ENG-1992 — Page 354

COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA

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the territory is now 122. Causeway Bay Post Office, Wan Chai Post Office and Tsuen Wan Post Office were relocated to larger premises during the year in order to provide improved services to those districts.

With the aim of lowering operating costs and enhancing efficiency, the Post Office continued its efforts to identify opportunities for automation in its mail handling process. Following the introduction of a Mechanised Letter Sorting System in mid-1990, plans are in hand to install letter sorting machines in delivery offices in the New Territories.

To provide greater convenience to customers, 13 electronically operated stamp vending machines were installed at 10 major post offices during the year. These new machines, which issue stamps of four different denominations, accept all Hong Kong coins and give change. More machines are being ordered for installation at other post offices.

There are also plans to computerise the redirection service and Speedpost acceptance procedures in 1993. Computer terminals will be installed at major sorting offices and Speedpost acceptance offices.

The Post Office issued six sets of special stamps in 1992. The first set was released in January 1992 to mark the Year of the Monkey. The second set was released in February to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In April a set of four stamps and a souvenir sheet were released to mark the 1992 Olympic Games. Special stamps depicting stamp collecting were issued in July, and a fifth set, released in September, was on the theme of Chinese opera. November saw the release of a set of greetings stamps and a stamp booklet.

A new set of definitive stamps was released on June 16 to replace the definitive stamps issued in 1987. This was the sixth set of Hong Kong definitive stamps issued in the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

A number of philatelic products were also issued during the year. These included new design labels for the Year of the Monkey in March, and two $10 definitive stamp sheetlets to mark participation in international stamp exhibitions in Chicago, USA, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, by the Hong Kong Post Office in May and September respectively. In August a prestige stamp album containing special stamps issued by 12 postal administrations to mark the 1992 Olympic Games was issued.

Broadcasting Authority

The regulation of television and commercial sound broadcasting is the responsibility of the Broadcasting Authority, a statutory body established in September 1987. The authority has 12 members, nine of whom are appointed non-official members representing a cross- section of the community and three are government officers. Its major function is to secure proper standards in programme and advertising content and technical performance of the two wireless television licensees and the two commercial radio licensees through provi- sions in the Television Ordinance, Telecommunication Ordinance and the Broadcasting Authority Ordinance. Since January 1992, the authority's jurisdiction has been extended to cover satellite television and sound broadcast.

During the year, the authority assisted the government in a comprehensive review of the television broadcasting industry and made a number of important changes to the television codes of practice. The authority also advised the government in the formulation and evaluation of a proposal for the establishment of a subscription television service in Hong Kong.