New RTHK boss Leung Ka-wing is taking hold of a political hot potato. But why is the public broadcaster so controversial? STUART LAU and EDDIE LEE look at the key issues
STUART LAU AND EDDIE LEE
PUBLISHED : Friday, 07 August, 2015, 12:02am
UPDATED : Friday, 07 August, 2015, 12:02am
RTHK's headquarters in Kowloon Tong.Photo: Dickson Lee
Q: Why has the appointment of a broadcasting director been such a controversial issue?
A: Finding the right candidate acceptable to both the government and RTHK staff has been a headache for the administration ever since Chu Pui-hing stepped down in 2007. The government rejected calls for an internal promotion, and decided to go for open recruitment or transfer a civil servant to be editor-in-chief at the public broadcaster. That prompted staff to raise concerns about editorial independence and interference in an increasingly politicised city.
Q: Why is the role of RTHK itself controversial?
A: Many long-time RTHK workers and pro-democracy advocates believe it should be formally regarded as a fully independent public broadcaster like the BBC in Britain. Beijing-loyalist politicians have opposed that, complaining that the station is overly critical of both the local and central governments, and should be reined in. Cheung Man-yee, who served as the director between 1986 and 1999, was transferred by the government shortly after a Taiwanese official shared pro-independence remarks on RTHK.
Q: How many bosses have been "parachuted" into RTHK?
A: Leung Ka-wing is the third director of broadcasting in a row to be "parachuted" into the post from outside. After Chu stepped down in 2007 in a scandal over photographs of him with a karaoke hostess, the government appointed veteran television producer Franklin Wong Wah-kay. He was succeeded by Roy Tang Yun-kwong, a career bureaucrat.
Q: What was the big fuss over Roy Tang's tenure as RTHK boss?
A: As a veteran civil servant regarded as a rising star among administrators, Tang used to be responsible for environmental affairs and later welfare issues. He had no media experience and was given a black carpet welcome on his first day at work by angry staff. Subordinates accused him of interfering in editorial independence, resulting in a bizarre situation where the editor-in-chief could not be involved in editorial matters without being accused of interference. There were also rumours after he took over that acting assistant director Forever Sze Wing-yuen's promotion was blocked because he refused to undertake "political tasks" assigned to him.
Q: What are the challenges facing the new director?
A: Huge. Leung will have to draw upon his wealth of media experience to overcome major challenges at the 87-year-old broadcaster. One is RTHK's takeover of the analogue broadcasting spectrum that will be vacated by troubled ATV after its free-to-air licence expires next April. Staff are already worried that RTHK is not up to the task, given its current manpower and facilities. To continue ATV's analogue television service, RTHK may need access to the ailing station's transmission facilities, whose ownership issues and terms of use have yet to be sorted out. Another massive challenge is building RTHK's new headquarters. Last year lawmakers rejected a HK$6.1 billion proposal for the big move, saying it was too costly and the broadcaster did not deserve it. Most pro-establishment lawmakers opposed the funding request, which was nearly four times the original estimate of HK$1.6 billion in 2009. The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau has not yet put forward a new proposal, which means RTHK's future is uncertain at this stage.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1847187/tuning-five-key-questions-political-hot-potato-rthk
