ENG-1958 — Page 298

248

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

Only two morning newspapers are published in the English language the South China Morning Post and the Hong Kong Tiger Standard (the latter owned by Sing Poh Amalgamated Ltd., publishers of Sing Tao Jih Pao and Sing Tao Man Pao). The South China Morning Post Ltd. also publishes the afternoon newspaper China Mail (the oldest daily newspaper in the Colony) and the weekly Sunday Post-Herald.

During recent years the Hong Kong press world has displayed considerable stability and there have been few failures but, equally, few new ventures started.

As with daily newspapers, the leading publications in the magazine field are all Chinese. Despite educational developments and a steady increase in the number of Chinese who are com- pletely literate in both English and Chinese, it would seem that the majority of the people of Hong Kong prefer to read in their native language. Since 1946 there have been several attempts to start new English-language magazines, but the majority of these failed to secure a circulation sufficient to warrant continued publication. Of major magazines in the English language, only the weekly Far Eastern Economic Review and bi-monthly Hong Kong and Far East Builder-both of which are specialist in their appeal and command circulations outside the Colony-have survived for any number of years.

Four international news agencies maintain full-scale bureaux in Hong Kong, and it is indicative of the attention paid to world news by the local press that the majority of leading newspapers subscribe to at least three, if not all four, of the services provided. The agencies are the Agence France Presse, Associated Press of America, Reuter (in association with the Australian Associated Press) and United Press International. Offices are also maintained in Hong Kong by the independent Pan-Asia Newspaper Alliance, the New China News Agency (official agency of the Chinese Government), the Central News Agency of the Taiwan administra- tion and the Japanese agencies, Jiji Press and Kyodo News Service. There are also a number of small local agencies serving the vernacular newspapers and two or three correspondents (either staff or part-time representatives) for other overseas agencies, in the Colony. Broadcasting and television systems-particularly those of the North American continent-are also well represented.