ENG-1987 — Page 298

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COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA

About 40 hours are provided each week by the BFBS production centre in London, which keeps listeners in touch with home and provides specialist programmes involving many of Britain's premier broadcasting personalities.

Broadcasting Review Board Report

Significant progress was made in 1987 in implementing the government's decisions on the major recommendations of the Broadcasting Review Board, as announced towards the end of 1986.

These decisions related, among other things, to regulation of the broadcasting industry, programme quality and advertising and censorship standards.

The follow up measures taken included:

(a) Establishment of a Broadcasting Authority, with responsibility over wireless TV on September 1, comprising 12 members - nine members from a wide-cross section of the community, and three government officers. The Broadcasting Authority's functions will initially be confined to administering television matters, but will later be extended to cover radio and cable television, when legislation for these services has been drawn up. (b) Arising from the issue of cable TV, engagement of independent consultants to give advice on whether a second public telecommunications network should be developed in Hong Kong. The consultants, appointed in September, were to submit their report in the first quarter of 1988. At the same time, work was in progress on the formulation of broadcasting policies.

(c) Further tightening of the code of practice on tobacco advertising with regard to the manner of presentation of the advertisements, as an interim step towards the introduction of a total ban on tobacco advertising on TV and radio with effect from -December 1990 and the extension of the hours of ban on TV from 4.30 – 6.30

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p.m.

to 4.30 10.30 p.m. in December 1988. These restrictions came into effect in mid-November.

(d) Continuation of the work on the future administrative and financial arrangements for the future RTHK, with the intention of introducing the necessary legislation in 1988.

Television Television viewing continued to be Hong Kong's prime leisure activity, with more than 98 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 500 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 Broadcasting Authority replaced the Television Authority and Television Advisory Board to become the authority responsible for all matters relating to the television industry. Its major functions are to administer the provisions of the Television Ordinance, Cap 52, and to secure proper standards of television broadcasting with regard to both programme content and technical performance of broadcasts.

One of its first tasks was to lay down the terms and conditions for the renewal of the two existing television licensees whose licences are due to expire in December 1988. A