James Shing quits role as ATV's executive director
Station chief complies with part of government order to resign, but may still be on ATV board
ATV's James Shing Pan-yu has finally relinquished his role as the broadcaster's executive director.
Yesterday, ATV announced that it had on Saturday received documents signed by Shing confirming his resignation from the position immediately.
But it was unclear if he had also quit the ATV board.
Shing is required by the Communications Authority to step down from both his roles as executive director and board director by today.
The order came after the authority released its investigation report on ATV on August 23, concluding that Shing had breached the licensing terms by allowing investor Wong Ching to exercise de facto control over the station. Shing and Wong are relatives.
The authority said Shing was no longer a "fit and proper person" for the role as stipulated in the Broadcasting Ordinance. It also fined the station HK$1 million for the breach.
Shing, who was executive director for more than three years, last week said he was "willing to sacrifice himself for ATV".
Yesterday, it remained unclear if he had fully complied with the authority's order, but the Companies Registry showed he remained a board director.
ATV did not respond to queries on this matter by press time. Shing could not be contacted.
The authority said it would continue to monitor ATV to ensure that the broadcaster complied with its ruling. Meanwhile, ATV said Louie King-bun, who was late last month appointed a board director, would replace Shing.
Louie, who was formerly executive editor of pro-Beijing newspaper , joined ATV as vice-president last year.
He became mired in controversy after an episode of , of which he is in charge, ran critical comments against student group Scholarism for opposing the introduction of national education classes at the height of the debate last year.
The Communications Authority received more than 10,000 complaints against the programme after it aired last September.
But the controversy did little to mar Louie's rapidly advancing career in ATV - in June, he was promoted to senior vice-president, succeeding the retiring Kwong Hoi-ying.
