ENG-1958 — Page 306

256

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

attended the Asian Games in Tokyo. NHK, the Japan Broad- casting Corporation, provided extensive studio and transmitter facilities through which it was possible to broadcast a nightly half-hour programme covering the day's events at the Games.

The Macau Grand Prix was covered in a similar fashion through facilities provided by Radio Vila Verde.

Religious broadcasting in Chinese was brought into line with English broadcasts during the year, when Sunday morning services were broadcast from Chinese churches. A small interdenomina- tional committee is responsible for allocating the number of broad- casts for each religious denomination.

English Service.' The English service aims at providing a balanced programme of information, education and entertainment not only for the listener from overseas temporarily resident in the Colony, but also for the very large English-speaking local audience. The latter numbers in its ranks many people who listen extensively to English-language broadcasts for serious plays, talks, and docu- mentary and classical music programmes. Within the limited hours available, the English service attempts to maintain a balance between popular entertainment and programmes of minority appeal.

Much local material is broadcast, but professional talent in all fields is scarce and considerable reliance must inevitably be placed on transcribed programmes from abroad, particularly those of the B.B.C., and relays or rebroadcasts of B.B.C. programmes. Never- theless, the range of local production is wide. Both the Hong Kong Stage Club and the Garrison Players contributed more radio drama productions in 1958 and there was a corresponding increase in plays produced by staff producers.

Hong Kong was visited by several internationally-famous artists during the year and many of these, including Moseiwitch, Anna Russell, Maurice Clare, Jan Peerce, Carlo Zecchi and Enrico Mainardi, McHenry Boatwright, Maurice Wilk, Inia Te Wiata and Gary Graffman, gave recitals.

Whilst the Chinese audience has ample opportunity to study western music, the western audience has little chance of learning anything of Chinese music. To give listeners this opportunity, a series of six illustrated programmes on the history of Chinese