ENG-1994 — Page 419

COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA

conditions. The licence amendments will impose greater obligations on the licensees in some areas, such as in cultural, children's and advisory programming. The Broad- casting Authority also planned to update and revise its codes of practice for commercial television broadcasting to ensure that the broadcasters better served the viewers in the future.

Complaints Committee

All complaints relating to television and radio broadcasting are considered by the Com- plaints Committee of the Broadcasting Authority, unless they are of a trivial or frivolous nature. Complaints may be lodged in writing or through a 24-hour hotline provided by the authority. During the year, the authority dealt with 1 467 complaints regarding recep- tion problems and the quality and standards of television and radio programmes and advertisements. Acting on the recommendations of the Complaints Committee, the authority issued four warnings and eight serious warnings to the two commercial television stations for the use of crude language, the portrayal of dangerous acts which children might copy, risking injury to themselves or others, and indecency and undesirable material. Three financial penalties were imposed on the two commercial television stations for the broadcast during family viewing hours of undesirable language and the broadcast of an advertisement with a logo resembling that of a tobacco product. The authority also issued four warnings and one serious warning to Wharf Cable for the use of crude language and the portrayal of sex and violence in four separate features, and the promotion of adult material on channels not approved for that purpose. One financial penalty was imposed on Wharf Cable for screening the inhumane treatment of an animal in a children's programme. The authority also issued two warnings and three serious warnings to the two commercial radio licensees for the use of crude language, the indirect advertising of products within programmes and the failure to observe the requirements on the broadcasting of advisory programmes.

Working Group on Review of Codes of Practice

The authority's Working Group on Review of Codes of Practice met periodically throughout the year to review the codes of practice on programmes, advertising and technical standards for radio and television services. As a result, revisions were made to various provisions and a new code on technical standards for subscription television was introduced.

In view of increasing concern in society over the influence of triads, the codes on programme standards for television and radio were amended to tighten up the standards on the depiction of criminal activities and to provide regulation of the portrayal of triads and the use of triad jargon.

Across-the-board amendments were also made to the advertising and home shopping codes to provide clear standards on what might be regarded as indirect advertising for unacceptable products and services in advertisements for acceptable products. To give the commercial television broadcasters more flexibility, the advertising codes were changed so that sports programmes may deviate from the rules governing the duration of programme segments and advertising breaks and intervals in the interests of better viewing and presentation.

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