ENG-1991 — Page 353

COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA

News and satellite coverage of international sports events remained an important part of programming on all services. There was an increase in news, weather, financial and traffic reports in the morning programmes on the Chinese services, while the English services continued to carry the satellite telecast of news programmes from the United States.

Live coverage of international and local sports tournaments ranging from soccer, tennis, golf, basketball, volley ball, snooker, formula-one car racing to dragon boat races was also featured regularly on wireless television.

The introduction of multichannel sound television broadcast using the Near In- stantaneous Companding and Multiplexing (NICAM) standard was a breakthrough in local television broadcasting. The new technology enabled programmes to be screened with stereo effect or with different sound tracks for multi-language broadcast.

In 1982, Television Viewing Groups, with a total membership of 570, were set up in Hong Kong's 19 districts to provide a continuous flow of public opinion on programming and advertising. Three regional panels, one each for Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories and a panel for English-speaking viewers chaired by members of the Broadcasting Authority and consisting of representatives from the Television Viewing Groups keep the authority in close contact with the groups.

There was continued improvement in television transmission coverage during the year. There is one transmitter station and 23 transposer stations. New transposer stations are to be built at the rate of two each year until all areas with a population of 2 000 within a radius of three kilometres can receive satisfactory television signals.

Satellite Television

During the year the first Hong Kong based satellite television operator, HutchVision Hong Kong Limited, started to broadcast its STAR TV service to the entire Asian region. This broadcaster, whose programmes are receivable in countries as far apart as Japan and Turkey, Indonesia and Mongolia, was transmitting from Hong Kong five channels by the end of 1991. STAR TV may eventually provide up to seven channels specialising in news, sports, music and other programmes, predominantly in English language but also including Japanese and Mandarin. In October, the government amended the licence to enable the station to carry BBC World Service radio programmes for transmission throughout Asia. The establishment of STAR TV as a pan-Asian broadcaster in 1991 helped to reinforce Hong Kong's role as a regional media hub.

In May, the government invited applications for the licensing of satellite master antenna television system operators. Under the licence, the operators are permitted to install and operate satellite television-receiving dishes on buildings and distribute programmes to individual flats in single buildings or building blocks within a single development. By the end of the year, 69 licences had been issued.

Subscription Television

In 1991, following the withdrawal of Hong Kong's cable television provider late in 1990, the government embarked on a comprehensive review of the broadcasting environment in Hong Kong. The aim of the review was to put in place a satisfactory regulatory environment to encourage the development of a successful subscription television industry

297