Update | ATV English-language news team threatens blackout over unpaid salaries
'Tapped out' newsroom staff demand unpaid salary for past two months
Journalists at cash-strapped Asia Television have warned their employers they will stop English-language news broadcasts - which the station must provide under the conditions of its licence - after today if they do not receive the wages they are owed.
Some of the 11-strong English news editorial team had not received December's pay while January's salary had not been paid to any of them, the team's head said.
Yonden Lhatoo, editor-in-chief of news and public affairs at ATV World channel, said the staff had asked their employers verbally and in writing to pay the salaries by today, or they would cease news broadcasts.
"We've given the owners an ultimatum to pay us by Friday or that night will be the last English-news broadcast. We're all tapped out and have no more to give," Lhatoo said.
The company had not replied by yesterday afternoon, Lhatoo said. He added that some members of the team planned to leave the company if they were not paid by the deadline.
"It's two months [late]," he said. "This is the second time we haven't been paid this late.
"I can't keep my team going in this situation … No one would like to work without pay."
Lhatoo said on Friday afternoon the management was arranging to meet the journalists later in the day to discuss the issue. His team would decide what to do next after the meeting.
A spokesman for ATV said yesterday that the company had not heard about the journalists' plan and that operations were normal.
The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (Ofta) said that under its domestic free-television programme service licence, Asia Television was required to provide at least two in-depth news reporting programmes on each of its Chinese-language and English-language channels every day. Each programme should last no less than 15 minutes.
The authority also said that another licence condition for ATV states that it must provide and maintain sufficient manpower to avoid or minimise service disruption.
"If ATV violates the related conditions, the Ofta will, depending on the situation, impose a penalty such as a warning, a fine, licence suspension or recommending the Chief Executive in Council revoke its licence," the authority said.
Meanwhile, the authority slapped another HK$100,000 fine on ATV for failing to pay for a type of television licence fee for the period between last December and next November, which amounted to HK$2.8 million.
READ MORE: ATV floats crowdfunding idea for public to buy 10pc stake
ATV executive director Ip Ka-po said the station still lacked HK$30 million to settle licence fees and salaries for December and January.
Majority shareholder Wong Ben-koon and investor Wong Ching have offered to lend the station HK$15 million to solve immediate funding needs, but only on the condition that fellow shareholder, Taiwanese snack tycoon Tsai Eng-meng, agreed to contribute as well.
Auditor Deloitte China on Wednesday confirmed it had received three proposals to buy a 10.75 per cent stake in the station. It said negotiations were ongoing because Wong Ching had refused to accept the price offered.
Wong, who said ATV owed him HK$1.8 billion, agreed to reduce his claim to HK$900 million to make the station more appealing to potential investors, Ip said.
