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COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA

the public interest which are directly related to issues of public concern or govern- ment policy.

(viii) There will be no relaxation of the present standards of censorship which fairly reflect those of the community as a whole. Licensees will also be allowed to broadcast religious programmes subject to prior approval by the future Broadcasting Authority. There are a number of other recommendations in the Broadcasting Review Board report concerning radio policy, technical requirements and programme content which have still to be considered. These will be examined in due course by the Governor in Council or the future Broadcasting Authority.

Television

Television viewing continued to be Hong Kong's prime leisure activity, with some 95 per cent of households owning one television set or more. Two franchised commercial wireless broadcasting stations, Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) and Asia Television Limited (ATV), transmit an average of 490 hours of programming each week, and together provide two English and two Chinese-language services for the community. The UHF 625-line PAL colour system is standard and virtually all transmission is in colour. Both TVB and ATV maintain large well-equipped studios and office complexes using the latest production and transmission technologies.

The television stations are licensed to operate under the provisions of the Television Ordinance, which is administered by the Television Authority. The Commissioner for Television and Entertainment Licensing is responsible for the regulation of the stations' licences and the issue and enforcement of the programme, advertising and technical standards required of the licensees. He is advised in these responsibilities by the Television Advisory Board. One of the main roles of the Television Authority is to monitor regularly the performance of the television stations to ensure that the terms and conditions of their licence requirements are being met.

An important breakthrough has been made in the development of local television technology. Since 1985, the two television stations have been engaged in a joint experiment with the digital multiplex sound system, with the aim of providing stereophonic and dual-sound programmes. The experiment is being carried out in conjunction with the British Broadcasting Corporation. The introduction of such a service would give viewers a much wider choice of programme material in that, apart from stereo-reception, viewers would be able to receive the same programmes in either English or Cantonese.

Competition between the stations continues to be keen. This competition has brought benefits to the public in the form of more varied and sophisticated entertainment, information and educational programmes. However, station-produced serialised drama remains the major attraction on Chinese services.

There was an increase in sports output, including the regular sports magazines and the broadcast of major local soccer matches, the FA Cup '86, and the satellite broadcast of the World Cup '86 in Mexico.

Other international sporting events, like the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, were also covered. The rising popularity of snooker led to a series of programmes on the game, including tournaments. During the year, both stations mounted a series of entertain- ment specials, mainly on beauty contests. Pop music and travelogues were also popular.

There has also been an increase in informative and educational programmes. Both stations increased production of current affairs programmes, including some special series on the Urban Council and Regional Council elections and the district boards.