ENG-1986 — Page 288

COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA

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Television Home Viewing Groups appointed by the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority have been in operation since 1982 in each of Hong Kong's 19 districts. These groups, set up with the assistance of district offices and having a total membership of 570, provide the authority with a continuing flow of public opinion on programming and advertising across a broad spectrum of the population. Three Regional Advisory Panels, one each for Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories, consisting of representative members drawn from each group, were established in 1983 and served to keep the authority and members of the Television Advisory Board in close contact with the Home Viewing Groups.

Radio Television Hong Kong, which uses the transmission services of the two commer- cial stations, produced 12 hours of public affairs programmes each week. Below the Lion Rock, Children's Drama and Hong Kong Profile are highly acclaimed dramas, while The Common Sense, Pentaprism and Access remain among the top programmes.

Policy guidelines for RTHK require its programmes-to provide a communicating channel between the government and the public which promotes civic responsibility and identity, serves minority interests and educates and informs. Material produced falls basically into six areas of interests: current affairs, drama, information and community services, variety and games shows, children and youth, and educational programmes.

RTHK productions are generally popular and have won acclaim both locally and internationally. During the year, RTHK's drama productions included a Writers' Series which ventured into the local literature scene, and The Below the Lion Rock series. To promote civic education, a new programme Today in LegCo was launched to highlight the work of the Legislative Council. Emphasis has continued to be put on educational programmes. Dial A Tutor is a programme to help students with their studies and Pre-school deals with the healthy development of pre-school children, while Music Time and Story Time are two new children's programmes with a new format that places emphasis on the arts. In addition, The New Epoch, a documentary type of youth programme which investigates the various facets of Hong Kong adolescents, was started. Adult education is another area being developed with civic education, language and the performing arts as the main theme this year.

The highlight of the year was the station's production of a Youth Spectacular in October to celebrate the Queen's visit to Hong Kong. This special event, held in the Hong Kong Coliseum and comprising music, songs and dances performed by over 6000 youths, demonstrated the talents of Hong Kong's young people. It was televised and was very well-received by the audience.

RTHK's Educational Television Division and the Education Department have contin- ued their joint efforts in producing educational programmes for schools. The government's Educational Television Service, which utilises the transmission facilities of the commercial stations for eight hours a day, is watched by around 600 000 children in primary and secondary schools. The programmes are devised and written by specialist Education Department staff who provide schools with programme literature and follow-up work. The programmes are produced by RTHK and are made in colour using film animation, drama and documentary techniques.

Proposals for Cable Television

Earlier in the year, the government accepted in principle a recommendation of the Broadcasting Review Board that cable television should be introduced in Hong Kong. To assess the commercial community's interest in the development of cable television in Hong