ENG-1988 — Page 322

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COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA

Broadcasting Authority, a number of which reflected earlier recommendations of the Broadcasting Review Board, new terms and conditions for their renewal were drawn up. To give effect to these, the Television (Amendment) Ordinance 1988 was enacted in July and the Codes of Practice, which set out standards on programmes, advertising, and technical matters, were revised extensively.

The year saw an expansion in the range of programmes on current affairs and social issues, including new series on finance and on the environment. Both stations produced investigative reports in the form of featurettes in their news bulletins. A new trend was for the stations to send news teams abroad to do interview programmes and documentaries.

Another programming development was the strengthening of late night programmes. Talk shows, first-run drama series, and repackaged repeats were shown in the hours between 11.15 p.m. and 1 a.m.

While alternative drama genres such as 'docu-dramas' and one-off plays enjoyed increasing audiences, serialised dramas continued to be the major attraction on the Chinese services. Telemovies also became popular as a result partly of the involvement of the television licensees in the expanding video market.

In the area of light entertainment, mini programmes featuring music videos were screened on both the Chinese and English services. Game shows, once an almost extinct category of programme, returned to the regular schedules. Beauty contests and talent quests also proliferated on both stations.

Television productions in general were more diverse and sophisticated and became more proficient technically.

Television Home Viewing Groups appointed by the Commissioner for Television and Entertainment Licensing have been in operation since 1982 in each of Hong Kong's 19 districts. These groups, set up with the assistance of district offices, have a total membership of 570. They provided a continuous flow of opinion on programming and advertising from 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 from each district and each chaired by a member of the Broadcasting Authority, served to keep the authority in close contact with the Home Viewing Groups.

Further improvements in television transmission coverage were made. There were a total of 19 transposer stations in 1988. Additional transposer stations will be built at a rate of two each year until all areas in Hong Kong with a population of 2 000 within a radius of three kilometres can receive satisfactory-television signals. In addition, a combined broad-band antenna system, replacing the separate antennae used for individual channels at the Temple Hill main transmitter station, was brought into operation in May to improve and standarise the quality of television signals.

RTHK

During 1988, Radio Television Hong Kong, which uses the transmission services of the two commercial stations, continued to produce 12 hours of public affairs television programmes each week.

Policy guidelines for RTHK require its programmes to provide a channel of communica- tion between the government and the public in order to promote civic responsibility and identity, serve minority interests, and in general to educate and inform. The programmes produced fall basically into six categories: current affairs, drama, information and