ENG-1968 — Page 288

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PRESS, BROADCASTING AND CINEMA

More than 30 advertising and independent studios specialize in commercials for cinema and television, and in 1968 they produced nearly 250 commercials for clients in Hong Kong and most Asian centres. Ten commercials were made for Australian clients, and at least three major international airlines shot location commercials in Hong Kong.

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GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES

The task of the Government Information Services is to keep the people of Hong Kong and overseas accurately informed of the Government's aims and achievements. The department is linked by teleprinter to 46 newspapers, news agencies and radio stations. The department is divided into two main divisions-news and publicity—both staffed by specialist professional officers. The News Division operates in two main sections-press and radio news. The press section channels information to newspapers and deals with press enquiries generally, while the radio news section specializes in the preparation of world and local news bulletins for the Colony's broadcasting and television stations. Fourteen radio news bulletins in English and Chinese are prepared daily, ranging in length from full 10-minute bulletins to one-minute summaries.

The Publicity Division has local and overseas commitments, and it produces magazine and newspaper feature articles, photographs, newsreels, booklets and posters. Locally, the division is responsible for handling publicity campaigns for all government departments. The editorial section provides written material for a worldwide press syndication service and for most booklets and leaflets produced in the department. It also provides scripts and commentaries for documentary films and newsreels made by the film unit.

The production of a monthly newspaper, The World of Hong Kong continued to be the major commitment in the publications field, over 22,000 copies of this tabloid now being distributed all over the world. Other typical publications included a revised edition of Hong Kong-An Introduction, a third edition of The Port of Hong Kong, colour folders on the work of the Resettlement Department and Housing Authority, and a booklet on the Tai Lam drug treat- ment centre. Also well in hand at the year's end was a booklet on the Plover Cove Scheme.