Radio_Hong_Kong_1970-1971 — Page 11

and 'Our Industries' in which the youngsters are taken to visit some social service institutions, public utility companies or industrial under- takings and thereby they are enabled to see for themselves the social changes and economic progress of Hong Kong's community.

ENGLISH SERVICE

17. Radio Hong Kong's English Service continues to provide a balanced programme output of classical music, 'pop', talks, drama, variety, news, religion, sport, education and public affairs programmes.

18. Radio Hong Kong's English Service is an important cultural influence in the Colony. It provides for the Chinese listener a high standard of English, it brings impartial and objective news and comment, it broadcasts the best of western music, it provides high standards of entertainment in popular music for young people, it furnishes language lessons. It provides a forum for constructive criticism in its public affairs programmes and for government to expound and explain its policies to the public.

Public Affairs

19. Public affairs programmes serve three principal needs. These are to ventilate matters of public interest at an informed level, to offer a channel for members of the public to express their views on issues of the moment and to arrange for representatives of governmental authorities to explain their policies where they impinge on the life of the people. Public affairs programmes are conceived in various ways and take different forms and some of the following examples will indicate how these objectives are undertaken.

Talking Point

20. This series has continued to be significant in bringing to the microphone a very considerable number of speakers on a wide variety of subjects. Programmes have ranged from the problems of hijacking of aeroplanes to abortion laws. In the local context subjects such as a feature on 'Containerization and its Effects on Hong Kong' and 'Chinese as an Official Language' were debated. "Talking Point' was broadcast weekly during the year and there was little difficulty in finding subjects of public interest.

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