ENG-1978 — Page 242

14

The Media

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PEOPLE living in Hong Kong are avid television, film and newspaper consumers. Some 350 copies of newspapers are printed for every 1,000 people, while 90 per cent of Hong Kong homes have one or more television sets. Approximately 65 million cinema tickets were bought during 1978, giving Hong Kong one of the highest per capita cinema attendances in the world.

Hong Kong has a flourishing free press made up of 412 publications. There are two operating commercial television stations broadcasting in Chinese and English that reach an estimated three million viewers a day, and two major radio stations with eight channels in Chinese and English. There are 75 cinemas in existence and the government is planning to introduce new regulations which will enable smaller cinemas to be established in multi-storey buildings.

Press-

Newspapers account for 128 of the 412 publications registered with the Registrar of Newspapers. Some 350 copies of newspapers are printed for every 1,000 people in Hong Kong. In Asia, only Japan exceeds this figure, with 490 copies to every 1,000 people. The world average is approximately 109 to every 1,000 people.

Hong Kong's newspapers include four English dailies and 112 Chinese language papers. The combined daily circulation of the English language papers is estimated at 115,000, while the Chinese newspapers have an estimated circulation of 1.6 million. Four of the Chinese dailies sell more than 100,000 copies each. In most cases, the price of newspapers remains below $1. 20 × 1

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Periodicals represent a main sector of the press. There are 284 periodicals - 196 Chinese, 61 English and 27 bi-lingual. These magazines cover a wide range of subjects, from specialist technical journals to local entertainment guides.

Several organisations represent and cater for people working in the news media in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Press Club, which provides social and working facilities for journalists, moved to larger, modern premises at 175 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, in July. Club amenities for people working in the press, television, radio and other media fields include a bar, a theatrette, conference facilities, pool tables and television. The office of the Hong Kong Journalists' Association (HKJA) is located at the Hong Kong Press Club. The HKJA has a membership of 600 and seeks to raise professional standards by pressing for better training in journalism, as well as counselling its mem- bers in the event of disputes with employers.