ENG-1959 — Page 320

PRESS, PUBLISHING, BROADCASTING, FILMS AND TOURISM 269

years the flow into Hong Kong of United Kingdom and Com- monwealth information from the Central Office of Information continued. The department supplies the Rediffusion Television network with a British Television Newsreel every week and usually one other documentary dealing with various aspects of British life. The departmental film library recorded just under 2,000 borrow- ings of films for non-commercial showings by clubs, schools and other institutions, representing a total audience of 627,000.

RADIO HONG KONG

1959 saw two significant developments in sound broadcasting. In August, the Hong Kong Commercial Broadcasting Company Limited inaugurated commercial services in English and Chinese, and in November, the Government announced that with effect from the introduction of VHF/FM transmissions in the spring of 1960,- the English Service of Radio Hong Kong would expand to 161 hours daily.

By the summer of 1960, the Colony will therefore have two all- day broadcasting services in both English and Chinese, the com- mercial services being broadcast on medium wave, and the public services being broadcast on medium wave and FM.

The increased variety of radio listening available and promised coincided with a remarkable increase in the number of radio licences. At the end of 1958 there were 71,631, at the end of 1959, 94,900, an increase of 23,269 or 32.5% compared with an increase of 7,145 or 9.02% in 1958

ך!

Radio Hong Kong, now a separate Government department, was established in 1928 and is one of the oldest Colonial radio stations in the world. Its Chinese Service, using the Cantonese, Kuoyu, Chiuchow and Hakka languages, is broadcast on 640 Kc/s and 7940 Kc/s, and its English Service, which also has regular pro- grammes in French and Portuguese, broadcasts on 860 Kc/s.

The studio centre is in Mercury House, the Far East Head- quarters of Cable and Wireless Limited, who are responsible for all the Station's technical operations. The expansion of Radio Hong Kong's services has resulted in extreme pressure on the accommodation available, and in order to make better use of this