ENG-1995 — Page 390

COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA

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satellite that carries STAR TV's television channels. It provides a 24-hour music service with Western and Chinese music on the northern beam of the AsiaSat-1 satellite and Western music on the southern beam.

British Forces Broadcasting Service

The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) is part of the Services Sound and Vision Corporation, a world-wide organisation under contract to the Ministry of Defence, providing entertainment, information and training films, video, and broadcast television and radio services for the British Forces. In essence, it is a welfare service to the servicemen of the British Forces.

BFBS provides two radio services in Hong Kong, designed for the particular needs of the English and Gurkha service audiences. Nepali programmes are broadcast for 12 hours a day to cater for the Brigade of Gurkhas. The programmes provide music and features reflecting daily life with the brigade in Hong Kong, as well as news from Nepal and other Gurkha units throughout the British Army.

The English-language channel provides music, hourly news, reviews, sports coverage, quizzes and phone-in competitions 24 hours a day. It also relays BBC programmes.

Broadcasting Authority

- The Broadcasting Authority, a statutory body established in 1987 under the Broadcasting Authority Ordinance, regulates television and sound broadcasting in Hong Kong. It has 12 members: nine appointed, non-official members representing a cross-section of the community, and three government officers. Its major function is to secure proper programme, advertising and technical standards for broadcasting licensees, through provisions in the Television Ordinance, the Telecommunication Ordinance and the Broadcasting Authority Ordinance. At present, these licensees include the two commercial television stations, the satellite television broadcaster, one subscription television operator and two commercial radio stations.

One major task of the authority during the year was to conduct a mid-term review of the licence of Hong Kong Commercial Broadcasting Company Limited which was renewed in August 1989 for 12 years. The authority examined and evaluated the licensee's performance against the various statutory requirements and licence conditions, and a sound broadcasting survey and two public hearings were conducted. The views of the public and the fast changing broadcasting environment were taken into consideration.

In October, the authority recommended to the Governor in Council that the licence be renewed to August 25, 2001, subject to certain amendments to the licence conditions. The licence amendments will impose greater obligations on the licensee in some areas, such as in cultural and advisory programming. The authority also planned to update and revise its codes of practice for commercial sound broadcasting to ensure that the broadcaster better serves listeners in future.

During 1995, the authority also embarked on the mid-term review of the satellite uplink and downlink licence of Hutchvision Hong Kong Limited and a satellite television broadcasting survey was conducted from August to October to gather public opinion about the service.

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