ENG-1996 — Page 425

COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA

television market should be further deregulated. In the meantime, no new pay TV licences would be issued.

Broadcasting Authority

Licensed broadcasters are regulated by the BA, whose 12 members include nine appointed members drawn from various sectors of the community, and three public officers. The BA's major function is to foster proper programme, advertising and technical standards for broadcasting licensees. In September 1995, RTHK agreed to be bound by the same programme and advertising standards. The BA keeps in touch with community views on television through television viewing advisory panels, each chaired by a BA member.

On advice from a specialist working group (subsequently renamed the Codes of Practice Committee), the BA issued new guidelines on the advertising of alcohol in 1996, and amended standards in the codes of practice governing property advertising and claims relating to nutritional and dietary effects. Following the lifting of the moratorium on advertising on pay TV, the BA issued a code of practice on advertising standards on pay TV. During 1996, the BA's Complaints Committee dealt with 556 complaints, mostly alleging breaches of standards. On advice from the Complaints Committee, the BA issued 12 warnings and three serious warnings, and imposed one financial penalty amounting to $150,000.

Responding to public concern, the BA introduced a requirement for commercial television licensees to classify programmes unsuitable for children into 'Parental Guidance Recommended' ('PG’) or ‘Mature' ('M') categories at the end of 1995. In mid-1996, the BA began a mid-term review of Metro Broadcast's licence, and completed similar reviews of the licences for Commercial Radio and Hutchvision Hong Kong Limited, the licensee for STAR TV. The Governor in Council accepted the BA's recommendations for various amendments to the licences.

Television

Hong Kong's television viewers have access to up to 42 domestic and regional television channels in various languages. These include four free-to-air commercial channels funded by advertising, 34 pay TV channels funded by subscriptions, and a variety of free-to-air satellite channels.

The two commercial stations, Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) and Asia Television Limited (ATV), are licensed to broadcast one Cantonese and one English language channel each until 2002. During 1996, the two stations broadcast about 580 hours of news and entertainment programmes each week, of which the most popular were entertainment magazines, serialised dramas, fund-raising charity shows and game contests. TVB Jade continued to be the most popular channel, followed by ATV Home. The English-language channels, TVB Pearl and ATV World, attracted much lower ratings.

Their licence terms require ATV and TVB to broadcast programmes produced by publicly-funded Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK). Each week, RTHK produces about 10 hours of programmes intended to fill the gaps left by commercial broadcasters. Programmes covered current affairs, consumers' rights, and topics of interest to children and young people. Several programmes focused on the implications of the transition to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. An annual independent survey on audience appreciation showed that RTHK programmes continued to

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