix in return for the loan of commentators.

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